By Patrick Obia
“All over the legislature they say we are rubber stamp. Most people use the rubber stamp not because they mean it, because they feel you should have your hand gloves and buttons two-four-seven fighting the executive. But when you fight the executives your people suffer, we have the money, and they have the capacity and everything. Your people will suffer”.
The above is the opinion of the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Eteng Jonah Williams in an exclusive interview with Beatrice Akpala in the program Inside Cross River.
The Speaker went on to affirm that the 9th Assembly in no way intends to fight the executives but work hand-in-hand to achieve set goals.
According to him, “I was not elected to come and fight, I was elected to come and make laws and for the well-being of the people. I should use every other methods including lobbying to bring and to provide relief to my people but when you come here to fight, it is difficult because they say: when two Elephants fight the grass will suffer. So, why will you come here to fight when at the end of the day you will still go and resolve that matter on the table? So dialogue is the best answer.”
Furthermore, he said: “For the Government of Ayade, we have done really well. We are working with a very lean resources, that is why I feel the man is a magician and when he talks about the intellectual money, I can confirm we are really using intellectual money to do a lot of projects in every Local Government. Every Local Government has something to show.
“Apart from that, setting up industries for tomorrow. That is why I’m of the opinion that we must privatize these industries if not, if this Government leaves and another one comes, if their cardinal programs or project is not industrialization we will be in trouble.” He reiterated.
Listen to Audio of the interview below.