KEY POINTS

• 35 of 37 state governors in Nigeria support creation of state police in the country.
• RMAFC funding gets 0.05 percent non oil revenue allocation approval by NEC.
• The National Economic Council (NEC) has deferred the final decision on state police until its January meeting.

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, said that a majority of the 36 state governors have endorsed the creation of state police.

A National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, revealed this information.

Governor Sani also said that 35 states had sent in their positions and that most of them were in support of the proposal to tackle insecurity within their domains. ‘Only the FCT has not submitted its stand on the issue,’ he added.

But the NEC later deferred its final decision to come back and thrash out a report by its secretariat in January. In addition to further stakeholder engagement, the process will also include engagement to receive inclusive input on the policy, Governor Sani said.

NEC approved the funding of RMAFC from non-oil revenue.

Besides discussing state police in Nigeria, NEC engaged on Nigeria’s tax reform, approving the allocation of 0.05 percent from non-oil federation revenue to Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo said the approval followed a proposal seeking to amend the existing RMAFC Act and set up a new funding framework for the commission.

NEC urged RMAFC to send the draft bill to the National Assembly for review and passage into law.

RMAFC’s important role in Nigeria’s federal fiscal structure was the impetus for this decision. Soludo said: ‘It was acknowledged by the council that the commission was running with severely constrained funding that was within the context of the current shrinking receipts available to the commission, but with the understanding that improved funding there to is through the 0.05 percent NARA, matter which is now with National Assembly for its approval.