Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has affirmed that his administration will soon set up a new Hisbah board.
This is as the governor said he will invoke the spirit and letter of a bill drafted by the Waziri Junaidu-led committee, in consultation with the state Ministry of Justice, once it is signed into law.
This development follows the submission of the committee’s report on Wednesday at the Government House, Sokoto.
The committee was set up by the state government to re-organise and harmonise the activities of the hitherto Hisbah Commission in the state.
According to him, if the bill is approved by the government, it will repeal and re-enact the existing Hisbah law, enacted in 2014, and change its nomenclature from ‘Commission’ to ‘Board’.
The new bill focuses on the appointment and recruitment of the board’s officials, which should be based on qualification and experience as specified in the law, a formal structure established in line with provisions of the law and operational guidelines and a code of conduct; and the setting up a custodial centre for shelter to take care of special cases that may be handled by the board.
Thanking the committee members for a job well done, the governor said that he will study its recommendations and present it to the next executive council meeting for deliberation.
Afterwards, he said the bill will be sent to the Sokoto State House of Assembly (SOHA) for necessary action.
Presenting the report to Governor Tambuwal, the chairman of the committee, who is also the Waziri of Sokoto, Professor Sambo Wali Junaidu, outlined the modus operandi the committee adopted to enable it put its assignment in perspective.
He said the committee consulted and worked closely with the Ministries of Religious Affairs and Justice, as well as the Sultanate Council and other relevant stakeholders to come up with a clear and acceptable approach that would guarantee the evolution of an effective way to co- ordinate Hisbah activities in the state.
He explained that various reports the committee received in the course of the study suggested the need for an effective legal framework that would guide the operations of the organisation.