President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a bill that mandates presidents and governors to submit the names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners within sixty days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly respectively.
The bill was part of the 16-constitution amendment bill signed by the president.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Constitution Review, Idris Wase (APC Plateau), who confirmed this in a statement Friday commended the president for giving assent to the bills, which according to him will devolve more power to states.
Daily Trust Saturday reports that 35 constitution amendment bills were transmitted by the National Assembly to the president in January.
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The 35 bills have been considered by 27 State Houses of Assembly (SHA) and approved by at least 24 state assemblies as required by Section 9 of the Constitution.
The bill on the financial independence of State Houses of Assembly and State Judiciary is one of the bills signed by the president.
Other bills signed by the president include the removal of the railway, prison and electricity from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
Also signed is a bill changing prisons to correctional service and to re-designate correctional service in the concurrent list.
Bills seeking to change the names of some local government areas in the country were also signed.
Wase, while commending the development, said four of the bills signed will help to address the call for true fiscal federalism.
