Senator Ita Enang, Secretary, Presidential Committee on Implementation of judiciary and legislative autonomy.
By Contributor
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, says the Presidential Committee on Implementation of judiciary and legislative autonomy will soon enforce deduction of funds due to State legislature and judiciary at FAAC and pay directly to judiciary and legislature of the States.
Senator Enang who is the Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Implementation of judiciary and legislative autonomy gave the hint while presenting a paper at the Nigerian Bar Association annual conference 2021 at the Yakubu Gowon stadium, Port Harcourt.
He said deduction of funds due to the judiciary and legislative at the allocation committee would be the last resort to ensure that all State government implement autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in line with Executive Order No.10, signed by President Muhammadu Bihari.
Senator Enang spoke on the theme, “Status of Implementation of Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary: Thus Far, How Far on Compliance & Remedy”, noted that state governors have opposed the committee’s mandate of implementing the Executive Order 10.
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He said : “Let me appreciate Our ‘Boss,’ Mr. Olumide Akpata, President, Nigerian Bar Association and the leadership of the NBA for inviting me to speak at this year’s Annual General Conference of our profession to give a status update on the implementation of Autonomy at State levels.
“The committee and its mandate was sternly opposed and fought by the Governors but eventually arrived at recommendations which were further stoutly resisted by Governors who are Head of the Executive arm of Government and in illegal control of the State Treasury disbursing at discretion without respect to the entitlement of the other 2 arms of government.
“The recommendations were reduced to Executive Order No. 10 signed and issued by Mr. President setting out the process of implementation and option of getting the sum deducted directly from the account of that States Government at the Federation Account and paid directly to the account of the offended arm of Government where the State fails.
“The Governments of the States failed and refused as expected and after all steps failed we initiated steps at deducting the monies due the State Judiciary from the Federation account.
“Memo went upstairs and the Governors intervened opting for more fruitless time buying dialogue and Mr. President obliged and directed the Chief of Staff to the President to handle”.
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Senator Enang said Lagos State has implemented autonomy under the Constitution on a template left behind by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as then Attorney General under former Governor Tinubu, even without legislation, Bayelsa and Plateau States have a law on autonomy are implementing it.
He explained that Rivers State under Governor Nyesom Wike was not only unconcerned about judiciary and legislative autonomy, but was also intimidating the House of Assembly staffers with no-work, no-pay.
The President aide disclosed that while the bill on legislative and judiciary autonomy was pending at Abia, Imo and Taraba State Houses of Assembly, Niger, Katstina, Ebonyi, Adamawa Gombe and Kogi had passed the bills without the Governor assenting to it.
Ita Enang indicated that Sokoto, Enugu, Jigawa, Kebi, Zamfara, Benue, Yobe, Ekiti, Nassarawa, Ogun and Cross River States had passed the bill with governors’ assent, but without implementation.
In the same list he said were Bauchi, Bornu, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Osun, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kano and Kaduna.
Enang stated that the PIC had obtained bank account details of the respective states judiciary and heads of courts across the federation, except those that have implemented and would soon commence the process of deduction and direct payment of legislative and judiciary funds from the states’ monthly allocations.
He said President Buhari had long shown exemplary leadership by ensuring legislative and judiciary autonomy at the federal level, states must follow suit.
“Let me, on behalf of the Committee appreciate the President of NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata, the deputy and entire leadership of the Bar, and indeed the entire Bar for the solidarity and pressure exerted on this matter.
“We express our greatest appreciation to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for his strong believe in the independence of each arm of Government and the strong support extended to this process since assenting to the Amendment of the Constitution.”
Senator Ita Enang charged officials and members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to join the struggle towards liberating the state legislatures and judiciaries from the grip of state governors, stressing that the NBA was a critical stakeholder in the fight for legislative and judiciary autonomy.
