December 22, 2016

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Robust Legislative Engagement: A Report of God’s Amazing Grace By Onofiok Luke

PROTOCOLS

Dear constituents, I stand here today in thanksgiving to God Almighty whose Amazing Grace has been more than sufficient unto me in my political journey. I am thankful to God for the gift of good health and sound mind, the price of a supportive wife and loving children and the testimonies of a praying mother and a rich heritage.

It is difficult to express my gratitude and love to you all. I want to say so much, but I can hardly find the words. Love and gratitude is all I feel, standing in front of you. I am grateful for the love you, my dear constituents, have shown me since the very day I decided to join the race to represent you in 2011, at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. I was young in both years and experience, but you trusted me with your votes, believed in me with your conscience and developed me with you counsel.

Permit me, to especially thank the Captain of team Akwa Ibom State, the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, for his exemplary leadership in rendering forthright and selfless services towards the collective development of Akwa-Abasi Ibom State.

Your Excellency, you have pursued vigorously, with a sincerity of purpose, the creation of wealth for the sustainable development of the Akwa Ibom people. Your sincerity of purpose, forthrightness has strengthened my resolve, to believe that Akwa Ibom state will definitely rise to greatness under your divine ordained leadership.

I thank you, Sir, for always identifying with Nsit Ubium people immediately we come knocking on your door. Thank you for the support you have given to me to succeed as the Speaker and for the success of this event today. Thank you for the brotherly role you have played in my life and for the wonderful working relationship we enjoy which has benefitted Nsit Ubium people in particular and Akwa Ibom people as a whole.

I want to very specifically thank Her Excellency, Deaconess Martha Udom Emmanuel. You have been God’s vessel of honour standing in my support and that of my family. Your contributions to the success of this event through your pet project, the Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Programme, FEYReP, has been tremendous.

Let me express my very profound gratitude to my political mentor, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, the Senate Minority Leader of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his dear wife, Mrs. Unoma Ekaette Akpabio. This family had opened up their doors to me and adopted me as their very own.

My deepest gratitude goes to my colleagues, the leadership and honorable members of the 6th Assembly for not only seeing me fit and electing me Speaker, of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, but for also giving me their full support, and commitment as we partner towards delivering on the mandate of the administration of His Excellency, Deacon Udom Emmanuel.

I must also thank the Elders of Nsit Ubium, particularly our political leader, the distinguished Senator Effiong Dickson Bob for his counsel, support and prayers. I am deeply moved by the expression of confidence by the elders, women and youths of the various communities in Nsit Ubium. I thank you for receiving me at your houses and farmlands, market stalls, oil mills and streams when I came asking for your votes.

Let me acknowledge and appreciate the support and love I have enjoyed from the family of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua right from my days as Speaker of the Nigeria Youth Parliament till today. Her Excellency, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua has been a mother.

I am immensely grateful, to the greatest and largest political party, the P.D.P, the state Chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, and our loyal supporters who so generously contributed their time, efforts and resources to our campaigns from the primaries to the general elections last year. I could not have had a better political party, whose ticket I have confidently carried since 2011.

Please permit me to respectful thank and acknowledge my spiritual parents, Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Ntia I. Ntia, who have nurtured me to the spiritual consciousness of my being and guided me to the cross, and fed me to spiritually grow. I am grateful to my loving wife, Dr Uduak Onofiok Luke, and children, Etiusungisang, Enoabasi, Uduakobong, and Uwakmfonabasi as well as my dear mother, Deaconess Lawrencia Luke, and my siblings and their spouses for their supports. Thank you my staffers. You have been tremendous in support, commitment and dedication to duty.

Let me note at this juncture that words would fail me if I attempt to narrate the story of my tortuous journey to the point that I am now. So I would yield to the word of God in Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall yea not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and river in the desert”. So this afternoon, because God made a way in the wilderness for me on November 29, 2014 in the primary elections, because He made the river to flow in my desert on April 23, 2015 at the general elections, because He calmed the storms at the election tribunal on September 7, 2015, stood strongly with us at the appeal court on October 21, 2015, and crowned it with my elevation as Speaker of the State House of Assembly on December 21st, 2015, I have come here today not to remember the former things, but rather to appreciate you and to thank God for doing a new thing; for using you to exalt Nsit Ubium state constituency.

Dear constituents, everyday, since I assumed office to represent you, I have carried with me a deep sense of gratitude and privilege, a sense of duty of project Nsit Ubium in a manner that will elicit the greatness of our people. I must acknowledge that you have taken the time to share with me your ideas, your concerns and aspirations and I am a beneficiary of your willingness to discuss openly, what really matters to you. You have provided me with the ideas and feedback which I need to get the job done at all times.

