The recent call for financial autonomy for the State Houses of Assembly by the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly headed by Adebo Ogundoyin, Oyo House of Assembly speaker, was really a surprise to many, especially this columnist, who, not long ago, came out to fault the speaker’s unfavorable utterance against the autonomy for local government councils granted by the Supreme Court.
Like it was discussed on a radio program I had the privilege to feature in few days ago, many wonder why it took Ogundoyin and his colleagues so long to realize that autonomy for the Houses of Assembly was unavoidable. People wonder why Ogundoyin, who is now clamoring for financial freedom for Oyo legislative house, sometime came out to speak vehemently against fiscal autonomy for local government councils when he, in fact, knew that without both administrative and financial autonomy for each organ or tier of government, there can hardly be smooth running of government.
In a communiqué, the Speakers warned that failure to ensure financial autonomy could lead to a breakdown of governance and emphasized the critical link between legislative independence and effective governance. “We hereby call on all state governors to immediately and fully comply with the provisions of Section 121(3) of the Constitution by allowing for the direct disbursement of funds to the State Houses of Assembly. This compliance is not only a constitutional obligation but also a necessary step towards strengthening our democracy and promoting good governance.”, the speakers said.
In the Nigerian constitution, there is a provision for separation of power whose intent is to prevent the concentration of unchecked power and to provide for checks and balances. It defines the three organs’ responsibilities and their limit. It succinctly states that the powers of one branch is limited by the powers of another branch. For instance the legislature was instituted to check and balance the excesses of the executive. Legislators are watchdogs that monitor and oversee the policies made by governors. But it’s unfortunate today that the oversight function of the legislature has become a thing of the past. How does anyone expect the legislators to act and perform their duties wholly and entirely in a situation where they always have to depend on governors for finances?
As a separate entity, it’s erroneous and inaccurate for legislative arm of government to rely on executive arm for financial needs. The situation in Oyo state at the moment is critical. The legislators in the state are tied to the governor’s apron strings and this undoubtedly gives room for fusion and amalgamation of power instead of separation of power. The influence of Oyo state governor obviously overwhelms that of the legislators, thereby rendering the legislative arm incapacitated to act accordingly and suitably.
To have a government that guarantees good governance, all the three organs of government (executive, legislature and judiciary) must act independently. It’s on this note the Buhari’s administration issued executive order 10 which mandated the Accountant General of the Federation to pay directly into the accounts of the legislature and the judiciary the money that stand to the credit of both branches. The executive order was challenged in the court by the 36 governors, including Gov Makinde, without Ogundoyin raising his eyebrows. The order was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Sometime, the staff of the Oyo House of Assembly protested against the continuous enslavement of the legislature by the present administration in the state. The workers embarked on an indefinite strike over the agitation for implementation of financial autonomy for the state house of assembly but their lamentations were neglected. Their clamours were taken as cries of wolves whose howlings were always seen as a mere noise. During the time of lamentation of the legislative staff, none of the legislator, notably Ogundoyin, came out to speak in support of the staff’s agitation perhaps for fear of the governor whom the legislators saw as their boss. Only God knows why Ogundoyin suddenly realized that Oyo House of Assembly deserve to be financially liberated. Was he propelled by the liberation of the LG chairmen, the autonomy he (Ogundoyin) strongly opposed?
I believe that the reforms we, Nigerians, demand is gradually and surreptitiously creeping into the system. It has for long shown that the use of power by some governors without considering the feelings of people has certainly slowed the pace of development in the country. To fast track and accelerate development in Nigeria, now is the time to give full autonomy to all the branches of government. If all branches are administratively and financially liberated, they will definitely be empowered to carry out their responsibilities without interference from any quarter. The executive will diligently perform its functions. And where there are excesses along the line, the legislature will have the freedom to check and balance things while the judiciary will deliver judgements without fear or favour.
Ademola ‘Bablow’ Babalola
