Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly recently came under fierce criticism following the passage of the controversial Pension Bill for former governors and deputy governors. In this interview, the Speaker, Hon Sam Ikon throws light on a number of issues including the alleged siphoning of committee’s funds as well as his relationship with other lawmakers. EMEKA SAMUEL was there for Nigerian Pilot. Excerpts:
Why was there no public hearing on the Governor and Deputy Governor’s Pension Bill?
It is very interesting to read some of the commentaries; it is amazing how we can speak from both sides of the mouth. I will want the people to tell me, how many laws made in the chambers before 2011 that went through public hearing?
When we came in 2011 we tried to introduce some changes and one of which was that some bills should pass through public hearing. And again, I ask, how many bills have we passed as a House and how many went through the process of public hearing? I stand by that bill and I will always defend the action of the House. We acted in good faith. The reason for the amendment is simple. We draw our strength from the people that gave us the mandate and in this case some section of the society felt the figures were outrageous, those figures were never meant to be given to somebody but it was a ceiling. That government must not spend beyond this, but when we noticed that there was this seeming misconception and in line with our avowed posture as the people’s Assembly we listened and the Executive promptly listened too. People ask why the speed? and I answered with a question, what were the issues?
The issues were clearly stated and the amendments on them were brought out and people still say, no, you should have opted for a public hearing.
No, you were too fast! For me, I read beyond that, because we have passed bills in this House without public hearing and there was no issues raised. We passed the bill and there was an outcry and we have reversed it, so why do we still have issues?
Like I have always said, the House never acted out of point, that Bill enjoyed the support of members of this Assembly. Deferring on certain clauses is normal, you cannot have 100 percent support, we have to have that differences, it is normal in the parliament, and everybody cannot toe the same path.
Lawmakers had differences in the eligibility and not on the figures. So they all agreed to put a ceiling to the amount the state government can spend as medical expenses of a former governor or deputy governor. In the area of eligibility, some lawmakers averred that people who served even for a day should benefit from the law but others said no, let us not create a scenario where somebody will serve for one year and resigned to face his business while the pension will continue to run.
Today, I hear of how I am high handed, why didn’t I over rule everybody? I divided the House and said, express your mind and at the end majority said eligibility remains the way it was. We did not propose it. That was how it was in the original bill. Now I am high handed for doing the normal legislative procedure that leads to a decision. When you read these commentaries, you see beyond the issues and see mischief, because if it has to do with issues, due process has been followed, we know how a bill becomes law and all the processes were followed and not one was jumped and when the first law came into effect, there was uproar and in the wisdom of the Executive and the House the bill was amended.
I also heard that we did not form quorum. Please this House is made up of 26 members, quorum is nine and we had 11 members in attendance. Watch the National Assembly, which day do you have 360 members sitting in the House of Representatives? Don’t they pass bills? We should uncover the veil, come out and say the real issue and leave trying to cast aspersion on the House of Assembly on an existing law that needed few amendments. I don’t want to believe what I have heard that some members even tried to say they were not part of it.
There were allegations that lawmakers were heavily rewarded for passing the controversial Pension Bill
Let me state categorically that there was no, there is no and there will be no issue of money induced action. The 5th Assembly has been one platform of transparency, commitment and constantly conscious of the mandate of the people. When I read some of these things I laugh. What is the motive of collecting money to amend a law that has been in existence? A law that allows a former governor or deputy governor to take any amount of money he wants in a year and to put a cap to control the open ended situation and people say lawmakers were given money to do that?
There are things I don’t understand any longer. What is the favour we are doing somebody in this bill? It is sad that on Sundays we are all in church singing, praising and worshipping and yet we carry the heart of the devil.
It does not make any sense because the existing law already favours him to lodge any medical bill of any amount and get paid but somebody says so that we don’t have instances of abuse; let us put a maximum amount. Which one is better, the ceiling or the open thing?
I don’t want to believe that Akwa Ibom people no longer think because the existing law was advantageous to the incumbent but in his wisdom he moved to check abuses through the amendment. The House got money, for what purpose if I may ask? It is really sad.
It was said that the 11 members who eventually passed the bill after it was returned to the House got N40million which was shared by you…
Well, let me again answer with question, and that is, what would have been the motive to give us money? We had an existing law that favours the incumbent than the amended law. That is why I keep telling you that as event unfolds there is something beyond what we see and I am urging them to come out and unveil their identity. As at the time we entered the chambers nobody knew about any law to be amended. We were seated, we had taken our votes and proceedings when the letter was brought to me in chambers and in line with our practice and procedure we had to move a motion to adjust the order of proceedings for the day in order to accommodate the message from the governor.
So when did somebody know that the bill would come to boycott the seating? Let us stop this mischief. People should know there is tomorrow and that there is God. When the evil seed they are planting today starts yielding fruits they will start blaming and accusing their parents for their misfortune. Nobody in the chambers including me knew about it. I knew there was pressure which could warrant an amendment in the law, I had that privileged information as the Speaker but how would I have known it was that day? Mischief is not good.
Some of your members claimed that they were not party to the clean bill of health given by the House on the Governor for the financial year ended 2012.
I would have ignored the comment until those who gave the information mention their names but I want to make it very clear that this will be the last time I will respond to issues raised by those who the papers claim do not want their names mentioned but are said to be aggrieved. As far as I know, there is no aggrieved lawmaker, if there is any one let him pick the telephone and call the Speaker or come to the Speaker’s lodge and lay his complain. We will like to know the aggrieved lawmakers. I saw a list the other day of those who were said to be opposed to the Speaker and almost half of them called me to deny the list. It is important that people you claim are aggrieved speak, mention their names and state their grievances as I am doing now because I can be quoted.
If you are telling the truth mention your names. We know the way committees work, committees are constituted with membership and when the committees are working, depending on the nature of the work funds are approved for committees to do their work and the committee chairman does not just bring the report and lay on the floor, the committee meets and agrees that the report is ok. If there is a minority report, it will also be stated that maybe out of a 14 member committee, 10 agreed while four differed, if everybody agrees it will also be captured that it was a unanimous decision.
It was also alleged that you as chairman got N25 million from the public account committee under your predecessor.
If there is a committee that I can get N25million from, why then would I have asked for the dissolution of such committee? This deceit will one day be exposed. Let me say it here that I don’t get money from committees, it does not work like that. What happens is that once money is given for committee work, it is left for the chairman to do the work and he knows how to direct his committee to do the work and so far I have not heard of a committee where we have monetary issues because this money is not meant to be shared.
For instance, when you hear of public account, you need to go to the committee room and see the volume of document that they have to go through, the material they have to use and you realize that at times they have to use consultants for verification and this is not free. So when we talk about money being given to a committee, it is not for members to share, it is for specific duties for the work of the committee to be completed and the report presented to the House. For me, I can categorically say that there was no time I shared money with the Public Account Committee under Rt. Hon Anietie Etuk and I will like you to ask him for clarification.
Why was there no official ceremony to end the third legislative session?
Well, for me I will always defend the integrity of the House irrespective of the allegations. Like I had always said, I don’t want to believe any member of the House said these things because they are men of integrity and honour and until somebody mentions his name as the member who said this or that I will not believe such things were said by a lawmaker of the 5th Assembly.
Monies are not sent to be shared, we have seen the beginning of the legal year by the judiciary, we see the state government commences the year, we see civil service week and all these things. I am moving it from end of session to beginning of session ;that is why you see the lull, no activities for now until when we come back to do the church service, and then brief the media.