Over the years, I have worked diligently to live up to the promises that I made during my campaigns: To build a better future for my people, to uplift the poor, to empower the underprivileged and create wealth; in the smallest capacity I can.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, as I promised at the last briefing, we have not only put efforts in place to sustain the tempo in our agenda for robust legislative engagement which inspired our campaign in 2011, but we have tried to raise the bar in our legislative outputs in the last two years. From the feedbacks which we have been receiving at the office, I am positive that we have not failed you in delivering on your mandate especially in my areas of primary assignment at the legislature – the areas of lawmaking, oversight and representation. Howbeit, I shall attempt to touch a few areas of my engagement at the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly in the last couple of years.

THE SCORE CARD

Lawmaking

So far, I have been able to sponsor 4 additional bills, bringing the total to 13 bills for which I have been Lead Sponsor since I got to the House. Four of these bills have been passed into law. The latest that has been passed into law is the bill for the protection to the physically challenged persons in our society against all forms of abuse and discrimination. For me, every man and woman, every child who suffers physical impairment of any form in our state should enjoy same rights and privileges as any other person. This bill will become operational as soon as His Excellency signs it. I must mention that the outlawing of discriminations and ill-treatment of the physically challenged persons was imperatively built around the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Undergoing legislative processes are four other bills which I have sponsored as the member representing Nsit Ubium state constituency. They are the bills for a law to provide for the establishment of Akwa Ibom State Social Housing scheme and the establishment of an agency to manage the scheme; the bill for a law to establish the state health insurance scheme; the bill for a law to establish an agency which will promote and implement the Akwa Ibom state health insurance scheme; and the bill for a law to provide for Akwa Ibom state primary healthcare development agency and for matters connected therewith. I believe, if found worthy by my colleagues to be made a law, these bills will touch significantly on the socioeconomic life of Nsit Ubium people and Akwa Ibom people at large. Let me also mention that the social housing bill was woven around His Excellency’s efforts to pursue a robust housing scheme for the people of Akwa Ibom state. Also, the bill for a law to establish the state health insurance scheme is an attempt to domesticate the sterling benefits of the national health insurance scheme. It also takes its root from the universal health coverage ideology which is being widely adopted in many developing communities across the world. Similarly, the primary healthcare development agency bill is founded on the philosophy of accessibility of basic healthcare services to individuals, families, and communities especially those in the rural areas.

Oversight

Since my last briefing when I came here as the chairman committee on appropriation and finance of the House, I have had to serve in three different house committees as chairman – first, as chairman committee on agriculture and natural resources just before the end of the 5th assembly, and then chairman committee on justice, human rights and public petition in the 6th assembly; and later, chairman committee on education still in the 6th assembly before I was graciously elected by my colleagues to serve as the Speaker of the House, and by implication, Chairman committee of the whole. In those committees and through God’s grace, I tried to give a worthy account of Nsit Ubium state constituency. In the agric and natural resources committee for instance, I led the House to interface with farmers of all categories with the view to bringing up legislations that would deepen government’s commitment to food security and development and storage of seedling of crops of economic value. As Chairman Judiciary, Justice, Human Rights and Public Petitions, I led my colleagues to screen the nominees for appointment into the very first executive council of the Deacon Udom Emmanuel administration. As chairman committee on education, I led the committee to interface with education stakeholders in the state with the view to reviewing secondary and primary schools’ curricula. In that committee, we also engaged experts on areas that we believe will strengthen the free and compulsory education policy of the state government. I played other vital roles in other committees in which I was either Deputy Chairman or just a member. In my capacity as Speaker, I have led the House into strategic partnership agreements with government and non-governmental organizations like the Nigerian Institute of Legislative Studies. It is my belief that these partnerships will help develop human capacity to better serve our constituents.

Representation

Dear constituents, you can bear witness to the fact that I have not relented efforts in keeping in close touch with you since the elections were over. This has been so because I believe that in constantly meeting and interacting with you, I can have a true picture of your needs and communicate same to appropriate quarters where I cannot meet such needs personally. This relationship has enabled me to consolidate on the gains of the robust legislative engagement which we have had since 2011 when you first elected me. In the first four years of my representation, you would recall that we had engaged in massive construction of market stalls, schools, and town halls and civic centres which were carried out as constituency projects. By the grace of God and through the goodwill of the governor, I was able to attract government’s attention to dilapidated roads within our constituency to be included in the budgets of those years. It is in the same vein that I am strongly advocating the urgent completion of roads within this locality. I am very particular about Uyo-Etinan-Eket road because its completion will not only impact positively on Nsit Ubium but will open up our entire Etinan federal constituency to greater economic opportunities. Also is the need for the construction of Ikot Ekpan – Ntit-Oton – Edemidimokpot – Mbiekene – Nnung Obong road, with a spur to Ikot Etobo – Atan – Ikot Imo road. I am following up with the state ministry of works on this road and I have the assurances of our dear Governor that work will be carried out on this road speedily.

