POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN IKONO: AN UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT
POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN IKONO: AN UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT
Ikono, a Local Government Area in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and one of the two LGAs that make up Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency is blessed with a population of about 185,000 people (2016 projection) divided into eleven wards for equal representation politically and for administrative convenience.
The LGA is blessed with elected political office holders at various levels of governance representing the entire people of Ikono. These elected office holders ranges from the Ward Councillors, the LGA Chairman, the State House of Assembly member representing the good people of Ikono State Constituency, the Federal House Member representing Ikono/Ini, and the Senator representing the senatorial district in the National Assembly amongst other appointed representatives.
For avoidance of doubt and for the purpose of this write up, political representation is the activity of making citizens' voices, opinions, and perspectives“present” in public policy making processes while a political representative is that man or woman; a member of a legislative or governing body who represents a constituency.
It would be safe to say that Political representation occurs when a representative speak, advocate, symbolize, and act on the behalf of others in the political arena otherwise, no representation.
In Nigeria, successive government had come and gone and in these past governments, we've had representatives at various levels just as we have in this government. Unfolding events in the immediate past has clearly revealed that Ikono LGA is in safe hands in terms of political representation. It is on record that the present crop of representatives in the LGA has been focal, vocal, eloquent, exercised high level of intelligence and leadership qualities, humane and above all living above board. Permit me to say that only a few are wanting in their duty of representation.
In one of my interaction with my fellow constituents, a question was raise as to what should be the status of a representative in Ikono LGA and by extension, the Senatorial District? Should he/she be a delegate or a trustee?
For clarity, a delegate representative is that representative who simply follow the expressed preference of his/her constituents while a trustee representative is he/she who follow his/her own understanding of the best action to pursue.
The underlying fact remains that be it a delegate or a trustee, Representatives must act in ways that safeguard the capacity of the represented to authorize and to hold their representatives accountable and uphold the capacity of the representative to act independently of the wishes of the represented. And this, Ikono representatives has surpassed by occassionally subjecting themselves for criticism and occassionally accounting for their stewardship as is evident in the LGA Chairman's just concluded Skill acquisition empowerment scheme for the youths and the ongoing medical outreach for all. The Members representing us both at the National and State Assemblies are not left behind in their show of capacity as could be attested to by all.
While in my assessment, I will pass a vote of confidence on all the elected representatives in Ikono except for a few of them which i wont bother to go into details, I will implore them to work more especially the ones at the State and National Assemblies to look towards recommending Old Itu Road for reconstruction as the Lord will give them the opportunity.
Thank you
Edet John
Ibianang Ediene
edetjhn@gmail.com
Ikono, a Local Government Area in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and one of the two LGAs that make up Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency is blessed with a population of about 185,000 people (2016 projection) divided into eleven wards for equal representation politically and for administrative convenience.
The LGA is blessed with elected political office holders at various levels of governance representing the entire people of Ikono. These elected office holders ranges from the Ward Councillors, the LGA Chairman, the State House of Assembly member representing the good people of Ikono State Constituency, the Federal House Member representing Ikono/Ini, and the Senator representing the senatorial district in the National Assembly amongst other appointed representatives.
For avoidance of doubt and for the purpose of this write up, political representation is the activity of making citizens' voices, opinions, and perspectives“present” in public policy making processes while a political representative is that man or woman; a member of a legislative or governing body who represents a constituency.
It would be safe to say that Political representation occurs when a representative speak, advocate, symbolize, and act on the behalf of others in the political arena otherwise, no representation.
In Nigeria, successive government had come and gone and in these past governments, we've had representatives at various levels just as we have in this government. Unfolding events in the immediate past has clearly revealed that Ikono LGA is in safe hands in terms of political representation. It is on record that the present crop of representatives in the LGA has been focal, vocal, eloquent, exercised high level of intelligence and leadership qualities, humane and above all living above board. Permit me to say that only a few are wanting in their duty of representation.
In one of my interaction with my fellow constituents, a question was raise as to what should be the status of a representative in Ikono LGA and by extension, the Senatorial District? Should he/she be a delegate or a trustee?
For clarity, a delegate representative is that representative who simply follow the expressed preference of his/her constituents while a trustee representative is he/she who follow his/her own understanding of the best action to pursue.
The underlying fact remains that be it a delegate or a trustee, Representatives must act in ways that safeguard the capacity of the represented to authorize and to hold their representatives accountable and uphold the capacity of the representative to act independently of the wishes of the represented. And this, Ikono representatives has surpassed by occassionally subjecting themselves for criticism and occassionally accounting for their stewardship as is evident in the LGA Chairman's just concluded Skill acquisition empowerment scheme for the youths and the ongoing medical outreach for all. The Members representing us both at the National and State Assemblies are not left behind in their show of capacity as could be attested to by all.
While in my assessment, I will pass a vote of confidence on all the elected representatives in Ikono except for a few of them which i wont bother to go into details, I will implore them to work more especially the ones at the State and National Assemblies to look towards recommending Old Itu Road for reconstruction as the Lord will give them the opportunity.
Thank you
Edet John
Ibianang Ediene
edetjhn@gmail.com
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