ABEOKUTA: A newly appointed Commissioner for the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Hon. Akeem Amosun, has said that he intends to provide robust ideal to help the commission block leakages in various sectors, parastatals and departments of the government in order the enhance the revenue profile of the country.
Hon. Akeem Amosun was screened and cleared as Federal Commissioner from Ogun State for the RMAFC on Thursday during the Screening Exercise carried out by the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs and Finance led by the Chairman Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, Senator Orji Kalu, the Former Governor of ABIA state, Senator Seriake Dickson, the Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Ned Nwoko, Senator Osita Izunaso, Senator Augustine Akobundu and other Distinguished Senators.
It was a case of “Take a Bow and Go” decision unanimously taken by the distinguished senators based on the recommendations of Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman Senate Committee on ICT an Cybersecurity and physical presence of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola; the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation.
Amosun who spoke on Saturday, said the Centre and the units needed more revenue to execute laudable capital and infrastructure projects, vowing to use his tenure to drive revenue growth by scouting, identifying and recommending alternative sources of revenue into the Federation Account for sharing among the beneficiaries.
He said: “I will deepen the oversight and monitoring functions of the commission in the areas of revenue generation and Mobilisation, provide robust ideal to block leakages in various sectors and parastatals and departments of government.
“As Nigeria needs more revenue, I believe my tenure will see to this drive.
“Efficient allocation of pool resources will be seen in an equitable, fair and just manner among the three levels of government, among the 36 states, FCT and 774 local government areas.”
The former House of Representatives aspirant for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, also pledged to
renew push for the country’s federating States to explore and embrace the abundant opportunities in regional economic integration as possible new revenue lines for each of the six geopolitical zones.
The Daily Crucible reports that the RMAFC had in 2012 toured the 6 geopolitical zones of the country, urging each zone to quickly embrace regional Economic integration ahead of what Nigeria is currently facing to ensure survival, warning that the oil revenue would soon be grossly inadequate to fund the increasing government’s expenses.
Ogun State hosted the Southwest zone at the June 12 cultural centre. The Daily Crucible further reports that during the meeting, RMAFC advised the SW zone (the Southwest States) to collectively pool resources together to go into (1) Power Generation for domestic and commercial purposes (2) and Agriculture based on the region’s comparative advantage.
The body at the time also warned that with the possible exception of Lagos State, no other Southwest state could mobilise enormous capital required for an independent power project, but added that it would be better for the region if they all came together as one regional Economic bloc and venture into power production and agriculture for the region’s development and prosperity but the advice remained unheeded.
But speaking further, Amosun said the reality on ground today is that no State in the federation can sufficiently exist independently hence the intention to make the Commission rekindle the awareness about the likely immense gains in regional economic integration if the nation’s six geopolitical zones looked at the bigger picture and key into it.
“I intend to bring on board regional economic integration and reawaken it in the six geopolitical zones of the country…no state can sufficiently exist independently, not even Lagos,” he concluded
