Over the years, the independence of state Houses of Assembly in Nigeria has remained a subject of intense debate. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, who toured the South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Imo states, Oziegbe Okoeki in Lagos, Bisi Oladele and Tayo Johnson, Ibadan; Kolade Adeyemi, Kano; Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt; Damisi Ojo, Akure; Nicholas Kalu, Calabar; Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos; Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna and Osagie Otabor in Benin take a close look at how the governors related with their assemblies before utilization of the first Paris Club Refund and the recent Federal Government Bailout Loan, including the way they have been passing Appropriation Bills and report that many of the state assemblies remain the governors’ rubber stamps
Unlike what currently obtains at the federal level, where the National Assembly has, for some time now provided what some observers have acknowledged as a form of checks and balances to the Federal Executive, the independence of state Houses of Assembly in Nigeria has remained quite doubtful.
The Nation investigation in 13 representative states shows that most of the state governors in Nigeria have managed to acquire what can be described as effective control of their Houses of Assembly. As a result, in majority of the states investigated, there is no rancour as most executive bills are passed in atmosphere of celebration with little or no alterations, a development that has led to description of some assemblies as mere rubber stamps.
For example, since the Federal Government released the sum of N388.304 billion, out of N522.74 billion, to 35 states as the first batch of the refunds of over-deductions on London-Paris Club loans, early this year, there has been controversy over how the states utilized it, even as sources alleged that some state governors diverted it, under-declared amounts they got or tried to utterly deny benefitting from the refunds. The Nation’s investigation shows that while some state executives actually consulted and got the approval of their state assemblies before the utilization of the funds, others allegedly utilized the funds before approaching the House, a development that only exposes the rubber stamp status of such legislative houses.
One of the states where controversies surrounding the utilization of the funds and the way the Assembly pass Appropriation Bills clearly portrayed the assemblies as mere rubber stamps of their governors is Ekiti State, where the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, of plans to divert the Paris Club refund into the funding of phony projects. The party alleged that Fayose was working on plans to deceive civil servants and traditional rulers with lies about the Paris Club refund in order to short-change the people.
Before the Paris Funds scandal, Fayose’s critics said he had pocketed the Assembly. A source, who confirmed the allegation, recalled a report that the governor, wearing designer shots, once walked into the Chambers of the Ekiti State House of Assembly in mid-session un-challenged, casually sat on the Speaker’s seat and declared, to the hearing of all, that he was in charge ‘here.’
Although it may not be dramatized in the same care-free manner, our investigation shows that most of the state governors in Nigeria may have employed several ways controlling their state assemblies, hence the fear that they are mere rubber stamps. Respondents were particularly worried that in spite of the criticisms of Nigerians over allegations of misuse of the refunds and that bailout, most lawmakers took sides with their governors.
The controversy over the terms of the release peaked when it was reported that the Ministry of Finance was in the process of releasing about N522 billion second tranche of the Paris Club Refund to states amid controversies over the terms for the releases.
Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun had said her ministry was monitoring the utilisation of the funds to ensure they complied with terms agreed with federal government.
Amidst the controversy, no state House of Assembly came out to officially indict the governor over the use of the funds, including the federal government bailout fund. This, according to observers is a confirmation that the lawmakers in the state are mainly rubber stamps of the state chief executives.
It would be recalled that there have been several protests after the first tranche totaling N388 billion.
One of the argument is the allegation that some states were not properly treated in the transaction, as some states were alleged to have received excess of what was due to them, while others got far less.
Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, while responding, said in a statement by her Media Adviser, Mr. Festus Akanbi that “The Federal Government’s disbursement process is transparent and targeted at the attainment of specific economic objectives. The inability of some sub-national governments to meet salary and other obligations was considered inconsonant with the Federal Government’s economic stimulus programme. Claims with regard to over deductions had been made to the Federal Government, consistently since 2005.
“The Debt Management Office (DMO) initially requested for a period of 22 months to complete the reconciliation and facilitate disbursement.
”However, President Muhammadu Buhari, considering the plight of salary earners and pensioners and the need to stimulate the economy, directed that the exercise be completed within 12 months.
“In addition, Mr. President gave an express Anticipatory Approval for the release of up to 50% of the claim of each state, pending final reconciliation. That reconciliation is undertaken by the DMO, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the relevant state governments.
”Accordingly, the disbursements are staggered in batches and payments are only made when the claims of each state have been reconciled with the facts at the disposal of the Federal Government.
“Specifically, information was available that some states had been paid either in full or in part, under previous administrations. This necessitated a more detailed review, for the states in question.
“The release of the first tranche, representing up to 25% of claims, being N522.7bn commenced in December 2016. Disbursement was subject to an agreement by State “Governments that 50% of any amount received would be earmarked for the payment of salaries and pensions.
”In addition, each governor gave an undertaking that excess payments would be recovered from the Federal Accounts Allocation (FAAC), if the final reconciliation found that the amount paid under the Anticipatory Approval exceeded that due.
“It is standard practice in the Ministry of Finance to undertake independent monitoring of compliance with the terms and conditions of funds released. This will be conducted in due course.”
Even when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that the sum of US$86,546,526.65 was diverted from the refund released by the federal government to enable states to pay salaries and pensions into a certain GTB account of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), following a memo on the remittance titled ‘Consultants fee’ as the case with the N19 billion allegedly diverted from the refund earlier on, many waited in vain for lawmakers, whose duty it is to check the excesses of governors to respond.
The development deepened the suspicion over the management of the first tranche of the Paris-London Club Loan Refund.
But, the NGF insisted that no money was stolen or embezzled from the Paris-London Club refunds to states and virtually all the state assemblies agreed.
But most of the lawmakers, who spoke to The Nation on this development, said it is unfair to describe lack of rancour or the existing cordial relationship between the executive arm of government and the legislature at the state levels as translating to having an assembly that is a
Enugu is one of the states where The Nation’s investigation reveals mutual respect and understanding between the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led executive and the legislature under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi. Officials, who spoke to us in Enugu, said the development has crystalized into a deep rooted friendly relationship between the two arms of the government.
The Enugu State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Miletus Ezuguorie Eze, told The Nation that the cordial relationship can be traced to the experience of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who, before assuming office as the state Chief Executive, spent 12 years as a member of the National Assembly, an experience that equipped him on how to relate with lawmakers. Also, he said, Ugwuanyi chose a deputy, Lolo Cicilia Ezeilo, who also served as a member of the House of Assembly. As a result of their experience, he said, they believe that “government is a joint project between the executive and the legislature” and they understand that when an executive bill is sent to the House, the lawmakers have a duty to handle it thoroughly without hindrance. “As good allies and partners, the lawmakers in the state have tried as much as possible to save cost. They combine their oversight function with added efforts to help achieve required results at reduced costs. For example, when Enugu State Government undertook biometric exercise at the local governments, the Speaker of the House was the Chairman of the Audit Committee. After that exercise, large numbers of ghost workers were discovered. The funds saved from that exercise were used in settling salary arrears of staff members and for payment of pensions,” he said.
