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By Nasir Kura
President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted a Presidential Implementation Committee on Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary in accordance with the 4th alteration to the 1999 Constitution.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President said the purpose of the committee is to drive the actualization of the autonomy granted to the legislature and judiciary at the State level, and membership is as follows:
The committee would be chaired by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, while the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, would serve as secretary.
Representatives of state judiciary in the committee are Justice N. Ajanah, Chief Judge of Kogi state; Justice K. Abiri, Chief Judge of Bayelsa state; Kadi Abdullahi Maikano Usman, Grand Khadi of Gombe State Sharia Court of Appeal; and Justice Abbazih Musa Abubakar Sadeeq, Acting President of the FCT Customary Court of Appeal.
State legislatures are to be represented by the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly and chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Mudashiru Obasa; and the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Mr. Abel Peter Riah.
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria is to be represented by Mr. Marwan Mustapha Adamu; Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, Comrade Bala Hadi; Body of Chairmen of Houses of Assembly Service Commissions, Mr. Musa Mustapha Agwai; Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru; House of Representatives Committee on Federal Judiciary, Mr. Aminu Shagari; the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Secretary of the National Judicial Council.
Others are members of the committee are the Director General 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, representing the civil society organisations.
Terms of reference of the committee are: 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); to monitor, ensure and cause the implementation of financial autonomy across the judiciary and legislature of the 36 states; to consult and relate with the appropriate federal and state MDAs; to ensure and where necessary enforce the implementation of constitutional provision; and to 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).
Adesina said the formal inauguration of the committee by Mr President would be done in due course.
