Abuja: The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has pledged to deepen collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to strengthen local government administration. The commitment was made when a delegation of RMAFC commissioners paid a courtesy visit to the National President of ALGON, Mr. Bello Lawal, on Monday in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the delegation was led by Mr. Aliyu Abdulkadir, the Commissioner representing Nasarawa State in the commission and Chairman of the State and Local Government Monitoring Committee, who represented the Chairman of RMAFC, Dr. Mohammed Shehu. Shehu stated that the collaboration would advance fiscal autonomy and ensure that increased resources translated into tangible development at the grassroots level. He further explained that the newly constituted committee aimed to deepen engagement with the third tier of government and explore practical measures to strengthen local governments.
Shehu emphasized RMAFC’s constitutional empowerment to monitor accruals and disbursements into and from the Federation Account, to which local governments are constitutionally entitled. He assured that the commission was ready to ensure the effective implementation of local government autonomy, as recently pronounced by the Supreme Court. Additionally, he urged local governments to enhance their internally generated revenue and reduce reliance on central allocations.
Sen. Marafa Abba, the Commissioner representing Taraba State in RMAFC and Vice-Chairman of the committee, expressed that the engagement would generate ideas capable of improving the committee’s work and strengthening collaboration. He mentioned that the efforts would address challenges facing local governments, including issues related to local government elections.
In response, Mr. Lawal welcomed the initiative, highlighting RMAFC’s engagement as crucial to the future of grassroots governance. He remarked that empowering local government equates to empowering the entire country, as local government is where people actually live. Lawal stressed that strengthened local governments form the foundation for national development.
Lawal also advocated for greater participation of local governments in revenue allocation processes and assured the commission of ALGON’s readiness to collaborate on capacity building, fiscal discipline, and improved utilization of public resources.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the engagement reinforces RMAFC’s commitment to strategic partnerships promoting fiscal accountability, effective revenue management, local government autonomy, and inclusive development at the grassroots level. Other members of the RMAFC delegation included Mr. Kabeer Usman, the Commissioner representing Gombe State; Mr. Madu Juluri, the Commissioner representing Yobe State; and Mr. Rabiu Garba, the Commissioner representing Zamfara State.