C'River 10th Assembly Passed 28 Laws, 8 Assented To By Otu In 12 Months, Says Deputy Majority Leader, Etta
PEOPLE AND POLITICS…
C'River 10th Assembly Passed 28 laws, 8 Assented To By Otu In 12 Months, Says Deputy Majority Leader, Etta
In this interview with THE BEAGLE NEWS team of Judex OKORO, Missang AKPET and Ndifereke BASSEY, the Deputy Majority Leader, Dr Davies Etta, says the 10th Cross River House of Assembly has passed 28 laws and eight have been assented to by the Governor, Sen. Bassey Otu.within the last 12 months.
Eta, representing Abi constituency and who is also the special adviser to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, said the 10th assembly represents the hope and aspirations of Cross Riverians, the Speaker has provided a purposeful leadership to the 10th assembly even as he debunked allegation that the assembly is on a witch-hunting level with regard to its position to probe the privatisation of some of the assets of the state by the immediate past government.
The medical doctor turned politician and who has held several leadership position in the house including the 9th assembly as chairman on House Committee on Environment, Water Supply and sanitation, Chairman of health and currently chairman on Judiciary, Public Petitions and Conflict Resolutions as well as vice chairman and members of several committees, said members of the 10th assembly have been nothing but dutiful by passing people-oriented laws, motioned moved, and carried out oversight functions with direct impact on the people.
Excerpts...
How could you describe the experience of navigating from the medical profession into the murky waters of politics?
Certainly, it is always not easy transiting from one thing to another. The experience is usually frightening. But this time round it was quite an interesting experience considering the fact that I had played student union politics back then in school. I held several offices from my first year when I emerged a Senator representing Malabo Republic representing the faculty of clinical sciences and I did two terms up to my second year. I went into student union government up to NASS. So, I was undergoing a residency programme at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in the department of surgery before the clarion call by my people to represent them in the state House of Assembly in 2019. Therefore, coming into circular politics was not too difficult for me. It was just continuing with what we were doing in school though in a larger scale. For me, I actually saw politics as hobby and I feel every politician should have a carrier outside politics first so that when you come into politics, you play politics and then go back to your carrier. We don’t need to take politics as a -do-or-die-affair.
An insight into your first term
In my first term I had difficulties in the areas of constituency engagement because by law the House is not eligible for constituency projects. So, for whatever you do you need to struggle from your earnings and see how you can impact on the people. And in my first term I had a lot of litigation. I lost my lost my election and had to go for re-run to reclaim my mandate. I was sworn in and so it took me almost a year and six months before I got stable. That actually affected my performance and capacity to reach my people. But I thank God that my constituency is very political and they understand the game. Well, this is my second term. It was almost unopposed because my people saw the need for me to represent them once again believing that when you prepare a child and he grows and you give him good support he would grow stronger and that him a second chance and that is the strength I am willing in the second term.
The 10th State Assembly is one year. What can you tell us about the House?
The 10th assembly which was inaugurated on June 13, 2023. Usually we have four sessions. One session is a session and we have three remaining. On inauguration, Hon. Elvert Anyambem became the speaker by way of election. Then he gave us accept speech that focuses on people first mantra, thus the people assembly. His leadership from that day has been people oriented. The laws we passed has direct impact on the citizens; the motions moved also impact positively on the people; matters of urgent public importance moved have equally been impacting and even our over-sight functions have been people -driven to see how we can create a state that has the interest of the people as priority. The assembly has passed about 28 laws in this first session and the Governor has assented to 8 laws. There are several other laws at several stages of being passed and when we resume we would look into them. Note that these laws are unique because it has direct impact on the citizenry.We have moved several motions bothering on the people, leading to some of the over-sight functions that have been commended by cross Riverians. The moves to recover some assets of the state government was as a result of the motion moved by the Assembly. For instance, we went to Obudu Cargo Airport and discovered some heavy duty equipment for construction that were not handed over to state government. We investigated the matter and then reclaimed them-several trucks,bulldozers, excavators- and handed over to the commissioner for aviation in conjunction the Special Adviser to the government on assets management and recovery.
In the same spirit, we embarked on some over-sight functions outside the state when we went to Abuja to recover the Cross River house located at Abuja Central Area where a four storey-building , though at the carcass level, that was given out to a particular company at N6m yearly for 30 years. So, we discovered that the concession arrangement wasn't healthy as it was riddled with illegalities. However, we have recovered that house for Cross Rivewrians. We have also embarked on visit to some Cross River state facilitate that were said to have been contracted out or privatised but the document to support such privitisation were not available explicit. For example, the Transcorp hotels, we are investigating it. In other words, the house is saying whenever there is privitisation, there should be clear-cut agreement and some of the companies have not been able to provide that. We have also been able to draw the attention of the executive on fire incident at Bogobiri community, at Ikom involving a petrol station and a church and in Marian market in Calabar through motion of urgent public importance. Again, through matters of urgent importance, the NEWMAP has intervened in a gully erosion that almost cut off Bakoko community. The community is almost reconnected.
