The Hon. Deputy Speaker,
Leader of the House,
Hon. Members,
Gentlemen of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Exactly, one year ago, precisely on Thursday 11th June, 2019, the 9th Legislature of the Cross River State House of Assembly was inaugurated in this hallowed Chamber. We all subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance and Office promising to perform our duties honestly, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
One year down the line, I make bold to say that we have kept to our promise and have performed our duties diligently for the peace, order and good governance of our dear State.
In earnest, this wouldn’t have been possible without God’s guidance, love and protection. As the Psalmist will say, “the Lord is my refuge and my fortress, my God in him will I trust” As you are all aware, this Assembly was dedicated to God during inauguration and in all our dealings we have remained an Assembly under God. It is my earnest prayer that God will by His mercy grant us peace and love for one another and also give us the enablement to serve our people with sincerity, honesty and commitment.
I also wish to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to His Excellency, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator (Prof.) Ben Ayade (KSJ) for his interest in the development of the Legislature.
This is attested to by the close synergy and cordial relationship both arms of government have enjoyed since the inauguration of the Ninth Assembly. This is evidenced in the prompt signing into Law of the Assembly Service Commission Bill and other Bills submitted to him for assent. Apart from the prompt payment of salaries, we can also feel his giant strides in both human and infrastructural development across the state.
Hon. Members our first year in office was almost blighted by the Covid-19 Pandemic which ravaged the whole world early in 2020. World travel came to a halt as airlines and other means of transportation became grounded and many borders remained closed. World Economies buckled under due to a halt in production of Goods and Services. The tourism and hospitality industry experienced the worst patronage in years and above all, the virus claimed more than three hundred thousand lives in all continents combined. Health Workers were not spared either, as many of them died while rendering care to the infected.
Permit me to thank Hon. Members of this Assembly for rising to the occasion by tackling the pandemic using legislative instruments. You will recall that Cross River State House of Assembly passed the 2020 Covic-19 Law to provide a framework for mobilisation of resources to fight the pandemic.
Let me also use this medium to thank Hon. Members who individually and collectively spent, Valuable time and resources in mobilizing and sensitizing their constituents to adhere to all measures put in place by both Federal and State Governments in tackling the menace.
My appreciation also goes to all health workers and the good citizens of the state who assisted in enforcing the lockdown and other measures both at home and in public places.
Hon. Members, we cannot conclude discussion on the fight against Covid-19 without recognising the foresight and quality leadership that was provided by His Excellency, the Governor, Senator (Prof) Ben Ayade throughout the period up to this moment. Cross River State remains the only State that is Covid-19 free and all kudos must go to the Governor for steering the State out of this pandemic.
The fight is not over yet. I therefore urge all Hon. Members and other well-meaning Cross Riverians to join His Excellency the Governor in ensuring that Covid-19 remains outside the State borders.
THE ASSEMBLY SERVICE COMMISSION LAW 2020
Our first legislative year was also shaped by the signing into Law of the Cross River State House of Assembly Service Commission Law 2020 by His Excellency, Senator (Prof) Ben Ayade (KSJ) Governor of Cross River State. The struggle to have this Law in place started way back in 1999. All the pervious Bills passed to achieve this objective did not see the light of day. But surprisingly His Excellency the Governor handed us this precious gift when we least expected.
This is the strongest statement and action the Governor has made in support of the Legislature and this House remains eternally grateful. Surely the Governor has left an indelible mark in the history of this legislature.
This singular action has made Cross River State retain its pride of place in the comity of State legislatures. It will also ensure that appointment, promotion and discipline of legislative staff will be brought before the purview of the Legislature.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A WEB SITE
The House now has a functional website “crsassembly.com.ng”. For now this is the design site. The main site is “crshoassembly.gov.ng”. It is hoped that when the relevant content is provided, the site will provide information on Membership, House
Committees, past Hon. Members/Speakers and their Deputies, Clerks, and existing directorates. It will also provide information on proceedings, Bills, Motions and major deliberations of the House. The site will equally display photos, videos and events or news in respect of the House.
Apart from this, the website will bring Hon. Members closer to their constituents and will provide authentic information for proper guidance of members of the public.