Describing the lawmakers in the state as “good allies and partners in the prudent management of the scarce resources in the state,” Eze said they waved their legislative travels to foreign countries where they exchange ideas with their colleagues,” adding, “There is cooperation between the executive and the legislature here in Enugu.”
Asked if the cordiality is because the House is made up of virtually PDP members, a development that could have made the governor to be fully in control of the Assembly, the commissioner, who spoke on behalf of the executive, said, “That is not correct because the administration of former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, also in this same state, had 100 percent PDP members in the House, yet the House broke into two. You will recall that 13 lawmakers disagreed with the then governor and relocated to Abuja, while the minority 11 members continued here in Enugu. It was the same PDP, the same Enugu State. Recall also that during the tenure of former Governor Sullivan Chime, only eight members purported to remove the Speaker on the ground that they were supporting the governor, while the majority still supported the Speaker. They were still 100 percent PDP. The simple reason was that neither Nnamani nor Chime had experience with the legislature before emerging as the state governor; they probably did not know how to relate with the lawmakers. They probably did not know that dialogue is the magic. Gov. Ugwuanyi knows. That is the magic wand he is employing to bring cohesion in the relationship between the executive and the legislature today.”
Explaining how the Paris Club Reform was utilized in Enugu State, Eze said “both the executive and the legislature took the decision on how the refund would be utilized. According to him, a committee was set up in the state, headed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance. The committee did data gathering, to know how much salary arrears was owed to workers and pensioners. In the exercise, the House was represented.
On the usage of the federal government bailout loan, Eze recalled that although it was specifically tied to a particular usage; its usage was also deliberated upon by all, including members of the House and the Executive. Not one kobo was used on any other matter except what it was meant for.
The process of budget passage is another area where the independence of Enugu State House of Assembly has been demonstrated, said the Attorney-General. “Appropriation here in Enugu is not a garbage-in garbage-out thing,” he said. “Our budget bills are seriously scrutinized by the House and on a number of occasions, the House has moved figures from a particular head to another head where the members, in their wisdom, feel it is better needed. They did it this year in my Ministry (Justice). They gave us a specific figure we should not exceed. To obey that instruction, we had no provision for the review of Enugu State laws in our proposal. However, when the members of the House scrutinized the proposal, they decided, on their own volition, to vote for that very important head. So, I can assure you that our legislature is not a rubber stamp. As the Attorney-General, I relate often with the House since I have the advantage of sponsoring executive bills. So, I can tell you that here in Enugu State, the executive and the legislature have very encouraging synergy, even as the House does its functions without any hindrance from the executive,” he said.
Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, the Leader of Enugu State House of Assembly, corroborated these claims in an exclusive interview with The Nation in Enugu. According to him, “relationship is about give and take. You get what you give,” he said, adding, “The relationship between the Enugu State House of Assembly and the Executive is both cordial and robust as the two arms evidently respect each another. The secret is not far-fetched. My behavour before I became the Leader of the House will certainly influence how I will relate with the other House members. We have a very humble Speaker, who is a good team leader. So also is the governor. Remember he was in the House of Representatives for 12 years. While there, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was very humble, honest and respects everybody, irrespective of social, religious and political status. Now as the state governor, he exhibits the same humility and this has impacted on his relationship with people in all strata of society, including law makers. He relates with everybody as a brother.
“On whether the House was involved in the decision on how to utilize the first Paris Club loan; let me assure you that when the money got into the state account, the governor called a stakeholders meeting. It included the leadership of the House, ALGON and the Executive. Bear in mind that part of the conditions for the loan was that 50 percent of it must be used for pension and salary arrears. So, at the meeting, the governor asked what we should do with the funds. Of course, we all agreed that it should be used for the purpose it was meant for and that was what the government did. Also, when the Federal Government Bailout Fund was received by the state, the governor called another stakeholders meeting to decide on the utilization of the fund. This time, the meeting was expanded to include leadership of labour. In fact, when the Senate Committee came to know how the funds were utilized here in Enugu, they formally praised the state governor and advised other states to emulate Enugu.”
Hon. Ezeugwu also defended what he described as the independence of the State House of Assembly by giving an insight into how the House passed the last budget. Denying allegation that some state Assemblies are nothing more than rubber stamps, he said, “We don’t have a rubber or a stamp here in Enugu. When budget proposals are sent to the House, we take time out to do our job. For example, the last budget was submitted to the House on 23 December 2016. We had very healthy budget defence. We had to make some changes though such changes did not amount to increment in the whole budget envelop. For instance, in any sector we found out that there were over allocation or under-allocation, we did what I may call re-allocation, but retaining the same budget envelop. We did all that before the budget was finally passed into law on February 9, 2017.”
Abia: Lawmakers are Executive’s partners
Abia State Commissioner of Information, Comrade Bonnie Iwuoha, told The Nation in Umuahia that in the state, there is good measure of cordiality between the executive and the legislative arm of government even though the House of Assembly is made up of members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and members of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). “If you observe the cordial relationship that exists between the executive and the legislature here, you will not believe there are two parties in the House,” he said. “I can tell you that the reason is because each of the lawmakers and the governor put the interest of the state at heart. They have demonstrated their resolve to serve the people of Abia. That is why we have not had any rancor.
The peace we enjoy here in Abia also has so much to do with the character of individual members of the House and that of our governor. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, for example, is a very humble person. This is a governor, who continues to say he is a poor man, a man from a humble beginning, who was chosen by God to serve his people. As proof to his humble nature, everyone here can attest to the fact that there is no discrimination in Abia of today.
Denying that the seeming cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature in Abia could be because of alleged high handedness, Iwuoha used the handling of the Paris Club Refund and the Federal Government’s bailout as examples of demonstration of a healthy democratic practice in Abia. According to him, “notwithstanding that the utilization of the Paris Club Refund was clearly stated, Governor Ikpeazu went to the House of Assembly and presented everything to the members. The members debated it and agreed on the usage in Abia. The process was the same in the case of the bail out. In fact, aside the lawmakers who gave approval for the utilization, it is on record that the governor went on air to call on the elders to offer their views. The openness of the executive in the utilization of the funds was publicly commended by no less a personality than Chief Bob Ogbuagu.”
On whether or not the Abia lawmakers make any independent input in the state’s budget, the Hon. Commissioner said: “Last year, the House slashed our projections. In spite of the fact that the executive has long sent this year’s Appropriation Bill, as at today that we are holding this interview, the House has not passed it. They are still studying it. This should confirm to you that Abia State House of Assembly is not a rubber stamp. But I can assure you that the lawmakers and the executive enjoy healthy and cordial relationship because the two arms evidently have the interest of the people of Abia at heart.”
No disagreement in Anambra
Out of the 30 members of Anambra State House of Assembly only one, Hon. Onyebuchi Offor, is still considered a member of one of the opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). All the other members now belong to the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
This apart, a source close to the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu, told The Nation in Awka that the House enjoys ‘high level of independence, as there are no cases of members being encumbered by the executive. Here in Anambra State,” he said, “the House is very robust but relating well with the executive.”
