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Tag: Onofiok Luke

  • A’Ibom Assembly passes budget of N672billion

    The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has passed the 2019 appropriation bill christened the budget of industrialization and poverty alleviation, into law. The 2019 budget for Akwa Ibom state has a total outlay of N672, 984,760,760.

    The House on Wednesday also passed into law the Akwa Ibom Youth Development Fund Bill.

    In his remarks after the passing into law of the budget, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke said the state’s 2019 budget was an economic transition proposal which will support the completion agenda of the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration.

    He said: “While this is the last budget that we have had the privilege to legislate upon as the 6th assembly, it stands as the pioneer economic blueprint for the proposed Completion Agenda of the next 4 years.

    “As a legislature, we have reviewed the key components of the appropriation law, weighing them against the policy objectives which leverage the short and long term development ambitions of government.

    He noted that “to meet salient socio-economic agenda of government, which includes infrastructural development, job creation, and revenue generation, the total budget size, was increased by a little over 2billion Naira to meet the expectations of stakeholders who considered the parameters for the 2019 proposals during the public hearing on the budget.”

    According to him, the inputs by the people during the public hearing inspired need-based augmentations especially in the Social Sector.

    “Our overall objective was to see to it that priority was given to areas of immediate importance to the people while we pursue the larger goal of full-scale industrialisation.

    “For instance, to further strengthen secondary education in the state, augmentation to the tune of 61.976 million Naira was made to the State Secondary Education Board. We made similar augmentation to the Akwa Ibom Universal Basic Education Board where specific provisions were made for the upgrade of library facilities with reading materials including newspapers, magazines and journals for our children. To strengthen local government administration, we augmented the initial 150 million Naira provision for Local Government Service Commission by 447million Naira. Under that provision, we included an extra subhead providing for the establishment and setting up of computer units and laboratories at the Local Government Service Commission and in all the 31 Local Government Areas in the state.”

    Read Also: Former reps defects to PDP in A’Ibom

    Also on Wednesday, the House ratified the Auditor General Report on the state Audited Account for 2017.

    In line with the provisions of Section 125 (5) (6) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the state auditor general had submitted to the house the statement of account for the 2017 fiscal year. The House proceeded to ratify the report through the Public Accounts Committee.

    The Speaker noted in his remarks that having thoroughly considered the expenditures of government as captured in the report, the house has put a legislative seal on the state audited account for 2017.

    He noted that by the approval, the assembly has expressed the satisfaction of our various constituents with the fiscal health of this administration.

    He said that the House will be looking forward to auditing the state account for 2018 before the expiration of the assembly in June, 2019.

    Also, in line with the assembly’s commitment to youth development, it passed into law the Akwa Ibom Youth Development Fund Bill during Wednesday’s plenary.

    The bill which was proposed by youth groups including the Youth Alive Foundation, and has Hon. Emmanuel Ekpenyong as lead-sponsor, is seeking the implementation of a sustainable youth policy framework in the state. It “proposes the establishment of the Akwa Ibom Youth Development Fund which ultimate aim is to create jobs and evolve greater opportunities for our teeming youths”, the Speaker said.

    He commended the Youth Alive Foundation and other youth organizations for proposing the bill while urging Akwa Ibom people to take similar advantage of the legislature to propose laws that can positively affect the generality of Akwa Ibom people.

    The House, before the end of plenary, congratulated the governor on his second term election and thanked Akwa Ibom people for the peaceful balloting experience in the just concluded general election.

  • Former reps defects to PDP in A’Ibom

    Former House of Representatives member and All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate for Etinan Federal Constituency, Dan Akpan, who was defeated by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke in the just concluded elections has defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Akpan who defected with Etido Ibekwe, former majority leader in the State House of Assembly from Essien Udim local government area alongside others returned to the PDP during the PDP governorship grand rally in Uyo Township stadium.

    Speaking yesterday in Uyo, Governor Udom Emmanuel commended the people for casting their votes for the PDP on February 23, and welcomed the decampees, stating that the umbrella of the PDP is big enough to accommodate them.

    He advised the people not to be deceived by the blackmailed and lies of the people from Abuja noting that they don’t have followers.

    He challenged the opposition to an option A4 voting pattern, noting that if it was effected in Akwa Ibom State, the PDP will win overwhelmingly.

    He alleged that the electorates were harassed and brutalized on 23 February, that was why many people were not able to vote, adding that he has video proofs to that effect.

    He encouraged the people to go out and vote on Saturday, defend their votes and assured decampees of their political freedom.

    Emmanuel cautioned security agencies against working against the people on Saturday, noting that they were equipped and empowered with taxpayers money to defend the people and not fight them.

    “Akwa Ibom State is a peaceful land. Today I am here to appreciate the Akwa Ibom people. I am here today telling Akwa Ibom people that I salute you for standing firm, for your resilience in letting the world know the truth between light and darkness, God and man.

    “If Akwa Ibom is a land named after God, the wicked man will continue to fall; Akwa Ibom shall be liberated. Let me also thank all of you for voting PDP on the 23rd of February.

    “Let me thank all those who have completely collapsed their stature for the PDP. Let me also thank all those people who have defeated to PDP. I want to assure them that we have many mansions in PDP.

    “The PDP is big enough to cover them; PDP is the only party that can bring unity, development, bring infrastructure and preach righteousness.

    “I challenge the Abuja people, let them proof something to the centre, let them come down, let the Akwa Ibom people queue, if they have 20 percent, whenever we tell you that Akwa Ibom is PDP, don’t believe us,” he said.

