…says in the previous Assembly, most of the Private Member Bills were not signed except Burial Law.
The 8th Anambra State House of Assembly has passed 31 bills into law and 72 resolutions for the past two years that have great impacts on the people, iNews Times reports.
Eleven of the laws are Private Member Bills while the best of the laws are Local Government Administration Law, Homeland Security Law, Electricity Regulatory Law, Anambra State Development and Investment Corporation, Indigenous Medicine Practices Law, Herbal Law, among others.
Briefing newsmen in his office ahead of his Second Year in Office and Second Year Anniversary of the 8th Assembly, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Somtochukwu Udeze said in the previous Assembly, most of the Private Member Bills were not signed except Burial Law.
This, he said, was made possible through the symbiotic relationship existing between the legislature and the executive which culminated into the total renovation of the Assembly Complex and changing the landscape.
“During our retreat two years ago when I was made the speaker, I did an extensive research about legislature in the Western world and Africa. This issue of rubber stamp is being misused in relations to the collaboration between the executive and legislature. In Anambra, we have history.
“With the administration of Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, it is One People, One Agenda. The best way to go is to work with the policies of the government bearing in mind our assignment of lawmaking, oversight and representation.
“And in the past two years, collaboration through the activities of House Committees, we establish a good relationship with the executive. When there is no war, why prepare for war? We are doing our own little contribution for the development of the state in terms of appropriation through the Public Accounts Committee to oversight the accounts of the State.
“To a lazy man idea, once the state legislature is not fighting Mr Governor, they said the House is rubber stamped. We however have opposition in the Assembly, but we work together for the overall good of the state,” the Speaker maintained.
On the relationship between the lawmakers and parliamentary staff, Rt Hon Udeze said there exist cordial relationship between the two. “We still need a new administrative block so that the staff would have more comfortable environment to work,” he said.
On their impacts on their 30 constituencies, Rt Hon Udeze noted that the House established contacts with their constituents through Constituency Empowerment, town hall meetings, skill acquisition programmes, state insurance scheme, among others.
“By the end of our tenure, the state will be proud of what members have done considering how well we have represented them, seeing the quality of laws we made and resolutions passed.
“I adopted destructive change immediately I became Speaker. Rearranged my office, do Executive Session everyday and later once a month before sitting by 10am. That’s why I explained to Mr Governor that for me to actually work, I need a total renovation of this complex and change the landscape. This was supported by my colleagues and staff. Every Tuesday during morning devotion, I see my staff liks Mr Clerk, Deputy Clerk and other legislative staff. This has been our strength. The lowest part to me was when we lost about three of our staff and it distracted us,” the Speaker regretted.
