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
