‘Councils’, state legislatures’ autonomy top constitution amendment list’

Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu said yesterday
that financial autonomy for the state legislatures and local
governments are part of the key issues being considered in the
constitution amendment exercise.

He described financial autonomy as “the single most important
constitutional empowerment required by state Houses of Assembly for
effective leadership in the interest of democracy and
development”.

A statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu said Ekweremadu
spoke at the consultative forum for building consensus among
stakeholders on local government autonomy organised by the
Partnership to Engage and Learn (PERL) in Abuja yesterday.

It came on a day the Vice Chairman of the Conference of Speakers
of State Legislatures of Nigeria and Speaker of the Enugu State
House of Assembly, Uchenna Ubosi, said that the Conference of
Speakers had resolved to support the autonomy for local governments
and state assemblies.

It said Ekweremadu, who spoke on the topic: “Providing effective
leadership for the state Houses of Assembly: Leveraging the ongoing
constitution review exercise,” emphasised that the autonomy of the
local governments was tied to the independent of the state
assemblies and understanding of the governors.

Anichukwu quoted Ekweremadu to have said: “Section 7 of the 1999
Constitution (as amended) empowers the states, through their Houses
of Assembly, to make laws establishing Local Government Councils,
their structure, composition, finance, and functions. Therefore,
the independence and efficiency of the leadership of state
assemblies are key to the just and efficient exercise of these
functions”.

It said the Deputy Senate President, however, regretted that
undue executive and political party interferences in some states
bring debilitating influences to bear on the leadership recruitment
process of the legislature.

“The issue of presiding officers must be settled by the
parliamentarians themselves in accordance with Section 92 (1) of
the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that ‘There
shall be a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of a House of Assembly who
shall be elected by members of the House from among themselves’,”
Ekweremadu said.

He said imposition of leadership on any State Assembly would
render it “ineffectual, pliable, and sometimes, a lame duck that is
ever willing to do the master’s biddings”.

He cited the example of the 2010 Constitution amendment exercise
when the state Houses of Assembly “refused to approve financial
autonomy for themselves even when they voted in support of
financial independence for the National Assembly.

Ekweremadu, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Review of the
1999 Constitution, said: “The result is that while the National
Assembly is no longer at the mercy of the Executive arm for its
funding, the state assemblies could be easily arm-twisted by
starving them of funds, if they refuse to do the biddings of the
Executive”.

On local government autonomy, he stated: “We are making efforts
in the ongoing Constitution review exercise to strengthen
governance at the grassroots by amending Section 7 of the
Constitution to properly situate the local governments as a third
tier of the government of the Federation.

“We are working to make elaborate provisions for their funding,
tenure, election, and to clearly delineate their powers and
responsibilities. For instance, we seek to abolish the Joint
State-Local Government Account in line with popular demand by
Nigerians”.

Ubosi assured the National Assembly that the conference had
resolved to support the local councils’ autonomy and financial
independence of state assemblies to make them more effective.

Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu said yesterday
that financial autonomy for the state legislatures and local
governments are part of the key issues being considered in the
constitution amendment exercise.

He described financial autonomy as “the single most important
constitutional empowerment required by state Houses of Assembly for
effective leadership in the interest of democracy and
development”.

A statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu said Ekweremadu
spoke at the consultative forum for building consensus among
stakeholders on local government autonomy organised by the
Partnership to Engage and Learn (PERL) in Abuja yesterday.

It came on a day the Vice Chairman of the Conference of Speakers
of State Legislatures of Nigeria and Speaker of the Enugu State
House of Assembly, Uchenna Ubosi, said that the Conference of
Speakers had resolved to support the autonomy for local governments
and state assemblies.

It said Ekweremadu, who spoke on the topic: “Providing effective
leadership for the state Houses of Assembly: Leveraging the ongoing
constitution review exercise,” emphasised that the autonomy of the
local governments was tied to the independent of the state
assemblies and understanding of the governors.

Anichukwu quoted Ekweremadu to have said: “Section 7 of the 1999
Constitution (as amended) empowers the states, through their Houses
of Assembly, to make laws establishing Local Government Councils,
their structure, composition, finance, and functions. Therefore,
the independence and efficiency of the leadership of state
assemblies are key to the just and efficient exercise of these
functions”.

It said the Deputy Senate President, however, regretted that
undue executive and political party interferences in some states
bring debilitating influences to bear on the leadership recruitment
process of the legislature.

“The issue of presiding officers must be settled by the
parliamentarians themselves in accordance with Section 92 (1) of
the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that ‘There
shall be a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of a House of Assembly who
shall be elected by members of the House from among themselves’,”
Ekweremadu said.

He said imposition of leadership on any State Assembly would
render it “ineffectual, pliable, and sometimes, a lame duck that is
ever willing to do the master’s biddings”.

He cited the example of the 2010 Constitution amendment exercise
when the state Houses of Assembly “refused to approve financial
autonomy for themselves even when they voted in support of
financial independence for the National Assembly.

Ekweremadu, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Review of the
1999 Constitution, said: “The result is that while the National
Assembly is no longer at the mercy of the Executive arm for its
funding, the state assemblies could be easily arm-twisted by
starving them of funds, if they refuse to do the biddings of the
Executive”.

On local government autonomy, he stated: “We are making efforts
in the ongoing Constitution review exercise to strengthen
governance at the grassroots by amending Section 7 of the
Constitution to properly situate the local governments as a third
tier of the government of the Federation.

“We are working to make elaborate provisions for their funding,
tenure, election, and to clearly delineate their powers and
responsibilities. For instance, we seek to abolish the Joint
State-Local Government Account in line with popular demand by
Nigerians”.

Ubosi assured the National Assembly that the conference had
resolved to support the local councils’ autonomy and financial
independence of state assemblies to make them more effective.