THE NIGERIAN FISCAL FEDERALISM AND VISION 20:2020 TARGET.
Abstract
While Nigeria’s targets for Vision 20:2020 are based on a dynamic comparative analysis of the
country’s potential growth rate, the country’s ability to achieve the vision depends heavily on
effective and efficient policies and public spending by both the national and sub national
governments. Contrary to extant literatures on fiscal federalism, this paper seeks to establish
whether the expenditure profiles of the federal and sub-national governments are being
leveraged upon towards achieving Vision 20:2020. Using juxtaposition of the theoretical
autonomy (revenue raising powers and responsibilities) and descriptive statistics, the paper
found that federal government expenditure items of Vision 20:2020 largely fall short of their
international standards and that there is a gross mismatch between expenditure responsibilities
and revenue raising powers of the sub-national governments. On this basis, the paper, submits
that there is need to restructure the fiscal federalism in favour of the sub-national governments
which are the drivers of the Vision 20:2020 related spending.
References
Anyanwu, J. C. (1999) „Fiscal Relations among the various tiers of Government in Nigeria‟ In Fiscal Federalism and Nigerian’s Economic Development. NES Selected Papers Presented at
the 1999 Annual Conference Ibadan.
Akindele S.T and Olaopa (2002) Fiscal federalism and local Government finance in Nigeria, International Journal of Advanced Academic Research, 2(3), PP 20-35
Bahl, R. S. (1999). Fiscal Federalism as Developmental policy, Washington DC: Public Budgeting and Finance.
Bird, R.M. (2009), “Taxation in Latin America: Reflections on sustainability and the balance between efficiency and equity”, working paper, Rotam School of Management, University of Toronto.
Bello-Imam, I.B &, A.V. Agba (2004) Fiscal Federalism, The National Question and Resources Control: Practice and Prospect, In Democratic Governance & Development Management in Nigeria‟s Fourth Republic, 1999 – 2003, JODAD Publishers
Eboh, E. C. (2008). “Template for tracking the Impact of SEEDS Expenditures on the MDGs.”
Report submitted to European Union-Support for Reforming Institutions Programme (EUSRIP),
Abuja, Nigeria, October 2008.
Ekpo, A. H. (2004). “Intergovernmental fiscal relations: The Nigerian experience”. Paper presented at the 10th Anniversary of the Financial and Fiscal Commission of South Africa, Capetown,10-12 August 2004.
Ekpo, A. H. and Englama, A. (2008). “Fiscal Federalism in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Agenda for Reform.” In Collier, P., Soludo, C. C. and Pattillo, C., (Eds.) Economic Policy Options for a Prosperous Nigeria. pp. 221-243. Hampshire and New York: Palgrave Macmilan.
Gurr, and Robert. (2000). Peoples Versus States: Minorities At Risk in the New Century.
Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press.
Jimoh, A. (2003). “Fiscal federalism: The Nigerian experience”. Paper presented at the Ad-Hoc
Expert Group Meeting Policy and Growth in Africa: Fiscal Federalism, Decentralization and
the Incidence of Taxation, 7-9 October, UNECA, Addis Ababa.
Jose,C.C(2003) Fiscal federalism in Brazil: historical trends present controversies and future challenges, VIII Congreso Internacional del CLAD sobre la Reforma del Estado y de la Administración Pública, Panamá, 28-31.
Khemani, S. (2001) Fiscal Federalism and Service Delivery in Nigeria: The Role of States and Local Governments Prepared for the Nigerian PER Steering Committee July 24, 2001.
Musgrave R. A. (1964). The Theory of Public Finance. A study in Public Economy: New York:
Macgraw-Hill Book Company.
Musgrave, R. A. and Musgrave, P. B. (1984). Public Finance in Theory and Practice, New York: Mcgraw-Hill Book Company.
Ugwuoke, O.W, and Agot, A.J, (2016) Asymmetry Revenue Allocation and its Implication on Ethnic militancy in Nigeria, A paper presented at the maiden conference of the faculty of social sciences, Federal University, Lafia, 10-14 May, 2016.
Vision 20: 2020 Document of the federal republic of Nigeria.
World Bank. (2000). World Development Report 1999/2000: Entering the 21st Century: World
Development Report 1999/2000. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
All right reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner.
