RVHA Speaker Assures Lawyers Of Support

The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, has promised that his office would partner with lawyers in the state for better service delivery.
He gave this indication when executive of the Port Harcourt branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) paid him a courtesy call in his office, in Port Harcourt, last weekend.
Ibani identified the significant role lawyers play in the sustenance of democracy in the country, noting that partnering with them would benefit the society at large.
The Rivers chief lawmaker explained that the effectiveness of the legislature depends more on the efficiency of its legal department, and promised that the State Assembly would equip, train, retrain and place the welfare of members of the legal department as a priority.
According to him, “For the legislators to act for the interest of the State, we believe that the lawyers, who we think are more rational, should play their role. So, we would furnish that department very well, we would continue to work in an atmosphere of respect, and their capacity would be enhanced by way of training and retraining”.
Earlier, the Chairman of the branch, Barrister Omubo Frank Briggs, had said they embarked on the visit not only to solicit for partnership between the branch and the office of the Speaker but also to appeal for the improvement in the welfare of lawyers working at the State Assembly.
Briggs called on the leadership of the Assembly to involve lawyers in most of the process of lawmaking such as public hearings.
He said that, “Through the public hearing, you can feel the pulse of the people, even when there are no public hearings, you can also invite us to seek our expert views as lawyers, and get our contributions to enrich lawmaking for the betterment of the society.”

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana