Bayelsa lawmakers end legislative year, pass 12 bills, others
From Willie Etim, Yenagoa
THE Bayelsa State House of Assembly has ended its first legislative year, passing a total of 12 bills, 15 resolutions and 20 motions.
The House, which was inaugurated on June 2, 2003, has 19 new members out of the 24 while the other five have been in the House since 1999.
In his speech, the speaker of the state House, Boyelfa Debekeme, noted that because of the understanding exhibited by the legislators, friction was reduced to the barest minimum.
He said that the House was able to meet up the 181 days sitting requirement, despite the seeming in-conducive working environment. He added that in the last one year, the lawmakers had participated in many national and international legislative conferences.
Beyond making laws, the speaker pointed out that the House played host to several guests, including the British High Commission to Nigeria, Mr. Philip Thomas, members of National Assembly and delegation from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Jos.
According to him, the Assembly had participated at the conference of the Commonwealth Parliament Association (CPA), African National Conference in Kenya, the 49th CPA International Conference in Bangladesh and a visit to the British House of Common in London.
"Within the period under review, the leadership of the House was able to install intercom to link all offices within the Assembly complex and gave face-lift to the complex with the assistance of the House Committee on Works and House Service", he added.
He also noted that the Lawmakers now live in comfortable residential accommodation as a result of the co-operation the House enjoys from the executive arm.
While commending Lawmakers for the cordial relationship they have with the governor DSP Alamieyesigha he said, "it is no gain-saying that this House, in exercising its oversight legislative function nipped many crisis at the bud, making Bayelsa today the most peaceful state in Nigeria".
The bills which were passed by the House, included; Bayelsa State Council (Amendment) Bill 2003, The State Environmental Sanitation Authority (Amendment) Bill 2003, Local Government (Amendment) Bill (No. 4) 2003, and Housing and Property Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2003, among others.
Meanwhile, the speaker of Eboyi State, Christopher Omo Isu has said that the House was able to pass the bills into law because of the co-operation of it received.
Omo-isu who spoke to reporters on the event of the one-year anniversary of the Assembly, stated that most of the bills were from the executive and the people. He said that almost all the laws have been assented by the Governor Sam Egwu, adding that they were aimed at giving legal backing to the government policies and programmes.
The speaker enumerated some of the bills to include law number 002 of 2003, which is meant to forestall youth's productivity to violent, crime and cultism in school while law no. 005 of 2004, called for revenue distribution to Local Government (Amendment) law.
