BY
SAVIOR UDOH
The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke has
declared his led 6th Assembly open and ready to be held accountable at any
time.
Luke
made the declaration, Monday in Uyo, during a courtesy call on him by Chairmen
of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Eket, and Oron branches of the Nigerian Bar Association.
In
his speech, the speaker charged the Bar, as well as other professional bodies
to rise up to the challenge of holding public office holders accountable for
their actions in their respective offices, starting from the Akwa Ibom State
Legislature which he said, is open and ready for such challenge at any time.
In
his words: “a time has come for us to begin to rise and speak against those
things we feel are not right in the society. A time has come for the NBA and
other professional bodies to up their game in holding public officials
accountable in their actions and words”.
The
Nsit Ubium born lawmaker also urged the association to contribute their inputs
to the ongoing constitutional amendment exercise which is before the National
Assembly, hinting that the National Assembly will soon send its proposal to
State Houses of Assembly for consideration, and enjoined NBA members in the
state to gear up towards the task of ensuring that the country has a
constitution that would be acceptable by all Nigerians.
''Very
soon, the National Assembly will be sending their proposal to us on the
Constitution Amendment. We will need your expertise; we will need your wealth
of experience; we will engage a wide range of Akwa Ibom people to know where
they stand before we vote as an Assembly'', he added.
While
reassuring of the commitment of the 6th assembly towards giving the necessary
legislative backing to speedy dispensation of justice in the state, the Speaker
reminded that that the recent expeditious passage of the Criminal Justice
Administration law sponsored by Etinan Representative, Hon. Aniefiok Dennis,
goes further to show the resolve of the legislature in that direction.
In
his words: “I want to assure the bar of the commitment of the sixth assembly
towards the speedy dispensation of criminal justice. That is why we had to
expeditiously pass the administration of criminal justice law which was
sponsored by one of our members who heads the House Committee of Judiciary
Justice, Human Rights and Public Petition.
“We
did this taking into consideration the challenges that the federal government
is facing in the implementation of the criminal justice act 2015. And in the
one that we have passed, we have been able to cure the defects in our own
version. I believe that by the time ours is fully implemented, we would have
changed the dynamics of criminal justice in the state”.
Barr.
Luke charged the leadership on the NBA on the need to expose members of the
profession in continuing legal education, especially in industrial arbitration
and Maritime law. He explained that the need for such training had become
necessary given the ongoing industrialization drive in the state being
undertaken by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
He
reasoned that by the time Ibom deep sea port and several industries would
spring up in the state, it would open up window of opportunities for
practitioners in the legal profession. He promised to discuss the issues raised
by the NBA Chairmen with the Governor with a view of seeking solution to the
matters raised.
The
Speaker also gave clarifications on the under-process anti-grazing bill which
sparked up controversies among members of the public when brought into the
House. On this, he noted that it was unfair for some members of the public to
outrightly condemn the said bill without taking time to look at its good
intentions.
“People’s
input in whatever we do will be determined by their level of knowledge. I say
this using one of our bills for instance- the anti-grazing bill by the house of
assembly. People went to town to criticize members of the house of assembly
without understanding what the bill seeks to do. We have challenges, especially
this farming season where herdsmen are taking their cattle to rear in
farmlands; sometimes, it results in a clash, and in extreme cases, it results
in fatality.
“Some
members sat together and discussed on the need to curb the open grazing by
herdsmen. They found out that sometimes between the hours of 10pm and maybe
about 1 or 2am, you see cattle on the streets of our city.
These members then
rose and said that it is not good for us to allow this to happen; is there any
way we can come together to ask herdsmen to do their cattle rearing business
within the best practices in cattle rearing worldwide?
“If
there are certain positions in the bill that they feel will not go down well
with the people of the state, it is at the level of the public hearing that
opportunities will be open for people to come and point out where they are not
comfortable with, instead of going to cast aspersions on the legislature
without looking the purpose of the bill and the mischief that it seeks to curb.
And if you are saying we should not pass the anti-grazing bill, then you have
to come and suggest to us an alternative means to check this open grazing by
herdsmen”, Luke explained.
Speaking
on behalf of the NBA Chairmen, the Uyo Branch Chairman, Mrs. Enobong Akpan, the
NBA in the state commended the Speaker for his contributions towards the
promotion of the rule of law in Akwa Ibom State.
The
Bar also appreciated Barr. Luke for always identifying with his professional
body. The NBA Chairmen used the opportunity to intimate the Speaker on some
issues of concern to the professional body.
Meanwhile,
the Speaker, in another development, commended the Chairman, Ibom Power
company, Engr. Etido Inyang, board members, management and staff of the company
for the improved power situation currently witnessed in the state.
He
made the commendation, same day, while playing host to the leadership and
members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE. He lauded the company for
keying into the industrialization vision of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Engr.
Inyang, a member of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and Chairman of the
state-owned power company, had accompanied the Chairman of the professional
body, Engr. Mfon Udo Ekong on the courtesy visit to the Speaker.
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