AKHA SPEAKER ADVOCATES RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP

BY Paul Sylvester

Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke has advocated a kind of leadership in the state that is responsive to the wishes and desires of the masses.
Speaking in Ikot Esenam, Oruk Anam Local Government Area during the Constituency Briefing/Empowerment Programme of Rt. Hon. Udo Kieran Akpan who represents Oruk Anam State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom Sixth House of Assembly, Luke stressed that the dream of a prosperous Akwa Ibom can be a reality if leaders at all levels in the state show such responsiveness.
In his words: “a united, educated and prosperous Akwa Ibom under one leadership and One God as encapsulated in the Akwa Ibom Project is possible when we as leaders are responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people who have entrusted us with the management of their public lives, as we have witnessed today at Ikot Esenam”.
The Speaker also stressed that on their part, the leadership and entire members of the House will not relent in offering effective representation to the people whose mandate they are carrying, and reassured the Akwa Ibom masses of their commitment to this course.
Debunking some public perception erroneously carried concerning constituency briefing, Barr. Luke who was flanked by members of the House of Assembly, explained that the exercise was a practical demonstration of the love the lawmakers have for their constituents.
He said, "constituency briefings conducted by members of the House of Assembly or a National Assembly member is done out of their personal sacrifice. It not budgeted for. There is no extra budgetary provision for constituency briefing, we only nominate projects for the executive to execute in our constituencies."
Hailing Kieran for ensuring that his constituents had a feel of the impact of governance in the state, as well as a taste of democratic dividends through his quality representation, Speaker Luke described the Oruk Anam man as a deeply rooted politician whose sojourn in the legislature has impacted positively on the people of Oruk Anam State constituency.
He also commended the lawmaker for the various empowerment items distributed at the venue, while advising the beneficiaries to utilize the privilege maximally in order to justify its purpose and good intentions of the donor.
While appreciating the Governor Udom Emmanuel and wife, Martha for their support for the event, which he said was a support to the House of Assembly by extension, Luke said the legislature will continue to partner the executive arm in the development of the state.