Adamawa State House of Assembly has passed four bills to grant financial autonomy to the auditors-general of the state and local councils.
Passage of the four bills followed motions at plenary on Tuesday by the majority and minority leaders of the house, Hammantukur Yetisuri and Mohammed Mutawali respectively.
A bill for a law to manage the assembly’s fund was also enacted.
Another bill to amend the House of Assembly Service Commission Law No. 5 of 2002 was enacted. The bill, when signed into law, will subject the appointment of the commission members to the confirmation of the house.
After passing the bills, the Speaker, Aminu Abbas, directed the clerk to prepare clean copies of the bills for Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s assent.
All the laws, when accented to, will regulate the mode of the assembly’s expenditure and how those that will pilot the affairs of the commission will be appointed.
To judiciously manage the assembly’s funds, the lawmakers established the State Account Allocation Committee (SAAC) to comprise of the finance commissioner, accountant-general, two assembly members to be nominated by the speaker, the assembly clerk, the commission’s secretary among others.
The new committee will determine and ascertain, from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the state, appropriate allocation due to each arm of the government based on the appropriation law.
The Guardian gathered that the bill had been passed to entrench probity and accountability in the financial affairs of the house and define the role and financial threshold for respective organs of government.
On the state auditor, the legislators amended the state audit law 2016 with financial autonomy and a specific term of office, for other powers to ensure the independence of the auditor-general.
Also, on the local council auditor-general, the house amended the 2017 law, which also provided financial autonomy, a specific term of office, for other powers to ensure the independence of the auditor for the local councils.
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