By Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe
A vibrant and result oriented legislative arm of government is certainly not the one that is unnecessarily antagonistic, problematic and in regular conflict with the Executive arm of government.
Rather, it is that which work harmoniously with the other two; the Judiciary and the Executive, while at the same time protective of her independent status, to avoid neither being ruffled nor threatened by any of the other two arms of government.
In fact, research into the activities of past protracted misunderstanding and fracas between the legislative and executive arm revealed substantial traces of corruption of either party. Empirical data also revealed that in the absence of corruption and selfish political interest, the three arms of government usually work in harmony to bring about good governance.
Therefore, it can be safely asserted that the cordial work relationship between the three-arm of government in Delta State, is a result of the high level of transparency and accountability in governance; wherein they play assigned roles as independent entities for the common good of all.
The Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, was sworn in for his tenure on May 29, 2019, and subsequently commenced another round of relationship with the Legislative and Judiciary arm of government. The 6th Assembly faired well in multifaceted ways under the Speaker, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, and honourable members had to get him back on board as Speaker of the 7th Assembly.
Speaker Oborevwori is a pragmatic leader and astute politician, well abreast of the tenets of constitutional democracy, haven being involved in government politics since 1999; and held various political appointments during the tenures of the two past governors of Delta State, Chief James Ibori and Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan.
And as a system key stakeholder, Mr Speaker did not have any difficulty in piloting the affairs of the legislative arm, made up of seasoned politicians from different constituencies across the three senatorial districts.
Perhaps, what is worth dwelling on at the moment is the patriotic mindset of the Honourable members who deemed it necessary to serve the state and the people above self. They deliberately decided to tangle with the other two arms of government, and scrutinized bills and oversight issues with the seriousness and speed that they truly deserved, which had in several ways accelerated development in the state, and still counting.
From the onset, the lawmakers were able to read between the lines that the governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, came on board with great ideas, policies and programmes crafted to speedily impact the living standards of the people. And as such, executive bills were dealt with based on the foreseeable socio-economic benefits for the good people of Delta State.
Within the last two years of the 7th Assembly, thirty-four motions and resolutions were recorded, encompassing fourteen bills; nine executive bills and five privately sponsored bills. So far, nine bills have been passed, eight assented to by the governor while five other bills are currently receiving attention.
The Speaker, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, JP while dwelling on the past two years of the 7th Assembly at a press briefing; noted that the House under his leadership will not engage in any unproductive fracas with the executive, and does not see any reason why the Executive arm of government should be unjustly criticised when all nine bills received were targeted at the overall development of the State, and for the socio-economic benefit of the people.
He could not hide his deep appreciation for the Ifeanyi Okowa led administration in the State when he openly described the Governor as a pragmatic and consummate leader of no mean repute and went further to state that Delta state, under this administration recorded impeccable successes in every aspect of the state economy.
Mr Speaker was also full of praises for lawmakers and expressed his profound gratitude to members of the 7th Assembly, especially for what he called “their selfless service” to the state and people.
Political analysts have at various fora wadded into the activities of the 7th Assembly and came up with the same findings that the present crop of legislators in the state dared to be different, unique and highly proactive, in terms of selfless service, result oriented legislative oversight functions and speedy passage of bills for maintenance of law and order, good governance and for the prosperity of all Deltans.
Governor Okowa, on his part, is grateful to God, for the excellent work synergy between the Executive and the other two arm of government. He again made this known at the thanksgiving service to mark the second anniversary of the 7th Assembly on Sunday, June 13, 2021, at Winners Church, Asaba.
In sum total, the enviable success story of the Okowa administration in the past two years was partly as a result of the patriotic and selfless service of the State 7th Assembly, and the judiciary. Therefore, the triangular relationship existing between the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, had to a large extent paid off in the state, as can be seen from the six years of good governance, of Okowa led administration.
It is hoped that as we enter the third year of the second tenure of this administration, the supportive and collective synergy between the three-arm of government will be sustained and further strengthened for the purpose of sustaining good governance and dividends of democracy in this era of a Stronger Delta.
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About the writer; Chief Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, JP., is a political communication Strategist and Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Communications. He is a Council member and. Fellow of the Chartered Institute of information and Strategy management, Fcism.
