• Tasks community newspapers on professionalism
The Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, has commended the Civil Society Organizations for their role in ensuring good governance, peace, security, and sustainable development in the state.
Speaking during an interactive session with heads of various CSOs across the country, under the aegis, Civil Society Advance Forum On Sustainable Development, Rt Hon Oborevwori said that Delta State Legislature is ever-ready to partner with relevant stakeholders in driving its legislative and oversight assignments.
He enjoined the CSOs to rise up to the responsibility of furnishing the state legislature with bills that would add value to good governance in the society.
“The noble contributions by your organizations to our people and the society in general is akin to what we are elected to do as legislators. Our primary duty as legislators is to make laws for the security and welfare of the people. That is laws that will promote happiness for greater number of the people. I believe your Organizations are also set out to achieve the same objective. So, I invited all of you today to have an interactive session on how we can partner to promote the general good for our people and society”, He stated.
Rt Hon Oborevwori who described Civil Society Organizations as agents of change and watchdogs of the society, explained that over the years, the organizations have initiated bills that have been passed into law in the country.
He said CSOs should be at the fore of holding government accountable for their actions, emphasizing that the Delta State House expects greater partnerships with the organizations at ensuring that more people-oriented bills are passed, as well as ensure that the benefits of such laws get to the most vulnerable in the society.
The Speaker stated that the House has passed a number of bills that cut across different areas of interests of the organizations, including the Child Rights Law; Violence Against Persons Law; Administration of Criminal Justice Law; Freedom of Information Law; Female Circumcision and Genital Mutilation Prohibition Law.
“Civil Society Organizations are agents of change and watchdogs. This is because they oversight government actions and activities on behalf of the people. The State Assembly wants to partner with you in ensuring that not only people oriented Bills are passed into laws but also to ensure the benefits of such laws get to the most vulnerable in the society”, Oborevwori emphasized.
The leader of the team, Ambassador Caroline Usikpedo-Oliseoule, on behalf of the CSOs, commended the leadership of the house for the session, which they said was first of its kind in the country.
The CSOs called for more similar sessions to discuss friendly policies, as one of the key roles of the organizations is to create public awareness on bills passed by the legislature.
They assured of the readiness of the organizations to partner with the house for more positive changes in the society.
In a related development, the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has stressed the need for media practitioners in the state to adhere strictly to ethics of journalism in their reportage.
The Speaker gave the charge while receiving members of the Delta State Chapter of Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria, ACNPN.
The Speaker underscored the important of community newspaper in the state, stressing that it was needed for effective and enhanced development at the grassroots.
He assured the body of robust partnership towards the overall development of the state, particularly in information gathering and dissemination at the rural level.
Hon Oborevwori urged the association to help publicize the activities of the state Assembly as well as the good works of the Okowa led administration.
He emphasized that the house would not fail in its core responsibility of lawmaking, representation and oversight – noting that more people-oriented bills would be passed by the house.
He also reminded the media practitioners of the up coming 2023 general elections and advised against being used as instruments of blackmail by politicians.
He charged them to always report correctly and without bias.
The Chairman, ACNPN, Delta State Council, Comrade Jude Obiemenyego commended the Speaker and members of the Delta State Assembly for what he described as ‘robust Legislative activities in the state and for uplifting standards in the development of the state’.
Comrade Obiemenyego, stated that the primary responsibility of the association is to regulate the activities of community newspapers in the state as well as promote good governance, uphold professional ethics and ensure peaceful coexistence of the people through information dissemination, among others.
He appealed for greater collaboration between the association and the state Assembly.