AGF Chairs Presidential Committee On Autonomy Of State Legislature, Judiciary

President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted a Presidential Implementation Committee on Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, explained in a statement on Sunday that the committee was set up in accordance with the ‘4th Alteration to the 1999 Constitution’.

The committee is chaired by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, with the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, as its secretary.

Adesina said the purpose of the committee was to drive the actualisation of the autonomy granted to the legislature and judiciary at the state level.

Representatives of state judiciary in the committee include the chief judges of Kogi and Bayelsa states – Justice N Ajanah and Justice K Abiri.

Others are Grand Khadi of Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal, Kadi Abdullahi Usman, and the acting President of the FCT Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Abbazih Sadeeq.

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

The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) is to be represented by Marwan Adamu; Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, Bala Hadi; Body of Chairmen of Houses of Assembly Service Commissions, Musa Agwai.

The committee also has as members Senate Committee Chairman on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru; and House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Federal Judiciary, Aminu Shagari; as well as the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Secretary of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Others members 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; and Chike Adibuah who is to represent Civil Society Organisations.

Adesina disclosed that the terms of reference of the committee include 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).

He added that the committee would monitor, ensure and cause the implementation of financial autonomy across the judiciary and legislature of the 36 states, as well as consult and relate with the appropriate federal and state MDAs.

The presidential aide explained that the committee would ensure and where necessary enforce the implementation of the constitutional provision, and 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).

He said President Buhari would formally inaugurate the committee in due course.