We’ll increase funding for national planning – Senate

By Emmanuel Elebeke& Grace Udofia

The Senate says it will ensure increase in the budgetary allocation for the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC to enhance efficient planning. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Budget and National Planning, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso made the pledge on Monday, during a facility tour of the Commission by the committee.

The Chairman, who lamented what he called poor remuneration of the Commission said the Commission required more funds to enable it discharge its duties efficiently and assured that the National Assembly would do everything in its powers to improve the budgetary allocation to the Commission. ‘‘The issue of insufficient fund is a relative term, what we told the Commission is that we will continue to support it from the National Assembly to get enough resources to function effectively and we will continue to do that.

‘‘On the other hand , we have also told them to do whatever they can to make sure that whatever is been given to the commission is been utilised effectively. ‘‘We are aware of all the challenges of this commission but we also thought it is important that we come here and visit the commission talk to you and your staff and access the performance of the 2016 budget. ‘‘Now we are already in October, very soon work will start for 2017 budget. So, this visit will be an insight to what has been done so far and in preparation for next year budget. I assure you that we will continue to work side by side to ensure that this commission is given what it deserves,’’ he assured. Earlier in his address, the Director General of the Commission, Umar Abba Gana said the challenge of poor funding had been hampering the effort of the Commission in discharging its statutory responsibilities to various agencies of government. He appealed to the senate and other relevant organs of government to consider the increase of their funding as a priority that would enhance the performance of the Commission for general good of the country.

 ‘‘The assignment given to us by the constitution does not allow us raise any revenue for ourselves; we are supposed to make do with what comes to us from the federation account. We have to depend on what is given to the commission from the budget. ‘‘ If we are asked to monitor five of the biggest agencies in Nigeria which includes NNPC, DPR, FIRS, CUSTOMS and CBN, who collect revenue round the country and we are required to monitor them properly, we require more funding to do the job well. ‘‘Majority of our salaries have been paid but for the overheads we are around 60 percent, our capital is very low, we only have a capital of N19 million and they have given the commission all of that and it was received two weeks ago. ‘‘The issue of poor funding did not just start last year but since 2014 and since then we have not been able to recover well and get sufficient funds to do our work. However, as we are now, we are receiving a lot of consideration from the Minister of Finance and two Ministers in Budget and National Planning and now we have heard from the senators. So, God willing, we will experience increased capital allocation in 2017,’’ he said.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/well-increase-funding-national-planning-senate/