Nigeria’s Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has launched a nationwide data verification exercise aimed at improving the country’s revenue allocation framework.
The initiative is designed to review the factors and indices used in sharing revenue among states and local governments, ensuring that allocations reflect current socio-economic realities across the federation.
Speaking during a media interview, the Chairman of the Commission, Mohammed Bello Shehu, described the exercise as a landmark step toward strengthening fiscal federalism and enhancing national development planning.
He emphasized that credible and verified data is essential to building a fair and sustainable revenue allocation system.
“The Commission is committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s revenue allocation framework reflects the realities on the ground. Accurate data is the backbone of fairness, equity, and national cohesion,” he said.
Shehu called on state governments, local authorities, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, and community leaders to cooperate fully with verification teams, noting that the outcome will significantly influence national planning, fiscal management, and balanced regional development.
The Commission stated that the exercise, which will be conducted across all states and the Federal Capital Territory, involves the systematic collection, validation, and reconciliation of socio-economic and infrastructural data used in determining revenue allocation indices.
Key indicators under review include education and healthcare provision, internally generated revenue capacity, and infrastructure development at both state and local government levels.
RMAFC also disclosed plans to hold stakeholder engagement sessions in each state to promote transparency, build trust, and encourage collaboration among government agencies and local communities.
According to Shehu, Nigeria’s revenue sharing formula relies on indices such as population, landmass, infrastructure, and other socio-economic indicators, which must be periodically updated to reflect changing realities.
He noted that rapid population growth, urbanisation, infrastructure expansion, and widening development gaps across regions make it necessary to validate existing datasets.
The chairman further revealed that the ongoing review of the national revenue allocation formula is at an advanced stage, with the verification exercise serving as a critical step in ensuring the credibility of future allocations.
RMAFC reaffirmed that the exercise is both a statutory responsibility and a strategic effort to strengthen institutional credibility and support evidence-based policymaking nationwide.
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