By Joy Umo
The House of Representatives member for Calabar Municipality and Odukpani Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Bassey Akiba, has outlined his scorecard, highlighting legislative achievements, constituency engagement, and social intervention programmes since assuming office.
Akiba explained that his performance is guided by a five-point agenda anchored on his constitutional responsibilities and deliberate grassroots engagement. He said three aspects of the agenda fall directly within his constitutional mandate: representation, oversight, and lawmaking.
He added that two additional pillars have been deliberately adopted to strengthen the delivery of his mandate. “These include regular interactions with constituents and the establishment of economic structures at the polling unit level across the federal constituency,” Akiba said.
According to him, effective representation is impossible without engaging the people. “For you to represent somebody effectively, you must be in regular interaction with them. It is like a lawyer who must communicate with their client in court; for me, my clients are my constituents,” he said.
The lawmaker described his duties as both in-chamber and out-chamber mandates. While the in-chamber mandate focuses on legislative activities within the National Assembly, the out-chamber mandate centres on continuous engagement with constituents in communities.
Akiba said he has sustained engagement through town hall meetings, physical interactions across wards, and active use of social media platforms. “Even in December, we organised a series of town hall meetings, starting with pastors and later extending to different groups in our communities. Whatever we hear from them, we take to government and bring feedback back,” he added.
On legislative performance, he disclosed that he has sponsored about fourteen motions, many of which were initiated by constituents. “A motion shouldn’t be the exclusive responsibility of a representative. Our people must bring issues forward, and we move them in the National Assembly,” he stated.
He further revealed that he has presented several petitions on behalf of constituents and sponsored three bills, including bills on establishing a school of technology, managing hospital personnel, and data systems. “Constituents should scrutinise our laws. Where provisions are no longer tenable, they should bring them to our attention for amendment or repeal,” Akiba said.
Beyond legislative duties, Akiba highlighted the establishment of cooperative societies in every polling unit as a major achievement. “We call them economic structures. They help us mobilise people, distribute support, and ensure seamless implementation of interventions in our communities,” he said.
Through the cooperatives, he said his office has supported farmers engaged in oil palm, cassava, poultry, and fishery production with improved seedlings, farm inputs, and other interventions. “For example, for cassava farmers, we supply TME419 hybrid cuttings, which can yield up to 30 to 40 tonnes per hectare compared to 10 to 15 tonnes from local varieties,” he explained.
The lawmaker noted that the cooperative structure also advances education, with teams mobilised across wards to support outstanding and vulnerable students. “For tertiary students, we have doubled our support from last year, aiming to reach over 3,000 students this year,” Akiba said.
On healthcare, he revealed that nearly four thousand constituents benefited from free medical outreaches last year, including over four hundred surgeries. “This year, we are expanding access to healthcare through a structured scheme that allows thousands to receive treatment at designated hospitals at no cost,” he stated.
He added that primary healthcare centres across the constituency are being revitalised and equipped to strengthen grassroots health delivery.
Akiba stressed that development must be measured by the health, education, and economic wellbeing of the people. “Our commitment is to inclusive and people-driven representation,” he concluded.