(NLC)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has disagreed with governors
of the 36 states, who are pushing to challenge the financial
autonomy granted state legislature and judiciary by Executive Order
10 recently signed into effect by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The NLC is asking the governors to backtrack their step and
accept the process in the interest of democracy and good
governance.
“In the interest of good governance, strengthening of the
principle of separation of powers national stability, and overall
development of Nigeria, we urge political leaders at every level to
respect the wishes of the Nigerian people and allow the full
exercise of financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in
the states.
Democracy must remain the government of the people, by the
people, and for the people,” said Ayuba Wabba, president of the NLC
in a statement seen by BusinessDay on Monday.
According to the the labour organisation, strong legislative and
judiciary institutions of government are pillars of democracy and
good governance. A resilient judiciary and a conscientious
legislature, the NLC argued, are sine qua non to the deepening of
the democratic process, promotion of public accountability and
ensuring popular participation.
Wabba decried what he described as long “history of arm-twisting
and abuse of the judiciary and legislative arms of government at
the sub-national level in Nigeria,” which has gotten worse in
recent years.
According to the labour leader, the distortion of due process,
checks and balances, and public accountability which are the core
ingredients in the principle of separation of powers, got to a head
when legislators in some state houses of assembly, sadly, rejected
constitutional proposals to grant them financial autonomy during
the constitutional review process led by the 7th National
Assembly.
He said that until the Executive Order 10, there were little
signs to show seriousness on the part of state governors to comply
with the clear demands of Section 121 (3) of our constitution,
which is a direct violation of the oath sworn by the governors to
uphold the Nigerian constitution at all times.
He argued that if our political leaders were alive to the spirit
of the constitution they swore to uphold, there would not have been
any need for the Presidential Implementation Committee set up on
March 22, 2019, adding: This was almost one year after Section
121(3) had been assented into law and at least the exercise of one
budget cycle.
Wabba further decried the increasing concentration of powers in
the hands of the executive arm of government, which he noted,
portends danger for democracy and good governance in Nigeria, and
called on the governors to accept the Federal Government’s position
on the issue.
President Buhari on May 22, 2020 issued the Executive Order 10
which is primed at promoting Section 121 (3) of the 1999 Nigerian
Constitution by granting financial autonomy to the legislature and
judiciary at the state level.
The Executive Order 10 makes it mandatory for state governments
to include the allocation of the judiciary and legislative arms of
government as first line charges in their annual budgets.
The NLC said it was pertinent that political leaders at all
levels uphold, promote and sustain the virility of our public
institutions especially the legislative and judiciary arms of
government.
(NLC)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has disagreed with governors
of the 36 states, who are pushing to challenge the financial
autonomy granted state legislature and judiciary by Executive Order
10 recently signed into effect by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The NLC is asking the governors to backtrack their step and
accept the process in the interest of democracy and good
governance.
“In the interest of good governance, strengthening of the
principle of separation of powers national stability, and overall
development of Nigeria, we urge political leaders at every level to
respect the wishes of the Nigerian people and allow the full
exercise of financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in
the states.
Democracy must remain the government of the people, by the
people, and for the people,” said Ayuba Wabba, president of the NLC
in a statement seen by BusinessDay on Monday.
According to the the labour organisation, strong legislative and
judiciary institutions of government are pillars of democracy and
good governance. A resilient judiciary and a conscientious
legislature, the NLC argued, are sine qua non to the deepening of
the democratic process, promotion of public accountability and
ensuring popular participation.
Wabba decried what he described as long “history of arm-twisting
and abuse of the judiciary and legislative arms of government at
the sub-national level in Nigeria,” which has gotten worse in
recent years.
According to the labour leader, the distortion of due process,
checks and balances, and public accountability which are the core
ingredients in the principle of separation of powers, got to a head
when legislators in some state houses of assembly, sadly, rejected
constitutional proposals to grant them financial autonomy during
the constitutional review process led by the 7th National
Assembly.
He said that until the Executive Order 10, there were little
signs to show seriousness on the part of state governors to comply
with the clear demands of Section 121 (3) of our constitution,
which is a direct violation of the oath sworn by the governors to
uphold the Nigerian constitution at all times.
He argued that if our political leaders were alive to the spirit
of the constitution they swore to uphold, there would not have been
any need for the Presidential Implementation Committee set up on
March 22, 2019, adding: This was almost one year after Section
121(3) had been assented into law and at least the exercise of one
budget cycle.
Wabba further decried the increasing concentration of powers in
the hands of the executive arm of government, which he noted,
portends danger for democracy and good governance in Nigeria, and
called on the governors to accept the Federal Government’s position
on the issue.
President Buhari on May 22, 2020 issued the Executive Order 10
which is primed at promoting Section 121 (3) of the 1999 Nigerian
Constitution by granting financial autonomy to the legislature and
judiciary at the state level.
The Executive Order 10 makes it mandatory for state governments
to include the allocation of the judiciary and legislative arms of
government as first line charges in their annual budgets.
The NLC said it was pertinent that political leaders at all
levels uphold, promote and sustain the virility of our public
institutions especially the legislative and judiciary arms of
government.