Legislature.

ASSEMBLY TO AMEND AKISIEC LAW 2007, CONSIDERS IBOM INDUSTRIAL CITY BILL

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has considered a bill for a law to ‘establish Ibom Industrial City Corporation, for the development and regulation of Ibom Industrial City and for other matters connected therewith’; and also a Bill to ‘amend the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2007’.

These Executive bills were received during Wednesday Plenary, May 24, 2023 by the 7th Assembly.

On the floor, members deliberated on the bills which went through first and second reading and committed to the House Committees on Industry, Commerce and Tourism; and that of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, respectively.

The Leader of the House, Rt. Hon Udo Kierian, while speaking on the ‘Bill for a Law to establish Ibom Industrial City Corporation, for the development and regulation of Ibom Industrial City and for other matters connected therewith’, said the bill when passed will regulate the operation of Ibom Deep Seaport and its facilities. He added that most of the stiff requirements for the establishment of the Seaport have been overcome in the Federal Executive Council.

On the ‘Bill for a Law to amend the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2007, and for other matters connected therewith’, the Leader said that amendment will take care of few clauses that will ensure a hitch-free Local Government elections which will be due, December 2023.

In the same vein, Member for Nsit Atai State Constituency, Rt. Hon Mark Esset said that the amendment of the AKISIEC Law shows the forwardness of the State Government to put things in place to ensure that the present tenure of Local Government Administration which will expire by December, 2023 is taken over by an elected system through a proper electoral process without delay to foreclose chances of transition committee which is not a perfect model at the time.

Other members at plenary, unanimously tow the line of the Leader and said the consideration of the bills are timeous to oil the wheel of governance.

Presiding over the sitting, the Speaker, Rt. Hon Aniekan Bassey urged the respective House Committees to consider the bills and report to the House in two days.

The House adjourned plenary to Friday, May 26, 2023 at 10:00 hours.

Press Unit,
Office of the Speaker,
Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.