Confirming the cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature, Mr. James Eze, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, told The Nation in Awka that the Governor Willie Obiano-led executive “has no issues with the legislature.” Eze, who spoke on behalf of the governor and the executive, said Anambra has very mature, experienced and free-minded lawmakers but that they has been no serious disagreement between the House and the Obiano-led executive simply because “the governor is doing what the people want.” Asked if the so-called cordial relationship is not because the House is almost an all APGA member House, Eze said, “yes, APGA has the majority in the House as Anambra is an APGA state, but it is obvious things are working here because both the governor, the executive and the lawmakers, the legislature, have the interest of the people at heart. It is this common interest, this common resolve to serve the people, that is behind the great success Obiano has recorded. This cordial atmosphere, as you can see, has translated into massive development in the state.
Ondo: Cordial relationship between House, Executive
Report on Relationship between State Assemblies and State Executives.
In Ondo State, there was transition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to that of government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with effect from February 24,2016.
The present administration under the leadership of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu was just 100 days in office though he has made some key appointments like Secretary to the State Government(SSG),Chief of Staff (CoS) and some Senior Special Assistants(SSA).
However, the various ministries are yet to have commissioners to man the offices.
Before February 24, when the baton of governance changed from PDP to APC, there were only five opposition members at the State Assembly, while the rest 21 lawmakers were PDP members.
At that time, the voice of the opposition was not heard. Observers formed the opinion that the Assembly was a rubber-stamp one.
It was shortly after the second term in office of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko began that some law makers within the then ruling Labour Party (LP) raised eyebrow and refused to allow the passage of the budget then. That action led to the controversial removal of the Speaker and election of another one as replacement.
There was no frosty relationship between the executive and legislative arms in the state until those few lawmakers they tagged ‘dissident lawmakers cross the path of Mimiko.
That crisis eventually led to an unprecedented uproar in the State Assembly which characterised the later part of Mimiko’s administration that deprived him the opportunity of presenting this year’s budget before he vacated the office.
Following the emergence of Governor Akeredolu, there was a change of leadership in the State Assembly with many PDP lawmakers leaving their party and defecting to the ruling APC.
The Nation observed that the relationship between the executive and legislature in the state is now very cordial.
The Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Iroju Ogundeji, confirmed to The Nation that the relationship between the two arms of government is cordial. He said the Assembly is on the same page with the Executive arm led by Governor Akeredolu to uplift the state.
The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Segun Ajiboye, however stressed that the separation of power is being observed religiously in the state, adding that both arms are independent of themselves and working closely to ensure smooth governance in the state.
The budget of the state for 2017 has been forwarded to the State Assembly by Governor Akeredolu for the lawmakers to study and invite the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) officials to defend their budget proposals.
As regards the bail-out fund, sources said the present administration is just only 100 days in office and has paid its workers up to date and even paid last year August salary among the six outstanding left unpaid by the past Mimiko’s administration.
The source added that Akeredolu will not divert the money meant to pay the workers to other areas as he has promised to make the welfare of workers his priority.
‘No arm cow-tows to the other in Lagos’
The budget process in Lagos has always been seamless. The day the governor of the state comes to present the budget estimates to the state House of Assembly is a carnival or ceremony of some sort with all stakeholders and prominent people in the state in attendance. Usually they range from top party leaders, traditional and religious leaders, opinion leaders, civil society groups, captains of industries as well as media gurus. The whole exercise is spiced with light music entertainment from the Assembly choir, refreshments and what have you before the governor eventually mounts the rostrum to present the budget.
The House works on the budget through the various House committees, coordinated by the Appropriation or Budget Committee of the House. And within one month of the presentation of the budget to the lawmakers it is passed and forwarded to the governor for his assent.
However, to outside observers who do not know what went on behind the scene there is the tendency to believe that the House does not do a thorough job on the budget or that the lawmakers just pass the budget as presented by the executive. This is far from the truth. It is also observed that there has never been any case of acrimony or disagreement between the two arms of government in Lagos because of budget.
There are three major reasons for this seamless exercise in the state.
The first is that before the presentation or during the preparation of the budget by the executive, there is always an executive-legislative parley on the budget; it is a retreat or workshop of some sort where the lawmakers interact with heads of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), on the budget preparations and estimates. At this forum, many issues are trashed out and they both arrive at some form of agreements before the executive put finishing touches to the budget.
Secondly, immediately after the presentation of the budget estimates to the lawmakers by the governor, the Assembly organises another workshop or budget retreat for the lawmakers and staff of the Assembly on how to scrutinise the budget; what to look out for and what to query where necessary; although this particular step in the whole budgetary process seem to have been jettisoned in the last three years.
Thirdly, and finally, after this workshop, the budget is now handed over to the different committees of the House who now invite the various relevant MDAs to defend whatever has been allocated to them in the budget. This exercise is coordinated by the Appropriation or Budget Committee of the House. For the next three weeks or thereabout, the Assembly complex is a beehive of activities as file clutching MDA officials swarm the Assembly complex to defend their budget.
It is at this point that the officials are made to justify what has been voted for their MDAs in the budget and how they hope to utilise funds allocated their MDAs. Also, at this point some changes in the form of increase or reduction in the allocations to the various MDAs is done depending on their needs and ability to execute projects listed in the budget estimate during the budget year.
Apart from increasing or reducing budgetary provisions for some MDAs, the lawmakers have never been accused of inserting new provisions or creating new heads in the budget aside from what was presented to them by the governor. Such additions do not occur with the Lagos Assembly principally because of the three budgetary steps discussed above. And because before the executive presents the budget the lawmakers hold town hall meetings in all the 40 constituencies in the state where they collate the various demands of constituents from all the constituencies, compile them and present same to the executive when it is preparing the budget.
Some of these requests are reflected in the budget presented; so the need for inserting new projects or altering fundamentally the budget proposals does not arise. Projects like the Berger overhead bridge, Abule-Egba overhead bridge, the pending Agege overhead bridge, rehabilitation and reconstruction of inner roads and other masses-oriented projects are part of the outcome of reports from town hall meetings presented to the governor by the Assembly.
The committees now tidy up their work and present same to the chairman of the Budget Committee, who, with other members of his committee collate the various reports from the committees, scrutinize, make necessary reconciliation and present same to the whole House for passage.
However, a regular feature of the Lagos budget process is budget re-ordering. This, most times comes up between the second but mostly the third quarter of the budget year. The governor makes the request for re-ordering the year’s budget to the Assembly after reviewing the performances of the various MDAs for the first, second and third quarters and realises that while some MDAs need more funds to continue their projects, others have excess cash which they cannot exhaust before the end of the budget year. Such re-ordering will ensure that such excess cash is moved to the MDAs that will utilize it before the end of the budget year.
However, it is important to note that for almost five years now, the Lagos Assembly has been frowning on the re-ordering process insisting that the executive must do it’s home work very well before presenting budget to avoid re-ordering same later in the year.
