Umuahia: The Abia House of Assembly says it passed 37 bills in its first two years of existence.
The Speaker, Mr Emmanuel Emeruwa, disclosed in Umuahia on Tuesday while briefing journalists on the achievements of the eighth assembly, inaugurated in 2023.
He listed some of the bills, including the Abia State Appropriation Law of 2023, the Greater Aba Development Authority Law of 2024, and the Abia State Pensions Reform Law of 2024.
Others were the Abia State Security Trust Fund Law of 2024, the Abia State Electricity Law of 2025, the Abia State Senior Citizens Law of 2025 and the Abia State Local Government Administration Law of 2025.
Emeruwa said that the eighth assembly had been making people-friendly laws and was committed to institutional reforms, participatory governance, and sustainable development.
He said: “I thank my colleagues for their quick understanding and for the harmonious relationship we have been enjoying.
“Sometime in May, we were able to get 18 bills assented to in one day, but that has not happened in the history of the Abia legislature, and I don’t think it has happened in other legislatures in Nigeria.
“The governor has assented to all these bills, and these laws are enforceable.
“I don’t think the lack of law is the problem of Nigeria or Abia but the implementation.”
Emeruwa further said that one of the notable bills passed into law was the electricity bill, which allows the state to control electricity and enhance industrialisation.
He emphasised that the electricity law would enable investors to enter the state and establish their own electricity companies and power stations.
He underscored the senior citizens law, which, he explained, is designed to provide Abia citizens who are 60 years and above with a monthly salary, free medical bills, and other benefits.
“I don’t think there is any other state in Nigeria that has passed that law because we know that senior citizens ought to be catered for in terms of helping them in medical and other life needs,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the speaker, who highlighted other achievements in oversight and representation, said that the assembly had continued to enjoy a harmonious relationship with the executive.