Assembly Passes Honours Law

It was business as usual at the Rivers State House of Assembly last week.
The House, at Tuesday plenary session, passed into law a bill to repeal the “Rivers State Honours Law 2000 and to re-enact the Rivers State Honours Law 2017”.
The bill was passed into law after a debate that lasted for over an hour, with the 18 lawmakers present at the session voting in support of its passage.
Announcing the passage of the bill, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani said with the development, the Governor of the State can now confer State Honours in the name of the Government and people of Rivers State to any distinguished indigene, person or body, unit, association of persons or a corporation in the state.
The Speaker said the new law has further amended other sections of the Awards Law 2000, like categories of persons to be awarded with State Honours, procedures for making nominations, fund for the State Honours Advisory Committee, among others.
The law also stated four categories of Honours which include, “the Grand Service Star of Rivers State (GSSRS), Distinguished Service Star of Rivers State (DSSRS), the Governors Medal of Service (GMS) and the Rivers State Merit Award (RSMA).
In the same plenary session, the House Committee on Education led by its chairman, Hon. Farah Dagogo, submitted to the House a report on a bill for a law to repeal and re-enact the Rivers State University of Science and Technology Law, Cap 133, Law of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999.
Shortly after the report on the bill by the House Education Committee,  debates on a bill for a law to establish the Rivers University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital commenced immediately.
Though the debate on the bill titled “Rivers State University  of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital Bill, 2017 could not be concluded at the session, the House Committee report earlier submitted by the chairman, Hon. Adonye  Diri suggested the need for the name of the proposed Teaching Hospital to be changed to Rivers State Teaching Hospital, instead of Rivers State Science and Technology Teaching Hospital.
Last Thursday, the Speaker of the House, played host to a delegation of the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS) at his office in the Assembly Complex in Port Harcourt.
The Speaker who assured the students delegation led by the new national president, Comrade Patrick  Uche of the legislature’s support and the need to address some of the challenges facing students in the state,  advised Rivers Students to shun social vices and focus on things that will made them achieve greatness in the society.
On issues of bursaries, the Speaker promised to liaise with the executive to find out if there is a way to revisit the payment of students bursary that was suspended since 2013 by the past administration of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi in the State.

Enoch Epelle