By Matthew Denis
The Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Muhammed Bello Shehu, has called on Nigerians to seek information about the activities of government agencies and organisations for a better understanding of the workings of the government.
He made the disclosure in a statement signed by Maryam Umar Yusuf
Head, Information and Public Relations and made available to NewsDirect on Friday.
The Chairman while addressing the students of Igbinedion University Okada, Benin City, who came on an excursion to the Commission.
Shehu, who was represented by Hajia Salamatu Muhammed Bala, a member representing Adamawa state on the board of the Commission, expressed happiness over the decision of the students to seek information concerning the activities of the organisation.
She said, “It is important to know what revenue mobilisation does on behalf of the country as the Commission carries out a lot of functions, but the most important one is to monitor accruals into the federation account. The RMAFC must know where these monies are coming from, how they are coming, and where these monies go when they come out of the federation account.”
The Chairman informed them that the Commission was very happy to receive them and gave them the assurance that some directors of the organisation were on hand to educate them further on the functions of the organisation. She underscored the need for Nigerians to have a robust understanding of the activities of government.
“We are very pleased to share our experiences with you, and I believe if we are able to do that often, we will have a common purpose, work towards it, and Nigeria will be better for it.”
On his part, the leader of the delegation professor Madu Magnus Emeka, disclosed that the purpose of the excursion was to enable the students to see what they learned in theory, to interact with the people and know the agency.
He said, “This visit is part of the university’s commitment to bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in the field of public finance. In view of that, it has been the contention of the students to go outside Benin, particularly to Abuja, to have interface with some agencies, for which we have been highlighting their activities, functions and mission so as to have personal interaction with those agencies.”
The Director of Inland Revenue Mrs. Udodirim Okwongu, Gas and Investment, Mr. Peter Nyabiri, PRS, Dr. Rosetta Iyere, and the deputy director, Fiscal Efficiency, Mr. Ambrose Akhilome, took turns to enlighten the students about the Commission.