By Bassey Udo
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has commenced a nationwide data verification exercise to update the existing revenue allocation framework.
The Commission said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja that the verification exercise would help in reviewing the factors and proxies used in the sharing of revenue among federal, states and local governments.
The goal, the Commission pointed out, is to ensure that the distribution of national resources accurately reflects the current socio-economic realities across the federation.
The Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, described the nationwide data verification exercise as a landmark initiative that would strengthen fiscal federalism and enhance national development planning across the country.
Shehu stressed that credible and verified data remained the foundation of 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. This nationwide exercise represents our determination to build a more transparent and responsive revenue distribution system that serves the interests of all Nigerians,” the Chairman stated.
Dr. Shehu called on state governments, local authorities, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, and community leaders to provide full cooperation to the Commission’s verification teams.
He emphasised that the outcomes of the exercise would have far-reaching implications for national planning, fiscal management, and balanced regional development across the federation.
The Commission reiterated that the exercise was not only a statutory responsibility, but a strategic national undertaking designed to strengthen institutional credibility and support evidence-based policymaking.
As part of its nationwide rollout strategy, the Commission said it has scheduled region-by-region data verification exercises across all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
The exercise would involve systematic collection, validation, and reconciliation of critical socio-economic and infrastructural data used in determining revenue allocation indices for horizontal revenue sharing.
The Commission noted that the nationwide verification would focus on key indicators, such as education and health provision, internal revenue generation capacity, and infrastructure development across the states and local government areas.
During the period of the verification exercise, the Commission said stakeholder engagement sessions would also be conducted in each state to ensure transparency, build trust, and promote collaborative participation among government agencies and local communities.
Dr. Shehu explained that Nigeria’s revenue allocation framework relied on specific indices, including those of population, landmass, infrastructure, and socio-economic development indicators, all of which must be periodically reviewed to reflect changing realities.
“Over time, Nigeria has witnessed significant socio-economic transformations marked by population growth, expansion of infrastructure, urbanisation, and widening development gaps among regions. These evolving realities necessitate the validation of existing datasets to ensure fairness, transparency, and equity in revenue sharing,” he stated.
He further disclosed that the current review of the national revenue allocation formula has reached an advanced stage, making the data verification exercise a critical step in safeguarding the integrity and reliability of the indices that would underpin future allocations.
The Commission’s verification teams, he said, would engage extensively with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as local government authorities and community stakeholders across the federation, to ensure that all relevant data reflects present-day conditions.