By Emma Okereh
The attempt to get the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to fund the Nigeria Police Trust Fund has been faulted and rejected by the commission.
A statement signed by its Head, Public Relations, Chris Nwachukwu and made available to The AUTHORITY explained that the RMAFC has faulted the request recently made by the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi asking the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to make deductions from the federation account for funding of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, citing a constitutional breach in the request.
It further explained that in the letter to the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed and copied to the commission, the Minister of Police Affairs alluded to the 2019 Act establishing the Trust Fund and its sources of funding which includes 0.5 % of the total revenue accruing to the federation account, 0.05% of the net profit of companies operating business in Nigeria, any take-off grant, special intervention fund as may be provided by the federal, state and local governments of the federation, such money as may be appropriated to meet the objectives of the act by the National Assembly in the budget, aids , grant and assistance from international bilateral and multinational agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sectors and grants, donations, endowment, bequests and gifts whether of money, land or any other property from any source and finally, money derive from investment made by the Trust Fund.
It disclosed that the Police Affairs Minister requested that the Minister of Finance should direct the deductions of the monthly share of the Police Trust Fund in the federation account into a dedicated account as from January 2020, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to deduct 0.05% of the net profit of the companies operating in Nigeria as stated in the act effective from January 2020. Also, that the Accountant-General of the Federation opens a dedicated account for the Trust Fund in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and approval to nominate a representative of the federal ministry of finance in the board of trustees as stated in the act establishing the trust fund.
Reacting to the above request, Chairman of RMAFC, Engr. Elias Mbam directed the ministry to examine the relevant provisions of the law establishing it alongside the Supreme Court judgment on the distribution of the federation account.
The chairman submitted that any law that is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic shall be void to the extent of its consistency adding 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 when it declared as unconstitutional , null and void, the funding of the judiciary as a first line charge on the federation act, servicing of external debts as a first line charge on the federation account, funding of joint venture contracts and NNPC priority projects as a first line charge on the federation account, unilateral allocation of 1 % of revenue in the federation account to the federal capital territory and declared that the only beneficiaries to the federation account are the federal, state and local government councils in each state as provided for in the constitution.
