Lagos State Government has demanded for one per cent share in the nation’s revenue allocation formula.
The state, on Monday, maintained that the special status of Lagos and its prosperity directly or indirectly has multiplying effects on the South-West and the entire country.
Lagos State Government also proposed that the revenue sharing formula should be 34 per cent for Federal Government including one per cent for FCT – Abuja, 42 per cent for State Governments, 23 per cent for Local Governments and one per cent for Lagos State (Special Status).
The current revenue allocation formula are 52.68 percent, 26.72 per cent and 20.60 per cent for Federal Government, 36 state governments and 774 local governments respectively.
The demands were made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the opening of a two-day South-West Zonal Public hearing on review of revenue allocation formula by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) held in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu in a memorandum on review of Revenue Allocation Formula he submitted to the RMAFC declared that allocating one per cent for Lagos State (Special Status) and allowing the three tiers of government to share 99 per cent in a new revenue sharing formula is very straightforward, self-justifying and in no way controversial.
He said the review of the current revenue allocation formula is long overdue, noting that the best way to guarantee national progress and development is by paying attention to sub-national development because the national is a summation and a reflection of the sub-national.
He also reiterated the call for Lagos State to be accorded special status in recognition of its huge financial commitments to infrastructure and provision of basic amenities for the increasing population of its residents, as well as its preeminent contribution to the national coffers.
He said the call, which has been re-echoed at different fora and at various levels and tiers of government, cannot be over emphasised, especially against the backdrop of the current economic situation of the country, the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests a year ago, and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which Lagos has been the national epicenter.
“Our demand is a sharing formula that is just, fair and equitable; reflecting the contribution of stakeholders to the common purse; and also one that enhances the capacity of state and local governments to deliver high-quality services and the full dividends of democracy to the greatest number of our people.
“Lagos State is, no doubt, the nation’s commercial capital, and population centre. The level of funding required to service the state’s social and public infrastructure is so significant that it will be difficult for the state to bear the burden for much longer under the present arrangement.
“I should say that it will actually be unfair to expect the state to bear this heavy burden on its own. It is, therefore, necessary to give due consideration to all the variables that support our advocacy for a Special Status.
“The call for a special status for Lagos is not a selfish proposition; it is in the best interest of the country and all Nigerians, for Lagos which accounts for about 20 per cent of the national GDP and about 10 per cent of the nation’s population to continue to prosper,” the governor said.
Justifying the need for Lagos State to be accorded special status, Sanwo-Olu said: “As the former capital of the country for 77 years (compared to the 30 years that Abuja has been the Federal Capital Territory), Nigeria’s largest metropolis still bears the heavy brunt of being home to all Nigerians; irrespective of age, class, gender, religious affiliation or tribe.
“There are several statistics that shows the number of people that comes into Lagos every day, however, there are clear indications that most of these people migrate with the intention to make Lagos their new home and in pursuit of personal dreams due to the opportunities the city-state seemingly possesses, and this portends additional responsibilities on the government.
“Additionally, Lagos still harbors a huge number of federal establishments which could not be moved to Abuja. These include military cantonments and barracks, Police, Customs, Immigration, Civil Defence, Prisons, Road Safety and security/intelligence establishments.
“There are several reasons to justify the call for a special status for Lagos apart from the aforementioned factors and by extension, a review of the Revenue Allocation Sharing Formula.”
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