Reps urge Buhari to send new revenue formula to N’Assembly
Defend grading of committees
THE House of Representatives has urged
President Muhammadu Buhari, to as a
matter of urgency forward a new
revenue allocation formula for the
federation, that would reflect current
realities to the National Assembly, for
consideration and passage.
This followed the adoption of a motion
introduced on the floor yesterday by
Rotimi Agunsoye, calling for a new
revenue allocation formula in
compliance with the constitutional
requirement of regular review at
interval of five years.
The House also yesterday defended its
decision and gave reasons why the
leadership of the lower chamber
categorized its recently-announced
committees into grades A, B and C .
This comes against the backdrop of
allegations that the Yakubu Dogara-led
selection committee allocated so-called
‘juicy committees’ to loyalists of the
Speaker when the House constituted the
96 standing panels unveiled recently.
Agunsoye had argued that the
effectiveness of the subsisting allocation
formula, which he said was over 30
years old would be doubtful to reflect the
realities in relation to the financial
needs of the three tiers of government,
recalling that the current formula being
used was enacted in 1982, and amended
in 1992 long before the coming into
force of the 1999 Constitution.
He said; “Section 162(2) of the
Constitution requires the President, on
recommendation of the Revenue
Mobilzation Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC), to submit a
proposal for a new revenue allocation
formula to the National Assembly for
consideration and passage into law.
Speaking on the motion, Tahir Monguno
while agreeing that there may have been
substantial non-compliance with the law,
said rather than pass a resolution to
urge compliance, the courts should be
approached to obtain an order of
mandamus to force compliance.
But Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamilla
opposed the suggestion, citing sections
88 and 89 of the Constitution which gave
the parliament the powers to ask
questions, pointing out that many of the
bases upon which the review is expected
to be carried out by the parliament may
have changed over the years.
Fielding questions at a news conference
in Abuja, Deputy Chairman, House
Committee on Media and Public Affairs,
Jonathan Gaza explained that such
grading was for administrative
convenience following adequate
consultations with the House leadership.
He disclosed that all the standing
committee chairmen as well as their
deputies will be officially inaugurated at
a joint ceremony at the National
Assembly on Monday, by the Speaker
assisted by other principal officers.
Gaza flayed members who last week
rejected their chairmanship
appointments on account of status,
saying that lawmakers were “all elected
as nationalists to come and serve and to
move the country forward.
“If you are given a committee and for
some reasons you feel that you cannot
operate adequately in that capacity and
resign, definitely someone that is equally
suited will be given. What we are doing
here is legislation, not for ourselves but
for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and
Nigeria comes first.
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