N18,000 Minimum Wage: Senator assures of revenue formula review

Senators are set for the review of the revenue sharing formula of the federation to accommodate the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage for federal civil servants.

Senator Ahmed Lawan, ANPP, Yobe, who spoke to newsmen, noted that government could not provide balance in the execution of its programmes without reviewing the current revenue sharing formula, which is long over due.

He said the Senate would try to give Nigerians a new revenue sharing formula within the next three months, which will not only enable state governments pay the new minimum wage but also make available funds for infrastructural developments.

He said: “Some of us in the Senate are already pushing for the review of the revenue allocation formula, some of my colleagues and I have been pushing for this and, of course, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Chairman promised that in the next six months, he will be presenting to the Presidency a proposal for the review.

“But I think six months is a lot, even though we endured for the last 12 years or so, we are pushing and this is where my stand is.

“We must do everything possible in the National Assembly to ensure that in the next three months, if it is the will of our colleagues, we have an allocation formula that guarantees the payment of N18,000 minimum wage across the country for civil servants, and  also provide for the provision of capital infrastructure, road and so many other things and social services like road, education, among others.

“We have to balance this, some of this thing will even require constitutional amendment, because I believe we have to amend the exclusive legislative list and concurrent legislative list, so that we devote power or responsibilities that, at the moment, are taken  by the Federal Government, which can be done better, more efficiently and effectively by the state governments or even local governments in some cases.   And you cannot devolve responsibilities without commensurate devolution of funds and resources for the implementation these kinds of projects.”-Vanguard

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