NILDS DG Urges Guard Against Downsize Vulnerabilities Of Revenue

Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, has called for continued innovation on how to guard against downside vulnerabilities while optimising opportunities for higher revenue profiles.

The former minister of National Planning observed that amidst rising revenue profiles, debt remains high and the nations’ primary sources of revenue are not in its control.

Sulaiman spoke at the opening ceremony of the capacity-building training on, ‘Optimising Internal Governance, Procedural Compliance and Operational Efficiency’ for the Chairman, Commissioners and Members of the Business and Rules Committee of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) at NILDS headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said: “at a period where President Bola Tinubu continues to deepen ways of enhancing efficiency in the nation’s fiscal governance, RMAFC’s role in monitoring federation revenues; managing fund disbursement; and advising government on fiscal efficiency, amongst others cannot be overemphasised.

“I therefore commend the leadership of RMAFC, led by the Chairman, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu OFR, for his commitment to staff training and national development.

“Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, the Nigerian economy is faced with opportunities of growth that are accompanied by a challenging fiscal environment.

“Amidst rising revenue profiles, debt remains high, and our nations’ primary sources of revenue are not in our control. Therefore, there is a need for continued innovation on how to guard against downside vulnerabilities while optimising opportunities for higher revenue profiles.

“No organisation and, indeed, no nation can grow without recording internal stability and without first enhancing its own operations,” Sulaiman added.

He said the role of the Business and Rules Committee of RMAFC is fundamental to the overall efficiency, transparency and credibility of the commission, hence the training had been carefully designed.

The professor said over the course of the programme, participants will examine contemporary approaches to institutional governance, best practices in committee administration, procedural compliance, strategic leadership, operational efficiency, records and decision management, ethical leadership, and effective oversight mechanisms.

He said the knowledge and insights gained from the engagement will strengthen the committee’s ability to improve internal coordination, streamline decision-making processes, foster institutional discipline and promote a culture of compliance that supports the commission’s broader constitutional mandate of revenue mobilisation, fiscal allocation, and equitable resource distribution.

In his remarks, the chairman of RMAFC, Dr Mohammed Shehu represented by the Business and Rules Committee’s chairman, Hon. Madu-Aji Juluri said the commission remains committed to the execution of its mandate which the training is crucial to its realisation.