    The Director-General, Divine Mandate Organisation, Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd) called on Senator Godswill Akpabio to accept defeat and congratulate Chris Ekpenyong who defeated him at the elections, adding that it is the most honourable thing for him to do.

    He cautioned the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to be guarded on his statements on the state, stating that Akwa Ibom people have chosen PDP and will remain so.

    “I can only advise that once the people have spoken, the sign of liberty is that we go by the wishes of the people. We pay tax so that the security operatives will protect the people of Nigeria, please don’t turn their guns against the people of Nigeria.

    “The people of Akwa Ibom state want PDP. For anyone to bring violence into a peaceful community means that they don’t mean well for Nigeria,” he said.

     

  • A’Ibom Assembly splits as factional speaker emerges

    The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has split into two factions following the sack of five All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers in controversial circumstances Monday.

    The Speaker of the AKHA, Onofiok Luke had declared the seats of the lawmakers vacant for defecting from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

    As a result of the development, some members of the Assembly Monday elected the member representing Essien Udim state constituency, Mr. Nse Ntuen as their new Speaker.

    The factional speaker is among those whose seats were declared vacant by Speaker Luke earlier in the day.

    Speaking with journalists in Uyo Monday night, Ntuen said that, their decision to change the Speaker followed members’ lack of confidence on the ability of Mr. Luke to lead the Assembly.

    He described the process that led to their purported sack as illegal, null and void as there were subsisting court orders even as the House rules and procedures were not duly and legally followed.

    “In the first place no such action as declaring our seat vacant took place because there was no mace, the former Speaker did not follow due legislative procedure of being announced into the chamber by the Sergeant at Arms rather he came in through the back door.

    “What happened in the House today was a normal legislative thing. We were supposed to sit on Tuesday, but on Sunday we got notices that the sitting had been rescheduled for today because of the public holiday on Tuesday and nobody objected to that. Unfortunately this
    morning when I came to the house, the gate was barricaded and we were not allowed to go into the premises.

    “Moreover, the purported action was not in the order paper for today’s plenary. The two items in the order paper were the consideration of the appropriation bill sent to the House by Governor Udom Emmanuel and a commemorative sitting for former Governor Victor Attah.

    “So in the light of these anomalies, members sat and elected me as the new Speaker. We will reconvene on Wednesday when other positions will be filled.

    “This will not be the first time a minority member will be elected a head of a legislature. The Senate President of the Nigerian Senate is a minority member.” He explained.

    Ntuen wondered why Mr. Luke would unilaterally declare their seat vacant when that of a member who defected to the PDP from APC last year was not given the same treatment.

    “So we elected a new Speaker because Luke is not good enough to be Speaker. He is incompetent and is been teleguided by the Executive against our quest to be independent and not to be labeled a rubber stamp Assembly.”

    He called on the people of the state not to see their action as confrontational but that which would make the legislature stronger in the discharged of its responsibility to the people of Akwa Ibom state.

     

  • Akpabio is not God, he can’t stop me – Udom

    Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state has said that his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio is not God so cannot stop his second term aspiration.

    Emmanuel, who said this on Friday during his declaration for second term at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo dismissed Akpabio’s declaration of war on the state as unrealistic.

    He said the senator’s analogy of using Hitler-styled invasion of Poland during the World war to depict how the All Progressives Congress (APC) intends to capture Akwa Ibom State would be grossly resisted by the people.

    “No man is God”, he stressed, adding, “I submit myself for consideration to continue with the good works that I have done and I seek your support for my candidature as governor for second term”.

    He assured that the migration of his former boss, Senator Akpabio, into the ruling APC, at the centre, would not stop his re-election, saying he would work with the people to continue with his superior performance during his second term.

    “No man is God”, he stressed, adding: “I submit myself for consideration to continue with the good works that I have done and I seek your support for my candidature as governor for second term”.

    The governor said he was banking on his superior performance to return to the Government House, Uyo, in 2019, adding that he has worked hard and honestly to deliver on his 2015 campaign promises.

    He mentioned industrialization as the major plank of his achievements in the last three years, pointing out that the conglomeration of industrial clusters including toothpick, pencil, syringe, electric metres, coconut factory, peacock paint, fertilizer firms and several kilometres of roads, would recommend him for re-election.

    The Akpabio administration, he noted, had left behind some uncompleted projects including the Sheraton by Four Points Hotel at Ikot Ekpene and the Uyo – Ikot Ekpene road, saying his administration has been working hard to ensure the completion of those legacy projects of the immediate past era.

    Read Also: Buhari yet to receive 2018 Budget – Udoma

    “Who said they had completed the Sheraton by Four Points Hotel?”, he asked, adding that “it is only today that we are negotiating with Starwood Group for the retainership of the name, which some surreptitiously put up on a building, is building a hotel?”.

    He, therefore, enjoined the people to rally round him in his quest to sustain the tempo of good governance he enunciated in his first term in 2015.

    In the same vein, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke; the former Military Governor of the State, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, who chairs the governor’s re-election committee and the State PDP chair, Obong Paul Ekpo, charged supporters and stakeholders of the PDP to work towards ensuring the PDP retain Akwa Ibom with Udom Emmanuel, in 2019.

    Solidarity messages from neighbouring governors of River State, Nysom Wike and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, assured governor Emmanuel that he would be returned based on track-record of quality works in the last three years and enjoined the people not to allow external influence to alter the already political arrangement ably directed by the PDP since 1999 in Akwa Ibom.