By Onomiguren Agbamu
Deputy Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon (Chief) Arthur Akpowowo, has stressed the need for greater public awareness on bills and resolutions passed by the Assembly.
The Deputy Speaker also called for stronger collaboration between the mass media and the House in publicizing the activities of the State Legislature.
Akpowowo gave the charge during an interface with Assembly Correspondents, immediately after Wednesday’s plenary of the House, presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon Emomotimi Dennis Guwor.
The Deputy Speaker who is the Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Compliance, expressed concern that there were so many people’s oriented bills passed by the House and accented to by the Governor that the public are not aware of.
He said no society thrives without rule of law, stressing that some recent developments in the state calls for more actions in the implementation of laws and resolutions passed by the State Assembly.
“When I appeared on radio live programme in DBS Asaba last week and talking about the Delta State Livestock law, people were calling that they are not even aware of such law.
“There are other people’s oriented laws that suffer same fate as well as motions and resolutions of the House. I have also challenged the State Orientation Bureau to help in educating the public on existing laws in the state and the need for their full implementations.
“The laws and resolutions are made to be obeyed and enforced, to entrench sanity in all parts of the state. The open grazing law is one of such laws which non implementation has not done the public any good”, Akpowowo stated.
He commended the Assembly Press Corp for giving visibility to the state legislature, even as he expressed happiness that one of them in the person of Mr Nkem Nwaeke was picked by the Speaker, Rt Hon Emomotimi Dennis Guwor as his Chief Press Secretary, CPS.
“I know Nkem many years back as a hard working and an outstanding reporter. His experience in the job has helped in the coverage of the House. We were all happy when the Speaker announced him as his CPS. We are all benefiting from it”.
Speaking on other issues, the Deputy Speaker condemned the lawlessness and violent nature of some Okada riders operating in the state capital territory and stressed the need for those concern to enforce the ban on Okada in the metropolis.
“These Okada riders came from a session of the country. So violent and lawless. If they hit your vehicle, problem. If you hit any of them, they mob you, even to death.
“They came in dove into the state without any place in mind to stay. They converged in uncompleted buildings and most times turned the place to criminal den.
“The sad development has raised a lot of public concerns and I believe that efforts are being made by the state government in collaboration with security agencies to check the ugly trend”, Akpowowo said.
Flanked by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transport, Chief Jaro Egbo, the Deputy Speaker assured Deltans of the commitment of the State Assembly to peace and good governance of the state.
For his part, Chief Egbo praised the efforts of the media at projecting the state in good light, saying that the MORE agenda of the state government is on course.
The Special Adviser commended the sound synergy between the Executive and the State Assembly in the Advancing Delta Project of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
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