News
Rivers Finance: House Committee Assures On Reforms

The Joint House Committee on Finance and Public Accounts has promised to champion new reforms that will inject accountability into the management of funds in the state.
They made public their plans, yesterday, during a public hearing on two executive bills: Rivers State Audit Reform bill and Rivers State Finance Control and Management bill 2019.
While the Audit bill seeks to repeal and re-enact an existing bill of 1999, the Finance and Control bill is a new bill set to streamline public finance and enforce transparency.
Chairman House Committee on Finance and Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ehie Ogerenye Edison said the public hearing is to get input from stakeholders and ensure that all forms of misappropriation are eliminated.
In his words, “if the bill is finally approved and passed into law the state would be one of the first to legally fight corruption.
Hon. Edison affirmed that the Chief Wike-led administration is against all forms of misappropriation hence it has sponsored the bill to streamline adequate appropriation of government funds.
Earlier, Chairman House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Major Jack submitted that the public hearing will streamline the bill and give it a modern look.
In his view it was high time the state reformed its audit system to give room for efficiency.
In the future, he said, accounting officers will be responsible as they are expected to be more prudent in their duties.
In a related development, the call for the establishment of the Rivers State Audit Service Commission has divided stakeholders in the public finance and accounts sector in the state.
Their views were made public during the public hearing on “The Rivers State Finance Control and Management bill 2019”, and “The Rivers State Audit Reform bill of 2019” held at the Assembly Complex yesterday.
While the Auditor- General of the State, Eliaz Akazu, advocated for an independent body to oversee audit processes in the state, Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission, Chief Oris Onyiri said it will conflict with service rules and duplicate functions.
Speaking through one Emmanuel Dappa, the Chairman of the State Civil Service said if the Commission is established, it will conflict with the mandate of the commission to oversee all public service matters, and therefore urged the Assembly to ensure that such provisions are duly addressed.
“When it comes to the discipline and promotion of auditors, it will relegate the duties of the Civil Service Commission, “ Onyiri declared.
Except in the appointment of Auditor General, which is exclusive of the Governor, Onyiri stated that other aspects of employment, promotion and discipline are under the Commission, stressing that auditors are civil servants.
Akazu had earlier posited that the Commission was necessary to inject efficiency and transparency in audit system.
He reasoned that, “auditing is moving away from the traditional system… The office should be funded through direct charge on government account or through budgeting”.
The State Auditor -General also sued for the establishment of a legal department to oversee grey legal areas instead of resorting to staffs loaned from sister agencies.
Meanwhile, a representative of the Rivers State University and Professor of Accountancy, Loveday Nwayanwu, has called for the inclusion of members of various high institutions in the proposed board of state audit.
Besides, Prof Nwayanwu argued that it will not be transparent if the auditors generally appoint somebody to audit his office.
Such duty, according to Nwayanwu, should be done by an independent body to create transparency.
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.
-
News4 days ago
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others
-
Opinion4 days ago
How Reliable Is AI
-
Politics4 days ago
Keyamo Inaugurates Ganduje As FAAN Board Chair
-
Politics4 days ago
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
-
Rivers4 days ago
HOS Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP … As Project Sensitization Team Visit Degema, AKULGA
-
News4 days ago
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
-
Opinion4 days ago
Is Nigeria Democratic Nation?
-
News4 days ago
2027: I Stand With Southern Presidency -Ortom