States Allocation Committee, JUSUN, PASAN Top Agenda At Governors’ Virtual Meeting
Constitution of the States Accounts Allocation Committees (SAAC) and their inauguration, preparatory to the granting of full autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary at the subnational level will top the agenda at the next meeting of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF) scheduled for Wednesday, June 16 at its secretariat in Abuja.
The committee is urgently required now that both the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) workers had returned to work on Tuesday. They resumed work after the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (NJC) last Wednesday suspended its nationwide strike which paralysed the Nigerian judicial system for over two months.
Members of the union had embarked on the strike on April 6 to press home their demand for the financial autonomy of the judiciary.
The 64-day-old strike is the longest industrial action the Nigerian judiciary, as a whole, has ever seen. The closest to it which members of the union embarked on in January 2015 for the same reason only lasted for two weeks.
Head, Media and Publicity, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo in a statement Monday said Governors of the 36 states had worked day-and-night to establish modalities for the autonomy of the Judiciary, in conformity with the constitutional provisions.
“The return to work by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) which begins tomorrow, Tuesday after the Democracy Day holiday, will top the agenda of the 31st NGF meeting which takes place, virtually, on Wednesday 16th June 2021.
“Efforts are already underway in all states of the federation, to either constitute the States Accounts Allocation Committees (SAAC) or to inaugurate them, preparatory to the granting of full autonomy to the two arms of government, namely, the legislature and the judiciary at the subnational level.
“JUSUN and PASAN have been on a nationwide strike for more than two months, while governors of the 36 states worked day-and-night to establish modalities for their autonomy in conformity with the constitutional provisions that stipulated thus. The Governors’ meeting will be briefed before deliberating on the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of this main item on the agenda,” the statement said.
According to the invitation to all the 36 Governors as issued by the Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, Asishana Bayo Okauru, the governors will also be updated on the activities of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid 19, which is a regular feature of the governors’ meetings, by the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa who heads the governors’ interface with the PTF.
According to the statement, other items on the agenda include the regular update on the States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) for results to provide states’ status on their DLI’s and upcoming deadlines.
The meeting will also receive two presentations from the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, who will discuss Unlocking Liquidity through Sale/Optimization of State-owned Redundant/Sub-Optimal Assets, while Policy Development Facility (PDF) Bridge Programme will discuss Diversification and Non-oil Export Opportunities for States Post-Covid-19.
The meeting will commence at 2 pm but governors are expected to start logging in from 1 pm.
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