AKHA: Princess Felicia Bassey Bows Out, To Bow In For Another Four Years Of Robust Legislative Engagement, Quality Representation

By Edet Okpo

Amidst unending rain of testimonies and encomiums from constituents, in an emotion-laden atmosphere of deep appreciation and counter-appreciation between the benefactor and beneficiaries, the Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State and Member who represented Okobo State State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Princess Felicia Bassey, bowed out from office in great honour after four years of impactful,  focused and people-oriented representation.

She was amongst the proud State legislators in the last plenary and valedictory formalities as the 6th Assembly dissolved sine die on Thursday, June 6, 2019. But she bowed out to be re-ushered in for another four years of robust Legislative engagement and quality representation.

Extrapolation from a general overview of group and individual performance of Members of the 6th Assembly in the past four years shows that  Rt. Hon. Princess  Felicia Bassey holds a place of envy and pride because she stood out in the tripodal mandate of lawmaking, oversight and representation. At the end of the day, what most qualified the democrat, woman leader and grassroots Specialist in the 6th Assembly were patriotism, capacity, effectiveness, excellence and people-inclined laws and empowerment initiatives as well as inexorable determination to do more. She upset all available records she went to see and set new ones that her fellow lawmakers and close followers of her activities in the Assembly have said shall be hard to break.

Part of the tall and unique records the celebrated parliamentarian has broken and set new ones is that of being the first woman and legislator from Okobo Local Government Area to have served in the State’s Hallowed Chambers as a Deputy Speaker and who also secured a ticket from the appreciative base of her constituents to go for a second term. Plainly, Rt. Hon. Felicia Bassey, most popularly known by her 2019 campaign mantra, “Mmabaak”, belongs to the few in the 6th Assembly who will be returning to form part of and play greater roles in the 7th Assembly billed for inauguration on Monday  June 10, 2019. This easily implies that she is returning the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly as a ranking Honourable Member to consolidate on her past record of performance to do even much better with the experience she so far must have gathered.

It was even more of a testimonial outing that the whole of Okobo people were on the premises of the House of Assembly on Thursday to witness the grandstand valedictory routines that heralded the dissolution of the Assembly. The songs they sang and their dance steps symbolically captured the depth of their gratitude for what their performing and outstanding representative has done for them in connection with her constituency project machinery that captured all ages and status of people and most critical areas of need. She therefore deserves whatever quantity of commendations and encomiums that could be poured on her.     
 
Rt. Hon. Princess Felicia Bassey came to the House of Assembly with lorry-loads of promises to Okobo people and a vision anchored on the necessity for change after years of marginalisation, abandonment and lamentation of people who were seeking for a leader who would hear their cries and step in without hesitation and discrimination in a way their stories shall be changed forever. Therefore, their resolve to massively vote for Hon Felicia Bassey that resulted in the landslide victory she secured in the 2019 elections, which gave her the passport to the 6th Assembly, means that they trusted in the fresh spring of satisfaction and hope she was going to bring.

And today, the facts speak for themselves. The same people who have supported her in the last four years therefore had no option to Vote for  her in the just concluded 2019 elections. Returning the patriotic lawmaker was the crown of their gratitude upon her. It must be stated without any fear of contradiction that, she remains  the winner at the last election whom no one from any political party had threatened with a single litigation on account of how the election was conducted and its outcome. This is a mark of good representation revolving on goodwill from both supporters and opponents.

Her final report card of representation gave some insight into her style of leadership and vision for the people.  As part of her valedictory speech, she remarked, “I am immeasurably grateful for the confidence loyally reposed in me and consistently demonstrated by all Honourable Members of the 6th Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, the Okobo State Constituency in particular, and Akwa Ibom people in general in the last four years.  One thing perhaps most outstanding and attestable about my approach to representation is the fact that I have made it a goal to personally visit my constituents at Okobo Local Government Area on almost weekly basis for result-oriented interfaces that have further deepened trust and our bond”

Segmental review of this great woman in the House of Assembly shows the following: In the area of law-making, apart from taking meaningful parts in commonplace scheduled deliberations on the floor of the House and at Committee levels, some of which she belonged and even served as Chairman or Vice, she organized public hearings, sponsored and co-sponsored several motions and bills some of which have been passed into Law while others are various levels of progress, including motion over hike of petroleum products, under matters of urgent public importance; a bill for a Law to protect all physically challenged persons against all forms of discrimination and to provide for equal opportunities in the society and other matters connected therewith(Co-sponsored); a bill for a law to eliminate violence in public life (Co-sponsored); and a bill for a law to regulate smoking in public places and other matter connected therein (At Second Reading Level).

In oversight, apart from impactful involvement with others on certain assignments in government ministries, agencies and parastatal as well in critical sectors of the State’s corporate existence like road projects, etc, Charity and Philanthropy have been her driving force as Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Social Welfare and Special Matters. She initiated and spearheaded visits to special centres like Motherless Homes, Orphanages and indigent widows.

Her record of representation is also highly commendable. Of all, this aspect of responsibility has been very dear to her heart because it is the one that connects her directly with constituents. Her record in this area shows the followings:

Award of scholarships to 100 indigent students of Okobo origin, spanning across private and public tertiary institutions in Nigeria (three of this scholarship was for three students from other constituencies in the state);
10 mini buses for 10 ward chairmen of Okobo Local Government Area; 1 for a woman ambassador; and one for Utibe Okobo Youth; and
5 cars and two buses for two selected and deserved members of the Constituency.

Others are training  and empowerment of 30 youths from Okobo Local Government Area with 10 sewing machines, 10 generators, 10 hair dressing salon kits, 10 mirrors, 20 clippers and several barbing saloon kits;
Complete set of computer to Okobo Divisional Police Station;
5000 customized exercise book for primary and secondary school in Okobo;
Financial empowerment of 6, 000, 000 naira cash to women and youth of Okobo;
facilitation in collaboration with a financial institution of interest-free loans to over 100 owners of small scale businesses; and
Provision of a standard borehole to Cland Head of Odu, Chief James Etim Ebrene and a generator to power the system.

The lawmaker also
Donated 100 plastic chairs to the National Association of Students of Okobo Students, University of Uyo;
Procurement of JAMB forms to 50 students;
Procurement of assorted educational materials to indigent students of Okobo;
Utilization of Constituency Fund in the construction of three classroom blocks, with administrative office attached and
Collaboration with Inter-Ministerial Direct Committee and State Basic Education Board for the construction of three additional class room blocks.

Her goodwill also manifested in the facilitation of electrification and provision of 7 transformers for eight communities in Okobo that never had such and those that were vandalized;
Intervention in grading of deplorable roads, like the Nnug Atai Eta Road, along Uyo-Oron Road;
Effective collaboration with government that resulted in the takeover of Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Ekeya, Okobo Local Government Area;
as well as creation of conducive environment and engendering peace and mutual understanding in Okobo Local Government through organized talks, orientation and seminars for politicians, security apparatuses and others.

Like she said in her valedictory speech, “With a sense of modest expectations I can say that my momentous re-election to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly in the 2019 election was a pointer to greater things to come to the people, even as I have resolved within me to beat my previous record and deepen the roots of democracy at the grassroots, to take government much more closer to the people”.

We can only keep expecting more!