Revenue Allocation: Fintiri Wants Supreme Court Pronouncement On Section 162

Adamawa State government has asked the Supreme Court to interpret Section 162 (1), (2) and (3) of the Constitution on the distribution of revenue from the Federation Account.

In a statement issued yesterday by his media aide, Humwashi Wonosikou, he said the essence of the request is to determine whether the entire sum in the Federation Account must be distributed among all the levels of government without deductions, except as permitted by law.

Wonosikou, who did not indicate when the case was filed before the apex court, said the state government wants “the president to comply strictly with the Constitution in managing and distributing revenue.

“All revenue collected, except those exempted by the Constitution, must be paid into the Federation Account for distribution to all tiers of government.

“The federal government has no discretion to withhold or deduct revenue for any purpose not expressly permitted by the Constitution,” he said.

The state government is seeking a declaration that, “the federal government must distribute the entire revenue from the Federation Account without deductions, except as permitted by law.

“That any deductions or withholdings made without constitutional backing are unconstitutional.
“That the federal government’s discretion to manage revenue is limited to only what is expressly permitted by the Constitution,” he said.

The state government is seeking a strict interpretation of the constitution to ensure that revenue distribution is done transparently and constitutionally, without arbitrary deductions or withholdings by the Federal Government,” the statement added.