Lebo who spoke at the just concluded one day Consultative Meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs and Conference of Speakers held in Abuja, argued further that the provisions of the 1999 constitution even as amended, did not take into cognizance the necessity of an outright independent legislature hence the manipulation and abuse of the parliament by state governors.
He insisted that the Houses of Assembly deserved to be totally independent from the Executive through constitutional granting of financial autonomy to this arm of government in the states otherwise the rubber-stamp appellation ascribed to the State Houses of Assembly would continue, while also pleading that the National Assembly helps rescue state Assemblies from the clutches of governors by not only supporting the call for financial autonomy for State Houses of Assembly but also ensure that the constitution was amended to this effect.
The Speaker went firm with the believe that members of the Assembly would not be abused or debased if they refused to compromise standards and shun the practice of asking for kickbacks from members of the Executive or the organised private sector.
The event had in attendance, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, the Immediate past Speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly Larry Odey, among others.
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