.
By Nasir Kura
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday inaugurated the Presidential Implementation Committee on Autonomy of the State Legislature and State Judiciary, and called called on members of the committee to be meticulous and diligent in the discharge of their duties.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the president said setting up of the committee was necessitated by the realisation that legislative and judicial autonomy are necessary pre-conditions for nation’s democracy to endure.
He said the committee is expected to foster effective implementation of the autonomy constitutionally granted the state legislature and judiciary under the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“It is my hope that when this is done, there will be proper checks and balances, and the state legislature and judiciary shall be genuinely empowered to carry out their respective Constitutional duties without fear of dominance and or marginalization.
“The legislature, being the closest arm of government to the people, and the Judiciary as the last hope of the common man, must both be seen to be sufficiently independent to perform their respective constitutional roles without any interference, let or hindrance. In this regard, ensuring that these organs of government enjoy financial autonomy will further enhance their efficiency and independence.
“This committee has therefore been set-up, as a major reform of this administration, to ensure that the autonomy granted to the legislature and judiciary at the State levels is maintained, pursuant to Section 161 of the 4th Alteration to the 1999 Constitution as Amended,’’ he said.
The president said the present administration was committed to strengthening the nation’s democracy by ensuring separation of powers among the three arms of government at all levels.
He said government had identified the need to sustain the constitutionally guaranteed federal system of government by building capabilities not only at the federal level but at all the federating units.
The president called on members of the committee to cooperate with the relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance with the constitutional provisions granting autonomy to state legislature and judiciary, without deviating from its approved terms of reference.
He said the committee is mandated to assess and review the level of compliance by all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT with Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and to monitor, ensure and cause the implementation of financial autonomy across the judiciary and legislature in line with the amendment, among others.
In his remarks, chairman of the committee and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, said inauguration of the committee was exceptional in the historical development of the country.
“This giant act of the President being the first in the historical evolution of Nigeria’s democracy has indeed yielded to the aspiration of greater number of Nigerians and as a result constitutes on of the major reasons for the president’s massive victory in the recently concluded presidential election,” he said.
He said the committee was put in place in line with the constitutional status of the federal government as a trustee of the federating units of the country.
