Govs To Meet Attorney General Over Implications Of Executive Order No.10 Of 2020

The 36 State Governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has mandated its Legal Committee to engage the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami on the implications of the recently passed Executive Order 10 on governance at the sub-National level.

The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 9th teleconference meeting, signed by the NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

Also at the meeting, the Governors also resolved to: “interface with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, on the $1 billion COVID-19 crisis facility approved for the country at the request of the Federal Government by the African Development Bank (AfDB), to embark on the delivery of projects that will meet the needs of Nigerians during this period, in such areas as health emergency assistance, agriculture and food security.

After extensive deliberation on the Executive Order 10 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Governors unanimously mandated the “NGF Legal Committee comprising the Governors of Sokoto, Plateau and Ondo, engage with the Attorney General of the Federation to reflect on the implications of the recently passed Executive Order 10, 2020 on governance at the Sub-National Level,” the communiqué read in part.

According to the provisions of the Executive Order 10 signed on May 20, President Buhari authorised the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to seize funds meant for Legislative and Judicial arms of state governments that fail to make such funds the first-line charge.

The Executive Order also mandated States to give 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 complexes of other Courts befitting the status of a Court in the first three years of its implementation.

In the bid to enforce the provisions of the Executive Order, the Accountant-General of the Federation shall by this order and such any other orders, regulations or guidelines as may be issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, authorise the deduction from the source in the course of Federation Accounts Allocation from the money allocated to any state of the federation that fails to release allocation meant for the state legislature and state judiciary in line with the financial autonomy guaranteed by Section 121(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

The communique read: “We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), at our meeting held today, deliberated on the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

“The NGF Chairman briefed State Governors on coordination activities with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, multilateral and bilateral partners, and the private sector through the Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) that are targeted at improving the COVID-19 response of State governments.

“We received brief from Ebrima Faal, Senior Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Nigeria on the $1 billion COVID-19 crisis facility and update from Zouera Youssoufou, Managing Director and CEO of The Aliko Dangote Foundation on activities of the CACOVID.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum thereafter resolved to: “interface with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, on the $1 billion COVID-19 crisis facility approved for the country at the request of the Federal Government by the African Development Bank (AfDB), to embark on the delivery of projects that will meet the needs of Nigerians during this period, in such areas as health emergency assistance, agriculture and food security.

“Continue engagements with CACOVID to consolidate interventions on the distribution of palliatives to vulnerable Nigerians who have lost their means of livelihood as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Endorsed the development of a 3-month plan on reopening the economy by the National Economic Council (NEC) Sub-Committee that will interface with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 comprising the Governors of Delta (Chairman), Ekiti, Lagos, Anambra, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau and the FCT Minister.

“Through the NEC Ad-hoc Sub-Committee on COVID-19 comprising the Governors of Kaduna (Chairman), Kebbi, Ebonyi, Ogun, Nasarawa, Edo, and Jigawa, interface with the Economic Sustainability Committee chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to incorporate the contributions of State Governments in the Economic Sustainability Plan as a national response to the COVID-19 crisis.”