Fashola Challenges FG Over Revenue Allocation

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has challenged the Federal Government to justify the spending of its 52 percent revenue allocation it gets on monthly bases from the federation account.

Vanguard reports that the governor made the inquiry while speaking on Thursday at the flag-off of the expanded Lagos State Economic and Empowerment Programme, EEP, held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, the state capital.

Fashola, who described the federal government as the big brother, condemned its inability to spend its huge percent of the allocation it receives from the federation’s account for the betterment of the citizens. He said the federal government could use the large percent it collects as allocation to provide basic social amenities like power supply and adequate security, which would make life meaningful for Nigerians.

“There are three governments in the Nigeria family-the Federal, State and the local governments. The federal government gets 52% of the total income of the country; the 36 states governments’ share 26%, while the local governments share 22 percent. This is how our family is run. The big brother (the federal government) has taken more than half of the total revenue.

“We get income from three major sources; there are other ones but these are the main sources. One is oil, the other is charges and import duties. On imports duties, the central government in 2013, made an income of N1.4 trillion in six months. And this was from the Apapa Ports alone. We do not collect taxes from companies, all the companies in Nigeria, once you declare your profit, certain percentage is paid to the federal government. What we collect is personal income tax on the employees of the companies. Yet, the federal government has failed to provide constant electricity for its citizens. If there is power today, many companies will pick up.

“In Lagos State, we are looking at an alternative to national failure because we would soon start to hear a lot of stories. Just remember that we used to have Berec batteries, where hundreds of people were employed” Fashola said.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State governor has been picking on the federal government of late as it would be recalled that During a lecture at the 50th birthday celebration of former Bayelsa Governor, Timipre Sylva, Governor Fashola berated President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, saying their performance was poor and the condition of Nigerians was worse than when Jonathan assumed power four years ago, a statement which prompted a response from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe.