The Kano State Government has demanded a one per cent special status allocation to it in the Federal Revenue Allocation Formula.
The demand was made in a memorandum presented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Head of Kano State delegation, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, Wazirin Gaya, during the North-West Zonal public hearing on the review of the current vertical revenue allocation formula organised by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, on Monday, in Kaduna State.
Kano State, by this demand, has joined Lagos State who had been demanding a Special Status for it and similar percentage in the allocation sharing formula for states in the country.
Alhaji Alhaji said the demand was ‘genuine and justifiable’, considering the enormous responsibilities the state was currently shouldering due to high influx of people displaced by insecurity in neighboring states including Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto and others.
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He also highlighted the status of the state as the most populous, cosmopolitan and heterogeneous, saying it attracted people from all parts of the country and beyond being the commercial hub of the North.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to positively consider the special status demand so as to support the development of Kano, particularly in the areas of agriculture, trade, commerce and manufacturing, stressing that “it will translate into rapid development for the country generally”.
He also said that the current revenue sharing formula was skewed largely in favour of the Federal Government to the detriment of states and local governments as the federating units, described the development “uneven, unfair and unjust”.
A statement by the Director of Information, Ministry of information, Inuwa Idris Yakasai, said that the SSG proposed a new sharing formula of 41 per cent for Federal Government, 34 per cent for states and 24 percent for local governments while the 13 per cent derivation should be maintained.
The Kano State delegation to the North West zonal public hearing comprised of commissioners, special advisers, top civil servants, traditional leaders, representatives of CSOs, NGOs and students organisations.
Other states that presented memoranda at the occasion included Zamfara, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kebbi.