Attacks on security formations in Imo, Benue worrisome — Governors

By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has expressed worry over recent attacks on security formations in Imo, Benue and other parts of the country.

Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and NGF Chairman, made this known briefing newsmen at the end of the forum’s meeting on Wednesday night in Abuja.

“NGF members are particularly worried following what happened in Imo state, the attacks on the correctional facility and the police command headquarters.

“The release of prisoners, and successive acts of violence and insecurity across the country, and the killings of soldiers at Benue.

“The forum has expressed its worry that it is time for us to revisit comprehensively, the nature and depth of this security crisis.

“The crisis would have gotten worse if states had not been taking the actions they have been taking individually and collectively.

“It is the steps taken at the state level that have managed to reduce the depths and the enormity of the security challenges. Nonetheless, it’s still a worrisome development for us

“We feel we will need a special review of the entire gamut of the security issues that we are dealing with.

“We need to further engage the federal authorities both at the political level and federal authorities at the security level, in order to deal with these multifaceted challenges of security that we’re faced.”

Fayemi said that the governors also reviewed the economy as well as Executive Order No 10 of 2020 and related matters.

He said that the forum took its positions on issues regarding the Order 10 and financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature.

Fayemi, who did not disclosed the resolutions, said that the NGF committees would meet with representatives of the judiciary and legislature on Thursday to present those resolutions directly to them.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) are currently on strike protesting the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the nation’s judiciary.

NAN also reports that on Jan. 14, 2014, a judgment of Adeniyi Ademola, then a judge of the Federal High Court, abolished the piece-meal funding of the state and federal courts by the executive.

The court held that funds meant for the judiciary should instead be disbursed directly to the heads of court and not to the executive arm of government.

The federal legislature and judiciary, have to a large extent, been enjoying financial autonomy status as they receive their appropriated funds in bulk unlike their counterparts at the state levels who always get what the governors feels like releasing to them.

In May 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari, signed the Executive Order 10 to give force to the provision of section 121(3) of the Constitution which guarantees the financial autonomy of the state legislature and state judiciary.

The Executive Order authorises the Accountant-General of the Federation to make deduction from the Federation Account the money allocated to any state of the federation “that fails to release allocation meant for the state legislature and state judiciary in line with the financial autonomy guaranteed by Section 121(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended)”. (NAN)