States Flouted Constitution On Financial Autonomy, Says Panel

The Presidential Implementation Committee on Financial Autonomy
of State Legislature and Judiciary has said most states flouted
constitutional provisions on financial autonomy for other organs
and agencies of government.

The committee, which was chaired by a former Attorney General of
the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami,
submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on
Tuesday.

Buhari inaugurated the committee on March 22 to study and
recommend the modalities for implementing the financial autonomy
recently granted to state legislatures and the judiciary in
compliance with Section 121 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as
amended).

The 8th National Assembly granted the autonomy during the new
amendments lawmakers included the constitution in 2018, and signed
into law by Buhari.

Presenting the report, Malami told the President that the
implementation would strengthen democracy by giving full
recognition to the Principle of Separation of Powers at the state
level.

However, he said the committee found out that most states rarely
complied with legal provisions on financial autonomy.

“Malami added that the committee observed that most states
honoured the constitutional provisions for financial autonomy in
the breach, than in observance, noting that the legislature and
judiciary remained the last hope of the common man and should be
given autonomy,” a statement by the Special Adviser to the
President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said.

Among those, the committee consulted before producing the report
were governors, chief judges of states, speakers of Houses of
Assembly and civil society organisations.

“The recommendations clearly spell out that if uniform modules
for implementation of financial autonomy for state legislature and
state judiciary are approved for implementation in the 36 states,
it will no doubt strengthen Nigeria’s democratic principles,
practices, and public governance,” Malami added.

Buhari said the first step was to study the report and take
action on the recommendations.

The President also promised to abide by all democratic
principles, having contested elections on three previous occasions
before he won in 2015.

He said, “I went through a terrible time getting here. That is
why I want to stabilise the system so that others will not pass
through the same experience.

“Both young and ordinary Nigerians depend on leadership to
ensure justice is always done. So, we must ensure that trust is not
compromised.

“This administration will take the report seriously.”

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