Nigerian Governors and leaderships of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have agreed on modalities and timelines for commencement of full financial autonomy for the arms of government at the state level.
This was agreed at a meeting led by Committee on implementation of financial autonomy for the state legislature and judiciary arms of government, headed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
“At the end of the tortuous journey we had undertaken this evening, we have signed an agreement, not a Memorandum of Action as such but a framework for each of the state governments to grant autonomy to their state legislature and judiciary,” Ngige told journalists at the end of the meeting with the unions in Abuja
He described the event as historic coming after several attempts and failures to implement the constitutional provision by successive governments.
“So by Monday or Tuesday, we are going trigger off the section B and D which says governments of the respective states shall credit the accounts of the legislative and Judicial arms or government with a pro-rata amounts due to each arms of government under the 2021 appropriation law,” he said.
The document was signed by Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (for the governors); and the representatives of the unions, including Ngige who signed as a witness to the agreement.
Based on provisions in the document, all states are required to pass and assent to the Funds Management Law and the State House of Assembly Service Commission Law, as well as put in place implementation structures within a time-frame not exceeding 45 days from the date of signing the agreement.
The agreement reflects inputs from all the parties, such the governors, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and JUSUN and the leadership of the parliamentary workers and is expected to be signed later by the governors and the leadership of the two unions.
The agreement stated that various Fund Management Laws should mandate the State Accountants General to release appropriated funds directly to each arm as statutory transfers beginning with the next federal allocation.
The two unions had insisted that they only call off their industrial action once the states transfers funds from the next federal allocation directly to the accounts of the judiciary and legislative arms.
Under the agreement, there will also be a State Account Allocation Committee (SAAC) to be given legislative backing in the various Fund Management Laws and charged with the responsibility to oversee the distribution of available resources to each arm of government.
Membership of SAAC will reflect the template of the FAAC as obtainable at the federal level.
In addition, every State Commissioner of Finance and State Accountant General shall on a monthly basis furnish the Committee with the revenue performance of the State within a stipulated timeline not exceeding seven days after each FAAC meeting.
“Based on the revenue receipt, evaluations and the needs of each arm, the committee shall work out an appropriate budget release based on the Appropriation for each Arm of Government for that year”
The Memorandum of Action also stated that every state shall enact Funds Management Laws for their state judiciary and state legislature, which will grant each arm the power to manage its capital and recurrent expenditure in accordance with the provisions of Sections 6(5)(a) – (i), 81(3), 121(3) & Item 21(e) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the country and other relevant laws.
It said that capital expenditure shall include purchase of vehicles, and office equipment, construction of Legislative Buildings, renovations, repairs, maintenance and other incidentals.
Source: ThisDay
