AKHA OFFERS SELF FOR ACCOUNTABILITY CHALLENGE

By Saviour 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.