10th July, 2014
The National Conference in Abuja on Thursday adopted a recommendation of its Committee on Devolution of Power, empowering states to grant public holidays.
The conferees held that granting public holidays should be moved from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the Constitution
The conference, in unanimous decision, said this would give states the latitude to declare holidays reflective of the values of their own people.
Conference also accepted the recommendation that management of prison services should be retained in the Exclusive Legislative List as specified in the 1999 Constitution.
Also retained in the Exclusive Legislative List are insurance, stamp duties and formation, annulment and dissolution of marriages other than marriages under Islamic Law and Customary Law, including matrimonial causes.
Moved from Concurrent to the Exclusive Legislative List was the first item on the Concurrent Legislative List which deals with allocation of revenue.
This also included division of public revenue between states and federal governments, between states and states and between states and local governments.
Other issues left in the Exclusive Legislative List are taxation of income, profits and capital gains while other aspects of Trade and Commerce, particularly registration of business, was moved to the Concurrent List.
The committee’s recommendation that regulations of political parties be retained in the Exclusive Legislative List as specified in the 1999 Constitution as amended was approved.
Pensions, gratuities and other-like benefits payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public funds of the federation are to be split between Exclusive and Concurrent Legislative Lists.
Plenary session of the conference ended without final decision on critical issues of revenue sharing formula from the Federation Account and derivation principle.
Members of the Consensus Committee derived from the six geo-political zones to find a middle ground to the contentious issue of derivation formula could not reach an agreement.
The disagreement brought proceedings to an abrupt end as the Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, adjourned plenary to Monday.
However, Kutigi, had, before the adjournment, announced that the 50 “wise men” earlier constituted by conference to resolve contentious issues would meet on Friday over the stalemate.