Centre lauds Buhari for granting financial autonomy to legislature, judiciary

The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Executive Order 10, which grants financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary at the state level.

The CHRICED Executive Director Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, said in a statement on Friday that this important Executive Order, if faithfully implemented, will contribute in no small terms to the deepening of democratic accountability in Nigeria.

“CHRICED finds it necessary to thumbs up the President because of his move to free two critical arms of government from the stranglehold of the state executives.

“One of the major hurdles to democratic accountability and good governance in the states has been the overwhelming and over-bearing influence powerful state governors have been wielding over the legislative and judicial arms of government in their states.

“As would be seen in the COVID-19 response in many states, governors tended to act with impunity and disdain for key processes of democratic consultation. There have been many other situations wherein governors acted like emperors, and with disdain for judicial and legislative processes.

“We have seen examples of governors sending in their annual budgets and then ordering the Speakers of the House of Assembly in their states to pass the budget without any form of consultations with citizens,” Zikirullahi said.

He said that there have been ridiculous instances in which governors decreed the budget placed before legislature must be passed within a few hours of its being laid before the house.

According to him, similarly, the dispensation of justice by the judicial arm of the state has equally been encumbered over the years because the executive arm of government has been the source of funds for even the judiciary to run its system.