Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria has signed a memorandum of action for the implementation of financial autonomy to states legislature and judiciary, on Thursday, at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Conference Room, Abuja.
While Signing the memorandum, the Chairman of the Conference and Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Y Suleiman said that the memorandum of action is a result of series of conciliation meetings between the Chief of Staff to the President, Presidential Implementation Committee, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Parliamentary Staff Union of Nigeria (PASAN), Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria and other relevant stakeholders.
According to him, the memorandum agreed on the implementation mechanism of the financial autonomy to the states legislature and judiciary.
The Chairman explained that some of the resolutions of the MOA comprised that annually upon the determination of budget ceilings or envelopes from the Budget Committee of the State, anchored by the Budget Office of the State headed by the Commissioner in charge, each arm of government – Executive, Judiciary, Legislature, acting through its own Budget and/or Funds Management Committee, shall prepare its budget estimates and submit same to the State House of Assembly and there shall also be established in each State 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.
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He added that the memorandum resolved that the governments of the respective states shall credit the accounts of each State House of Assembly and each State Judiciary with the pro-rata amount due each of the two arms of government under the 2021 Appropriation for each state commencing from April 2021 State Allocation from the state Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
The parties also agreed that the ongoing Industrial Action shall be called off with immediate effect from the date of the agreements contained in the Memorandum of Action (MOA), provided the states implement its items according to the stipulated timeframe.
Those who signed the Memorandum include, the Chairman Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Abubakar Y Suleiman, Chairman of Parliamentary Association of Nigeria (PASAN) Usman Mohammad, Chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee, Senator Ita Enang, Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige among others while Nigeria Governors Forum will sign, on Friday, as contained in a statement by Abdul Ahmad Burra Spokesperson to the Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly.
Speakers sign memorandum of action on implementation of financial autonomy to states legislature, judiciary
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