INTERVIEW: We Have Robust Relationship With Executive Arm, Says Ovat
Hon. Ovat Agbor represents Obubra State constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly. Agbor has been the chairman of the House Committee Chairman of the Environment, member Committee on Judiciary, and Public Account Committee (PAC). In this interview with Missang AKPET, Ovat stated that the Legislature has a robus relationship with the Executive arm of government, arguing that the two arms need not necessarily engage in in-fighting. He rather advocated a collaboration and interface for the people’s benefit. On the introduction of passengers’ manifest, the lawmaker further argued that manifest will help the government collect data of people traveling in and outside the state as well help in tracking down criminals moving across the states.
Excerpts :
How has it been in the last two years?
Well, let me just highlight a few things that I have done, for me, you know, as a legislator, my job is to represent the people, to oversight and lawmaking and I think in these three aspects of a legislator, I have done my best to make sure I represent my people well in these aspects that are supposed to be my core duties. I try my best to speak for the people of Obubra State constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly.
I know that as a legislator, you are not just representing Obubra alone, you are a member of the Cross River State House of Assembly. I make sure I speak in any area that I know that will make Cross River State a better place. I do my best and if it demands moving a motion, I do. If it demands sponsoring a motion, I do it with all amounts of passion. So for me, any area we know we need to look at, especially our laws that are obsolete, I participate actively to ensure the law meets up the present reality of life.
Insight into motions moved so far
Some of the few motions I have moved bordered the outbreak of Lassa fever which ravaged the Eja community in the Obubra local government. I moved that motion with passion and spoke extensively about that motion. Another one that really caught my fancy was the issue of these cows straying around the streets messing up the streets with droppings in Calabar metropolis. The motion touched on the people and it seems like there's nobody to make any comment in that regard. Everybody seemed to be silent and the people were having a filled day. Again, I moved a motion against indiscriminate motor parks around Calabar metropolis. There are motor parks in Bogobri where big trucks load palm oil closing the street. They have turned that place into a park. I was concerned about that motion.
I also moved a motion on the water board in the local governments where we have a shortage of water mostly during the dry seasons. The Governor quickly acted in that motion to make sure that the water was restored in the local governments and many others. Again, I moved a motion on the need for intervention after the windstorm wreaked havoc on Obubra community. Recall that windstorm blew over 150 houses in Obubra and the government acted swiftly by providing relief materials to victims.
Your relationship with your constituents
My relationship with my constituents has been very fantastic. We really have a wonderful relationship but you know that as a legislator there are things that you cannot do people are expecting you. They believe in empowerment like giving out materials; and giving out farm inputs during farming season. Our constituents believe that you should give them funds and inputs to farm. They forget that those are things that are not given by legislators. We are not executive and we don't execute projects. The only little thing you can do is to fall back on your salary to assist. In that circumstance, you look at the problem critically and you give alms to aid people that genuinely deserve that support.
Besides, I make sure that my constituents are protected when it comes to the area of employment and promotions. I make sure that they get their promotions as at when due and make sure that no one is cheated or being looked down upon. If you are supposed to be at a certain level at a particular time, I will follow it up to the last; if you have been promoted and the implementation becomes a problem, I will want to get involved. If you are retired and you know that, as a retiree, you need to get your pension allowances, I will try. Those are the things that I so passionately about. So, these are the things I do for my people as their representative. Just like Governor Bassey Otu's mantra is the people's first government, I think if anyone of my constituents will go home happily. That is my job and that's what I stand to do. I want to always give my services at any point in time.
Insight into motions on illegal parks
I had a meeting with them under the Ministry of Environment cluster. In the environment, they talk about environmental sustainability. You must continue to do it again and again. You don't stop. You must sustain whatever the past does. What the government has done is positive in the area of the environment, just like the era of Donald Duke if you are holding sachet water, even your conscience will tell you that this thing I'm holding in my hand, I must not drop it on the grass. You must infuse that to the people and you must practicalise it.
