The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Sokoto State, Barr. Nasiru Mohammed Binji, has given reasons some laws in the state were recently amended by the State House of Assembly and also assented to by the governor, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with newsmen in Sokoto, Barr. Binji said the amendments became necessary in order to make the bodies created by the laws to function effectively and serve the purpose for which they were created.
According to him, some of the agencies were created by a past administration in the state but could not function effectively because the laws establishing them did not empower them to function effectively.
He said some of the establishments ought to be created as agencies but was instead created as commissions adding that the development affected their performance and supervision.
“Let me begin by talking about three laws, the Discrimination against Persons with Disability Commission’s Law, the Zakat and Endowment Commission’s Law, the Tenancy Control and Safety of Persons Commission Law.
“These three laws were styled by the immediate past administration as commissions, whereas by their functions they can only function as agencies of government.
“The law created a problem for them; being commissions, they are independent, autonomous they were not under the supervision of any ministry,” he said.
According to him, there was the need to bring the establishments under the supervision of the relevant ministries and this accounted for reasons their establishment laws were amended.
“We thought that for efficiency and accountability, that we should appropriately designate them as agencies of government under the supervision of certain Ministries.
“Going by the provision of Section 197 of the 1999 Constitution there are only three statutory commissions for each state of the federation. And had it been the makers of the Constitution wanted all agencies of state to be commissions, they would have expressly stated so without any ambiguity.
“Under the 1999 Constitution as amended under Section 197 there are statutory commissions- the State Independent Electoral Commission, the State Civil Service Commission and the Judicial Service Commission, which are styled as commissions. They are independent, going by their nature and the nature of their work.
“You must agree with me that the State Independent Electoral Commission must be independent of any supervision by any ministry of the state for it to function effectively, for the opposition party to have faith in its impartiality,” he said.
Binji noted that the laws establishing the bodies had to be amended to make room for proper supervision by the relevant ministries.
“These three laws that were styled by the former administration as commissions before the coming of the Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto administration can only function as agencies. There is no doubt that their operations were hampered. As commissions, there were no checks and balances, and in some instances, some of the Chairmen were acting as Sole Administrators,” Binji stated.
