Akwa Ibom Speaker wants recovered loots shared among states

The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to share ​stolen ​​​monies recovered by the government, among states of the federation.

He also called on Mr. Buhari to pay all recovered funds into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation as provided for in the 1999 Constitution.

Mr. Luke said these on Tuesday in Uyo, while declaring open a one-day public hearing on the Akwa Ibom State Revenue Administration Bill 2016, organized at the instance of the House Committee on Appropriation and Finance.

“I am making this as ​a ​personal opinion. I strongly hold that all the monies recovered in the course of the fight against corruption should be shared to all the states,” Mr. Luke said.

“The monies should be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federation and should be shared among the states for the benefit of the ordinary Nigerians.”

The speaker commended the state ​g​overnor, Udom Emmanuel, for taking steps toward increasing the internally generated revenue of the state, saying the administration was doing the right thing.

Mr. Luke said organizing a public hearing on the new bill was in line with the avowed commitment of the assembly to carry the public along in its legislative business.

He noted that contributions from members of civil society groups, professional bodies and members of the public would guide the lawmakers to pass a law that would be acceptable to the people.

Mr. Luke gave the assurance that the inputs made during the public hearing would help the assembly create strong administrative structures that will boost internally generated revenue, IGR, at both the state and local government levels.

Earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation and Finance, Usoro Usoh​,​ in his opening speech, explained that the public hearing is aimed at gathering inputs from members of the public in order guide the lawmakers in the consideration and passage of the revenue bill.

The lawmaker stated that the dwindling revenue profile of the state occasioned by the fall in the price of oil at the global market was affecting the revenue accruing to the state from the Federation Account.