States Houses of Assembly voted overwhelmingly for financial autonomy for state legislatures across the federation as the lawmakers on Friday submitted its input into the amendments to the 1999 Constitution transmitted to state Houses of Assembly by the National Assembly on October 28.
Although the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly was silent on autonomy for the local governments in the country, but there were indications that lawmakers at the state level failed to endorse autonomy for the local government.
Also, states Houses of Assembly have voted supported the separation of the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and that of the Minister of Justice.
At the submission of the document on Friday, the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Hon. Samuel Ikon, stated that they secured the required two-thirds majority of the 36 states legislatures for the provision of financial autonomy for the Houses of Assembly.
Ikon also added that state legislatures succeeded in securing more than the required two-thirds to seal the amendment for the separation of the Office of the Minister of Justice from that of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Though Ikon, who is the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, added that the required concurrence from at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly was also given to the constitution amendment proposal for separation of offices of Attorney General and that of the Minister or Commissioner of Justice at both the federal and state levels, he was not forthcoming in anyway on what they did to the one for local government autonomy.
In his words: “Few weeks back, we the speakers of the State Houses of Assembly were here to receive the resolutions of the conference committee of the National Assembly on Constitution Review containing 23 items for concurrence from us and I assured then on behalf of other speakers that we shall stand on the side of the people and democracy as far the proposed items for amendments were concerned.
” Today, I am happy to inform you all with these resolutions of ours we are transmitting to National Assembly, that we have stood on the side of the people and acted to further deepen democracy in our country.
“We have specifically concurred to the need for financial autonomy for state Houses of Assembly, separation of the office of Attorney General and that of Minister of Justice at both the federal and state levels, etc.”
In his remarks after receiving the document Ikon, the Senate President, David Mark, commended the state speakers for concurring to financial autonomy for state Assemblies.
Mark said: “I appreciate the fact that we have amended some aspects of the constitution and that we are going to amend some aspect of the constitution based on what we have drafted, but let me make one point clear: it doesn’t matter how many times we amend the constitution, it doesn’t matter how often we rewrite the constitution, unless the operators are prepared to go by the constitution, we will not make progress.
“So the exercise is not just a matter of amendment but we the operators, Nigerians, must also be prepared to adhere strictly to the constitution.
“That is the critical aspect of it.
“It is not constitution amended to serve any particular section or a constitution to be obeyed by a section of this country or any group of Nigerians.
“It is a constitution that is binding on all of us irrespective of our position in the society, irrespective of our position in the country.
“So, we the operators are very important and we are key in the working of the constitution.
“I have not read the areas that you have gotten more than the required percentage.
“So I can’t make comment on it, but the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State said that the one of state legislature has passed the required test.
“In other words, the financial autonomy of the state legislature.
“I think that was one of the areas where in the first amendments, that the state assemblies did not have the courage to do it but I must congratulate you for the courage.
“One of the areas which I think we ask you to approve also is the local government autonomy.
“I don’t know if you had the courage to do that, but if you have not concurred to it now, no problem.
“It is a continuous exercise.
“It shall be represented in subsequent exercise later.”
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