Governors meet today over financial autonomy for states’ judiciary, legislature

Moses Oba

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue of financial autonomy for the states’ judiciary and legislature, code-named the Executive Order 10, 2020.

A statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Head, NGF Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, indicated tomorrow’s consultation would be the ninth in the series of teleconference meeting held by the governors since the lockdown, occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19.

President Muhammadu Buhari, last Friday, signed into law, an Executive Order, granting financial autonomy to the legislative and the judicial arms across the 36 states of the country.

The order also mandated the Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct from source, amount due to state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation acording to states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

According to Bello-Barkindo, the meeting, which will take place at 2pm, will have in attendance, all the 36 governors, via Microsoft Team from their various states.

The statement reads: “Among the issues to be reviewed are a number of critical national questions that revolve around the financial autonomy for the states’ judiciary and legislature code-named the Executive Order 10, 2020.

“The governors will also touch issues around the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) ownership, the controversial National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Bill.

“Also to be discussed is the restructuring of states’ loans and the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) deductions, which have been a recurring decimal on the governors’ table.

“As usual the governors will be given an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, as well as review a letter from the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 as it relates to the pandemic draft regulations.”Bello-Barkindo added that there would also be a general update on efforts of the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID). (The Nation).