CONFERENCE OF SPEAKERS
One other achievement worth mentioning is the readmission of Cross River State House of Assembly into the Conference of Presiding Officers (Speakers) and Clerks. You will recall that in 2015, this Assembly was delisted from the above Conference for non-payment of annual dues and other commitments. We have paid the said dues including outstanding arrears and our full membership has been restored.
THE 2020 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
I will not end this address without saluting our great party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for providing all of us the platform to serve and most especially for the resounding victory recorded by the Party in the last concluded Local Government elections. This victory is an approval rating of the people of the state and signals that the PDP’s agenda remains the best option for the state. We must collectively continue to work hard and savour the confidence and respect of the people.
LEGISLATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
Since June, 2019, the House has recorded some landmark achievements in the number of Bills passed, Motions and Matters of Urgent Public Importance considered and Resolutions taken. A breakdown is as follows:
S/NO
ITEM
TOTAL NUMBER
REMARKS
1
No of Bills Tabled
29
2
No of Bills Passed
7
3
Bills pending before Committees
22
4
Motions taken
17
5
Matters of Urgent Public Importance considered
8
6
Resolutions taken
61
7
Reports presented
17
An analysis of the Bill Chart shows that only one Executive Bill was passed by the House while the rest were Private Bills. Moreover, Bills pending before Committees are many. The import of this is that most Committees did not live up to expectation Let me remind Hon. Members that Committees are the engine room of the Legislature. A House of Assembly can only remain vibrant to the extent which its Committees are active.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
In my inaugural Speech, I did promise to improve members/staff welfare by ensuring that they enjoy comfort both in their offices and residential quarters.
Today, I stand tall to say an alternative water supply has been achieved through the sinking of a bore hole in the Complex and maintenance of the one in the quarters in spite of some minor technical challenges.
Apart from achievements recorded on the floor, the House equally attended to issues bordering on infrastructure upgrade and maintenance including procurement of basic equipment. A summary of intervention is the quarters is presented below:
Repair of broken down generators at both the Assembly Complex and Quarters
Renovation of Generator House.
Renovation of House of Assembly clinic and Police post.
Installation of security lighting system at the gate.
Repair of 500 KVA transformer.
Desilting of gutters.
Repair/Painting of the gate.
Refurbishing of plumbing works and equipment.
Drilling of bore hole.
Regular/steady payment of electricity bills.
Renovation/Reactivation of failed borehole.
Constant electricity supply through payment of PHEDC Bills and purchase of diesel.
Steady environmental sanitation and
Replacement of water tanks.
In the Assembly complex, the underlisted projects have been carried out.
Major repairs and servicing of generating plant
Repairs of Photocopiers in Business and Rules and Clerk’s Offices
Purchase of Office furniture
Purchase of Video camera for plenary/Committee recordings
Purchase of equipment for House Clinic
Printing of Headed papers
Purchase of Covid-19 preventive items
Installation of CCTV and Walkie Talkie
Redemption of pledges to various churches
Participation in Leboku Festival 2019
Refurbishing of Pick-up vehicles for Deputy Clerk and pool
Payment of legal fee for Mba Ukweni SAN (in Hon Elucate vs Cross River State House of Assembly)
Support to LEWA among others.
Sponsorship of Cross River State for Jesus – Repairing the Broken Altar – A Christian Programme of the Christian Legislator’s Fellowship International
LOOKING AHEAD
Hon. Members, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, our total commitment to performing our cardinal duty of Law making and ensuring the comfort and welfare of Hon. Members and staff remains paramount in the agenda of the present leadership of the House.
We have tried in the last one year to provide the best services in the complex and Quarters but we also acknowledge that improvement needs to be made in certain aspects of our service delivery where lapses were observed. In this respect, I wish to thank the House Services Committee and indeed Hon. Members who in one way or the other assisted the Committee in its assignment. However, the Committee will need to carry out more regular checks on the facilities and equipment in the quarters to enable the House carry out proactive measures instead of waiting for total breakdown before reporting.
Again, the House will assist Committees to enable them engage Civil Society Organisations in more a robust manner and on regular basis.
Finally, the Committee on Information will henceforth hold monthly press briefing to highlight activities of the House and give clarification where the need arises.
Once again, thank you for the confidence reposed in my humble self and the entire leadership of the House. We are at your service 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I pray for love and unity, among Hon. Members and staff. This is the only way we can achieve meaningful progress.
Thank you all and God Bless.
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