The speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke has tasked journalists in the state to constructively criticise the government in order to spur it to improve on its performance.
Luke, who gave the advice during a thank-you visit to the the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Uyo on Friday, argued that singing the praises of government at all times would encourage ineptitude.
“Do not sing the praises of government every time, but constructively criticise it to help it improve. When you point to our lapses by your reports, we will know the areas to improve upon. But if you always sing our praises, we will go to bed thinking we have performed well,” he said.
While stating that elections were over, he called on journalists to eschew all forms of bitterness, noting that whatever he might have said during the campaign period, prior to the just concluded elections, were mere political talks.
“The elections are over. The things we wrote and the things we spoke on the podium as campaigns were election issues. We need to forget about the past. We should not continue to call people names. Let us set a new agenda. Look at the completion agenda of His Excellency, the Governor. Look at how you can articulate it to ensure that completion agenda is done to the later,” he enjoined.
Luke said his visit to the council was not on political grounds, but maintained that it was just a way of identifying with journalists in the state for standing by him to complete his tenure as the speaker of the 6th assembly.
“My coming here has nothing to do with politics. My coming here is to do to you what I will want someone to do to me. I am coming here to ensure that when I climb my bed to sleep tonight, I will know that I have justified what I had in mind to do.
“I am coming here like I have also visited some other sets of persons who assisted me to tell them thank you. If I do something for you and you don’t come back to say thank you, I am not going to be happy. I am here to relieve a burden on me,” the speaker noted.
Luke, who was elected speaker of the soon-to-be wound up 6th assembly in December 2015, is member-elect, Etinan Federal Constituency.
On February 24, 2019, he was declared winner of that election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling 44,830 votes against his closest rival and former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dan Akpan, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 15,800 votes.
The state NUJ chairman, Mr. Patrick Albert thanked the speaker for rapport and strong leadership disposition he established between the House of Assembly and the press.
Albert who emphasised the need for the speaker to maintain the cordial working relationship with the journalists though he would be in Abuja for legislation called on him to assist in recommending some journalists for political appointments as a way of integrating them into the system to be able to interpret the visions and policies of the government.
