Rivers Lawmaker Tops In Bills Presentation

Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon Kinsley Chinda, has emerged as the representative with the highest number of bills and substantive motions in the first six months of the National Assembly (June – December, 2011), thus taking Rivers state to the top in bills sponsorship.

The Tide checks shows that the Rivers State-born legislator who represents Obio/Akpor federal constituency in the House  ranks above his colleagues in the 360-member House in churning out bills and substantive motions, with a total of 10 bills and 12 motions to his credit.

The bills include, Oil producing companies (Mandatory Investment in petroleum refining bill, 2011) and Pre-shipment Inspection of exports (Amendment) Bill, among others. The motions include Need to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Port Harcourt, Accountability and Transparency in the Management and Use of Ecological Fund and a motion on The removal of fuel subsidy.

The motions sponsored by Hon. Chinda who was Rivers state commissioner for Environment within this short period also include “The proposed increase in electricity tariff by the federal government of Nigeria; The need to plug leakages of public funds (Fuel subsidy removal); Need to urgently investigate and check the rising security challenges in the country; Need to enforce decisions of the House; and the Need to complete the East-West road (Edo-Akwa Thorn state axis).”

Others are: Need for government Agencies Charged with over-sight Responsibilities in Oil Spill Cases to be Independent; Failed contract for the dredging of the Calabar Channel and the Port Harcourt ports; Need for Teaching Hospitals in the Country to account for internally-Generated revenue (IGR); the recent fire- outbreak at Chevron’s oil rig; as well as a motion on The missing INEC machine.

The TideAbuja correspondent reports that the bills and motions which address diverse issues seek to restore sanity to the various sectors they focus on, ensure the delivery of the dividends of democracy to the populace and further advance the cause of democracy in the country.

Asked to throw more light on the bills and motions, Hon Chinda explained that the National consciousness bill was borne out of his desire to have Nigerians see themselves as truly and proudly as Nigerians, and to awaken the spirit of patriotism and nationalism in them, saying,  ‘there is only one Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, so, there is need for one in Port Harcourt’.

Justus Awaji, Abuja