News
RSHA Wants Internal Revenue Board Overhauled
Apparently unhappy with the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue over its poor revenue generation, the State House of Assembly has called for total overhaul of the Board to facilitate greater efficiency.
This was the fall-out of the lawmakers’ deliberation at last weekend legislative session while contributing debate on the 2011 Appreciation Bill presented by Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi last week.
The lawmakers unanimously agreed that Amaechi’s 2011 Budget proposal of N414.1 billion tagged Budget of Transformation was rightly articulated and focused, but expressed dismay that the N77. billion proposed in the budget as amount to be internally generated by the Board for next year was totally unacceptable.
Before committing the 2011 Appropriation Bill to committee stage, the legislators agreed that if the Board of internal Revenue is overhauled and repositioned, there is no way it cannot generate more than what was stated in the budget.
The chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Jones Ogbonda, who took the first swipe while contributing to the general debate frowned at the benchmark of N77.1 billion proposed in the budget by the state government as internally generated revenue (IGP) for 2011 budget, noting that the success of every budget implementation depends largely on the level of revenue it generates internally.
Going by the figures, Hon Ogbonda said the State government depends solely on federal allocation in order to meet the expectations of the budgets.
According to him, the situation is unhealthily and precarious to the economy of the state. He therefore urged the state government to look in-wards in order to widen the horizon of its internal revenue base even as he appealed to the state government to resume dialogue with striking lecturers of the state-owned tertiary institutions in order to find a lasting solution to the hungering RSG-ASUU face-off.
In their various contributions, Hon. Chidi Lioyd (Emohua), Ibroma kichner (AKULGA II), Hon Hope Ikiriko (Ahoada West), and Hon Onari Brown (AKULGA I), agreed that there is need to fine tune the revenue drive of the state even as they acknowledged that Amaechi administration has made a huge investment in infrastructural development in the State.
The lawmakers while reviewing the 2010 budget performance averred that the executive arm of government has implemented the budget as appropriated. The legislators remarked that next year’s budget estimate will be geared towards accomplishing the hope and aspirations of the Rivers people and urged their colleagues to give the appropriation bill the desired attention it deserved.
Hon. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja (Opobo/Nkoro), however urged his colleagues to critically look into the budget with a view to ensuring compliance into budgetary rules.
The speaker, Rivers Assembly, Rt. Hon Tonye Harry while committing the bill into the committee stage reminded the legislators of enormity of the task ahead as they are likely to forfeit their Christmas and Boxing Day holidays as part of the sacrifice they will make in order to ensure the passage of the bill into law before the end of this year.
Bekweru Weli & Esther Ihekoromadu
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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