The Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, has assured Bayelsans of the readiness of the House to churn out quality legislations, with high community value, in the new legislative year.
Rt. Hon. Ingobere gave the assurance while giving his closing remarks at the four- day special retreat for members of the 6th Bayelsa State Assembly at Asaba, Delta State.
The number one lawmaker expressed gratitude to state governor, Sen. Douye Diri, for not only making the retreat possible, but for personally declaring it open, in spite of his very busy schedule.
Ingobere was also full of praise for Assemby members for their enthusiasm and active participation during the programme, noting that with the enormous insights gained, the House, which already has a reputation for diligence and hard work, will certainly open new frontiers of accomplishments in legislative business in this country.
Addressing the press shortly after the retreat, the majority leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Monday-Bubou Edwin Obolo, the chief whip, Hon. (Mrs.) Ebiuwou Koku Obiyai, and the minority leader, Douglas Sampson Awudulu, all expressed joy at the comprehensiveness of the retreat, exposing members to the entire gamut of the legislative business.
They were unanimous in their view that having been exposed to global best practices in budgeting, oversight, privileges, immunities, legislative compliance, the strategic place of legislative aides and the bureaucracy, and even time management and emotional intelligence, among others, the legislative performance of the House is bound to improve dramatically.
The chairman, House Committee on Information and Orientation, Hon Barr Tare Porri, expressed similar sentiments, adding that such retreats should be organized periodically for members to update their knowledge because, adding that parliamentary business, like most areas of life, is highly dynamic.
The special retreat, which was attended by all twenty-four members of the House, drew eminent resource persons from home and abroad.