Why A'Ibom Assembly is non-confrontational, by Speaker

APPARENTLY faulting critics of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, its Speaker, Samuel Ikon, has said those who believed that the House must be antagonistic to the Executive before it is seen as being effective, must be living in the past.He observed that those who described the state House of Assembly as a 'rubber stamp' are mischief-makers, stressing that such persons are naive in their thinking and reasoning.The Speaker made the assertions while fielding questions from journalists yesterday at the House of Assembly Complex, Uyo.Ikon wondered why the House should be antagonistic to the Executive when the governor had demonstrated good leadership and always consulted the Assembly in all the government programmes and activities.He said the most significant function of the Legislature was to put in place laws that empower and guide the Executive on proper appropriation of funds, adding that the House had all powers to adjust to its satisfaction any proposal presented to it by the Executive through appropriation.According to him, the main reason they were elected by the people was to protect the interest of their constituencies and ensure better life for Akwa lbom people.He explained that at every point in time, there was always opportunity for the state House of Assembly to make contributions to what the Executive was doing in the state through its oversight functions.The Speaker explained that the House had done a lot for Akwa Ibom people to appreciate in terms of timely intervention in matters that would have affected them negatively like the redeployment of theformer Commissioner of Police in the state, the call on doctors and nurses in the state to be more interested in saving lives instead of money, among other solutions.He expressed disappointment that instead of the people appreciating the worth of the lawmakers, they are causing disaffection.The Speaker expressed confidence and satisfaction on the development projects taking place in the state, pointing out that they were the kinds that would stand the test of time.
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