TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
WORKERS at the Osun State House of Assembly on Tuesday joined the indefinite strike called by the leadership of Parliamentary Association of Nigeria over the non-inplementation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order 10.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed into law, Executive Order No 10 of 2020, cited as “the implementation of financial autonomy for state legislature and judiciary Order, 2020”.
A key provision of the said Executive Order which seeks to enforce financial autonomy of the legislature and judiciary of the states, is the power given to the Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct from the allocations due to a state from the Federation Account, any sums appropriated for the legislature or judiciary of that state which the state fails to release to its legislature or judiciary as the case may be, and to pay the funds directly to the state’s legislature or judiciary concerned.
The workers, under the umbrella of Osun Parliamentary Association of Nigeria (PASAN), protested at the entrance of the Assembly.
Armed with placards bearing inscriptions such as: “No going back without autonomy”, “Financial Separation means Separation of Power”, and “Service for Democracy,” among others, the workers urged the State governor to respect the financial autonomy law for the love of democracy.
Speaking, the Chairman, Osun PASAN, Adesina Adekunle, announced the strike and said there was a need for them to comply with the national body’s directive.
He said it would pave the way for the state government to implement the Executive Order 10 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari last year.
Recall that the National Chairman of PASAN, Usman Muhammad, had directed all parliamentary staff in Nigeria to embark on indefinite strike starting from Tuesday.
Adekunke said, “Osun Assembly workers need to comply with national body directive to pave way for House of Assembly financial autonomy.
“We in Osun House of Assembly are in full compliance to join other States of the federation on this strike action.”
