Confab moves to create states’ Accountant-General’s Office

The committee of the National Conference on Devolution of Power has in its presentation to plenary yesterday, recommended the creation of the office of the State Accountant-General’s office from that of the office of the Accountant General of the federal government.
It said that the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation should oversee the revenue accruing to the federal purse and the disbursement thereof, while the office of the accountant general of the state’s governments should oversee the account of the states government.

It also said that the power of the federal government under Section 162 (3) of the 1999 constitution as amended, should prescribe the terms of sharing the national revenue under the supervision of the Revenue Allocation and Fiscal Commission which would liaise with the federal and state governments in lieu of a draft bill to the national assembly.
Similarly, the committee said that the federal government should get 42.5 per cent of the revenue, the state government, 35 per cent and the local government, 22.5 per cent, as against the current 52.68 per cent for the federal government, 26.72 per cent for the state government and 20.60 per cent for the local governments.

In the same vein, the committee posited that the percentages given to population and equality of states in the existing sharing formula be reduced while that assigned to social development factor be increased to a much higher percentage to ensure accelerated development in all parts of the country.

It therefore called on the government to invest in Inverse Primary School Enrollment, Federal Presence and Unemployment to enhance economic, infrastructural and human capital development in the country.
The committee suggested a diminished emphasis on principles of equity of states and population, increased emphasis on social development factor and internally generated revenue.
The committee’s report further recommended that the 13 per cent derivation as contained in the 1999 constitution be retained, while ensuring that a fraction of the 13 per cent derivation is given to the host communities where the resources are derived.
It also stresses the need to leave the Offshore/Onshore dichotomy in its current state.