It is exactly two years today since the result-oriented 7th Abia State House of Assembly under the Speakership of Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji MNSE was inaugurated. From then on till now, the House comprising people of established excellent characters has been working to see to the peace, unity, progress, prosperity and the general well being of Abians through timely and effective legislative interventions using such instruments as Motions, Bills, Summons, Investigations, Constituency Projects among others to achieve this. So it is not for nothing that the Assembly Members, both as individuals and as a group, have regularly been in the news for good and for the good of the people. This is in line with the Multiple Award Winning Speaker’s avowal in his inauguration speech when he said, “This 7th Abia State House of Assembly shall be vibrant and result-oriented. We are the House of the people, by the people and for the people and we shall endeavour to make the people the centre-point of all our actions and decisions. We are therefore committed to the enactment of sound laws and legislation that will help in uplifting the lives and well-being of Ndi Abia”.
This vision has been the pedestal upon which all the Members have been standing to perform their duties. The effusive accolades they receive almost on a daily basis from people from all walks of life are a copious testimony to how endeared they are to the people for whom they pass impactful motions and make sound laws.
Such laws include but not limited to:
1. H.A.B 1. The Abia State House of Assembly Service Commission Law
2. H.A.B. 3. The Abia State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law
H.A.B. 5. The Abia State Donor Agency Trust Fund Law
H.A.B. 11. The Abia State 2020 Appropriation Law
H.A.B. 17. The Abia State Security Fund (ASSF) Law
H.A.B. 21. The Abians in Diaspora Commission Law
H.A.B. 30. The Abia State Water & Sewage Development Law
H.A.B. 34. The Abia State of Nigeria Supplementary Appropriation Law 2020
H.A.B. 37. The Abia State of Nigeria 2021 Appropriation Law
Apart from a plethora of Motions that have been passed and which are too numerous to mention here, ther are several other Bills that have scaled through the Reading stages awaiting passage into Law.
Let it be emphasised that Abia State House of Assembly is one of the few States that have passed the State House of Assembly Service Commission Law. It is also the first, and remains the only State House of Assembly to date that has passed the Diaspora Commission Law for which even the Presidency commended them severally.
These feats have been achieved within the short period of time the House has had to work considering that 2020 was a year the world almost came to a standstill and activities put on hold. So, while the House was inaugurated two years ago, it has had only one year or even less to achieve the many feats it has recorded, given also that the nationwide strike action of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Body of the civil servants working at State Houses of Assembly, has paralysed activities at the Houses since March this year. Despite this, Members of the Abia State House of Assembly are not relenting in their commitment to the people as they keep on providing dividends of democracy in terms of physical infrastructure.
For example, the Speaker himself has embarked on the construction of nine mini-stadiums across his constituency and beyond. The stadiums which are at different levels of construction stage are located in Isieke community, St Stephen’s Primary School, Umuahia, Ezeleke Community Primary School, Umuopara, Ubakala community, Ikwuano community, while others in Olokoro, Ohuhu and two other communities earmarked for construction, set to take off.
The Speaker has also at one time or the other, provided potable water, electricity transformers, renovation of schools, health centres and such other facilities to communities.
Through his esteemed interventions, citizens of the State have been given employment in both public and private sectors; he has given start up capital/equipment to numerous MSMEs, organised health outreach, sponsored certificated ICT Training/empowerment programmes for youths among other dividends.
The same people oriented services are rendered to their constituents by all Members of the House who have worked in harmony not only as Lawmakers and colleagues, but also as brothers, irrespective of political affiliations, with a common vision of improving the welfare of the people.
While we hear of chaotic relationships between the Executive and the Legislature in other places, the synergy between the Executive and Legislative Arms of Governmemt in Abia State has been top notch and it rubs off positively on the people as the Governor’s ever progressive actions are given accelerated legislative backings and consideration in order for him to deliver on his goals without any encumbrances, hence, in the history of our modern democracy, the Abia State House of Assembly passed the 2020 and 2021 Budgets in record time, making implementation possible right from January 1 of the concerned years, despite putting in painstaking efforts at ensuring they dot all the necessary i’s and cross the appropriate t’s.
So, as the Abia State House of Assembly enters it’s third year of existence, Abians should be assured of even a more responsive, innovative, service and result oriented House that has already written its name in gold as the Best Assembly Abia has ever had, having also bequeathed to the State what is arguably the best House of Assembly Complex East of the Niger!
Jude Chijioke Ndukwe is the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji
