Former members of the Cross River State House of Assembly have appealed to the current legislative body to enact laws that would cater for their welfare, with particular emphasis on health benefits.
The appeal was made during a special plenary session of the 10th Assembly convened to celebrate the second anniversary of the current legislature under the leadership of Speaker Elvert Ayambem.
Speaking on behalf of the former lawmakers, Okon Ephraim, who previously represented Calabar South 1, reminded the current legislators that they too would eventually join the ranks of ex-lawmakers.
"We congratulate you all for the impact you have made, which is better than our time. But we call on you to see that you accommodate health bills and, of course, other welfare issues," Ephraim stated.
He added, "Tomorrow you, too, will also be a visitor to this Assembly where we held sway during our time. So a time will come in the future that you will be in our situation."
Speaker's Response and Assembly Achievements
In his address, Speaker Ayambem assured that the welfare of both current members and staff would continue to be a top priority. He promised to consider the requests of the former legislators, acknowledging their value as repositories of legislative experience.
Highlighting the Assembly's achievements over the past two years, Ayambem revealed that Cross River lawmakers had been sponsored to attend workshops in Lagos and Abuja, while Assembly staff received in-house training on capacity building.
"Two staff members were recently trained at the University of Calabar on E-Governance by the Korean Government, in partnership with the federal and state Ministries of Science, Innovation and Technology," the Speaker disclosed.
On legislative productivity, Ayambem reported that the Assembly had passed 39 bills during the period under review, with nine others at various stages of reading. He noted that Governor Bassey Otu had already assented to several of these bills.
The Speaker called for continued cooperation from all members and staff to maintain a viable legislative house.
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