The Nigerian Senate has commenced the legislative process to amend the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in a bid to increase the Federal Government's portion of revenue from the Federation Account.
A bill titled “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2026,” sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), passed its first reading during plenary on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
The proposal seeks to review the existing revenue-sharing formula, under which the Federal Government currently receives 52.68%, the 36 states share 26.72%, and the 774 local government areas get 20.60%, to allocate a larger share to the centre.
Senator Karimi argued that the current allocation no longer suffices to cover the Federal Government's extensive national responsibilities, including security, rehabilitation of dilapidated Trunk A federal roads, infrastructure upkeep, and other rising obligations.
He described the FG's resources as "grossly inadequate" amid these mounting demands and proposed only a "slight increase" to better equip the central government.
The bill's introduction comes against the backdrop of persistent calls from states and local governments for a restructuring that would devolve more funds to subnational tiers. Any constitutional amendment would require passage through multiple readings in both the Senate and House of Representatives, followed by approval from at least 24 of the 36 state assemblies.
The exact percentage adjustment proposed has not been publicly detailed yet, with further clarity expected as the bill progresses through committee stages and subsequent readings.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com