Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi has set May 2021 for the commencement of implementation of the financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature at the state level.
The non-implementation of the policy, as captured in the amendment of the constitution, led to the current nationwide strike by judicial workers.
But Fayemi, while speaking with State House correspondents after a stakeholders meeting chaired by the chief of staff to the president, Ibrahim Gambari, assured that the implementation of the provision will commence “as soon as the final document that is being cleaned up emerges.
We’re not going to put a timeframe in the air, but it will be implemented as soon as possible, definitely no later than the end of May 2021″
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had in June 2018 assented to the Constitution Fourth Alteration Bill which granted financial autonomy and independence to houses of assembly and judiciary of states.
Upon the president’s signature, it was expected that the amounts standing to the credit of the judiciary and houses of assembly would be paid directly to them, and no more through the governors.
The amendment granted full autonomy to the judiciary and houses of assembly at the state level, just like what operates at the federal level.
Following the non-implementation of the constitutional provisions, President Buhari had in 2020, signed Executive Order 10 mandating every state government to set up a committee for its implementation,
The Executive Order 10 mandates that the committee be made up of the commissioner of finance, accountant-general of the state, representative of the state budget office, chief registrars of state high court, sharia court of appeal and customary court of appeal, (where applicable), the clerk to the state house of assembly and the secretary of the state judicial service committee or commission.
The committee was also to determine and ascertain from the revenue profile of the state, a workable budget for each arm of the state government based on the request and needs of the accounting officers; and (c) the committee shall be given and accorded legal recognition in the various relevant appropriation or funds management laws of the states.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Executive Order, in the first three years of its implementation, there shall be special extraordinary capital allocations for the judiciary to undertake capital development of state judiciary complexes, high court complexes, sharia court of appeal, customary court of appeal, and court complexes of other courts befitting the status of the courts.
Fayemi, who appealed to the workers to end their strike, said “it is in the interest of the nation, adding “we believe that the striking workers should return to their offices because as far as this has gone, we have met with all the parties concerned. The president, through the chief of staff, has also been briefed on this matter and has been monitoring what has been happening”.
