Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Saturday called on the houses of the Assembly of States to ensure that the constitutional amendment bill is passed when it is sent to them by the National Assembly.
The Governor made the call when he received the Conference of Presidents of State Legislatures in Nigeria headed by its Speaker and Chairman of the Bauchi State Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, at Government House in Asaba.
Okowa said that as state legislatures, it is up to lawmakers to pass constitutional amendments in the best interests of the nation.
He said the nation urgently needs amendments to ensure fairness, justice and impartiality in the affairs of the country.
He urged the Conference to continue to be the voice of the people and to remain faithful to the application of executive-legislative relations across the country.
“We all know that the National Assembly is currently engaged in the revision of the Constitution of 1999 and that it will be transmitted to the Assemblies of States for adoption.
“The country’s leadership has placed a key role in your hands and I urge all of you to consider it with passion to ensure that we are fair, equitable and just in whatever decisions we make in passing the amendment.
“Nigeria is in trouble, but I believe that by working together we can take the nation out of the current challenges with a passionate approach because as leaders everything about governance must be in the general interest of the people. “Okowa said.
He congratulated the Delta legislature for its cooperation which has led to the achievements recorded by his administration over the past six years.
According to Okowa, all we have achieved as a state so far is because we have a very strong relationship with the State Assembly House.
“They (the Assemblies) are very passionate about state development and that has helped us make a lot of progress.
“I am glad that you organized yourselves within the framework of the Conference to compare the notes, just as the Governors did to discuss and share ideas and also to speak to us because it helps to improve the bond of unity between the different states.
“The more we speak together and stay strong, the better for our country.
“I think this is the reason the Conference of Presidents was docked and I hope you will continue to use the conference to improve the lot of this nation.
“If a state is to make progress, it is necessary to have a very warm relationship with the executive and legislative branches to allow policies and programs to work more effectively than they normally would,” added the governor.
Earlier, Suleiman said the presidents were in the state for the Conference’s second quarter meeting.
He said the Conference was made up of the presidents of the 36 state chambers of assembly representing the 998 members of the country’s chambers of assembly.
He commended the governor for the massive development in Asaba and other parts of the state.
He added that the mutual understanding between the executive and legislative branches of state government was commendable and worth emulating.
In addition, the Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly and Deputy Speaker of the Conference of Presidents, Sheriff Oborevwori, appreciated the Governor for his love for the Legislature and for graciously agreeing to host the Conference in Delta. (NAN)
