State governors have again thrown their weight behind financial autonomy for the legislature and judiciary at the state level but would want its implementation to follow the provisions of the constitution.
Sokoto State governor , Aminu Tambuwal disclosed this to State House Correspondents after leading the members of the Technical Committee on the implementation of the autonomy of state legislature and the judiciary to a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari.
He also called on the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to call off its strike.
According to him, the governors will meet on Monday to consider the final report of the technical committee because of the urgency of the matter resolve issues raised.
Tambuwal who is also the deputy chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum( NGF) said “From the very beginning, during the 8th Assembly, under the leadership of Bukola Saraki and Speaker Dogara, the Governors Forum under Abdulaziz Yari then, met with them and supported the financial autonomy for the state legislature and the judiciary.
And that is why with that support, we were able to achieve the passage of this amendment by the National Assembly and the state legislature across the country. So the governors are unequivocally in support of the autonomy of these institutions.”
Asked what the issues were if actually the governors were willing to implement legislature and judicial financial autonomy in their states, Tambuwal said “I can assure you that all of us are committed to building institutions, particularly our parliaments and the judiciary in our respective states, as governors democratically elected, and will do whatever it takes to make sure that whatever issues are resolved, as I told you before, some of it are constitutional. And then matters that have to do with the constitution, you have to be sure of what you’re doing; that you’re actually following the Constitution.”
On why the President Muhammadu Buhari had to set up the implementation committee when the governors were not opposed to the financial autonomy for legislature and judiciary, Tambuwal said he was not in any position to query the wisdom of the President on the matter.
He equally disclosed that his implementation committee had already spoken with Speakers of State Assemblies and Judiciary to continue to engage assuring that reasonable progress had already been made on the matter.
“They should call off the strike. We’re appealing to them in the interest of this country, they should call off the strike,” he pleaded.
By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah,
Leadership