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Revenue Allocation Formula, Outdated -Gbajabiamila
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, has agreed with the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Engr. Elias Mbam, on the need to review the 29-year-old revenue sharing formula.
The Speaker said, “in its attempt to review the revenue allocation in the country, which was last done almost 30 years ago, the commission should ensure that all stakeholders were carried along and that all necessary things are done so that the final report could not be faulted”.
Gbajabiamila, who hosted the management of the commission led by its Chairman, Engr. Elias Mbam, for a courtesy call on the leadership of the House, yesterday, at the National Assembly said the current realities should necessitate a review of the revenue allocation.
“I’m glad you’re here. Your commission is one of the unsung heroes. You’re of the 14 institutions established by the Constitution, while all others were established by other laws.
“It’s almost 30 years that the last review was done. It’s such a long time. A lot has changed from 1992 to date.
“I charge you to do your review, not based on any sentiment. You should consult widely so that your report won’t be faulted. I’m glad you said you’re conducting public hearings. It’s good to do that, to seek people’s opinions.
“You should work based on the principles of justice, equity and fairness,” Gbajabiamila said, adding that Nigeria is a peculiar country, hence the need to do a thorough and diligent review.
He said the House would support the commission in whatever way possible, noting that the commission’s management was at the right place to seek support.
On the issue of amendment of the RMAFC Act, Gbajabiamila asked the agency to provide specific areas that needed to be amended, especially on the issue of the Petroleum Industry Act as cited by Mbam.
“In terms of autonomy, I need to know if you don’t enjoy autonomy and how you’re not autonomous. The House is here to partner with you. We must work together. We must give you the enabling environment to operate effectively.”
Earlier, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Engr. Elias Mbam, had informed the House leadership that the visit was to seek the support, advice and guidance of the House on the planned review of revenue allocation that the commission was to embark on.
He said since the last review in 1992, things have changed and that there was the need to review the revenue allocation to accommodate those changes.
He said, “We now feel strongly that the review has become necessary. A lot of things have changed since 1992.
“There are concerns now that were not there before. So, there is the need to review the allocation to make sure that what every tier of government gets is in line with its current responsibilities.”
As part of the plans for the review, Mbam said the commission has embarked on wide consultations across the country, including visiting past presidents, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the judiciary, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) as well as engagements with the media, CSOs, among others.
He said the commission has commenced sensitization in different states and that it would hold public hearings with regard to the planned review, starting with the South-West next week.
Mbam thanked the Speaker for accepting to host them on short notice, saying “if all Nigerians will work like this, we all will be better for it.”
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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