The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says its ongoing nationwide data verification exercise is aimed at ensuring accurate and reliable data for revenue sharing among states and local government areas.
Prof. Adekunle Wright, RMAFC Commissioner, who led the delegation to Kebbi State, stated this at the inauguration of the exercise in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.
Wright described the exercise as a critical national assignment that would strengthen the integrity of indices used for revenue distribution across the federation.
He said it aligns with the commission’s constitutional mandate under Paragraph 32(b) of Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, which empowers it to continuously review the revenue allocation formula.
According to him, changing socio-economic realities — such as population shifts, infrastructure development, and evolving needs — make periodic verification and updating of data essential.
“It has become necessary to validate the integrity and accuracy of the data that inform revenue distribution across the federation,” he said.
Wright commended the Kebbi State Government for its warm reception and lauded the coordination efforts of state officials, particularly the Commissioner for Finance, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba.
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He recalled that the commission had in 2022 conducted a nationwide capacity-building programme for state and local government officials on data gathering and management.
Since arriving in Kebbi, the RMAFC team has been working closely with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and local governments to ensure credible data collection.
Wright emphasised that the success of the exercise depends on full cooperation from state and local governments, and urged all relevant departments to provide maximum support.
In his remarks, Kebbi State Deputy Governor, Sen. Abubakar Umar-Tafida, assured the commission of the state government’s full support and readiness to provide all necessary data and logistics.
“Data is critical to our quest for sustainable development and improved livelihoods for our people. Kebbi State will continue to provide the necessary support for the success of this important national assignment,” he said.
