The
Governor Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has called for synergy between
the National Assembly and the Presidency to check insurgency.
The
Governor made the call when the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon.
Yakubu Dogara led some members of the House of Representatives to pay him a
courtesy visit at the Government House, Asaba.
Governor
Okowa who decried the magnitude of damage caused in the country as a result of
insurgency, stated that President Mohamadu Buhari requires the support of all
Nigerians, especially, the National Assembly to tackle the menace.
“I
believe that the backbone of Mr President is the National Assembly, I urge for
collaboration between the National Assembly and the Presidency without
tampering with independence of the Assembly,” he said, adding, “we in Delta
State are praying that God will give the National Assembly and President Buhari
the wisdom to handle the issues of insurgency in the nation.”
He
reiterated, “we regret the death of people as a result of the insurgency, when
we collectively talk with one mind, pray together, we will overcome this
insurgency, we require divine intervention at this point in time.”
Senator
Okowa used the occasion to challenge the National Assembly to speedily pass the
Petroleum Industry Bill and the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill because
of the importance of such bills to the development of Nigeria.
“I
want to thank you for bringing the PIB bill to fore, it is my prayer that we
can speedily pass the bill in both houses and it gets a quick assent from the
President because, non-passage of this bill has set the country backward, I
pray that it is passed early in the life of this Assembly,” the Governor stated
adding that the passage of the NHIS bill was very important as it will affect
the generality of Nigerians.
According
to him, the NHIS bill desires speedy attention because the NHIS act of 2004 was
not all inclusive, decrying a situation where the number of Nigerians covered
by Health insurance is still below 20 per cent.
“If
we truly want to touch the lives of the poor, it is to touch their health and
education, once we get it right, you have truly touched them,” he said.
While
congratulating Rt. Hon. Dogara for his successful emergence as the Speaker of
the House of Representatives, the Governor expressed confidence in the ability
of the Speaker to lead a vibrant and robust Assembly.
Earlier,
Rt. Hon. Dogara who said he was in Asaba to commission a project executed by
the member representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency, described
Governor Okowa as a man who knew what he wants for his people, noting that
while some Governors were still contemplating on what to do about governance,
Governor Okowa “has hit the ground running.”
“I
am quite impressed with the quality of personalities you have as
Commissioners,” he said, and thanked the Governor for his support during the
race for the Speakership position.
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