At the Governors’ Forum which held in Abuja on Wednessday, all the Governors of the 36 states of the federation resolve to meet President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss the need to present new revenue formula to the 9th National Assembly for passage into law before the end of his administration.
Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, chairman of the forum, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, said the governors discussed issues that bordered on national, sub-national, democracy and good governance, including the need for the timely release of the collected stamp duties warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for disbursement.
“Today, we discussed the guidelines by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on financial regulations that it is working on in ensuring that Nigeria is taken out of grey lists of the financial tax force.
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“We also discussed the issue of the Primary Healthcare Seattle Declaration and the progress made so far. During our induction course, some states that have attained some milestones are going to receive some awards for their performance.
“We discussed the new revenue formula submitted to Mr President by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC) and the need for us to approach Mr President on the need for him to present the new draft formula to National Assembly before this administration winds up.
“We also discussed the issue of stamp duties that have been held, by both the Federal Government and the states that are warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“We are working to make sure that it is released for disbursements to both federal government and state,” Tambuwal said.
Asked about the details of the new draft revenue formula and if the forum was satisfied with it, Tambuwal responded; “we are going to meet Mr President as the leader of the forum and we will appeal to him to present that draft revenue formula. By the time it is presented, you will see what is there.”
Mr Tambuwal also stressed the role of the forum in promoting unity among the governors, helping them to prioritize and foster national interest as they contribute toward the betterment of their respective states.
“The NGF is actually doing well in terms of bringing governors together, working together for national interest, for the interests of the states.
“Making sure that there is that unity amongst governors on national issues. I believe NGF has done very well” he said.