Buhari constitutes committee on Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary

THE Presidency on Sunday announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted a Presidential Implementation Committee on Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary in accordance with the 4th Alteration to the 1999 Constitution.

According to a statement issued in Abuja by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), the purpose of the committee is to drive the actualisation of the autonomy granted to the legislature and judiciary at the State level.

It gave the membership to include Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation/Minister of Justice, Chairman; Senator Ita Enang, Presidential Liaison (National Assembly), Secretary; Representatives of State Judiciary include; Hon. Justice N. Ajanah, Chief Judge of Kogi State; Hon. Justice K. Abiri, Chief Judge of Bayelsa State; Hon. Kadi Abdullahi Maikano Usman, Grand Khadi, Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal; and Hon. Justice Abbazih Musa Abubakar Sadeeq, Ag. President of the FCT Customary Court of Appeal.

State legislatures are to be represented by; Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria and Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, as well as Rt. Hon. Abel Peter Riah, Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly.

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The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria is to be represented by Marwan Mustapha Adamu; Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, Comrade Bala Hadi; Body of Chairmen of Houses of Assembly Service Commissions, Musa Mustapha Agwai; Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru; House of Representatives Committee on Federal Judiciary, Hon. Aminu Shagari; the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Secretary of the National Judicial Council.

Others are; DG of the Nigerian Governors Forum or such other representative as the Forum may wish to nominate; Chairman of the Forum of Finance Commissioners in Nigeria; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN; and Chike Adibuah Esq, representing Civil Society Organisations.

Terms of reference of the committee include, among others; to assess and review the level of compliance by all the 36 States of the Federation with Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended); to monitor, ensure and cause the implementation of Financial Autonomy across the Judiciary and Legislature of the 36 States; to consult and relate with the appropriate Federal and State MDAs; to ensure and where necessary enforce the implementation of constitutional provision; and to come up with appropriate modality or model to be adopted by all the States of the Federation for implementation and/ or compliance with Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The formal inauguration of the committee by Mr President will be done in due course.