The Nigeria Governors Forum on Thursday asked the Federal Government to review the revenue sharing formula.

The governors insisted that what comes to them should be increased, stressing that states were the custodians of the natural resources in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the governors’ forum, Mr Abdullaziz Yari, disclosed this to State House correspondents after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on the way out of the economic crunch the states were facing.

Other demands include 18 months moratorium from the Federal Government on the bail out loans and the remitting of what they called ‘hanging funds’ owed them by the Federal Government after Nigeria’s exit from the Paris Club in 2005.

They lamented that a situation where some of them could not pay salaries of workers in their states was so embarrassing.

Beyond the bailout fund, the governors have listed a programme for the Federal Government to restructure the states’ economy in the short, medium and long terms.

According to Governor Yari of Zamfara State, President Buhari was said to have graciously accepted their demands.

He added that the President asked that a committee comprising the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, be set up to look into all the matters.

OreMI22:
State government has in the last 16 years shouldered the bulk of Development projects across Nigeria.
State governments should get 50 or 60 percent of the shared revenue, while FG gets 30% and LGA gets 5 or 10 percent because they will steal it anyway.

freeze001:
To justify an increase in states revenue, the FG must also decentralise its responsibilities. The state governments cannot just demand and receive more revenue without commensurate increase in responsibilities. Again, the states cannot remain babies forever. They must start to generate a substantial percentage of their revenue and exercise more control over resources. Bottle feeding has to stop!

The right call in the face of recent challenges should be for better and close knit regional cooperation among states, direct responsibility for mundane things like primary and secondary education, intetnal policing/security, complete responsibility for health other than teaching hospitals belonging to Federal Universities, full control of resources with agreed remittances to the Federal Government, power and energy development, tertiary education in partnership with the FG and so on.

The FG should then concern itself with the Armed forces and external security, foreign relations, tertiary education, uniform policies ensuring a benchmark or level of development which all regions must meet. Those that can go further are encouraged to do so too.
This then justifies more money for the states.

freeze001:
To justify an increase in states revenue, the FG must also decentralise its responsibilities. The state governments cannot just demand and receive more revenue without commensurate increase in responsibilities. Again, the states cannot remain babies forever. They must start to generate a substantial percentage of their revenue and exercise more control over resources. Bottle feeding has to stop!

The right call in the face of recent challenges should be for better and close knit regional cooperation among states, direct responsibility for mundane things like primary and secondary education, intetnal policing/security, complete responsibility for health other than teaching hospitals belonging to Federal Universities, full control of resources with agreed remittances to the Federal Government, power and energy development, tertiary education in partnership with the FG and so on.

The FG should then concern itself with the Armed forces and external security, foreign relations, tertiary education, uniform policies ensuring a benchmark or level of development which all regions must meet. Those that can go further are encouraged to do so too.
This then justifies more money for the states.