Proposed Abia Dry Sea Port: A Perfect Example Of Executive/Legislative Cooperation

Legislative Houses all over the world are known by three outstanding duties: law making, representation and oversight functions. Oversight functions could be referred to as the review, monitoring, report and supervision of government agencies, programmes, activities and policy implementation and happenings around various communities and constituencies. In this case, oversight function is the duty of the Legislature to help the Executive achieve its overall goal for society in a manner that is mutually beneficial to all stakeholders including the common man.

Consequently, a legislator is expected to, among other things, bring to the floor of the legislative house, reports of the happenings in his/her constituency, an action that is often referred to as Matter of Urgent Public Importance. When such matters are raised, they then become incumbent on the House to deliberate on them, carry out investigations where necessary and come out with a decision popularly known as House Resolution. It is this Resolution that is read and submitted to the concerned arm or tier of government for their appropriate action.

In line with this unique function of the legislative house, the 7th Abia House of Assembly ably led by its Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, two weeks ago announced the Resolution of the House as it concerns the proposed Dry Sea Port in Ntigha, Isialangwa North LGA. In his words, the Speaker conveyed the message that the House would “apply persuasive action to ask the Abia State Government to do the needful. If there are certain conditions and understanding that have not been met, we would ask the Government to do what ever that is necessary to meet up with them”.

The Resolution of the House, of course, followed a Matter of Urgent Public Importance brought by the member representing Isialangwa North State Constituency, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, over the INLAND CONTAINER DEPOT also known as Dry Sea Port proposed to be built in his constituency by the Federal Government.

The Scriptures say “Two cannot work together unless they agree”. To further prove the synergy in thought and vision for the State between the two arms of Executive and Legislature, and as if the Legislature were reading the mind of the Executive when they raised that Matter of Urgent Public Importance, the contractor handling the construction of the Dry Sea Port in Ntigha, Isialangwa North Local Government Area is now poised to begin work immediately at the site following Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s hosting of the Federal Government Concessionaire for the Dry Port Project along side EASTGATE DRY PORT PROJECTS LIMITED, led by the Chief Executive Officer of EASTGATE, Bill Nkemdirim, who came to the Governor on Wednesday to formally introduce to him the company that would handle the actual construction of the project: Messers China Tianchen Engineering Corporation, at the Governor’s Lodge, Abuja.

The delegation informed the Governor that every arrangement for the construction works has been concluded and that they are ready to start work at the site. The delegation with the Chinese Team of construction experts had also visited the project site for pre-construction preliminary evaluation as planned.

Of course, the Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, expressed deep delight at this development and assured them that his government would provide every necessary support to ensure that their work is seamless. It is important to note that when realised, this Dry Port project would be a powerful catalyst to the economic development of Abia State and indeed the entire South East region. This is because, upon completion, businessmen who engage in import and export would not have to go beyond Abia State or the southeast to enjoy port services as containers to and fro the region would now be discharged at the port for onward movement to their final destinations.

Legislature being an institution which represents the common and collective interests of the citizens through lawmaking and particularly oversight is what the State House of Assembly is living up to. Fortunately, with this development, they seem to understand the mind of the Governor and are prepared to help him achieve his goals as interdependent arms without compromising their own independence.

Recall that while raising the matter of urgent importance in the hallowed chambers of the House, Hon. Onwusibe stated as follows: “Mr Speaker, Isialngwa North is the ancestral home of the Ngwa community, I have their mandate to bring this matter that is very important not only to them but the people of South East. It is about the Inland Container Depot, it is an equivalent of what we know as Dry Seaport, it is a port of final destination”.

Continuing, he said, “Some years ago, the Federal Executive Council approved its establishment in the Six Geopolitical Zones, one of it, is the one sited at Ntigha, the foundation has been done. Whereas the deed of exchange of the land has been executed and compensation to the tune of N98m has been paid to the land owners. Whereas the contractor has applied and has several times visited that site, our people are worried over the delays to its establishment. I pray this honourable House to use persuasive measures to ensure that the Abia State government provides necessary deliverables to enable the project take off,” he asserted.

From the above chain of events, it is obvious that both the executive and legislative arms of government were genuinely worried about the delay in the take off of the project construction, hence, while the legislature was raising it as a Matter of Urgent Public Importance, the Executive Governor was already putting finishing touches to receiving the contractor in audience for necessary action on commencement of the project.

Certainly, the project would turn around the economic fortunes of the State and the entire South East region as it would be the first Dry Port in the region.

This achievement of course is in tandem with the inaugural speech of Mr. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, where he maintained that “this 7th Abia State House of Assembly shall be vibrant and result-oriented… this 7th House shall provide very sound and strong oversight functions… Similarly, the era of the non-implementation of the directives and visions of the Executive, headed by our Governor, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu is now over”.

The statement above is an irrefutable indicator that the legislative arm of government in Abia State under the Speaker, Rt Hon Chinedum Orji, will continue to work in close relationship with the executive arm of government to continue to provide democratic dividends to the good people of Abia State without compromising its own independence as an arm of government.

Hence, the Speaker and members of the 7th Abia House of Assembly deserve commendations for starting well. It is also gratifying to see that their aims for raising Matters of Urgent Public Importance are yielding the necessary results. The Executive Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu must also be highly commended for his uncommon understanding of the need for a smooth executive/legislative relationship to continue to take Abia on the path of irreversible prosperity. Such show of understanding, cooperation and support by the Governor is very rare in this our part of the world.

This Dry Sea Port issue is just one of the several Urgent Matters of Public Importance already being worked upon by government. When the ad-hoc committees of the Assembly come up with their investigations on several other Matters of Urgent Public Importance, greater results would be achieved because, the Resolutions of the House would certainly be for the good of the people of the State and in line with the vision of the Governor for a more peaceful, progressive and prosperous Abia under PDP government.

Congratulations to NdiAbia on these strides. The Abia State House of Assembly under the able leadership of Rt Hon Chinedum Orji will continue to work in their interests as honourable members of the House have shown that they are poised to perform.

Promise Uzoma Okoro is the Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly.