Efio-Ita Nyok|25 May 2016|6:05am
Recently, Cross River based university don, legal practitioner, right activist, social commentator and social media change agent, Joseph Odok, has been flooding the cyber space with allegations insinuating that the 2016 Appropriation Law of Cross River State christened Budget of Deep Vision is being deliberately hoarded by the government of Cross River State.
This was captured in a social media post titled: Where is Cross River State Budget: Paradox of John Gaul Gaul Lebo led Cross River State House of Assembly and published in Negroid Haven with the link: www.negroidhaven.org/2016/05/where-is-crs-budget-paradox-of-john.html. In itself, the post had generated an ongoing heated debate on cyber space so much so that the Honourable Member representing Ogoja State Constituency at the Cross River State House of Assembly (CRSHA), Hon. Peter Odey was compelled to make a remark in the following words:
'Please contact my office tomorrow for a copy of the budget.
Stop peddling rumours on social media. Be constructive if you have to criticise.
Please direct me to the site where the Federal government budget was published or any state that have published their budget online'.
However, Hon Peter Odey earlier made the assertion that, the 2016 Appropriation Law of Cross River State is not a secret document, as alleged by Odok, etc but public. In his words, '…You can pick a copy from my office. Secondly, you said it wasn't laid before the House and I directed you to the media houses that covered the event. Bottom line is the budget is a public document. Nothing secret about it'. On his part, and in reaction to Odey's position, Odok inquired thus: We welcome Peter Odinga a member of Cross River State House of Assembly to the debate. Please as a legislator will you request all your constituents to go to Abuja, CRBC, AIT, or Budget Office to get the appropriation bill? A strong requirement of a law after promulgation is publicity. Can you justify the secrecy of the budget. Can you restore the trust of your constituents by making the budget available? Why the secrecy of all laws passed by your present day assembly. The last time I searched for a copy of the Tax Exemption Law for Low Income Earner, Cross River State on all available law bookshop and I never saw. How will your laws made by your present day Assembly be developed if not made available to expert?
Barr. Odok got a nod from a renowned legal practitioner in the person of Chief Okoi Obono-obla who contended that, 'The Budget is a Law! One of the requirements of Good Governance in a Democracy is that all Laws passed by the Parliament must be published and sold to every member that want it'.
So, we are in a dilemma: Will Barr. Joseph Odok go to Hon. Peter Odey's office to get a copy of the 2016 Appropriation Law or will he insist that the CRSHA publish it for all to access it as supported by Barr. Okoi Obono-Obla? Who will cave in first, Odok or John Gaul Lebo's CRSHA?
Cross Riverians are watching keenly.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger & the Editor of Negroid Haven