Hon. Ime Okon represents Ibiono Ibom state constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. Also chairman, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Committee on Business and Rules, Okon a lawyer has served his people in various capacities including as the local government council chairman. In this interview with Special Correspondent Idongesit Ashameri, Obong Okon bares his mind on several topical issues, including the 2015 general elections. Excerpts:
It is alleged that Lawmakers in Nigeria earn the highest pay as against their counterparts in other countries. There are prepositions that the job of lawmaking should be a part-time one. What is your opinion?
Thank you very much but, you would have put the question in proper perspective with facts and figures as to what the salaries of the legislatures are? For instance, what is a senator taking per month? What is the pay of a member in the House of Representative? What is the pay of a member of the state House of Assembly? However, let me talk about that of the house of Assembly because, that is where I am.
I do not think that our salaries meet the expectations of our constituencies. Having said that, I am of the view that lawmaking is a very serious business; it does not end in sitting in the Chambers, talking, arguing, debating and finally maybe chunking out laws but. It includes some oversight functions and also the aspects of representation which is very important.
Primarily, agreed, the duty of a legislator is to make laws but, he has a greater responsibility to perform for the constituency he represents. By drawing government attention to the needs of his constituency and see how government can come in to handle those challenges. In doing so, he meets with his people on a daily basis; interacts with his constituents always to find out their needs.
He cannot do that successfully if the job were to be on part-time because, he would also have to attain to his personal needs as well, to ensure that he makes earn meets and also meets the expectations of his family. So, to ensure that his full attention is devoted to his duties, I support that it should not be part-time but full-time.
As the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Chairman, House Committee on Business and Rules, what is your assessment of the Fifth Assembly?
Yes! The Fifth Assembly that came in on 6th of June, 2011 is doing exceedingly well under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Elder Samuel Ikon. The fifth Assembly isreferred to as the Peoples’ Assembly which, implies that the Assembly must protect the interests of the common man. We have been doing that overtime; if you consider the Bills that have been passed by us, most of all, I will not forget the resolutions that effected a change in the leadership of the Police Force in Akwa Ibom State. You will recall what we had to go through security-wise until, that change was effected through the resolution of the fifth Assembly so, I think, we are doing well.
Incidentally, every member of the fifth Assembly keeps referring to that particular resolution as the best action taken by the house. Sir, apart from that resolution, what other Resolutions or Bills passed by the fifth Assembly that you can say is people-oriented?
As a follow up to my answer to your last question, the fifth Assembly has a good working relationship with the governor of the state and by extension, the executive of the Akwa Ibom State Government. And, it is because of this collaboration that has been possible for the government to record the magnitude of infrastructural renaissancethat we all experience in Akwa Ibom State and therefore, to zero in on the other question, the appropriate laws that we passed take into consideration the interest of our people to ensure that the transformation drive is not jeopardized.
There is a perception that the fifth Assembly does not bite enough like other state Houses of Assembly in the country thus, giving the impression that it is a rubber-stamp House of Assembly. What is your take?
We have heard about the rubber-stamping; we have heard about it overtime and I think, even my Speaker at a point said that he will continue to rubber-stamp if that will continue to mean development in Akwa Ibom State. I don’t know why people think that the legislature should at all time be at conflict with the executive arm of government, so that, impression could be given that the legislature can bite.
It’s only if a situation arises that there must be a disagreement between the legislature and the executive, there is nothing wrong if the matter could not be resolved. But a situation where the need does not arise for the legislature to make noise but, just to give you the impression that it can bite, you want us to start shouting and giving the impression that the legislature is at war with the executive. To me, I think, it’s not necessary because, the legislature is a different arm of government; the executive is a different arm of government but, the two must collaborate for the interest of the people of the state. Because, at the end of the day, if the two arms are at loggerhead, like we say that ‘when two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers;’ if the two arms are perpetually at war with each other, of what benefit will that be to the people who elected us to serve them?
It is not as if there might not be disagreement but, this disagreement, we sit down talk about it and agree in the interest of the people of Akwa Ibom State. Again, that we always pass the state’s budgets sent by the executive does not mean that we don’t have disagreements. What you must also note, is that, the legislature also add inputs to these budgets even before it is presented on the floor of the House; our inputs is there and at that time, there could be some reconciliation before the budget is passed; that, does not in any way means that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is a rubber-stamp. Our people should be interested in the benefit they are deriving from the collaboration with the two arms of government.
Let me take you specifically to the issue of the 31 industries that the governor promised during his electioneering campaign; the governor said he was going to establish one industry per local government area of the state but that has not been done, as the mouthpiece of the people of the state, we expect to re-echo the expectation of your constituents in the regard, why have you not done that as the peoples’ Assembly?
The governor gave the impression that the government will provide the enabling environment for industries to spring up in the local governments. I think, to that extent, that was why we had to come up with the Public Private Partnership arrangement. The Bill that was passed to make sure that people take advantage of that law and come in to invest and make sure these industries are established in the state.
Recently, there have been reports of division in the state house of Assembly;