Permit me to be sentimental, Let’s not use the word paranoid, but that’s exactly how it means to me getting to talk about the Man Elvert Ayambem, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly.
It is easy to hide the man behind the office, to assume that every action is colored by politics and the office is definitive of the man. Why this might be true, there is however also a field of reason, those who believe that an office only exposes the man, Like Mark Twain puts it, every man can stand adversity, if you want to know a man, give him power.
Allow me the honor to glide the lilies of history, to pick up from perhaps my short history with the man, It was a privileged meeting, a friend of mine had invited me to a rendezvous, and He wanted me to be part of the conversation and for some reason I Indulged, then came Elvert, a dark, well-built gentleman, whose unassuming nature is still pervaded by the aura of greatness he exudes.
As we went past pleasantries we soon began to reach for the heart of the conversation, I listened for the first time to the Man Elvert, hearing him pour out his heart in aspirations, One captivating thing was that it was not so much about the words he spoke, of course, those were beautiful words, it was the true sense of passion, the devotion to duty, the patriotism and the unwavering believe in his sense of destiny.
It is easy to take politicians sweet-talking for granted, but it is difficult to not admit that Elvert is Better. As though he had taken his fate to his hands, fortune smiled at the “The Son of a Nobody”.
Today I have the rare honor to watch the Speaker carry out his peculiar functions, and it is now more convincing that the number third man is the Ray of Hope that every person looks forward to in a nation in dire need of true Statesmen.
Elvert has conscientiously led a Peoples Assembly, One could see from the deliberate actions of the Speaker to build capacity and get to the task, how he rallied the house leadership to attend a UN-inspired capacity-building workshop, successfully in record time pass the highest number of people-centered motions and bills, diplomatically handled the screening of Commissioner nominees, Promptly responded to petitions before the house, and made himself physically available for legislative activities and other official duties.
One could see that for the first time in a long time the people can identify with the Leadership of the Assembly, having maintained a people-centric style it is not surprising that Cross Riverians have continued to plunge the Assembly in their numbers to visit and interact with their representatives.
As though this was not enough, The Speaker has remained unruffled in the face of malicious volcanoes thrown from deliberate mischief makers rather he has maintained the decorum expected of his office, he was physically available at the scene of the rescue of an abandoned baby, and Promptly visited one while condemning the act thereby bridging the gap between the people and the Leadership.
Recall also that within less than 100 days in office the Speaker, Led the Assembly on a courtesy call to the Security agencies including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police, and private business like the Flour Mills Nig all to strengthen the bond of Government and speak for the benefits of Cross Riverians.
It is therefore not surprising that Mr. Speaker just recently worked with Faith Plant Nig. Ltd facilitated a road intervention and immediate rehabilitation of the Assembly premises.
One can not only commend such devotion but also acknowledge his deliberate effort to give Cross River State a pride of place as can be seen in his recent familiarisation visit to the Lagos State Assembly, a few weeks after over 37 lawmakers joined to mark his birthday.
It is not rocket science, to conclude that Cross Riverians can now see a glimpse of the future, create an expectation of good things to come and go to bed assured that the Elvert Led Assembly is indeed the Peoples Assembly.
Written by Victor Egba
