MY HUMBLE SCORE CARD IN THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

An Honourbale Member’s performance in the legislature can be measured easily. You don’t need a soothsayer to know if a member is active or not. His quality of • Contributions during debates, • Number of Bills/Motions sponsored in support of Government policies and programmes. • How well be relates with his constituents • How strategic he has been in drawing Government attention to issues in his constituency and • How he has been able to gather support of his colleague on issues of concern to his constituency are all indices that can be used in measuring the performances of a legislator.

An assessment of my performance in the State Legislature from my first term to date using he above benchmarks will certainly rank me at A+ (Excellent). I have been active both in plenary and in committees. My constituents see me and feel me and i have earned the respect and support of my colleagues reason I was elected Speaker of the House in 2019.

In truth, the Senate seat I aspire to contest and win is at the apex of legislative business in the country. It requires one with a broad knowledge in legislative process and procedure. A Senator by all standards should be well versed in Law making, he should be one who feels comfortable among his people and he should also be one who knows the nilty gritty of politics and governance.

Without being immodest these are qualities that I have garnered over the years in the state Legislature. KNOWLEDGE IN THE ART OF GOVERNANCE While in the State House of Assembly, I was privileged to serve as Chairman, House Committee on Emergency Management and Security, Chairman Finance and Appropriation and Vice Chairman/Member of several standing and ad hoc committees. In my interface with MDAs, and members of the State Executive Council, I can say without fear of contradiction that I understand the inner workings of government, its dynamics and how to make do of any situation.

Again, my involvement in the Budget process has given me an insight into the resource base of government and how these resources can be allocated. My presence in the Senate Chamber will guarantee that Cross River State has a fair share of available resources. The priority needs of the State and my Senatorial district will be easily analysed using Public Sector Reform tools that are often used in pre budget hearing sessions.

CONTRIBUTION TO GOVERNANCE THROUGH LAW MAKING The Senate is a Law making cum policing making chamber. It gives the final stamps of approval to any legislation and is given the power to confirm nominations for appointment of Ministers and certain Agencies an Institutions. Making sure that fit and proper persons are appointed to push/implement government policies and programmes. These are the duties I have performed overtime in the State Legislature. It will therefore be easy to raise the level of my game and give my senatorial district the standard of representation it requires.

