Delta State Assembly pledges speedy action on herders/farmers bill, others

Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA), Sheriff Oborevwori, has disclosed that the House will facilitate debate and passage of the herdsmen/farmers law, as the bill is being reintroduced.

He said prior to the inauguration of the Seventh Assembly on June 10, 2019, the House rode on the gains of the Sixth Assembly to organise pre-induction programmes for members-elect, saying the essence was to birth a virile and vibrant legislature.

His words: “With the lessons learnt in the programmes, the lawmakers set objectives for the Seventh Assembly, which include a legislature based on a knowledgeable staff and well-informed members with ability, commitment and competence.

“Timely consideration and processing of bills, motions and requests from the executive, transformation of the Assembly Complex, Legislators Quarters and an Assembly that will provide effective service delivery to the people.

“Others are constructive engagement with the executive in policy formulation and transformation of same into law were the necessary and robust mechanism for citizens engagement.”

He, however, denounced insinuations that the Assembly was a rubber stamp of the executive, insisting that it only had a cordial working relationship with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Oborevwori disclosed this in Asaba while addressing members on the activities of the House and the legislative journey of the First Session of the Seventh Assembly, which ended on June 10, 2020.

He added that with the end of the First Session, the lawmakers were stepping into the Second Session with zeal, hope and confidence, as it was their desire to continue to improve on their performance.

The Speaker also recalled how the success of the Sixth Assembly put a burden of high expectation on the Seventh Assembly, saying, “We have not rested on our oars in ensuring that the Seventh Assembly continues to drive positive change and remain committed to the promotion of the rule of law, democratic tenets and ethos.”

He explained that in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the House, in line with the state government’s guidelines and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols, devised means to enable it to hold plenary to consider critical Finance Bills to effectively position the state for the trying times.

The Bills are, Delta State Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Law 2020, Delta State Public Procurement Law 2020, Delta State Revised Appropriation Law 2020 and Delta State Internal Revenue Service Law 2020.

During the period under review, the House also engaged with the executive arm in a bid to move the state forward, as members actively engaged in constituency visits and town hall meetings to get feedback from their constituents, as well as promote government policies and programmes.