President Buhari Signs Executive Order Implementing Financial Autonomy For Judiciary

Buhari signs an executive order granting state legislatures and judiciaries financial autonomy.

President Muhammadu Buhari signed an Executive Order on Friday granting financial autonomy to the legislature and courts across the country's 36 states.

The decree also directs the federation's accountant-general to remove from the monthly budget to each state the sum owing to state legislatures and judiciaries for those that refuse to give such authority.

Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said these things in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Umar Gwandu.

Mr. Malami explained that Executive Order No. 10 of 2020 mandated that all states of the federation include legislative and judicial allocations in the first-line charge of their budgets.

“A Presidential Implementation Committee was constituted in compliance with section 121(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) to fashion out strategies and modalities for the implementation of financial autonomy for the State Legislature and State Judiciary,” according to the AGF.

All other applicable laws, instruments, conventions, and regulations that provided for financial autonomy at the state level, he said, were taken into account.

Mr Malami argued that granting financial autonomy to the state legislature and judiciary would strengthen state institutions and make them more independent and accountable, in line with the Nigerian Constitution's tenets of democracy.

“Based on the power conferred in him as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999,” the statement said, "the President signed Executive Order number 10 into law" (as Amended),which covers the Constitution's execution and upkeep, as well as measures passed by the National Assembly (including, but not limited to, Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended), which ensure the State Legislature's and State Judiciary's budgetary autonomy.”

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