Dear constituents, the last two years have not only thrown up a new government at the federal level, but has seen to dwindling national income. This has slowed down the fiscal plans of government at all levels. Institutions like the state legislatures have also been affected. This reduced income is why constituency projects have not been carried out in the number that we used to. The story is same across the various state constituencies in the country. However in spite of the economic situation, in Nsit Ubium through the magnanimity of the governor, we have attracted government’s intervention projects such as:

1. Construction of market stalls at Ndukpoise
2. Construction of market stalls, Ikot Edibon
3. Water Project at Obio Ekid
4. Water Project at Ntit Oton
5. Water Project at Ikot Ansang
6. Electricity transformers to communities
7. Attraction of state government intervention projects such as the grading of internal roads within the state constituency
8. Attraction of intervention projects in education and health sector through the Inter-ministerial Direct Labour Committee

I thank the Governor for massively funding the execution of 2015/2016 constituency projects using the platform of Inter-ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee for their executions. More schools and health facilities will be built or renovated and many more internal roads will be constructed.

Although resources have been scarce, I have in the course of the last two years continued with two frontline schemes that we started in 2012 – the constituency transport scheme (CTS) and the giving of Seed Fund for Business Start-up (SFBS) to small scale business owners. Two months ago, for instance, ten youths from across the state constituency benefitted from the one million naira seed funds that were made available to support their businesses through the scheme. Today, many more youths and women will benefit from the transport scheme as well as the seed fund.

My Pact with you

I promised during the last constituency briefing that I was not going to rest on my oars in attracting to this constituency the dividend of democracy. I promised to partner our governor in order to ensure that Nsit Ubium state constituency benefits greatly from the sustainable development programmes of the governor. I have therefore come to show appreciation to you and to empower your businesses in line with those promises. So today, we have spotted areas of needs and we have identified people who should benefit from the constituency transport initiative as well as the seed fund. Let me emphasise two things here: first, I made a promise during the last election that our next empowerment programme was going to be focussed on funding ideas and supporting businesses run by women. In fulfillment of that promise, more than 80 percent of those who will benefit from today’s support programme are women with skills and small scale businesses. Secondly, I wish also to note that the empowerment today is based on the data gathered in our needs assessment efforts. We saw some of the needs first hand when we campaigned in the nooks and crannies of the state constituency in 2015. These garnered data informed the areas in which we decided to provide support.

Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. On the 25th of September, 2015, the entire world had committed and adopted to 17 goals and 169 targets. These set of goals were adopted to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Each of these adopted goals were given specific targets to be achieved over the next 15years.

Interestingly, economists have estimated that the cost of implementing these sustainable development goals will run to the trillions of dollars. What these mean is that, for the goals to be reached, everyone needs to do their part; governments, the private sector, civil society, individuals. The Agenda to transform our world has gone beyond the government. It involves all of us.

Today, marks a major milestone in my mission to contribute to these adopted agenda of eradicating poverty and ensuring prosperity for my immediate constituency towards sustainable development.

These empowerment programmes represents not just the distribution of resources, but the continuation of a journey towards sustainable employment, increased income and a prosperous future for the beneficiaries and their dependents.

In line with this, therefore, sixteen vehicles are here to be put into the constituency transport scheme, are 10 mini buses for ten women and 6 saloon cars for 6 women. Five of the mini buses are available through the support of the Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Programme, FEYReP, the empowerment initiative of Her Excellency, Deaconess (Mrs) Martha Udom Emmanuel. There are also 10 motorbikes for ten youths selected from across the ten wards. In the business support category, 10 youths will receive 100,000 naira each for business start-up. Another group of 20 youths will receive 50,000 Naira each to support their trading. The business start-up fund for the youths is also with the support of FEYReP. Ten women will receive 100,000 Naira each to support their businesses. Ten other women will receive petty-trading packages worth 50,000 naira each, while another category of women will receive supports for their small scale businesses to the tune of 100,000 naira each. The sum of 50,000 naira will be made available to 20 women with promising small scale businesses in the state constituency.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, this year, I am formally introducing and instituting two additional schemes. They are the skill development scheme which is aimed at helping to commercialise skills which our constituents were initially empowered to acquire as well as the constituency education support programme. In this category, I am making available 10 sewing machines for 10 women, and 10 vulcanizing machines for 10 youths. There are also 10 hairdressing equipments with 10 power generating sets for 10 women.

