The Enugu State House of Assembly (ENHA) has enacted a law which seeks to grant full financial autonomy to the Assembly.
The law titled “The Enugu State Legislative Funds Management Law, 2021” was sponsored by the leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Ikechukwu Ezugwu and seek to make provisions for the “management of funds of the Enugu State House of Assembly and for other related matters”.
The law which was enacted by the House on July 1st, 2021 and is expected to come into effect on the day the Governor assent to it will
With the new law which seeks to repeal the old one one enacted in 2018, “All monies due to the House of Assembly for capital and recurrent expenditure shall be paid by the Accountant-General of the State into the House Account as statutory transfers in accordance with the provisions of Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution.”
The law when signed by the executive, will amongst others, allow the ENHA to manage its capital and recurrent expenditure in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The capital expenditure captured in the law include the purchase of vehicles and office equipment, construction of the House of Assembly buildings, renovations, repairs, etc., which shall be supervised by the relevant government agency.
Other provisions of the law includes:
Maintaining a separate account to be known as “the Enugu State House of Assembly Statutory Account” (House Account) from where 6 sub accounts shall be operated for ease of administration and cater for the legislators, staff/management, House of Assembly Service Commission, capital votes salaries & allowances, pensions, gratuities and severance and office of the Speaker.
Establishment of a committee to be known as the Funds Management Committee which will have the speaker as the chairman and Clerk of the House as Secretary, and other members.
Establishment of a Due process unit which shall report to the Clerk.
The law also makes provision for the establishment of the “State Account Allocation Committee” (SAAC) which will be made up of the Commissioners in charge of finance, Budget and Planning; the Accountant General for the State; Two members of the State House of Assembly to be nominated by the Speaker; Clerk of the House of Assembly; Secretary of the State House of Assembly Service Commission; Chief Registrar of the State High Court and Secretary of the State Judicial Service.
The law also said that the account(s) of the Assembly shall be audited annually by the Auditor-General of the state, or any person authorised by him to do that.
