By Salisu Ibrahim
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is currently undergoing a significant transformation, reinventing itself to align with global best practices.
Under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Bello Shehu, the Commission is shifting from a passive oversight body to a proactive, data-driven engine dedicated to safeguarding Nigeria’s fiscal health. The reforms he introduced so far are capable of lowering deficits, boost revenue collections, ensure debt control and restore public confidence.
By introducing scientific methods and modern infrastructure, his administration has successfully settled long-standing grievances, ensuring that the nation’s revenue-sharing formula is rooted in equity, fairness, and justice with practicable spending as the strategic approach he started are clearly addressing decades of revenue-sharing disputes, particularly those arising from the creation of new states.
His administration is built on a core principle that: ”Efficiency is not just about monitoring the wealth the country has; it’s about creating the structures that allow that wealth to grow for every citizen, distributed equitably for the development of all regions.”
To achieve these far-reaching objectives and attain operational excellence, the Commission has introduced four critical pillars designed to modernize operations and eliminate bureaucracy:
These are Strategic Inter-agency Synergy for the purpose of Strengthening partnerships across government bodies; tapping into Expert Perspectives to gain specialized knowledge that will inform policy decisions; as well as using precise data to address complex sharing issues to achieve real-time Data Analytics and the full digitization for streamlining operations of the Commission in order to reduce red tape and enhance decision-making.
Under Dr. Shehu, the RMAFC is being repositioned as a model for transparency to block Leakages and build trust. By blocking revenue leakages and improving institutional coordination, the Commission is fostering public trust.
So far, recent innovations at the commission have provided definitive solutions to disputes that previously seemed insurmountable.
But, the methodology introduced by Dr. Shehu recently that employs and utilizes scientific assessments to demarcate disputed areas, had successfully provided a neutral and fair resolution framework with a magic wand.
RMAFC is now a future-ready Commission that prioritizes modern infrastructure, comprehensive capacity building, and employee welfare.
Dr. Shehu’s leadership has positioned the Commission as a vital player in Nigeria’s fiscal future—evolving from a mere monitor of wealth into an active contributor to national economic growth.
Today, the RMAFC stands as a crucial partner in Nigeria’s journey toward economic diversification and long-term fiscal stability, embracing international best practices.
Salisu Ibrahim writes from Kano, could be reached on faccageltd10@gmail.com.