Under the constituency education support programme, 100 students will be given 20,000 naira each as bursary, while 10 indigent students will receive 100,000 naira worth of scholarship each. In addition, 5 law school students will receive 100,000 naira each to support their studies at the Law School. Also, hundreds of specialised textbooks and computer sets will today be given to 5 select secondary schools in the state constituency as part of our education support programme. The schools include Community Secondary School, Ikot Okobo; Adiagha Obong Secondary School, Ikot Imo; Western Nsit Secondary School, Ukat Aran; Ubium Community Secondary School, Ikot Okwot; and Community Secondary School, Ikot Ubo.

It is important that I mention that beneficiaries of these support items, start-up capitals, and business support funds, have been grouped to reflect our people in various socioeconomic strata with specific areas of needs put into consideration. Also, schools were selected based on needs assessment. Ladies and gentlemen, dear constituents, this empowerment programme is continuous. So for those who will not benefit today, there will be more opportunities in the coming years.

The House

I am happy to inform you that although Nsit Ubium state constituency holds the speakership position of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly, God Himself has been the one graciously steering the wheels of the House. Since my colleagues favoured me to lead the House as Speaker, they have rallied around me to ensure that the assembly succeeds in every area. I must state that this harmonious working relationship has given me a great sense of responsibility as the leader of the 6th assembly and has inspired the achievements which we have collectively made. But above all, it has also enabled us to give His Excellency the governor the required support to focus on delivering the sustainable development programmes in his agenda for Akwa Ibom people. And because God works where there is peace, several opportunities have opened up for us to develop priceless partnerships that will translate to meaningful development in the state. In due course, these strategic partnerships will open up all 26 state constituencies to global opportunities for the development of human capacity for our people.

Progress from Government

Permit me to use this opportunity to briefly highlight some of the achievements of the current administration since May 2015, some of which have direct impact on the people of Nsit Ubium state constituency. The investment drive of His Excellency the Governor towards industrialization is yielding fruits. There have been massive investments in the agricultural sector such as the rice projects in Ini to make us sufficient in rice production; cocoa projects across the length and breadth of the state. This is participatory as government is requesting for large expanse of land in every local government t carry this out. Through micro-financing, small farm owners are encouraged to move from subsistent farming to commercial. In the area of industrial development, the seaports that will open our state to massive trade has attracted the attention of reputable investors who have met with stakeholders and have given verifiable and achievable timelines for the project. Through this drive also, massive quantity of gas has been discovered in Urueofong Uruko that will help our independent power plant as well as the industrial hubs that will spring up.

There have also been massive investments in the areas of healthcare delivery and education through the inter-ministerial direct labour coordinating committee. Proceeds from these jobs have been used by government to empower the people in different local government areas.

Hospitals and primary healthcare centres have received government’s attention. A close one here is the general hospital in Etinan. Let me use this opportunity to appeal to the governor to please come to the aide of our constituency as the cottage hospitals in Ikot Ekpene Udo, Akai Ubium which services the health needs of our constituents is in serious state of disrepair.

In realising the essence of power in business growth, the Deacon Udom Emmanuel administration has invested huge resources in the power sector – the Ibom Power Plant – to ensure that there is adequate power supply. This has translated to the long hours of power supply that we enjoy in our communities especially the rural communities. Here again, the infrastructures that had problems have been replaced without waiting for the power companies to fix them.

Finally, over 200 kilometres of roads have been constructed many more still undergoing contruction. Let me again appeal to His Excellency to assist us in the immediate completion of Uyo-Etinan-Eket road and the construction of Ikot Ekpan – Ntit-Oton – Edemidimokpot – Mbiekene – Nnung Obong road, with a spur to Ikot Etobo – Atan – Ikot Imo road.

Let me use this medium to appreciate the governor for the level of work done in Eket-Ibeno road. This is just to state a few of the achievements of this administration as there are many more.

Conclusion

Dear constituents, my promise to you today is to continue to raise the bar in my service to you. I shall continue to keep my doors open and encourage you to contribute to what we are doing at the state constituency office. My parting words to you today is that you remain unwavering in your support to His Excellency the governor as this will spur him to do even more. I ask for your kind prayers also. Pray for the success of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, pray for our governor and every government officials. As the Bible encourages us in 1st Timothy 2:2, pray for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you and I promise to faithfully hold this mandate in trust for you. God bless you.

BEING THE TEXT OF THE ADDRESS BY RT. HON. (BARR) ONOFIOK LUKE, SPEAKER AKWA IBOM STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, AT HIS THIRD CONSTITUENCY BRIEFING/THANKSGIVING SERVICE AS MEMBER REPRESENTING NSIT UBIUM STATE CONSTITUENCY, TODAY, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 21, 2016