The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has concluded work on a new remuneration framework for political office holders and has submitted the proposal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Chairman of the Commission, Mohammed Bello Shehu, disclosed this on Thursday during the agency’s budget defence before the House Committee on Finance. He said the proposed pay structure, which covers ministers and other political office holders, will be transmitted to the National Assembly by the President in due course.
Shehu also revealed that the Commission is making progress on the review of the vertical and horizontal revenue sharing formulas, expressing confidence that the exercise would be concluded before the end of the year.
According to him, the RMAFC has largely completed its work on the review of revenue allocation for the three tiers of government as well as the remuneration package for political office holders, with only final data analysis left before submission.
The RMAFC chairman raised concerns over what he described as long-standing interference by state governments in the fiscal autonomy of local governments, noting that the Commission plans to re-establish a Local Government Monitoring Committee to oversee financial governance at the grassroots.
Shehu said the Commission fully supports President Tinubu’s stance on enforcing local government autonomy, recalling the President’s warning to governors that an Executive Order could be issued if necessary.
He attributed many of Nigeria’s development challenges to the poor functionality of local governments, stressing that effective grassroots governance is critical to national stability and growth.
Commending the House Committee on Finance, Shehu said legislative support has strengthened the Commission’s authority and improved cooperation with revenue-generating agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
He further disclosed that the RMAFC is currently conducting a comprehensive audit and verification of Nigeria’s oil assets across the Niger Delta, describing the exercise as unprecedented. According to him, the findings, when presented to the President, would have far-reaching implications for the country’s revenue management.
