Governors of 36 states to meet today over Autonomy for State Legislature, Judiciary

TRACKING___Following the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary at the state level, governors of the 36 states of the federation under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) will today meet to brainstorm on their next line of action.

The governors who will be meeting through a teleconference, their 9th since the lockdown that resulted from the outbreak of the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, are expected to come up with a position on the Executive Order.

Recall that President Buhari signed the Executive Order into law on Friday last week.

The Federal Government has given a very strong warning that any state government which withholds funds meant for their respective Houses of Assembly and judiciary would get their allocations deducted at source by the Accountant General of the Federation and remitted directly to the affected state organs.

According to the Director-General of the Governors’ Forum, Asishana Bayo Okauru, who issued the invitation to the governors intimating them of the meeting, the governors are also expected to discuss follow ups from the last NEC meeting.

According to a statement by the Head of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the governors will be given an update on the Covid-19 pandemic in the country as well as review a letter from the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 as it relates to the Covid-19 draft regulations.

There will also be a general update on the efforts of the Coalition Against Covid-19, CACOVID.

The statement reads, “Governors of the 36 states will be holding their 9th teleconference meeting since the lockdown that resulted from the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The meeting, which is taking place tomorrow Wednesday 27th May, 2020, at 1400 hrs will, like eight others before it, have in attendance all the state governors via Microsoft Team from their various states.

“Among the issues to be reviewed are a number of critical national questions that revolve around the financial autonomy for the states’ judiciary and legislature code-named the Executive Order 10, 2020.

“The governors will also touch issues around the NLNG ownership, the controversial NCDC Bill, the restructuring of states’ loans and the FAAC deductions which have been a recurring decimal on the governors’ table.

“As usual the governors will be given an update on the Covid-19 pandemic in the country as well as review a letter from the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 as it relates to the Covid-19 draft regulations.

“There will also be a general update on the efforts of the Coalition Against Covid-19, CACOVID.

“The invitation also disclosed that the meeting will discuss follow ups from the last.”