WE ARE TOOTHLESS BULLDOGS: IMO LAWMAKER LAMENTS

State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria may continue to function as toothless bulldogs unless the lawmakers attained full legislative independence.

The representative of Ideato North Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Arthur Egwim expressed the view at a forum organized by a coalition of non-governmental organizations in Owerri.

The forum was aimed at sensitizing the electorate on the need to be active and always hold their leaders accountable.

It also afforded the people the opportunity to interact with their representatives in the State House of Assembly.

Speaking at the event, the lawmaker representing Ideato North Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Arthur Egwim identified executive interference as a major impediment to good governance.

“We are toothless bulldog which ought not to be, we are supposed to be mouth piece of the people. Sell out this message for people to know that a House of Assembly member is handicapped,” he said.

In a remark, the Executive Director of an Enugu based non-governmental organization, Mrs. Onyeka Udegbunam, called for closer collaboration between the government and the people to fast track development.

“You will just see on radio, TV and newspaper that the road in front of your house has been tarred when you know that they are gullies and then you keep quiet. We must learn to speak out, we must learn to hold our duty bearers accountable.”

The participants used the forum to engage their representatives on some of the issues agitating their minds.

Some of the participants who spoke with Radio Nigeria described the forum as very vital and rewarding.

More than one hundred people made up of town union executives, women and youths drawn from eight local government areas cutting across the three senatorial districts of the state attended the event.

CHINAZO ILECHUKWU.

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