FG holds retreat on legislature, judiciary, LG autonomy May 16

By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

The federal government has concluded plans to assert the independence of the legislature, judiciary and local governments in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Presidential Implementation Committee on the Autonomy of state Legislature and state Judiciary chaired by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, who doubles as secretary of the panel, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the committee, there will be a retreat at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa to deliberate and articulate an effective national implementation strategy in the matter.

Enang said that the retreat would hold between May 16-17 this year.

The intendment of the retreat, he explained “is to ensure that the full import and purpose of the constitution which is release of sums due to the legislature and the judiciary to the heads of these arms of government to be disbursed and applied by them in accordance with approved budget.

 “The monitoring thus far, per the findings of the committee is that there is spending on the legislature and the judiciary and for the legislature and judiciary,” he said.

Those at the briefing apart from Enang, who stood in for the chairman include, Justice Nasiru Ajanah, chief judge of Kogi state; Justice Kate Abiri, chief judge of Bayelsa state and Justice A.M.A. Saddeeq, acting president, Customary Court of Appeal, FCT.

Others were Sen. David Umaru, chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary; Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), president, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA); Comrade Bala Hadi representing PASSAN, Chijioke, representing the director general of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Charles Bala, a member of the panel’s secretariat.