The Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief (Dr.) Godswill Obot Akpabio has lauded Senator Effiong Dickson bob, the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District for his effective representation in the Upper Legislative House, Abuja.

Chief Akpabio, who spoke in Abuja over the weekend at the launch of the book, ‘Independence of the Legislature in Nigeria: Matters Arising’, authored by Senator Effiong Bob stated emphatically that the legislature is indeed necessary for any human based governance as its power could only arise from the people.

Describing the legislature as the bridge between authoritarianism and democracy, the state Chief Boss posited that, while totalitarian governments could somewhat bear with the judiciary, it would as a matter of fact obliterate the legislature’s functions to the usurpation of the executive functions.

He observed that in democracy across the globe, it is the legislature that shows democratic actions, just as he mentioned that, in every government, there are executive and judiciary arms. ‘‘Even if you have a military dictatorship, there will be executive and judiciary arms. Whether judiciary works or not, it is a different thing. That shows the presence of democracy in the legislature,’’ he stated.

Governor Akpabio, who solicited the cooperation of constituencies to always encourage legislators who could give quality legislation and representation in the National Assembly, commended Senator Bob for his intellectual efforts and decried the loss of committed chairmanship positions in the legislature by some states for their shortsightedness in electing neophytes without revising the old hands with vast experience to represent them.

He urged the executive leaders, especially governors of the respective states to put machinery in place to ensure that the cordiality, legislative standards and welfare of the legislators are in unison. Chief Akpabio, however, maintained that in the process of such conviviality between the two arms, some people would take the legislators as rubber stamps of the executive, probably because they have not experienced democracy for a considerable length of time, noting that since the roles of both arms are interwoven, the legislators should put their best, pursue oversight functions and ensure that the executive implements its resolutions and enabling laws.

The State Chief Executive, as a way to congratulate Senator Bob for the bold step in making Akwa Ibom proud, purchased some copies of book at N5million and advised the public to make proper use of the book, which he said would serve as a reference point on relevant legislative matters. In the same vein, the Senate President, Senator David mark congratulated senator Effiong Bob, for a job well done. Senator Mark, who did not mince words, expressed unhappiness over the loss of senators through re-run elections and quickly appealed to those constituencies to return their legislators to the National Assembly to assist the country tap from their wealth of experience in law making.

Also, Senator Ken opined that some of the governors who, sometimes, try to stifle legislative independence often find themselves in the legislature, especially the Upper Legislature House. The book which has 212 pages and eight chapters was reviewed by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN). Chief Ndoma Egba, said the book attempts to bind the context of the current democratic dispensation and recommended same to the public.