Senate Constitution Review Proposal Outlaws Joint Local Govt Account...

Reduces FG’s power to draw unappropriated funds from six to three months

A Senate’s fresh amendment proposal to the 1999 Constitution has abolished the joint state and local governments account and also limits the period within which the presidency can draw money from federation account before budget passage from six to three months.

Making this disclosure while presenting the report of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review to the chamber, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the committee had also adopted a proposal to create the seat of a mayor for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Ekweremadu also disclosed that Section 7 of the constitution had been amended to provide for a uniform three-year tenure for all elected local government officials, pointing out that “local governments without a democratically elected council shall not be entitled to any revenue from the Federation Account.”

He said the amendment was designed to ensure effective service delivery and as well rescue local governments from strangulation by state governments.

He explained further that the draft amendment makes it mandatory for monies meant for local government councils to be paid directly into their respective accounts.

Ekweremadu also said the amended section clearly defined the fund for the state government, which he described as an “internally generated revenue from which a portion shall be paid into the local government allocation account.”

He also said Section 162 of the Constitution had been amended with a proposal to “provide for national savings of 50 per cent of oil revenues above the bench mark for a particular year and 10 per cent of any non- oil revenue paid into the Federation Account; Or such other percentage not less than that provided in this section as the National Assembly may determine in the Appropriation Act of a particular year.”

The draft amendment also provides that “any such savings as stipulated in this section will be distributed in accordance with the prevailing revenue sharing formula and in accordance with the provisions of the constitution provided that the savings shall not be that Sections 82 and 122 of the Constitution were amended to reduce the period within which the president or a governor may authorise the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an appropriation act from six months to three months.”

He further explained that this amendment was meant to compel early presentation of budget proposal by the executive and consequently give the legislature sufficient time to scrutinise the budget.

On political parties and electoral matters, he said Sections 134 (4)& (5), 179 (4) & (5) and 225 had been amended to provide for 21 days for the conduct of presidential and governorship run-off elections when no clear winner emerges from the original election with a view to giving INEC the sufficient time to plan for the election. Another amendment empowers INEC to de-register political parties which fail to Cont’donPg58