The Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor says that Delta and BayelsaStates are contiguous; and that they share so many characteristics in the environments and cultures, andthe people and challenges bear so much resemblance.
The Speaker, who is also the National Treasurer of Conference of Speakers in Nigeria, made this disclosure in his goodwill messages when he welcomed the Speaker and members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to a 3 days Legislative retreat in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
In his message, he said “I convey to you, warm greetings from the Delta State House of Assembly. And I welcome you to the beautiful city of Asaba, the home of entertainment and cultural bliss.
“I sincerely thank my brother Speaker, and the leadership of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly for extending this invitation to me. This is evidence of our brotherhood and cordial relations. Delta State and Bayelsa State are contiguous; they share so many characteristics in common. Our environments and cultures, the people and challenges bear so much resemblance. I could therefore safely say you are welcome to your home. “
Guwor acknowledged the theme of the retreat,”Delivering Governor Douye Diri’s A.S.S.U.R.E.D Agenda through the State Budget,” and said that there is no denying the fact that the A.S.S.U.R.E.D Agenda of the Governor of Bayelsa State is a well thought out policy document for the development of Bayelsa State. He stated further that the Legislature has a critical role to play in implementing the agenda. One of such roles is the budget processing and passage by the House.
He reminded the Bayelsa Lawmakers that the Legislature is the bedrock of democracy, and a healthy, credible and knowledgeable Legislature is indispensable for democratic governance.
While also saying that the agenda of the programme reveal that it was well packaged to facilitate understanding of the nitty gritty of the budget process for the Members, he was confident that the programme would scale-up the capacity of the State House of Assembly members, regarding the Fiscal Strategy Paper, the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and the budget itself.
The Delta State House Speaker commended The African Parliamentary Resource Centre, led by John Mutu for facilitating the programme. In his words, “I have no doubt in Mr. John Mutu’s capacity to deliver. He is a proud son of the Niger Delta with deep knowledge of legislative jurisprudence.”
He assured the Bayelsa lawmakers that Asaba is an entertainment hub, and that they should take some time to explore the ambience and sound of the city.
Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the Speaker, Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere thanked the leadership of the Delta State House of Assembly for finding time to be with them in this year’s retreat training/workshop for members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly in Asaba.
Nothing that the retreat serves as a re-orientation course, equipping members with the fundamentals of lawmaking and oversight functions.
“As lawmakers, we have a constitutional mandate to represent our constituents, making laws that will improve their lives and protect the environment.”
Rt. Hon. Ingobere urged the lawmakers to be attentive and assimilate the legislative processes that would be presented in the course of the retreat/workshop programme, and that the training would greatly benefit all.
He thanked the organizers for putting the project together, and commended the resource persons for their resourcefulness.
In his words, “You have become experts in the field;this we are aware of because we have interacted with you all this while. Obviously, we appreciate you for making yourselves available to have come in order to transfer knowledge skills. Once again, we sincerely commend you all. “