Basically, the relationship between the executive and legislature has always been cordial and one factor may be responsible for this; the fact that Lagos State House of Assembly is principally a one party legislature. Apart from this dispensation which started with eight opposition members which has since thinned down to two with the defection of six PDP members to the ruling APC, the 7th Assembly was an all APC affair, the 6th Assembly only had two opposition PDP members as well in a House of 40 members; this has been the trend since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation. So, because it is the same party that is in charge in both arms, relationship has been smooth and cordial. It is essentially a family affair.
However, our investigation shows that the various committees of the House do not take their oversight functions over the various MDAs lightly. They visit project sites and interact with MDA officials on a regular basis and almost on a quarterly basis invite them to the Assembly to give reports of progress on on-going projects. And those that need queries are querried while others are commended for doing good work and living to expectation. Executive bills do not encounter any problem in passage, while resolutions of the House are quickly acted upon by the executive.
This however does not mean that the lawmakers do not occasionally query the actions of the executive; like when the executive makes some appointments and such appointees go straight to resume duties without screening and confirmation from the House as required by law, the lawmakers call the executive to order and it quickly acknowledges its mistakes and makes amends. On several occasions, Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Director-General, Managing Directors of parastatals and other top officials from the executive have been summoned to the floor of the House by the lawmakers either for query or to explain some perceived wrongs or infringements they committed in the course of their duties and implementation of government policies.
Generally, one can say each arm of government in the state knows their duties and their bounds and they do not go beyond it and they have mutual respect and regard for each other. It is certainly not a case of one arm cow-towing to the other. The cordial relationship and understanding between both arms which is a product of belonging to same party no doubt accounts for the great infrastructural and other
Imo: Executive, House enjoy cordial relationship
Imo is another state where the executive and the legislature enjoy what the governor described as a ‘wonderful’ relationship between the executive and the legislature. Governor Rochas Okorocha, speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said the cordial relationship is attributable to the fact that “our shared ambition is to make Imo better.” Dismissing the allegation that the House is not allowed to operate freely under his administration, he said “those making such allegation are the critics who expect the lawmakers to always fight the governor. That is an unfortunate concept of separation of power in a healthy democracy. In Imo State here, we all understand our roles, we play our roles in the interest of the state. That is why we are able to achieve so much with so much speed.”
The Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Acho Ihim, also told The Nation, in his office, that there is harmony between the House and the executive arm of government in Imo. “This is so because we understand that we are not here to witch-hunt anybody; we are here to make good laws that will help fertilize good governance. We are not here to extort money; otherwise, there would be no giant strides as is the case here in Imo under the administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha. Take the case of free education, there is nowhere else in Nigeria, where you have free education from primary to the tertiary level. Look at the high level of urban renewal in Imo. These are some of the visions we share, which we are working together to achieve.”
On whether the Assembly under his leadership is independent, Hon. Ihim said: “What independence are you talking about? Absolute separation of power cannot yield the type of dynamism required to achieve the huge projects, the free education and the good things that are happening to the people of Imo today. Instead of absolute independence, let’s talk about working as a team. We have three arms of government here in Imo, not three separate, independent governments. The cruelty of what some mischievous critics describe as lack of independence is that they want us to fight. As lawmakers, that is not what we are elected to do. We are elected to make good laws and to ensure that the projects we appropriated for are executed properly. We do these without any hindrances.”
On whether the state lawmakers played any significant role in determining how the Paris Club Reform and the Federal Government’s bail-out were utilized in the state and if they have been making significant amendments before passage of state budgets, the Speaker said, “While some other states were sleeping, Imo State sat down and developed a 4-year rolling development plan under the leadership of Governor Okorocha. That’s what we have been following. So, even before funds drop to the state’s coffers, we all know what such funds should be spent on,” he explained.
Kano: ‘We don’t run errands for Ganduje here’
Unlike some states in the country where the relationship between the executive and the legislative arm of government appears frosty, Kano State since Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje assumed office in May 29, 2015 has a different story. Though there are a number of times where the Kano House of Assembly disagreed with the Executive arm on policy formulation, investigation by our correspondent reveals that such issues are amicably resolved without much hassles at the end of the day.
One fact, however remains that all the 40 members in the House are members of the All Progressive Congress (APC). For this reason, it has become almost difficult for the House of Assembly to disagree with the executive on issues as they always settle through negotiation, consultation and dialogue.
Speaking to The Nation on whether Ganduje interferes with the business of the House, a member, Hon. Baffa Babba Dan Agundi, representing Kano Municipal, said the governor has not been pock-nosing in the affairs of the House.
According to him, “Kano State House of Assembly is an independent body. We don’t run errand for Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. We relate with him officially and we see the executive arm of government as our partner in progress. We work harmoniously for the development of the state. As far as we are concerned, Governor Ganduje has not been performing badly, we don’t engage in pettiness, but we deal on issues and we have not seen any reason to attack or engage Ganduje in a kind of political tussle. We are not rubber stamps and we can never be rubber stamps.”
The Director-General, Media and Publicity to Governor Ganduje, Alhaji Salihu Tanko Yakasai, also defended his boss insisting that Governor Ganduje maintains cordial relationship with the State House of Assembly and has no business interfering in the affairs of the House. According to him, Ganduje remains very meticulous in the rules of governors and has tried his best to avoid anything that will bring about any crisis between him and the state House of Assembly.
According to him, “it is not true that Kano State House of Assembly is a rubber stamp to the executive arm. The governor does not control the state House of Assembly. If you can remember, the 2017 budget, like the previous ones was passed without interference from Governor Ganduje. The governor pays civil service salaries as at when due without sourcing for external loan. The Internally Generated Revenue, which has tremendously improved since Ganduje assumed office, takes care of workers’ salary. The Paris Club refund is channeled towards infrastructural development of the state.
“So, as you are aware, the state House of Assembly is truly independent as enshrined in the Constitution. They play their constitutional role of making laws and checking the excesses of the executive if there is any. Because Governor Ganduje is a seasoned administrator who plays strictly by the rules, Kano is one of the states where the state House of Assembly enjoys full autonomy. This is evident in the fact that Kano House of Assembly was the first in the country to elect its principal officers few hours after it was inaugurated without interference from the governor. The governor did not interfere in that election which was concluded within one hour. Since then, the governor has never and will never interfere in their activities. There is harmonious relationship between the Ganduje-led administration and the state House of Assembly.”
Edo Assembly happy to be rubber stamp
The last time Edo residents witnessed a robust House of Assembly was between 1999 and 2010 when the Peoples Democratic Party presided over the Assembly under Hon Zakawanu Garuba. Under Zakawanu led-Assembly, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole budget proposal for 1999 suffered several setbacks.
Many projects in the budget, like the purchase of buses, building of model schools, construction of some roads, amongst others were deleted from the budget. Request by Oshiomhole to obtain loan for the purpose of accessing counterpart funding of the Universal Basic Education met brick wall. It was after Zakawanu was removed in 2010 after the PDP lost majority lawmakers that Oshiomhole’s budgetary proposals scaled through.
