Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state has expressed worry over the increasing burden placed on the revenue received by the state government in handling federal agencies’ activities in the state.
Masari made this assertion when he received a delegation of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), led by Alhaji Ibrahim Bako Bagudu Wednesday at the Government House, Katsina.
The governor explained that staff of the federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have to always be provided with office and residential accommodation as well as vehicles for their transportation needs, thereby overburdening the allocation received from the federation account.
“Today, despite the vertical allocation being in the exclusive list, every federal government agency that comes to Katsina request for so many things. All the security agencies without the support of the state government would have folded up.
“This is not only common to Katsina state but everywhere. If the agencies will stop coming to the state government and depend on their finances to do their jobs, then the state government would have sufficient monies to execute meaningful projects,” he said.
The governor also lamented that the state governments are using huge resources to upset requests and responsibilities that are not theirs.
Masari however assured that the state government would continue to block leakages in the collection of revenues to the state.
Earlier, the team leader from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Alhaji Ibrahim Bako Bagudu told Governor Masari that the team was among six other delegations sent to geopolitical zones to meet with stakeholders on current efforts to review the revenue allocation formula in the country.
Bagudu, who gave a detailed brief on engagements with stakeholders at the state level on its assigned task, said what remained was to have engagements with stakeholders from the 34 local government areas of the state.
