We Commit Our Bills To Public Hearing, Says Onofiok Luke

By Otoobong John

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The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Onofiok Luke has reiterated the fact that the 6th Assembly has a track record of subjecting every of its bills to public hearing before they are passed into law.

Barr Luke spoke on the heels of the widespread public misconception trailing a proposed law to tax properties in Akwa Ibom state.

“Every law that we have passed as a house, every bill that we have had, has always been committed to public hearing after the second hearing before further legislative actions are taken on them. This is why we often widely publicise our public hearings in the media so people can take advantage of them”, the Speaker said during Tuesday’s plenary of the House. 

He emphasised that it was important that the public understands the workings of the legislature before passing comments on their activities to avoid misinformation.

He said members of the public should always take advantage of the opportunities of public hearings organised on bills by the House to learn first hand about proposed laws, air their views, and register their dissatisfaction where there are any.

He assured journalists covering the state assembly of a training on legislative reporting in three weeks’ time to further polish them on legislative processes and the basics of legislative reporting.

The bill for a property charge law in the state was brought to the House by Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh and 11 other members. One of the sponsors of the bill, Hon. Mark Esset on Facebook denied his involvement as a co-sponsor of the bill. But a copy of the bill obtained by journalists indicates that he is actually number 7 on the list of co-sponsors of the property charge bill.

Since the lie by the Nsit Atai member was made public, he has not tendered any apology to his readers.

The proposed bill is expected to, in line with the traditions of the House, undergo public hearing before being considered on the floor of the House at the level of the Committee of the whole. At this stage, depending on inputs made by the public, the bill will either be rejected or passed into law.

Also on Tuesday, the bill for a law to regulate grazing in the state by cattle and ruminants passed through second reading. The bill was brought by the member representing Essien Udim state constituency, Hon. Nse Ntuen. The bill will, among others, checkmate the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the state to safeguard lives and property.

According to a release signed yesterday by the Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House, Mr Kufre Okon, the bill will ensure that “Any herdsman found in possession of firearms shall be charged with unlawful possession of firearms.

“Any confiscated cattle shall be taken to government cattle ranches or any other designated areas as may be directed.
“Any property or farm products destroyed by the cattle shall be valued by the agricultural officers and made to be paid for by the herdsman”.

The Speaker of the House, Barr Onofiok Luke said the bill is a reflection of the assembly’s people-centred philosophy. He said there was need for the House to act proactively to safeguard the lives and properties of residents in the state.

He said “the House of Assembly is here to make laws that will safeguard the lives and properties of our people at all times because this is what we were elected to do.”
It would be recalled that Rt. Hon. Luke himself had in his first term in 2013 moved a motion on the floor of the House seeking full government control of the activities of herdsmen in the state. He had warned that it was important for government to take proactive steps to ensure that areas were designated for grazing, areas where herdsmen and their cattle would be put in close monitoring by relevant authorities within the state.
Others who spoke in support of the bill are the member representing Ibiono Ibom state constituency, Rt. Hon. Ime Okon and the member representing Abak state constituency, Rt. Hon. Friday Iwok. The two lamented the extent to which activities of herders have endangered the lives and properties of farmers in the country, and said it was time that laws were made to ensure that people are protected.
Hon. Otobong Ndem and Hon. Otobong Akpan warned during the debate that it was dangerous for government to not act at a time when there are experiences of reckless killings and destructions of properties by herdsmen in other parts of the country.
Also speaking, the member representing Nsit Ibom state constituency in the House, Hon. (Princess) Mfon Ekong, said those who suffered the most at the hands of herders and their cattle were women. Deputy Speaker, Princess Felicia Bassey, also said it was important that her colleagues gave their full support to the bill so as to ensure government at the state level turns its search light fully on criminals who claim to be herdsmen.
The bill which was read the second time has now been committed to the joint house committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and the committee on Environment and Mineral Resources.