Today, twelfth June, 2025, the eighth Anambra State House of Assembly has completed her second session, with commendable results in all aspects of legislative engagements.
Inaugurated on June twelve, 2023, the eighth State Assembly unanimously elected the Member Representing Ogbaru Two Constituency, Right Honourable Somtochukwu Udeze, as the Speaker.
Under his leadership, legislative business in the State has remarkably improved in the areas of enactment of quality laws, oversight duties and constituency relations.
He ensured that House Standing Committees and Adhoc Committees are headed by lawmakers who have experience in the areas for smooth operation, while ten o’clock in the morning has been fixed as the sitting time which has recorded impressive compliance by the lawmakers and staff of the Legislature.
Training programmes and workshops for both lawmakers and staff have remained regular features, while the introduction of every Tuesday morning prayer by the Speaker is yielding positive results.
The lawmakers’ oversight functions have helped in resuscitating dilapidated government agencies and advancing critical intervention measures in workers discipline, welfare and productivity.
In Constituency Relations, the present eighth State Assembly has distinguished itself among her counterparts in terms of Legislator-Member Relationship and Empowerment Programmes.
Recently, the Speaker, organized a Town Hall Meeting and Empowerment Programme where he empowered over three thousand members of his Constituency with various materials including sewing machines, grinding machines, generating sets and farm inputs in addition to shuttle buses as well as gigantic Agricultural Processing Plant he is building at Atani to alleviate poverty in Ogbaru council area as well as his first phase of ten Million Naira Education Grants he provided for Ogbaru students in Tertiary Institutions and Students Nurses among others. Same is the story from other twenty nine constituencies where lawmakers are contributing to the well-being of their constituents through Empowerment Schemes.
So far, the House has passed a total of thirty-one Bills and almost all of them have been assented to by Governor Chukwuma Soludo and is topping the chart in passage of impactful Bills among its counterparts in the country.
The Bills the House has passed include; Anambra State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission Bill, Anambra State House of Assembly Commission Amendment Bill, 2024/2025 Appropriation Bills, Secret Cult And Similar Activities Prohibition Bill, Environmental Management, Protection And Administration Bill, Trafficking In Persons Prohibition, Enforcement And Administration Bill, Anambra State Mission Schools Of Nursing And Midwifery Amended Bill, Anambra State Touting Prohibition Bill and Anambra State Market Safety Bill.
Other landmark Bills passed by the eighth State Assembly are; Anambra State Homeland Security Amendment Bill, Anambra State Local Government Administration Bill, Anambra State Economic Planning and Development Bill, Anambra State Indigenous Traditional Medicine Bill, Anambra State Traditional rulers Amendment Bill, Anambra, Anambra State Development And Investment Corporation Bill, Anambra State Electricity Bill.
Out of the thirty-one Bills passed, about ten are “Private Member Bills, originated and sponsored by individual lawmakers. Going by the records, this is the highest Private Member Bills sponsored by lawmakers since creation of the State in 1991.
The harmonious working relationship existing between the eighth Anambra State House of Assembly, the Executive Arm and the Judiciary has greatly strengthened development partnership and subsequent transformation of the State.
The passage of the Anambra State Homeland Security Bill by the House assented to by Governor Soludo established a formidable Security Outfit, “Operation Udo-Ga-Achi” which has continued to work day and night for the peace and security of lives and property of Ndi Anambra.
As the eighth Anambra Assembly enters the third Session, greater impacts of the House shall be felt by Ndi Anambra and those doing business in the State.
The eighth State Assembly is full of gratitude to God who has given them the enablement to record significant achievements thus far. The House highly commends the Clerk and the entire staff of the Legislature for their support and commitment to duty, while urging them to sustain the cordial working relationship between them and the lawmakers for enhanced productivity. The eighth Assembly also appreciates her partners, constituents, the Press and various Stakeholders for their support and encouragements so far.
