The Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has called for greater commitment to peace and grassroots development in the state.
The Speaker made the call while declaring open a two-day Capacity Building Workshop for Councillors in Uvwie Local Government Legislative House, organised by the member representing Uvwie Constituency in the State Assembly, Hon Solomon Ighrakpata, who is the Deputy Chief Whip of the House.
Rt Hon Oborevwori explained that the Legislature is key to good governance as the Executive can only function effectively when the necessary laws or bylaws as the case may be, were put in place.
The Speaker stated that it was on that premise he applauds Hon Ighrakpata for putting resources together to train Councillors in his constituency to prepare them for the task ahead as legislators.
He said the training no doubt, will expose the Councillors to the nitty-gritty of lawmaking, saying that some of them do not really understand the challenges before them.
“To bridge the gap, therefore, this 2-Day Capacity Building Workshop is to assist you in your mandate areas of lawmaking, oversight and representation and to fully appreciate legislative processes and procedures. My biggest joy is that you all have the opportunity of being trained by people with hands-on experience, led by the Director, Legislative Matters Department of the Delta State House of Assembly.
“I want to encourage participants of this training programme to take advantage of this workshop to develop themselves for the tasks ahead. I look forward to seeing you put the knowledge acquired to use in your day to day assignments and to the benefits of your constituents,” Oborevwori stated.
The member representing Uvwie and Deputy Chief Whip of the State House of Assembly, Hon Solomon Ighrakpata said Uvwie is very strategic in Delta State, hence the concerted efforts for sustainable growth and development in the council area.
Hon Ighrakpata explained that the Councillors have critical roles to play in promoting peace and good governance in the council, disclosing that the training is to broaden their knowledge and understanding in the dynamics of lawmaking, purpose and duties amongst others.
The Deputy Chief Whip stated that the value chain and its impact on the legislative processes at the local government level can not be overemphasized, pointing out the need for the grass-root Lawmakers to take the training program seriously.
“I am deeply honoured to be the sponsor of this two-day Capacity Building Workshop for Councilors of Uvwie Local Government Legislative House because of the value chain and its impact on the legislative processes at the local government level. As a beneficiary of training and retraining programs by local and International partners and as a Legislator at the state level, I have become more knowledgeable and productive about my role as a lawmaker”.
“This Capacity Building Workshop, therefore, is to broaden your horizon into understanding the dynamics of lawmaking, the purpose and duties of committees among others. Fortunately, the Resource Persons have sound knowledge to take participants through the technical and theoretical aspects of the training program”, Ighrakpata stated.
The Chairman, Uvwie local government council, Hon Ramson Onoyeke, represented by the Vice-Chairman, Chief Daniel Ighedo and the PDP Chairman, Uvwie local government chapter, Elder Efe Okonedo, said the training was the first of it kind in Uvwie and commended Ighrakpata for sponsoring it.
They stressed the need for more of such capacity building workshops for government officials in the council area.
The Head of the Training Team, Mr Silvester Olorogun who is the Director Legislative, Delta State House of Assembly, said seven topics that would enhance the legislative capacity of the Councilors were thoughtfully selected for the Capacity Building Workshop.
Mr Olorogun named the topics to include “Supremacy of the Constitution and Doctrine of Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances”, “Overview of Legislative Practice and Procedures”, “The Committee System in the Legislature“, “Legislative Ethics, Code and Conducts” and “the Practice and Procedures of Passage of Bills as well as “An Overview of Budget Management” and “Result Based Monitoring and Evaluation Framework”.
Mr Olorogun said there is no democracy without the legislature, saying that as a representative institution, the legislators are expected to hold the Executive accountable for the people.
He explained further that such can only be achieved through informed and well-trained legislators at every sphere of governance and commended Hon Ighrakpata for sponsoring the workshop.
The resource persons drawn from the Delta State House of Assembly, include Mr D.S Olorogun, Director Legislative, Dr Steven Okolo, Deputy Director, legislative, Barr Ebiton Ogboka, Deputy Director Legal Drafting and Mr Alex Joe, Assistant Director Legislative Matters.
The Leader, Uvwie local government legislative House, Gabriel Obodo is leading the Councilors on the two-day training programme.