Since the APC took over leadership of the Edo Assembly in 2010, the relationship between the executive and legislature has been very cordial. Bills sent to the Assembly are passed without dissenting views. Over sight functions are seldom carried out. Opposition political parties and civil society organisations had to describe the Assembly as mere rubber stamp.
Governor Godwin Obaseki has had a good relationship with the APC-dominated assembly since he came to office seven months ago. All the bills and request for loans have been approved without any hassle or obstacle.
State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, at a press briefing in 2014 lampooned the lawmakers under the leadership of Hon Uyi Igbe for voting against local government autonomy.
Orbih said the lawmakers had to carry out such undemocratic act because ‘they are a rubber stamp of the governor who sees funds from local government councils as free money to be spent on frivolities.’
But the lawmakers then said they were happy that their being rubber stamp has brought needed infrastructural development to the state.
Oshiomhole at a meeting with the lawmaker’s wives had this to say, “I have seen some people who expect that there will be fight between the executive and the legislature; when they don’t see the smoke coming out, they label your spouses as rubber stamp.
“I have watched some of your members responding to such unfounded criticisms saying something like, we will be quite happy to rubber stamp the new central hospital; we are happy to rubber stamp the Airport Road; we are of course very happy to rubber stamp all the red roofs across the 192 wards in the state; we are happy to rubber stamp the street lights, the walk ways and all of the things that God has used us to do. Because the truth is, in this democratic system, the executive cannot function without the support and collaboration of the House of Assembly.”
Majority Leader of the Assembly, Hon Folly Ogedengbe, in an interview said there was nothing wrong in being a rubber stamp lawmaker if such action translated to infrastructure development in the state.
Hon Ogedengbe said the connotation of a rubber stamp was being misinterpreted by mischiefs makers in the state and that the consequences of the collaboration of the lawmakers with the state governor was responsible for the rapid development across the state.
“I don’t see anything wrong when you rubber stamp for development. Rubber stamp defined by the dictionary is different from the connotation with which it is being misinterpreted by those who are mischievous. We have collaborated with the state governor and the consequence is the development you have seen across the state.”
The Speaker, Justin Okonoboh, on his part said any harmony between the executive and legislators does not mean one is rubber stamped.
“This House is not weak. This government is a new government. Obaseki has new ideas that will move the state forward and we have promised him that we are going to pass necessary laws and carry out serious oversight to make sure every kobo we vote for him is judiciously expended. For such a government, you must flow with him to carry the state forward,” he said.
Cross River: Critics fault House, Executive relationship
When Nigeria began present democratic dispensation in 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party in Cross River State had a formidable opponent in the then All Peoples Party (APP). After a keenly contested election, the PDP had a slim majority of 13 members in the 25-member House of Assembly. The APP had 12.
Political observers state that the last time there was the semblance of any proper Assembly in the state, was during the first tenure of the Duke administration, when the APP had a number that could match the PDP. Then intense arguments and analysis over government programmes were the order of the day. The governor could not just send anything to the House and expect it to be passed without proper scrutiny.
However, things were not to remain the same as then governor, Donald Duke, with his political maneuvering managed to get the House to become all PDP by the 2013 elections. Since then, the word rubberstamp has been variously used to describe the House. The Cross River House of Assembly, it is argued, has often been referred to as “one big family” given that all its 25 members have always been of the PDP and work in unison like automatons controlled by a central switch.
The only time there was any opposition in the House was when Mr. Alex Irek of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), under Governor Liyel Imoke, won one seat in Obubra Local Government Area in 2011. It was however lost and regained by the PDP in the 2015.
As far as the present administration in the state is concerned, political pundits believe that as far as being an organ to provide checks to the executive arm is concerned, there is nothing to write home about as the House is fully under the control of the governor.
Some issues and developments had made political pundits to reason along those lines. Many who have criticized the governor for not following due process while carrying out his duties feel the House should serve as check for such excesses. Take for instance the issue of the proposed 260km superhighway and deep seaport, where many felt that the governor had gone ahead with such massive projects, without following the right procedure, which to a large extent has contributed to the stalling of the project. “The House did not bother to ask the right questions like, has the Environmental Impact Assessment been carried out?’, ‘How is it going to be funded?’ and so on. It is rather sad that instead of asking such questions, you rather see the House even jump to defend the governor blindly. That is not what is expected of them,” a source noted.
Also many feel piqued that the governor severally leaves the country for over a month on “investment drives” without duly transmitting authority to his deputy as is constitutionally expected, yet the House does not bother to question such issues.
Among other issues many believe are not properly being taken care of by the House is their handling of the bailout fund as well as the Paris Club Fund from the Federal Government.
Despite receiving N7.8 billion bailout funds and the first Paris Club Fund of N11.3 billion Paris Club refund, and the allegation that the monies have not been put to use, the state legislature seems to have refused to question the executive, despite pressure from members of the public.
In fact, presently, the organized labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC) are on strike citing, as part of the reason for their action the handling of the bail out and Paris club funds by the government.
Whenever they are confronted with the issue, the executive arm of government keeps saying the monies are in the bank and would be disbursed accordingly when they have done everything necessary. Labour is angry that such monies are available and issues of pensions, gratuity and salary arrears for workers are still pending.
Budget passing in the state is also believed to have been reduced to a mere academic process, as the House is only eager to pass whatever is presented before it without their input or that of relevant stakeholders.
For instance the 2017 Budget passed by the House , which was tagged Budget of Infinite Transposition, has drawn criticisms from stakeholders, who believe it is simply unrealistic.
The budget which has been signed into law by the governor, has N301 billion for 2017 and an additional N406 billion for medium term expenditure framework to carter for capital projects covering 2017, 2018 and 2019 fiscal years.
Commenting on the budget, Speaker of the House, Hon. John Gaul Lebo, said budget capital expenditure including infrastructure development was allocated more than 80 percent.
He maintained that the figure represents the actual expenditure and fiscal consumption capacity of the state, measured by its vision, ambition and reasoning built on reality.
“Some of the economic infrastructure projects proposed in the 2017 Budget include the Bakassi Deep Sea Port, the Bakassi – Katsina Ala Super Highway, the Calabar Power plant including the solar and wind power farms, new cities across the three senatorial districts. It also includes the urbanisation of five new LGA headquarters of Itigidi, Akamkpa, Odukpani BOKI and Yala.
Others include the investment in a CRS airline (CallyAir) and merchant vessels for maritime trade, investment in 4G internet facility and Calabar digital city project and more. These are in addition to the several other roads construction and rehabilitation work, including inter and intra city roads across the state.
The proposed Bakassi deep seaport and the 260km Bakassi – Katsina Ala Superhighway are estimated to cost about N700 billion. These projects are expected to be funded through investor funds in a public private partnership model with the ultimate target of approaching completion by 2019 to 2021.”
