The Kano State Government has called on the Federal Government to increase the revenue allocation formula for Local Governments.
The State Commissioner for Local Government, Alhaji Murtala Garo, made the call on Friday in Kano during a sensitization programme on data gathering and management for Local Government officials, organized by revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
According to him, the Federal Government is receiving over 52% in the formula, states 22% while 774 Local Governments are receiving 20.6% which according to him is “meagre considering the responsibilities of the Local Governments”.
The commissioner noted that the meagre purse of the LGs was as a result of little revenue available, stressing that if their allocation could be reviewed upward, it will enhance their performance optimally.
Garo described the sensitization programme as timely and expressed optimism that the deliberation would improve revenue generation at the local level.
He said that the state government had organized seminars and conferences for local governments on the need to improve their local revenue generation.
In his remark, the team leader of RMAFC who is also a federal Commissioner representing Niger State, Alhaji Ibrahim Bagudu, said the Commission organized the exercise to interact, share ideas, rub minds and chart ways on how state and local governments could create and maintain a functional data bank.
Bagudu said that the programme would help the government to create and maintain a data bank for purpose of timely record keeping that would enable the state render a credible data to the RMAFC.
He called on local governments to diversify their economies for more income instead of depending largely on federal allocations.
Some parts of the resolutions made at the end of the exercise included the need to upgrade the existing solid minerals unit under the office of the special Adviser to a full fledged ministry.
It advised local governments in the state to make concerted effort to collect more revenue on ground and tenements rates among their taxes.
It further called for an automation of data base to conform with global practices, enforce the use of E-treasury receipts, resuscitation of tourism infrastructure and capturing of small and medium enterprises, among othersnan. …