May antecedents in the State Legislature show a steady and sustained support to implementation of Government policies/programmes through Law making. For the records, I sponsored 14 Bills, Co-sponsored 25 other Bills, 4 Motion and presented more than 25 Committee reports on the House floor. 1. An example of my Bill that was a direct response to a social malaise is the Cross River State Homeland Safety and Security Agency Law 2016. You will recall that Cross River State like all other States in the country was faced with serious security challenges in 2016. There was high rate of kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and unexplained disappearances. And in view of the fact that the primary purpose of Government is the security and welfare of the people (as provided in Section 14(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). I had to come out with the Legislation which received overwhelming support of the House. The aims and objective of the Law is to provide welfare, safety, conducive environment and security of citizens and residents of the State. It is structured to help the Government and its Agencies, curbs crime, protect and preserve public property and achieve safe and secure neighbourhood. The agency has the function of reducing or if possible eradicating the vulnerability of the state to criminal activities. The law also sets out a volunteer scheme with the Volunteers mandated to assist existing security agencies, checkmating kidnapping and cultism in schools and elimination of hoodlums in the streets of Calabar among others. A retrospective analysis of the impact of this law shows that it has achieved what it set out to achieve and Cross Riverians are now living in more secure environment. 2. Another Bill I sponsored that is close to my heart is the Cross River State Senior Citizens Centre Law 2022. This Bill is anchored in the belief that since the State is still in the process of establishing a social safety net for the citizens; there is still need to provide the much needed care for its senior citizens most of whom have toiled and sacrificed a lot for the State. PERFORMANCE OF THE HOUSE UNDER MY LEADERSHIP AS SPEAKER Being the head of the Legislature is a very tasking assignment that demands 24 hour attention. You are principally interested in pushing for the following. 1. Building Synergy with other Arms of Government That the House in all its dealings remains cordial with other arms of Government namely: The Executive and Judiciary. Though most people will prefer to see an antagonistic House, this posture does not always produce developmental results. Instead, it creates room for waste of resources and diverts attention from the overall development of the state to personnel ego chasing projects. Under my leadership, the state has not witnessed any political tension but has built a strong working relationship with other arms of Government in the overall interest of the State. 2. Being responsive and proactive: The Cross River State House of Assembly under my leadership has been very responsive to socio-political issues and proactive in providing solutions to pending problems. This is always done through the passage of Bills and taking resolution on motions brought before it when there is a social problems that needs to be fixed. Since 2019, the House has not failed in this regards. The following are worth mention. i. The Corona Virus Pandemic – Cross River State House of Assembly was among the first three states in the country to inset legislation to curtail the impact of the Corona Virus Pandemic. This prompt response was occasioned by the fact that Cross River State not only shares an international border with the Republic of Cameroon, but also has borders with 5 States. So we needed to protect our citizen with the enactment of this law. The law equally provides for funding and sensitization of the public. In all is fared well throughout the pandemic. ii. Resolution of Communal Crisis: Because of the struggle for space and resources, Cross River State has become known for communal crisis resulting in communal wars, destruction of lives and property. Under my leadership that House has been most concerned about this development which often retards growth and development in the affected communities. The House has therefore made it a priority to intervene through its resolution and seeking for intervention by security Agencies and Emergency Management Agencies. Since 2019, the House resolved on the following crisis: a. Gbagaji in Kande Local Government Area of BENUE State and Bebi in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State b. Attach on Ebom community by unknown gunmen c. Kutia in Begiading Ward and Utugwang North Ward all in Obudu Local Government Area d. Itega and Oba communities in Yala Local Government Area e. Ogar Agbor community in Obubra and Alise in Ikom Local Government Area iii.​ PROHIBITION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST PERSONS (VAPP) The House under my leadership was also quick to respond to the growing incidents of domestic violence and the country in general and our state in particular. There were multiple reports of issues of rape, molestation, domestic violence and dehumanization of the female gender. The House in response passed the prohibition I Violence Against Person Law to protect every gender from all forms of domestic violence and other related matters. iv. ​RIGHTS AND SAFETY OF PERSONS WITH DISSABILITY The Cross River State House of Assembly under my leadership again took a giant step in protecting the rights and safety of persons with disabilities. The House worked kn partnership with key civic space actors including Projects Alert, Basic Rights Counsel Initiative with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). Apart from establishing a commission to implement the provisions of this Law. The Law equally sets out responsibilities of the Government in ensuring that any form of impairment whether cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental physical, sensory or combination of these are ameliorated. v. PUBLIC COMPLAINTS AND ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION The Cross River State House of Assembly also took I giant step in the fight against corruption and other financial crisis, including abuse of office, obtaining property of false pretence and receiving stolen property. The House passed this Law having come to the conclusion that the State resources need to be protected and that all those charge with the responsibility. Surely accountability and probity will be enthroned in our public finance management song forward. vi. THE GRAZING MANAGEMENT LAW Working in the same spirit of providing a safe and secure environment for our people, the House alsopassed into Law the Cross River State Grazing Management Law – 2022. The Law is a direct response to crisis caused by open grazing and the resultant conflict between herders and farmers. Principally the main objectives of the Law are to: 1. Promote modern techniques of animal husbandry 2. Optimise the use of land resources 3. Prevent destruction of farms and crops caused by Open grazing and 4. Prevent farms and herders clashes etc. It also prohibits the following activities: • Open livestock herding or grazing • Movement of livestock on foot • Possession of firearms • Land grabbing • Animal rustling • Ranching without approval/permit • Sale of land for ranching. Some other landmark bills include: Vii. Cross River State House of Assembly Service Commission 2020: One of the landmark achievements recorded in this ninth assembly under my leadership is the signing into law of the Assembly Service Commission, You will recall that the struggle to have this law in place in previous assemblies was hectic and seemingly impossible. With the confirmation of the appointment of the Chairman and members of the commission, the Commision is currently employing Cross Riverians to fill the gaps in manpower in the State House of Assembly. Also, the Commision will now ensure that the appointment, promotion, and discipline of legislative staff will be enhanced. Cross River State Legislative Fund Management Bill 2021 & Cross River State Judiciary Fund Management Bill 2021: The quest for autonomy for the Legislature and Judiciary as provided by the Constitution was given a boost with the passage of the landmark legislative law, providing for the management of funds accruing to the two arms of government. Similarly, the speedy assent of these bills has put an end to the long awaited financial autonomy for the state legislators. What is now left is to draw a framework and modalities for the implementation. *the Cross River State Polytechnic Bill 2020 which has come to light with the ground breaking ceremony was just few weeks ago in Ogoja. *the Cross River State University Bill 2021, changed the name of Crutech to Unicross to enable the institution offer more courses and accommodate more students. *Another milestone recorded by the 9th assembly under my leadership owas the establishment of a functional website for the assembly to bring Honourable Members closer to their constituents and provide authentic information for proper guidance of members of the public. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION * Most Outstanding Speaker of the Year 2021 in Nigeria by Independent Newspaper in Abuja *Speaker of the Year 2022 by Democracy Heroes Award Africa 10th Anniversary in Transcorp Hilton, Abuja * Heroes of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law Award 2022 by Nigerian Women Advocacy Group ‘Womanifesto’ in Abuja, Nigeria *Others too numerous to mention CONCLUSION After 12 years in the State House of Assembly we have learnt and have become very experienced in legislative work, just name it: • Legislative working for results • Constituency engagement • Lobbying for the peoples’ needs and interest • Engaging MDAs to attract projects to constituency. • Assisting constituents get jobs or create jobs and be self employed • Getting constituency projects into the Budget and • Pushing for project implementation RT. HON. ETENG JONAH WILLIAMS - HONOURABLE SPEAKER AND APC CANDIDATE CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT, CROSS RIVER STATE.