The Speaker said the House has recorded successes, which is largely due to the cordial working relationship they have with the executive.
According to him, no meaningful achievement can be recorded when the two arms of government are at loggerheads. He said that the 8thlegislature had passed 40 out of 76 proposed bills and initiated over 30 motions since June 2015.
He listed some of the bills to include the Cross River Infrastructure Development Fund Bill, Greater Calabar City Development bill, Water Front Infrastructure Agency bill, Kidnapping Prohibition Bill and Social Housing Scheme bill among others.
“The Cross River House of Assembly was rated the best in terms of legislative work by the Legislative Institute of Nigeria for the 2015/ 2016 legislative year. If you check the Institute of Legislative Studies in Nigeria, I think we are the only House of Assembly with the highest number of bills passed so far, “ he said.
The speaker maintained that most of the bills were people-oriented and meant to provide safety social services for the citizenry.
He said that the focus of the 2017/2018 legislative year was to support the reconstruction of the state’s economy by way of generating sufficient revenue for the state rather than over dependence on federal allocation.
Though many agree that a certain “cordial” relationship between both organs is required to have a more efficient government, it is widely believed that as far as Assemblies are supposed to check the excesses of the Executive in Cross River State, they have fallen short in this responsibility.
Rivers: No face-off between Executive, Legislature
When the 8th Assembly was inaugurated on May 30, in Rivers State, 31 out of the 32 members of the House, drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state were members of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), while All Progressives Congress (APC) had just a member.
It was therefore practically a mono assembly then, as very little or nothing was heard of the lone opposition voice in the House. His contributions and arguments, according to insiders, amounted to nothing.
This practice went on until late 2015, when the Appeal Court cancelled and nullified the election and results of most of the members, including that of the Speaker, Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, and asked for a rerun. The March 28, 2016 and December 10, 2016 reruns brought some more APC members to the House and after the February 25, 2017 rerun, the opposition managed to come up to the present seven membership in the House.
But not much has taken place in the House since the inauguration of the present lawmakers, as the state’s 2017 budget was presented and passed in the morning of May 30, 2015 while the swearing-in of lawmakers voted in during the December 10 rerun was carried out in the afternoon of the same day, May 30.
A source close to the House, arguing that the whole thing was planned to ensure the new members did not participate in the budget debate, condemned the manner in which the Rivers State 2017 Budget was passed. He described it as “strange and deliberate plan by the Legislature and the Executive to shot out the other members from their undercover business with the Executives,” even as he queried how a healthy House would accept to pass budget in the morning when new members were scheduled to be received into the system in the afternoon of the same day.
The source even doubted the existence of any budget document, alleging that no lawmaker has seen the purported budget document till date and that if it does exist; it is not in the public domain yet. More critically, the source alleged, some of the projects the government claims to be doing were not captured in the said budget. They are being executed as extra-budgetary projects, he said, giving the example of Wike’s N4 billion Benue road project.
Given this scenerio, there seems to be smooth relationship between the Legislature and the Executive arm. This was confirmed by the Speaker, Owaji-Ibani, when he spoke to The Nation in Port Harcourt on how they have been carrying out the job of legislation in the state and their relationship with the Executive.
He disclosed that the three arms of government in the state, the Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary, share a healthy working relationship, as partners in the quest for effective governance, adding that the cordiality does not undermine the House’s statutory responsibilities to the state and the constituents.
Ibani said, “There is cordial relationship between the three arms of government in the state, such that they work in the atmosphere of partnership, without undermining the constitutional mandate of separation of power, meaning that each arm is independent in carrying out its statutory functions. This healthy operation affords us (the Legislature) the chance to carry out our oversight duties, including check and balance on the executive arm without fear of contradiction.”
Giving insight to the degree of independence the House enjoys, the Speaker told The Nation: “What gave the 8th Assembly strength is justice; where there is justice, there will be peace and peace has to be ensured at all times. I lay credence to the House for the achievements it recorded shortly after it was constituted; on June 4, 2015, the House successfully screened 14 commissioner nominees.
“On June 8, we invited members of the State Judicial Service Commission to give account of their stewardship. After finding it not satisfactory and below the expectations of the people of the state whose interest we represent, we dissolved the commission so that they would not continue to mortgage the peace and interest of the people of the state.
“Also on June 11, we carried out oversight function by approving N10 billion bank loan for the government to finance some developmental projects in the state; our responsibility is to ensure that any money we approved for the state is appropriated as requested.”
On how budgets and funds to the state were managed within the period under review, Ibani expressed satisfaction on the prudency of the state Governor, Nyeso Wike, for what he described as “judicious application of the funds to ensure no strata of the state suffers.”
He noted that despite the fact that the state was not given the bail-out fund released by the Federal Government for payment of salaries of workers in the state, the governor had managed the scarce funds so well that no civil servant in the state is being owed any salary.
Lalong enjoys absolute loyalty from state assembly
The relationship between the Plateau State lawmakers and the state executive has been liked to that of husband and wife, especially under this new administration where opposition party won election for the first time since the current political dispensation in 1999. Such lovely relationship has been so since 1999. The relationship between the two arms of government became smoother as a government policy to consolidate on the victory of All Progressive Congress (APC) so as to remain formidable for the 2019 election.
Political analysts in the state believed that the smooth relationship between the two arms of government in Plateau State under the current regime has is because “Governor Simon Bako Lalong himself was a Speaker of the State House of Assembly between 2001 and 2006. The six years of Lalong as a Speaker has gone into record as the longest serving House of Assembly Speaker in the political history of the state. Lalong lasted that long as a Speaker due to the cordial relationship he had established between the legislature and the state governor. Within this period, Lalong escaped impeachment notice trice and escaped a recall process simply because he enjoyed uninterrupted friendship with the state executive, to the extent that Lalong had the opportunity to stage impeachment move against the then Governor Joshua Dariye, following the arrest of Dariye by Metropolitan Police in London for allegation of money laundering but could not do so since as Speaker, he had enjoyed so much rapour with Dariye. It was reported that Lalong was offered to be made the governor if only he could impeach his governor, but Lalong turned down the juicy offer from the presidency.
As fate will have it, the same Simon Lalong is now the governor in the state, and under him, one of his own colleague, with whom he served between 2001 and 2006 suddenly emerged as the Speaker. The process that saw the emergence of Rt. Hon. Peter Azi in 2015 was alleged to have been high-jacked by Governor Lalong which he used to ensure his colleague became the Speaker.
Given this political antecedent in Plateau State, many predicted the current friendly relationship between the executive and the legislature. As it stands today, everyone in the state knew quite well that the current Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Peter Azi is a political baby, fathered by Governor Lalong. His critics say the present Speaker has already been deprived of the moral and political capacity to check the executive led by Lalong. They therefore allege that the acronym of a “rubber stamp” to the executive perfectly fits this Plateau House of Assembly as presently composed.
