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Governors Not Averse To Financial Autonomy For State Legislatures – Tambuwal

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4 years ago

Mar 13, 2021.

State governors are fully behind agitation for financial autonomy for state assemblies and judiciary, Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto, has said.

Tambuwal said this after a meeting with Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the president, some governors and a delegation of States Legislators Conference at Aso Rock.

His comment is coming in the wake of the demonstration embarked on by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).

The association had stormed the national assembly on Tuesday to protest the non-implementation of financial autonomy for state assemblies.

In May 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari signed an executive order granting financial independence to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the country.

However, the gazetting of the order was suspended by the president following a meeting with governors in June, 2020.

But speaking on the matter on Friday, Tambuwal said the governors are not against financial autonomy for the legislature and executive arms of government.

The former speaker of house of representatives disclosed that the relevant stakeholders will meet next week to conclude the framework for the implementation of the financial autonomy.

According to him, the meeting was called at the behest of the president.

“We are here to meet the chief of staff on the instruction of Mr President and you can see that the leadership of the Speakers’ Conference of the States of the Federation is here ably led by the Chairman. It is all about [Executive] Order 10, which has to do with the independence, financial autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary at the state level,” a statement quoted him as saying.

“So, it is a continuous meeting and we are going to meet next week Thursday when we hope to finalise on the framework and modalities of implementing the autonomy of the state legislature and the judiciary.

“By next week Thursday we will be meeting to finalise the framework. We are all in support of it by the grace of God.”