The leadership under the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, has been quite commendable. The attitude of members towards legislative duties have been also commendable as we hardly have issues with quorum because members attend sitting very well which is a direct opposite of the 9th Assembly, which I was a member. Perhaps, because the 10th Assembly is predominately made up of new members compared to the 9th that were mostly made up of returnees. However, it is a good thing that members attend sitting and perform their legislative functions.
Coping with pressures from constituents especially in the area of provision of constituency projects
It remains that lawmakers are not constitutionally empowered to execute constituency projects. So, it is difficult for us to roll out our own projects considering the meagre resources at our disposal. Besides, we have constituents calling on us daily basis asking for support for medical bills, rents,birthdays, school fees, accommodation, JAMB and WAEC registrations, travelling for interviews, maternity and festivities. So, by the time you attend to such needs, you finds out it becomes very difficult to think of projects to execute. However, legislators have a leeway in a normal setting which is lobbying the executive to be able attract some projects into the budget for their constituencies. For example, in the 9th Assembly, I was able to attract the Bahumono ring-road in Abi, I was able to attract renovation some primary schools and health centres but it was not achieved because the former governor had his own signature projects and that made it quite difficult for members constituency pojects to be executed. And that was the challenge.
Assets recovery by the house seen as discreet moves to witch haunt former governor Ben Ayade
In terms of assets recovery, the house of assembly is empowered by constitution to make laws, representation and oversight function. Asset recovery falls under the oversight functions very important. And in carrying out oversight function, you must be able to go to sight and corroborate your words with what is obtainable on sight. When you give the executive the power to appropriate, you should be able to go and check if the appropriation is in line with what you have given them the power to do. So, I do not see any element of witch haunting in it what we are doing in terms of recovering some states assets because we are carrying out our constitutional duty. And I cannot remember going into any facility belonging to the former governor to lay claims that it belongs to the state. No! We have not done that. Former Governor Ayade was our leader, still our leader and responsible for most things we have now. So, I would respect him for that. We have not been confrontational in any way. The over sight we went on for assets reclamation was just to set the record straight since they have been a change in power. It became necessary that assets belonging to the state should be properly handed over and where they seem to be error, it is the responsibility of the assembly to do the right thing
The 10th assembly accused of being subservient to the executive arm
That is not correct in any way. As a matter of fact I was a member of the 9th assembly and in then we were accused of being a rubber stamp. In this assembly, we are lucky to have a governor who is seasoned legislator and who give us the freedom to work. He has never interfered in any of our deliberations or activities in any way. All our resolutions passed through to the executive are given due attention. Remember resolutions are the backbone or framework on which the Governor is working with. I would rather say that this assembly is very independent. However, in the absence of legislative autonomy, we cannot be completely independent because we still have strings attached especially in the area of financing the assembly. And if someone finances you you should expect some level of diplomacy in dealing with that person. So, overall there is nothing like being subservient to the executive as being alleged. What I can say is the we have a very cordial working relationship with the executive.
On the botched impeachment of the speaker on allegations bothering among others on financial misapplication, highhandedness and lack of legislative due process.
On May 22, 2024, I did not go to sitting because of flooding that occurred at the assembly and it affected the fence. So, I went to SEMA to complain and on my way I got a call from the Speaker to come to the assembly for plenary and I told him to please excuse me. A few minutes later I got a call that there was an attempt at impeaching the speaker. However, I wouldn't say I am unaware of the grievousness have been building up within the system over the months since we started the 10th assembly. But I never expected that the attempt of impeachment would be the first resort to such dispute resolution because I believe that there are stages in such dispute resolution. There are first and last stages. And so when you take the last as first it becomes very bad. Well the allegations as spelt out to the media ranges from financial misappropriation, incompetency to nu-parliamentary method of conducting plenaries. In all those allegations, from my experience, the major thing there is alleged financial impropriety let me use that words. But know that the assembly doesn't not have a financial autonomy and as such is till a sucking baby to the executive arm. Now, the executive arm knows what comes to the assembly. So the appropriation has already been done before it comes to the assembly. Well, there are certain monies that come that are statutory to members of which you cannot take a dime from it. They are other monies that come that do not have any statutory entitlement but perhaps for a project in the assembly or for members welfare or a token to put smiles on the faces of member. The speaker has been trying his best, but you know the legislature is always in perpetual lack. Once they are in lack, they take it out on the speaker because they expect the speaker to act. So, I would not completely blame them, but I had expected that the aggrieved members channel their case to the leadership structure in the house via to the governor. I believe there are solutions to every problem. But I can tell you the House has moved on and we have put it behind us. We look forward fruitful new session.
