BY GODWIN IJEDIOGOR
THE Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, has charged journalists to verify their reports and be objective in their reportage at all times, especially in the affairs of the Assembly.
Speaking when the executives and members of the Asaba Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba, the state capital, the Speaker pledged continued partnership of the Assembly with journalists to deliver development to the people of Delta.
He stated: “I have been longing to meet you, the journalists. We are partners in progress.
“My colleagues and I are readily available to see how we can partner in the nation-building work that we are doing, and I want to assure you that we will continue to partner with you.
“That is why we are elected, to making sure we give the best to Deltans. We are 29 members and the people feel we are able and capable of doing the task that they asked us, in terms of representation, law-making and over sighting the activities of government.”
While noting that the Assembly would do its best in the interest of the people of the state, Guwor assured that the M.O.R.E Agenda of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori would positively impact journalists in the state.
Earlier, Chairman of the Chapel, Ifeanyi Olannye, said the visit was to congratulate the Speaker on his election and vibrancy in law-making, noting that the timely legislation from the Assembly has spurred the state into a development hub and construction sites.
Olannye urged the Assembly to facilitate the domestication of the N70,000 minimum wage law to ease the burden of the state workers who had been traumatised by high cost of living in the country.
He charged the Assembly to liaise with the executive and judiciary to enforce laws in the state, especially concerning the disability, ban on open grazing and ‘iron condemn’ and collection of development levy by communities, among others, to ensure sanity and deterrent.
“We call for legislation to declare emergency in the agriculture sector to ensure food security and jobs creation in the state, and for you to look into the law relating to the power sector to make electricity available to households in the state.
“We are hopeful that addressing these and some other needs would not only address hunger, but also create employment and enabling environment for more businesses to thrive in our state.
“We are not in doubt of the capacity of this House, under your vibrant leadership, to deliver the dividends of good governance to our people, inline with Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. Agenda.”
