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RVHA Vows To Monitor LG CTCs

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The Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) last week, held only one plenary session and public hearing, as well as an oversight function.
Last Tuesday, the House screened  and confirmed  nominees  for Caretaker Committees (CTC) for 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs)  and  also okayed the re-nomination of members for 13 other LGAs.
Those confirmed were  charged by the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon.  Ikninyi-Owaji Ibani, to be proactive in discharging their statutory duties as soon as they were sworn in by Rivers State Governor,  Nyesom  Ezenwo  Wike.
Ibani  reiterated the Assembly’s readinesss to monitor  the activities of CTC chairmen and members  of various LGAs as part of its over sight function in the state.
Also on Tuesday plenary session, the Assembly gave its nod to the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue Service.
The Board chairman  confirmed was Mr. ThankGod Adoge Nortee from Gokana  LGA, while Mr Echward Mark  (Ahhoada West), Mr. Chibuzor Ahoorlu (Port Harcourt) and Sofiri Ezekiel-Hart (Bonny) were okayed as Board members.
The Board chairman designate, Mr. Nortee promised to create a tax  friendly atmosphere where all the tax payers would be relieved  of multiple taxation.
The speaker expressed happiness with the calibre of nominees for the Board, charging them to bring their wealth of experiences to bear on the revenue generation effort of  the state government to engender  development.
Also same Tuesday, the  Assembly  deliberated on a bill to repeal the  Rivers State Honours Awards law  2,000 and to re-enact the  Rivers State Honours Law 2017.
The bill was tendered  by the majority Leader of the House, Hon Martin Amaewhule  at the Assembly’s  plenarys session, and it was immediately passed for first reading at the floor of the House.
The bill entitled,  Rivers State  Honours Law, 2017, when passed into law, would provide the awards of the State Honours by Warrant made by the Governor of the State for matters connected  there to.
The bill stipulates that the Governor  of the  State might confer Sate  Honours in the name of the  government and people of the state to any indigene, body, unit, association, corporation or any person in the State.
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Education headed by the lawmaker representing  Degema Constituency, Hon. Farah Dagogo held public hearing to finally repeal and re-enact  the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) Law Cap 133 Law of the Rivers State of Nigeria 1999.
Speaker of the House,  Rt. Hon. Ikumyi-Owaji Ibani, represented by the majorty Leader of the House, Hon. Martin Amaewhule,  declared  the public hearing opened,  saying   the bill is an Executive Bill seeking to produce  the much needed result-oriented scientific and Technical  manpower for the  State.
The public Hearing was attended  by the  both  the management  of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) and  the  Ignatius Ajuru University of Education  (IAUE), representative  of the State Ministry of Justice  Mrs Florence Fiberesima, Students Union  Government of RSUST, ASUU, NANS handing among other stakeholders and  dignitaries across the state.
Same Wednesday, the Assembly Committee on Environment, led by its Chairman, Hon. Christian  Ahiakwo,  interacted  with the Nigerian  Security and Civil Defence Corps  (NSCDC) at the corps command office in Port Harcourt.
At the  session, Hon. Ahiakwo appealed  to the NSCDC to employ alternative  means of destroying illegal  refineries and products  instead of burning them as that was contributing to black soot currently  being experienced  in the state.
The committee Chairman  also suggested,  the option of handing over seized illegal petroleum  products to the Nigeria National Petroelum Corporation (NNPC) to proper refining  instead of destroying same.
The Rivers State commandant  of NSCDC, Mohammed  Lawal Haruma noted that  all illegally  refined products were adulterated  hence  it cannot in any way be  re-refined to lawful consumption in the country and the global  market.

 

Enoch Epelle

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Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

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In a renewed effort to deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced the commencement of its Zonal and National Public Hearings across the country.

A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.

The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.

The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.

It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.

“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.

The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.

 

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Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has stirred fresh political controversy by dismissing claims that President Bola Tinubu was highly instrumental to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015 after the merger of political parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.

He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.

Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.

In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.

According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.

“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.

“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.

“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.

“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.

In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.

“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.

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Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi

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Former Presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has accused Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of spreading false information about Nigeria’s debt profile, claiming it is deterring foreign investors from the country.

Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.

Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.

“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.

“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.

To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.

“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.

“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.

“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.

 

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