Eteng Jonas-Williams emerges as new speaker C/River

The Cross River State House of Assembly has elected Eteng Jonas-Williams as the Speaker of the 9th Assembly and Joseph Bassey as the Deputy Speaker respectively.

Swearing in the Principal Officers on Tuesday in Calabar, Clerk of the house, Bassey Ekpeyong, said the inauguration followed the proclamation by the state governor, Ben Ayade, that the house be inaugurated on June 11.

According to the Clerk, 16 of the old members were re-elected into the assembly, while nine new members were also elected for the first term.

He said that it was the hope of the state government and Cross River people that the 9th assembly would add more value to the growth and development of the state.

Reading the achievements of the 8th assembly, the Clerk said that 51 bills were passed by the John Gaul-Lebo led legislature.

Taking the oath of office, Mr Jonas-Williams who represents Yakurr 2, pledged to serve in accordance with the constitution and in collaboration with other arms of government to move the state forward.

He expressed appreciation to the governor for his support in the past four years and called on citizens to support the governor to complete his projects.

He promised to work as a team to enable the governor to achieve his aims, adding that the House would be resolute in legislation to improve the lives of the people.

The 9th Assembly has Peter Odey as Leader of the House, Fred Osim as deputy, while Okon Ephraim emerged as the Whip, with Regina Anyogo as deputy.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr Bassey, who represents Calabar South 2, also pledged to provide a robust representation to his constituents and also contribute to the development of the state. (NAN)