By Juliana Katung
Nigeria: Kaduna Assembly has on Thursday stepped down discussion on local government autonomy for further legislative action, but approved Financial autonomy for legislature.
The National Assembly has requested states houses of Assembly to approve the fourth alterations of Nigeria 1999 Constitution, as stipulated by law.
The State Assembly approved Nine of the alterations, stepped -down two and rejected four from the proposed amendments send by the National Assembly.
The alterations includes financial autonomy to state Assemblies, local government autonomy; removal of the word “force” from Nigeria Police Force; reduction of age for qualified political offices; and introduction of independent candidature in Nigerian elections, among others.
Speaker Of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Aminu Shagali, explained that two of the alterations that were stepped-down, the local government autonomy, and the strengthening of local government administration in Nigeria, will be subjected to further study.
The alterations rejected by the Kaduna Assembly includes independent candidature in election, period in which the president or state governor will lay the appropriation bill before the national Assembly or state Assembly, also an act to provide for procedure for passing a constitution Alterations bill where president withholds assents.
Others includes the reduction of period within which the president or the governor of a state may authorise the withdrawal of monies from the consolidated Revenue fund in the absence of an appropriation act from 6 months to 3 months.
Speaking shortly after the plenary chairman House committee on information Mr Nuhu Shadalafiya stressed that if state assemblies are autonomous, the affairs and matters related to it would be handled effectively.
Shadalafiya said stepping down the local government autonomy in the proposed Amendment does not mean it’ has been rejected, rather implies that there is need to go back to the details of amendment so as to make corrections were its needed.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/02/05/development/dont-take-democracy-for-granted-in-africa-nigerias-speaker-dogara-warns/