Yakubu Busari
The President, Muhammadu Buhari, has been described as an “ardent democrat,” whose recent actions denote strengthening Nigeria’s, State legislative and judicial fiscal independence.
Right Honourable Ibrahim Baba Hassan, made the description in a chat with journalists in Jos the Plateau State capital.
President Buhari has last week accented to the amended Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution, which gave the State Assemblies and Judicisries, fiscal independence.
Hon. Hassan, a third term member and also an erstwhile deputy speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, said acceptance by the President “has now made the legislature a true an independent arm of the Government.”
He said: “That the President did not even has a second thought to signed into law and become our constitutional provisions, was indeed an indication that he is becoming more an ardent democrat, whose actions in recent times are also indicative that he is really a democrat.”
Hassan said besides the financial independence to the legislatures and Judiciaries, the signing of the not too to run, and none interference of the President in the National Assembly mattes are further indications that warrant the President to be commended.
“Several attempts were made in the past but they all failed to secured us the financial independence because the National Assembly would passed it but at State levels some Governors then we’re not comfortable and had not allowed their lawmakers to passed and that had made the efforts not to get the minimum requirement of 2/3 majority, ” he said.
Hon. Hassan commended the present set of Governors, and all the 36 Houses of Assembly for making yet another democratic history.
“I must also appreciate our colleagues in the National and States Assemblies, our Governors also deserves this commendation for having seeing reasons not to interfered and would now give us and the judiciary more free hands and minds to do what is right,” he added.
The lawmaker appealed to his colleagues not to see the independence as a tool that will strengthen them to engage the executive arms into unnecessary impasse.
