The Akwa
Ibom State House of Assembly is set to celebrate its silver jubilee.
The state
was created from the then Cross River State on September 23, 1987, by th
e
military administration of Ibrahim Babangida and was governed for four years by
different military administrators.
The first
Assembly was inaugurated on January 20, 1992, by the first elected governor of
the state, Akpan Isemin.
The present
Assembly, headed by Onofiok Luke, is the 6th so far.
To mark the
celebration, the Assembly plans to hold a joint-sitting on Thursday with the
Cross River State House of Assembly.
The Speaker
of the Akwa Ibom Assembly, Mr. Luke, and his Cross River counterpart, John
Lebo, are expected to co-chair the proceedings.
“The
joint-sitting of the House will be a significant reminder of the historical
ties which the two states are proud to share,” the Deputy Leader of the House,
Ime Okon, said on Monday while briefing the press on the activities for the
week-long celebration.
Mr. Okon is
also the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, as well as the Chairman
of the Publicity Sub-committee of anniversary planning committee.
He said the
House will use the opportunity to present its mid-term report to the public and
also launch the Akwa Ibom Legislative Internship Programme.
The
lawmakers will, still on Thursday, participate in a public lecture on the role
of the legislature in development of the state in the past 25 years.
A former
senator, Effiong Bob, will be the guest lecturer. Mr. Bob previously served as
a deputy speaker in the Akwa Ibom Assembly.
Governor
Udom Emmanuel and his predecessor, Godswill Akpabio, who is the Senate Minority
Leader, are expected to participate in the celebration.
Mr. Okon
said the legislature, from the past to the current assembly, has “played a
pivotal role” in the development of the state.
“As the
clearing house of government, this honourable house since inception has, for
instance, seen to the successful hatching of every single development agenda of
successive governments,” he said.
“One
interesting feature worthy of note is that each successive assembly has always
appreciated the need to collaborate and synergise with the executive in the
interest of the people and for the accelerated development of the state, while
jealously guarding the independence and the constitutional oversight role of
the legislature.
“They
believe, and rightly so, that no meaningful achievements can be made in an
atmosphere of antagonism and rancor.
“From the
foundation building efforts of Obong Victor Attah to the Uncommon
Transformation wave of the Chief Godswill Akpabio administration and to the
ongoing Sustainable Development exploits of Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the state
legislature has built a record of inspiring, fecund, and focused leadership in
our great state,” Mr. Okon said.
More than
170 persons, Mr. Okon said, have served as lawmakers in the Assembly since its
inception, while Mr. Luke is the 11th speaker so far.
0 Comments