And this reflects on how the state managed the Federal Government Bailout Fund as well as the Paris Club recently received by the state government. An insider in the House informed The Nation that the scenario that played out in the management of those finances does not show any independence of the state legislature. The source said, “Before the bail-out was released last year, members of the state House of Assembly already have their bills piled up for payment before the state governor. From the Speaker to all the principal officers and the entire members of the House, their allowances for committee work and oversight assignment, sitting allowances, etc, were before the governor, and they were promised to be paid as soon as the bailout fund was received from the federal government. So, such lawmakers would not care how the bailout fund was managed provided they were paid their claims by the governor,” the source said.
This is not to imply that the bail-out funds was mismanaged by the executive, the source added. The state governor insisted that the bailout fund be used to clear backlog of inherited salary arrears owed the state workforce by immediate past administration. Governor Lalong utilized the bailout fund according to the instruction but it was not because he was afraid of checks by any House of Assembly.”
When the state received the Paris Club Refund, the state governor also applied it in the most judicious manner with greater attention to welfare of state workforce; a development the source said had made Plateau to be among the few states that is up to date in salary payment.
The weakness of the Plateau State Assembly could be seen in the way and manner state appropriation bills are handled. Many in the state believed the lawmakers take instructions from the governor while working on state appropriation bills. For instance, in 2016 budget estimate, the House merely altered the estimate by reducing the size of the budget by 4.7% to reflect the dwindling oil pump prize which the governor never objected to. In signing the Appropriation Bill passed by the House, Gov. Lalong said, “I presented a budget estimate of N154 billion on the 28th of December 2015 using the benchmark of crude oil selling at $38 per barrel. But the oil revenue continued to drop to as low as $27 per barrel, which is why the House of Assembly decided to reduce the budget estimate by 4.7% to reflect the reality of dwindling oil revenue at the international market”.
“In the 2017 budget, the state lawmakers increased the size from the N132 billion presented by the governor to N139 billion, an increase of 4.8%. The only reason the state lawmakers gave for reducing and increasing the last two budget they handled shows they are taking instruction from the governor, it does not show any thorough legislative work was done in that exercise” the source said.
Notwithstanding, the governor gave his promise to be disciplined in the management of public funds by saying, “Let me assure our citizens that we would implement the Budget with due diligence and ensure fiscal discipline and financial intelligence in line with global best practices”. However, the financial management of the governor so far does not reflect his vows. For instance, the decision of Governor Lalong to purchase exotic vehicles for Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) of Plateau State indigenes has been widely condemned by citizens of the state. As if that was not enough, the governor allegedly purchased vehicles for serving National Assembly legislators from Plateau State, comprising of three senators and eight House of Representatives members. These two expenditures are already generating fears and anxieties among citizens of the state. As a matter of fact, many are calling on the state lawmakers to rise up and check the excesses of the executive as it is alleged that the huge amount the governor spent in purchasing the vehicles were not budgeted for in the State Appropriation Law of 2016 and that of 2017.
- P. Magaji esq said, “I am personally worried and a lot if people are worried on recent financial recklessness of the governor, why is the governor buying cars for SANs; I saw these cars, and if I may ask, was it that these SANs are so poor that they cannot buy a car for themselves? Was it appropriated for in the budget? Was it some sort of gratification from the governor? Certainly, it should not be tax payers’ money. In fact these SANs are by their financial worth, capable of sponsoring capital projects in the state and by their wisdom ought to have rejected those cars.
“More recently is the fact that the governor could actually use tax payers’ monies to buy exotic cars for National Assembly Members from Plateau State, that one is not a rumour; it was reported in the media, the governor bought new Prado Jeeps for the three senators from the state and Toyota Camry to all the House of Reps Members from Plateau State. The wisdom behind these gifts is quite beyond my ability to comprehend because these so-called Senators were given brand-new Toyota SUV Jeeps last year by the federal government. Virtually, almost every need of the NASS members are taken care of by the Federal Government, thus the governor has no valid explanation for buying those cars for them. That is a clear case of mismanagement and misappropriation of public fund”
It is obvious that in Plateau State, the state lawmakers are just robber stamp of the governor, they hardly check the governor, they also handle the state appropriation bill as if they are trying to avoid hurting the governor. Like the opposition party (PDP) puts it, “the House of Assembly can hardly bark, not to talk of biting.”
Oyo Executive, Legislature settle disagreements politically
n Oyo State, the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of the government has been less frosty. Though there have been times of disagreements either in approach to performance of duties or on the need to assert independence of the executive or the legislature, their differences have always been managed politically. Leaderships of both arms have always embraced political solution in ensuring harmony in the art of governance since 2011 when Governor Abiola Ajimobi first emerged the governor. This is largely due to the fact that Ajimobi and the majority of the lawmakers belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Eight Assembly is made up of 18 members of the APC, eight members of Accord Party and six members of Labour Party (LP). The Nation observed that Labour Party members of the House are working in harmony with the APC members.
While the Oyo State House of Assembly has been performing its duties with little or no encumbrance, there have been a few times it has to flex muscle with the Executive on decision-making.
Budget approval is one area where this has happened. The Assembly always carries out scrutiny of every budget proposal submitted by the Executive. It invites heads of each Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA) to defend their budget proposals.
In the course of doing this, for instance in the 2016 and 2017 budgets, the Assembly raised total estimates by about five per cent. While the 2016 Budget was raised from the initial proposal of N165 billion submitted by the Executive to N173.7 billion, the 2017 proposal was increased from N207.6 billion to N208.6 billion.
In doing this, the Assembly sometimes moved funds from one head or ministry or agency to another, claiming redundancy or the need to put funds in better use. So far, jerking up of budget proposals has not generated any heat between the two arms of government.
But in the opinion of a source very close to the Assembly, the legislature most of the time accepts whatever the Executive sends, hence the two arms never had any friction on budgets. “To me, the Assembly is largely rubber-stamp,” he source said.
On the Paris Club loan refund, investigations by The Nation revealed that the two arms of government did not have any contention over the refund of the Paris Club loan refund. It was learnt that the government spent 62 per cent of the first tranche of the loan to pay salaries while it used 100 per cent of the second tranche for the same purpose.
A source within the Assembly confirmed that the Executive only made the proposal to the Assembly, adding that the latter did not raise any eyebrow on the proposal.
“All the Assembly did was to advise the governor to use the funds for salaries. Nothing else,” the source said.
Most of the people who spoke to The Nation said it is the lawmaking background of Sen. Abiola Ajimobi that helps him to understand how best to relate with the legislature. It would be recalled that the governor was the senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) from 2003 to 2007.
Cases of disagreement
The first time the relationship between the two arms crumbled was November 26, 2015, when lawmakers suspended legislative duties due to their unpaid allowances which had accumulated for some months.
At the time, the lawmakers were being owed furniture and car allowances as well as two months running cost for the legislative arm.
The lawmakers argued that in spite of cash crunch in the country, many states still managed to pay their lawmakers. They claimed that they were the only state lawmakers in South-West Nigeria making laws with empty stomach.
