The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is set to introduce a public revenue allocation dashboard and deepen its engagement with the media as part of a four-year institutional reform aimed at improving transparency in Nigeria’s fiscal governance.
Mohammed Bello Shehu, chairman of the commission, said the initiative would move RMAFC from what he described as ‘quiet constitutional oversight’ to more visible institutional leadership, with the commission providing Nigerians with clearer information on how revenues accruing to the Federation are monitored and distributed.
Speaking at a breakfast session with members of the Guild of Editors in Lagos on Saturday, during the launch of the commission’s Strategic Communications and Institutional Reform Initiative, Shehu said RMAFC would modernise its digital platforms and introduce accessible revenue allocation dashboards to enable Nigerians better understand how resources are distributed among the Federal, state and local governments.
He said the reform was necessary at a time of revenue volatility, growing public demand for accountability and increasing pressure from states for fairness and predictability in revenue allocation.
‘Transparency must not only be practiced, it must also be communicated clearly,’ he said.
The chairman said the initiative, which forms part of the commission’s Strategic Communications Blueprint 2026-2030, would also institutionalise quarterly media briefings, policy explainers and proactive engagement with journalists.
According to him, RMAFC’s role is often misunderstood because of the technical nature of its constitutional responsibilities, despite the direct impact of its work on the finances of all three tiers of government.
The commission is constitutionally responsible for monitoring revenue accruals into the Federation Account, advising on revenue allocation formulas and overseeing remuneration for public office holders.
‘Every month, as revenues are shared among the Federal, State, and Local Governments, the work of this Commission directly influences national stability, development equity, and intergovernmental harmony,’ Shehu said.
Under the reform, RMAFC will focus on five areas: institutional clarity, transparency through technology, structured media engagement, thought leadership in fiscal federalism, and internal alignment and professional excellence.
The chairman said the commission would seek to position itself more prominently in national discussions on revenue diversification, revenue allocation reform and remuneration governance.
He, however, stressed that the increased visibility would not compromise the commission’s constitutional neutrality.
He said communications from the commission would remain anchored on the Constitution and its statutory mandate, adding that RMAFC’s loyalty was to the federation rather than partisan interests.
The chairman said the long-term objective was to create a fiscal governance system in which every tier of government and the wider public could understand not only what it receives from the Federation Account, but also why it receives it.
‘We move from quiet constitutional oversight to visible institutional leadership, from technical obscurity to transparent clarity, from reactive communication to strategic engagement,’ he said.
He added that the reform was not about improving the commission’s image but about strengthening its responsibility to ensure that revenues due to the Federation were properly monitored, fairly allocated and transparently accounted for.