The government has appointed them. What they should do is to take on every assignment that is positive that will make sure it gives Cross River State a good image.The government on its own, today, you hardly see potholes around Calabar, which is unknown before. You just drive, you see potholes everywhere, you move around Calabar, it's like you are in prison, everywhere is dark. But today, sometimes I drive around Calabar, I will even forget that my headlight is not on.
Last time you talked about introducing passengers’ manifest in all parks. How far have you gone in that regard?
Yes, manifest! That bill on the passenger manifest I think is about to go for public hearing. You see, manifest is a very important document, passenger health management is a very important document. If you go to the airport, if you are travelling by air, no matter what, before you board the plane, before you even buy the ticket, you must send details about yourself. Even when you are boarding, they want to see your ID card and that is where they pick your name to write your manifest in case there is any mishap and it's very important.
Like the waterways you see today, most of our boat will move nobody knows who is boarding and anything that happens, nobody sometimes knows, you can't even identify the people except if there are people missing who travel through that means. What of somebody who cannot talk and there are people that can decide to travel even without even telling anybody because of your relations and person.
You see, sometimes when people travel by road there maybe accidents. Sometimes they could get burnt or something they can't even find the manifest but you have a duplicate behind and that duplicate is now what is going to identify this person or persons. Manifest is a very important document. If you go to the Southeast, manifest is everywhere. In Anambra state, it was passed into law in the year 2001. In Imo state most it was passed into law in the year 2003 and I was part of it.
So, in Cross River state, after making a whole lot of investigation I found out that we don't want to have a comprehensive passenger manifest and I said no, the government needs to have data of people that are traveling in case there's any eventuality. I must tell you too, sometimes if you are looking for a criminal, manifest is one of the documents that we equally use to identify people who live in a particular place. Sometimes you see some people carrying children that are not their own. Maybe stolen or something and they are traveling. You now ask the child, what is your name the child? The child may give his or her name if it's different from what the person has given the person that is carrying the same child you have the opportunity to ask that child and a whole lot of other things.
Sometimes the manifest staff interfaces with the people inside the vehicle and in the cause of doing that they could discover that the person carrying this child looks suspicious. At that point, the staff integrate them and teach them what they should know even as they are going to carry out this assignment and send this data to the government.
You know that Cross River state is a tourism state and you need to know the people coming in and going out to enable you take statistics of people leaving every day in and out ascertain in a month or in a year how many people come into Cross River State. So, passengers manifest is a very important document you don’t need to be told, I can categorically tell you that around the April Lagos state government just passed it into law but I sponsored the bill even before Lagos state. Today Lagos state has quickly passed theirs because of how important passengers manifest, which will engage a lot of citizens and help to reduce poverty and equally get data of people leaving the state and for security purposes. Having this passenger's manifest is very important, it is a document that i think we don't need to joke with.
Assessment of the present house of assembly and major achievements.
The Assembly’s achievement are numerous. Let me just pick one that is unique which is expansion of appointments in the local government level from 23 to 50. Now we have expanded that level of engagement so that governance can trickle down to every ward in a local government council. Before now, not all wards were captured in most cases but today I can tell you that governance can trickle down to every ward in council because of that bill. This has brought governance to the grassroots.. This bill gives me so much joy because it bothers on the livelihood of persons.
The relationship between the legislature and the executive
The Governor we have now has been a legislator before, he has been in the House of Reps and also a Senator before becoming the Governor. I must tell you that he respects the legislature so much and whatever motion we come out with he acts swiftly. In every forum, he always tell you how the legislature has been very supportive of his government. It has been like a father and son relationship. We have a robust relationship but you know, people believe that when the executive and the legislature don’t fight or argue it means the government is not doing well or the legislature is rubber stamp. Meanwhile, when once this problem comes up, the people suffer I must tell you. Look at the case of Rivers state and it should teach people a lesson. The best way is to work with the executive and where you have grey areas you sit down and interface and come to a midpoint so the will people benefit.
