Buhari Signs Executive Order To Give State Legislature, Judiciary Financial Autonomy

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, signed into law, Executive Order No. 10, 2020, which ensures the financial autonomy of state Legislature and state Judiciary.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

According to the statement, the order empowers the AGF to deduct from states’ allocated funds, the financial rights of respective state legislature and judiciary, where they have not been paid.

“The Accountant-General of the Federation shall by this Order and such any other Orders, Regulations or Guidelines as may be issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, authorise the deduction from source in the course of Federation Accounts Allocation from the money allocated to any State of the Federation that fails to release allocation meant for the State Legislature and State Judiciary in line with the financial autonomy guaranteed by Section 121(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended),” the order read in part.

The order added that going forward , “all States of the Federation shall include the allocations of the two Arms of Government in their Appropriation Laws.”

Article 6 (1) further provides that “notwithstanding the provisions of this Executive Order, in the first three years of its implementation, there shall be special extraordinary capital allocations for the Judiciary to undertake capital development of State Judiciary Complexes, High Court Complexes, Sharia Court of Appeal, Customary Court of Appeal and Court Complexes of other Courts befitting the status of a Courts.”

According to the statement, the order was geared towards making these institutions at the state level independent and accountable in the discharge of their duties in line with the provisions of the law.

The statement further reads:

“The President signed the Executive Order number 10 into law based on the power vested in him as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended), which extends to the execution and maintenance of the Constitution, laws made by the National Assembly (including but not limited to Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution
(as Amended), which guarantee financial autonomy of the State Legislature and State Judiciary.”