RMAFC declines 0.5% funding for Police Affairs Ministry

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has declined a request by the Police Affairs Ministry that it be funded with 0.5 per cent of the revenue from the Federation Account.

In a statement issued yesterday, the RMAFC ruled that “the only beneficiaries to the federation account are the Federal Government, state governments and local government councils.”

Other reasons given by the agency’s chairman, Elias Mbam for rejecting the ministry’s request include, among others that “the sources of the Trust Fund, which shall consist of the amount consisting 0.5%of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account is inconsistent with the provision of S.162(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended”.

Mbam noted that S.4 (1) (a) of the Nigerian Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act 2019 is inconsistent with the provision of the constitution cited above.

The statement quoted the RAMFC chair as saying: “Any law that is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that law shall be null and void to the extent of its inconsistency.”

Mbam argued that the Supreme Court had laid to rest the proper mode of distribution of funds accruing to the Federation Account in A –G of the federation Vs A- G of Abia State (NO . 2)(2002)6 NWLR, Pt. 764. 542, when it declared as unconstitutional, null and void the following:

• The funding of the judiciary as a first line charge on the federation account; servicing of external debt as a first line charge on the federation account;
• Funding of joint Venture contracts and NNPC priority project as a first line charge on the federation account;
• Unilateral allocation of one per cent of revenue in the federation account to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).