Sokoto and the Executive-Legislative compatibility issue

This is roundly because the degree of success and positive impact of their activities on the public is dependent on genuine understanding between those arms, particularly when the executive is efficient and the legislature, vibrant. It is in consideration of this reality, that Former President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari remarked that none of the two […]

This is roundly because the degree of success and positive impact of their activities on the public is dependent on genuine understanding between those arms, particularly when the executive is efficient and the legislature, vibrant.

It is in consideration of this reality, that Former President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari remarked that none of the two branches of government can succeed without the cooperation. Speaking at the opening of an induction course for newly elected members of the Sokoto State House of Assembly (SOHA) on June 18 2007, in Sokoto, the former president, himself a veteran parliamentarian admonished both arms of government to work together in other to deliver useful service to the public that they were elected to serve, protect and represent.
Only recently, the state governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko administered oath of office on the Statistician-General of the state. The appointee did not get to that office through executive fiat. Rather it followed legislative process; beginning with the forwarding to the State House of Assembly, the States Statistics Bill, which was passed into law by the House and assented to by the governor. Wamakko explained at the ceremony, that the law was designed to strengthen the statistical system in the service for informed decision making, policy formulation, implementation and evaluation at all levels of governance.
The products of dividends of democracy – from strengthening of systems to the provision of tangible products and services, all emanate from sound legislation and effective executive actions, as some of these examples from a selection of laws enacted in Sokoto State will show.
The passage of an executive bill for a law to establish a College of Agriculture and Animal Science in the state and the assent of the governor is producing a college that will in the next few months provide courses of study, training and research in general agriculture, animal health and husbandry, arid zone ecology, poultry, ranch management, home economics, agricultural mechanization, fisheries and irrigation, leading to obtaining national and higher national diplomas. This is the kind of middle level manpower that the state needs to move its economy to the next level. Another of the milestone laws passed and which was assented to by the governor provides for the administration and collection of revenue due to the state government and local government councils.
It is common knowledge that most states, not least Sokoto cannot depend almost entirely on federation account allocation to drive its development. In addition, what is perhaps the most outstanding project initiated and seen to fruition by the Wamakko administration is Sokoto State University, which began full operation on a permanent site that was build from the scratch.
It evolved from genuine Executive-Legislative relationship with first, the presentation of the bill for the creation of Sokoto State University, its passage and assent by the governor on May 18, 2009.It is equally significant to examine how such cooperation can find solutions to hitherto contentious issues. Here, for instance, the passage by the House and assent of the Governor to the Islamic Religious Preaching and Establishment of Juma’at Mosque Law, 2009, which cynics thought it would be impossible to apply is being fully enforced.   This law provides for the establishment of State Islamic Religious Preaching Board that determines and regulates the qualifications required for any person to become a religious preacher or Quranic commentator, in accordance with Islamic jurisprudence. The Board has also been regulating the establishment of Juma’at (Friday Prayer) mosques, in conjunction with the Sultanate Council of Sokoto.
One of the fundamental principles of state policy is the provision of healthcare services by government at all levels. Therefore, in other to upgrade the system of health care delivery in the state, both arms of government fashion out the state College of Nursing Sciences Law, empowering the erstwhile School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sokoto to now provide courses of study, training and research in nursing, midwifery, and other health-related disciplines, leading to the award of degree, higher national diploma, national diploma and certificate courses. The gains of this relationship is equally being felt in the state civil service, which is the engine room of government, with the passage and assent given to the Contributory Pension Scheme  Law, 2007, which provides for the payment of retirement benefit to employees to whom the scheme applies, under the law.
Both arms of governments considered the significance of strengthening local governance, therefore, specific provisions were made, assigning functions to occupants of specific positions, agencies and civil society organizations in the management of emergencies. These are outcomes of the joint effort of both branches of government. From the foregoing it can be gleaned that the compatibility in the executive-legislative attitude to the development of Sokoto State and its people has remained unshaken and was the advice of the former president if both should truly remain committed the services of the electorate of a state that is genuinely desirous of catching up with some parts of this country in certain respects.
Umar wrote in from Sokoto.