State Legislature, Judiciary Autonomy implementation begins next week – Minister

The implementation of financial autonomy for the State legislature and judiciary would commence next week.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday night after a conciliation meeting to resolve the strike of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).

Ngige said the striking legislative and judiciary workers will call off their prolonged strike as soon as implementation starts.

According to a statement by the Deputy Director Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Mr Charles Akpan, Ngige said the parties signed a document containing the framework for each of the State governments to grant autonomy to their legislature and judiciary.

Governors he said had studied the document and were in agreement with it, adding that the implementation would commence next week with the distribution of the April allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

“Whatever comes from FAAC, even the State governments yet to put their fund allocation committees in place, would wait to do so, to ensure that the money goes down there”,Ngige said.

The meeting ended with the adoption and signing of a Memorandum Of Action(MOA) titled  “Implementation of Financial Autonomy for the State Legislature and Judiciary” top of which is its article D, upon which the suspension of the strike is predicated  as its implementation is  triggered  as from  Monday May 24, 2021, when the April  FAAC to States is expected to start dropping .

The MOA contains 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 in accordance with B(iii) of this Memorandum of Action commencing from April 2021 State Allocation from the State Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) as a sign of good faith. 

And the B(iii) in reference says “whenever there is Revenue shortfall, lower than the Budgeted fund, the monthly allocations to each arm of government shall reflect a percentage of the appropriated sum or an irreducible minimum amount to be allocated every month for the purpose of meeting its costs whichever is higher. This percentage will reflect as 100% in Personnel Cost.  The Running Cost and Capital Cost will be pro-rata of Revenue performance as per the State Appropriation Law.

Upon fulfillment of the above according to the signed agreement,“the ongoing Industrial Action shall be suspended with immediate effect from the date of the agreements contained in this Memorandum of Action (MOA), provided item D above is effected immediately and others effected within the 45 days window as prescribed in this MOA. 

“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/Details and submit same to the State House of Assembly;  

“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. Membership to reflect the template of the FAAC.

“Every State Commissioner of Finance and State Accountant General shall on a monthly basis furnish the Committee with the revenue performance of the State within a stipulated timeline not exceeding 7 days after each FAAC meeting. 

“Based on the revenue receipt, evaluations and the needs of each arm, the Committee shall work out an appropriate budget release based on the Appropriation for each Arm of Government for that year”, the agreement read.

The meeting also agreed that the Presidential Implementation Committee shall give a biweekly appraisal and follow-up.

The Minister described the signing of the document by all parties as historic and a fundamental kick-starting of restructuring being clamored for by some Nigerians.

“Perhaps, it will be pertinent to point out to those clamouring for restructuring that this is a fundamental restructuring of the Nigerian Federation. This is a restructuring that has granted autonomy to the State judiciary and legislature. I am happy that we are part of this history making and that we made this history in the life of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari”, Ngige said.

He praised the President for achieving this feat through the instrumentality of the fourth alteration that gave birth to Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Presidential Executive Order 10 and the establishment of the implementation committee.

Judiciary and parliamentary workers have been on strike for over one month over issues bothering on financial autonomy.

Nnenna.O