Cross River House passes nine laws

INDICATIONS have emerged that the Cross River State of Assembly enacted nine laws in its first 100 days of law-making.

The laws, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Azogor Ideba, are expected to “change the face of governance in the state while impacting on its collective fortune and the livelihood of the people.”

The legislations include the Infrastructure Fund Law, Infrastructure Safety and Regulatory Agency Law; the Kidnapping Prohibition Law and Waterfront Infrastructure Management Agency Law.

Others are Corporate Social Responsibility Domestication Law as well as the Wharf Landing Fee Law, which he noted, “will ensure that more revenue which will be judiciously applied, accrue to the state; more infrastructures will be developed and effectively managed, and the state will become safer for tourism to flourish and the people better secured.”

Ideba said other laws like the Tax Exemption Law “will leave more money in the pockets of low income earners whether in the public or private sector. The Social Housing Scheme Law will ensure that more Cross Riverians own houses.

“The respective laws so far created by the Cross River State House of Assembly are human-centred. They all aim at enforcing good governance in the state and offering the people a new and better lease of life.

“These laws address issues of poverty, unemployment, economic regression, Infrastructural deficit, Insecurity and Fiscal imprudence,” the aide stated.

He said the Speaker, John Gaul Lebo, who is “championing many laudable reforms in the House, has brought his legislative acumen and incorruptible zeal to bear in the affairs of the Assembly which before now may be said to be stereotyped as ‘literally xenophobic’ to prevalent times, trends and innovations according to recent media allusions”.