A member of the Assembly who spoke with The Nation in confidence, said at the time: “We understand that the crash in the price of crude oil has brought the economy to its knees. The consequent drop in revenue affects all the 36 states as well as the Federal Government. But in spite of this dire situation, all other governors have sorted out the allowances of their State Houses of Assembly. Throughout the country, only those of us who are lawmakers in Oyo State are left languishing.”
Two months ago, the lawmakers also rejected two out of the 57 Caretaker Committee Chairmen nominees forwarded to it by the Executive. They expressed reservation about the capacity of the two nominees to effectively manage council areas.
The nominees are Mr. Mudasiru Agbaje (Irepo Local Government) and Adeleke Taiwo (Asabari LCDA, Iseyin). It was gathered that Agbaje, who was born in 1970, had Advanced NABTEB 2016 as academic qualification, while Taiwo, who was born in 1975 obtained Bachelor of Arts (Ed) in 2013 from Ekiti State University.
The nominees were, however, sworn-in by the governor along with others. But the Assembly warned the nominees against parading themselves as council chairmen.
The Assembly summoned the Secretary to the State Government as well as the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to explain why the two nominees were sworn-in.
It took a parley of the leadership of both arms, where both agreed to respect the decision of the Assembly, to resolve the impasse. The two councils are yet to get new helmsmen till date.
Overall, the Executive and the Legislature have smooth relationship in Oyo State with each one respecting the other in their work for the peace and progress of the state.
Commenting on the relationship, the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, said what is important is for both arms of the government to operate within the limits of their constitutional powers to avoid unnecessary friction.
Adeyemo explained that both arms are part of the same government, pointing out that they need to work together for the good of the people they serve.
Deploring unnecessary confrontation between the two arms, he recalled that such experience in Oyo State has confirmed that where two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Throughout the time of violent disagreement between the two arms of government from 2003 to 2011, Adeyemo said the state did not witness the desired level of development.
“But in the House today, we run an inclusive style of administration, ensuring that all members, irrespective of their party affiliation, have a say in the decisions of the House. We also ensure that we check the Executive when necessary but not necessarily in a confrontational way, more so when leaderships of both arms belong to the same party,” He said.
Adeyemo insisted that both arms establish their independence to the level that the constitution provides, adding that fighting the Executive for fighting sake
Kaduna: Opposition dismisses House as rubber stamp
In Kaduna State, the opposition sees State House of Assembly as a me
re rubber stamp, but the House itself says it only has cordial working relationship with the executive in the overall interest of the state.
Kaduna State House of Assembly has in the last two years passed 35 Executive Bills out of 40 sent to it by Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai-led Executive. Speaker of the House, Hon. AminuAbdullahiShagali, confirmed the development during a plenary session to mark the Assembly’s two years anniversary.
Shagali did not only confirm it, he assured that the remaining bills which were in various stages of legislative works will soon be concluded and reported back and equally passed into law as appropriate.
According to him, “some of the bills passed into law include, The Public Procurement Authority for Kaduna State and for Connected Purposes, 2015, Street Begging and Hawking Prohibition Bill, 2015, A Bill for a Law to Provide for Pre-Marital Medical Examination in Kaduna State and A Bill for a Law to Establish the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority, 2017 , among others.
“Equally, the Honourable House within the period under review has received 48 motions and a sizeable number have received legislative actions that led to resolutions which were subsequently forwarded to His Excellency, Governor Nasir El-Rufai for further necessary action,” he said.
The Speaker on the occasion called on his colleagues to redouble their effort towards achieving more in the days ahead and promised that the Assembly will reward the great confidence reposed in them by the state governor, by being worthy partners in the task of making Kaduna State great again.
In a related development, Majority Leader of Assembly, HonourableHarunaInuwa, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said insinuations that Kaduna State Assembly is a rubber stamp of Governor Nasir El-Rufai is a mere attempt to cause crisis between the lawmakers and the state executive.
Inuwa said, “We are not rubber stamp of Governor Nasir El-Rufai. The Assembly is very active and doing its best to meet its obligation for the general interest of the people of the state. Our cordial relationship with the governor did not start today; we were very close right from the time of gubernatorial election campaign. People are misunderstanding our cordial working relationship as being rubber stamp; we are not rubber stamp, we are doing our work according to the laid down legal procedures as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.
“I can tell you that in one of our meetings in Abuja some time ago, a top federal government official commended Kaduna legislators for their cordial relationship with the state executive. In fact, the official in question even went ahead to say that, if the cordial relationship between the Kaduna lawmakers and the executive could be emulated by the National Assembly, this country would have progressed more On utilization of Paris Club refund, The Nation learnt that Kaduna State got N14,36bn, 55 per cent of which belongs to the state government, while 45 per cent belongs to the 23 local government areas of the state.
Governor El-Rufai, while signing the 2017 Budget into law announced that the state had received the Paris Club refund from the Federal Government which he said would be used to clear six years of pension, gratuity and death benefits of retired and dead workers in the state.
According to El-Rufai, “I wish to inform our legislators that we shall be submitting a Supplementary Budget to enable us capture the debt refunds we have just received from the Federal Government. Fifty-five percent of these funds belong to the state government, and the balance is for the local governments.
“We propose to apply 50% of the funds to settling the inherited arrears of gratuity and death benefits for state and local government workers. Some of these unpaid arrears date from as far back as 2010. Mr. Dan Ndackson, the Executive Secretary of the Bureau of Pension, has done a great job of sorting out these records and we will be ready to pay once the supplementary budget is passed.
“This is unprecedented, but we are happy to clear the problems created by those before us. The balance of the funds will be dedicated to rural and urban roads,” he said.
In the area of budget, the Assembly passed both the 2016 and 2017 budget proposals within a month after the Appropriation Bills were sent to the House. The 2016 Budget was signed into law on 22nd December, 2015
The governor, while signing the 2017 Budget into law on the 13th December, 2016, acknowledged that the 2017 Budget was passed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly on the 1st of December 2016, noting that, they were the first to pass an appropriation bill into law.
According to El-Rufai, “This feat is the product of hard and diligent policy work, and cooperation across the government. We signed the 2016 Budget on 22 December 2015. We have done better this year by presenting our draft estimates on 12th October and getting the 2017 Budget passed and signed faster. I hope that this marks the institutionalization in Kaduna State of a disciplined budget process that aligns the fiscal and calendar years.
“Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to commend the honourable members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the thoroughness of their efforts in passing the budget. Our legislators actually reduced the draft estimates we presented by N1bn when the temptation might have been to pad it. We welcome their commitment to a partnership in the interest of our people, and the hard work they have demonstrated in passing 20 laws in 19 months. The B+ Fitch Ratings Kaduna State recently got owes a lot to the policy and legal framework created by legislation such as the Tax Codification, Public Procurement, Fiscal Responsibility and Public Finance Management laws”, he said.
The Nation observed that, aside scrutinising the budget, which led to a billion naira reduction in the 2017 Budget, Kaduna State House of Assembly has also held back the controversial Preaching Bill.
