Autonomy: Governors Sign Agreement With JUSUN And PASAN

State Governors have signed an agreement with JUSUN And PASAN to enhance autonomy.

Gatekeepers News reports that State Governors, Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have finally agreed on modalities of full financial autonomy for various arms of government at the state level.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige made this known at the end of the meeting with the unions in Abuja on Thursday.

Ngige stated that the agreement signed will enhance the implementation of full financial autonomy for the state judiciary and legislative arms of government.

He described the development as historic coming after several attempts and failures to implement the constitutional provision by successive governments.

According to him, “At the end of the tortuous journey we had undertaken this evening, we have signed an agreement, not a Memorandum of Action as such but a framework for each of the state governments to grant autonomy to their state legislature and judiciary.

“As I said earlier the governors have studied this document and they are in agreement with it.”

He added, “So by Monday or Tuesday, we are going trigger off the section B and D which says governments of the respective states shall credit the accounts of the legislative and Judicial arms of government with a pro-rata amounts due to each arm of government under the 2021 appropriation law.”

Gatekeepers News gathered that the signatories to the agreement were: Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal (for the governors); representatives of the unions and Ngige who signed as a witness to the agreement.

The document containing the agreement stated that all states are required to pass and assent to the Funds Management Law and the state House of Assembly Service Commission Law.

The document also added that implementation structures must be put in place within a time frame not exceeding 45 days from the date of signing this document.

According to the agreement, various Fund Management Laws should mandate the State Accountants General to release appropriated funds directly to each arm as statutory transfers, beginning with the next federal allocation.

The two unions had insisted that they will only call off their strike once the states transfer funds from the next federal allocation enter the accounts of the judiciary and legislative arms directly.

Also in the agreement will be a State Account Allocation Committee (SAAC), which will give a legislative backing in the various Fund Management Laws and charged with the responsibility to oversee the distribution of available resources to each arm of government.

Membership of SAAC will be a reflection of the template FAAC as obtainable at the federal level.

In addition, Gatekeeper News reports that every State Accountant General and State Commissioner of Finance monthly shall furnish the Committee with the revenue performance of the State within a stipulated timeline not exceeding seven days after each FAAC meeting.

JUSUN embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike on April 6 following the failure of the government to implement financial autonomy for the judiciary.