By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The speakers of the country’s 36 State Houses of Assembly have set conditions for enacting a new autochthonous constitution.
An autochthonous or autochthonous constitution is homegrown.
They have said they have started discussing with the Nigerian Governors Forum to implement financial autonomy in the state legislature.
The Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria, Debo Ogundoyin, stated this at a One-Day Reflection Session in the nation’s capital.
Two nongovernmental organisations—Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) and Engaged Citizens Pillar (ECP)—put together the event in Abuja yesterday in partnership with the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria (CSSLN).
Asked by journalists to confirm whether the state legislators would welcome the call for a brand new autochthonous constitution or embrace the ongoing constitution review undertaken by the National Assembly, Ogundoyin said his colleagues could only work on the amendment.
He nevertheless said the state parliaments would embrace the idea of a new autochthonous constitution if it would come from the National Assembly and not from a group of people.
He said, “In the state Houses of Assembly, our purview is to work on the amendment of a constitution, or as it may be, a whole new autochthonous one as furnished to the State Houses of Assembly from the National Assembly.
“In that regard, people might have their idea, but our purview as the State Houses of Assembly is to work and deliberate on constitutional amendments, or as it may be, a new constitution.
“It has to come from top to bottom regarding the National Assembly furnishing the State Houses of Assembly.”
Ogundoyin said the state lawmakers worked on a holistic arrangement with the Nigerian Governors Forum to resolve the impasse.
He said, “Regarding the financial autonomy for State Houses of Assembly, we are engaging the NGF, and we expect a total, all-encompassing buy-in.
“We can resolve our issues individually, but that would not give the whole state the benefits of the financial autonomy.
“So, we’re looking at how we can get the 36 state governments and the 36 State Houses of Assembly to agree on the financial autonomy to strengthen the institution of the legislature.
“We’re taking it very seriously. We’ll always take it seriously because we’re not just fighting for ourselves; we’re fighting for the institution as a whole, which would deepen democracy in our day and age.”
When asked to give the number of states that had fully implemented financial autonomy, the Chairman of the Speakers Conference said it took time to determine.
He said, “Some states have partially implemented financial autonomy, and some have no autonomy.
“The number varies, but we cannot say for certain that one state or the other is operating on full financial autonomy at this point.”
He said the Conference of Speakers worked with development partners like PERL and ECP to actualise financial autonomy for the state legislature. They are still working together to implement it.
We’ve been focused on the fight for financial autonomy, and PERL has been at the forefront of this effort.
Ogundoyin, the Speaker of Oyo State, said the issue of the state police was paramount to his colleagues and pledged to support its realization to tackle insecurity in the state.
He said, “For us in our state, we are happy currently with the way things are, but what is more about us, even in this conference of speakers, is the issue of state policing. This is because, without adequate security, there will be a breakdown of governance.”
He urged his colleagues to champion legislative reforms at the state level.
He said, “Our work is far from over. As we move forward, we must prioritize reforms promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement.
“We must also address emerging challenges and opportunities, such as the impact of technology on the legislative process.”
