By Simeon OSAJIE
The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yekini Idiaye, on Wednesday dismissed reports that the House is seeking to repeal the financial autonomy law for the Legislature and Judiciary.
He clarified that what is being proposed is an amendment to strengthen project monitoring.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Benin shortly after plenary, Idiaye said the confusion arose from an old order document.
According to him, “The message I made was that I was reading an old paper. If you concentrated very well, you would have seen it. Then I told you it was the old one, but now I have taken the fresh one. So it was not a repeal. It is an amendment.”
The Speaker insisted that the House is not reversing autonomy, noting that both the Legislature and Judiciary are beneficiaries of the law.
“We are not reversing the autonomy. We are all beneficiaries of the autonomy. Are you getting me now?” he asked.
Idiaye explained that the proposed amendment focuses on the capital/project aspect of autonomy.
According to him, findings showed that many projects were not being properly executed due to lack of oversight.
“What we are trying to do is to look at the capital side, like projects. Some people discovered that most projects are not executed.
“So, for us to have a good understanding of the purpose for which we got the autonomy, especially on the project side… what we are thinking is to create an agency,” he said.
Going further, the Speaker added that the agency would be responsible for monitoring the release of funds, execution, and supervision of all capital projects for both arms.
“All projects will pass through that agency. They will monitor. As it is now, there is no proper monitoring.
“So we want to amend the law to create an agency that will be responsible for monitoring the release of funds, the execution, and supervision. When you finish, you will bring your completion certificate to the agency,” he stated.
On whether the Judiciary is also affected, the Speaker said: “It is the same thing. The Judiciary and the Legislative arms are together now.
They are saying the same thing… But the autonomy remains the same.”
Idiaye blamed the controversy on misinformation on social media, and praised Governor Monday Okpebholo for his performance.
“I don’t know how they were misled by the so-called social media voices. You know they want to run down the government. And nobody can run down the government of Senator Okpebholo. The man is doing very well. I can say it anywhere, anytime,” he said.
He added that the amendment will not affect the financial aspect of autonomy, but only the operational framework for capital projects.
“What we are saying is that the amendment is not going to affect the financial aspect, but the operational side. I am not even talking about the capital aspect,” he concluded.
The9jaTREND reports that the Edo Financial Autonomy Law grants independence to the Legislature and Judiciary in managing their finances.
The Speaker said the proposed agency is intended to ensure accountability and proper execution of projects under the autonomy arrangement.
Earlier, the Nigerian Bar Association, Benin Branch, joined members of the Edo chapter of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) to protest allegations that lawmakers planned to stop financial autonomy for both the Legislature and the Judiciary.
The PASAN members, led by their Chairman, Comrade Umaru Farouk-Haruna, took over the hallowed chamber of the Edo State House of Assembly for several hours.
Farouk-Haruna said if the lawmakers do not want the autonomy, PASAN members want it, adding that they should not tamper with the autonomy granted by former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
They said they learnt about the plot when the House Order Paper was circulated.
Checks on the Order Paper showed two items listed: “A Bill to Repeal the Edo State Judiciary Financial Autonomy Law, 2023” and “A Bill to Repeal the Edo State House of Assembly Funds Management Law, 2023.”
The workers had mobilized and stormed the chamber to prevent the lawmakers from sitting.
They said repealing the law that granted them financial autonomy would lead to a reduction in their salaries and possible sack.
Chairman of the NBA, Benin Branch, Idemudia Iredia- Osifo, described the plan to repeal the financial autonomy laws as embarrassing.
“The implications are obvious. We are going back to a time of hardship, a time of mistrust. We are witnesses to the benefits that autonomy has afforded these two institutions, and we want to sustain it.
“We heard a new Speaker came into office on Monday and the first thing he planned to do was to remove autonomy from these two institutions. It is embarrassing. We hope they will withdraw the bill.”
Former Chairman of NBA Benin Branch, Ede Asenoguan, said the financial autonomy law is a constitutional matter.
Asenoguan said it was strange to see Edo lawmakers seeking to remove autonomy from themselves.
“The Judiciary is expected to go to the Executive for money all the time. Stakeholders have a say on whether this should be done.”