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Reps Pass South-South Development Commission Bill For Second Reading

The House of Representatives, yesterday, passed for second reading, a bill seeking to establish a development commission for the South-South geopolitical zone with debate.
The bill sponsored by Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante was first read on the floor of the House for the first time on December 19, 2020.
The bill seeks to establish a South-South Development Commission (SSDC) charged with the responsibility to receive and manage funds from the Federation Account Allocation and other sources, donations, grants, aids for the integration, development, resolution of infrastructural deficit, militancy, communal crisis as well and tackle ecological and environmental problems.
Similarly, a member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Rep Farah Dagogo, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to delineate federal constituencies in Rivers State, to shore up the number of National Assembly representatives from his state.
He said the function will not require the electoral body to seek amendments to the Constitution.
The legislator said while some sections of the country’s Electoral Act require amendments, the issue of delimitation or delineation, was already covered in the Constitution, and what INEC needs was “adherence to laid down procedures as clearly stated in sections 91, 112 and 114.”
The lawmaker spoke in reference to comments by some INEC officials at a week-long retreat on the review of the electoral legal framework jointly organised by the commission, the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
He said the last constituency delimitation was done “more than a long time ago”, adding that “the population of the country and registered voters have increased exponentially, thereby underscoring an urgent review for proportional and fair representation”.
Dagogo lamented the seeming unwillingness of INEC to carry out its functions as required by the Constitution.
He said the position of the Constitution, on that matter, is clear and devoid of any ambiguity.
“Section 112 empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to divide every state in the Federation into such number of State Constituencies within that State.
“INEC is also empowered by Section 114 (1) of the Constitution to review the division of every state into constituencies at intervals of not less than ten years,” he said.
According to him, “Also, Section 91 of the Constitution explains how a state is qualified for state constituencies where the House of Assembly of a state shall consist of three or four times the number of seats which that state has in the House of Representatives provided that a House of Assembly of a state shall consist of not less than 24 and not more than 40 members.”
He said: “It was in the light of the foregoing, and especially in the spirit of Section 91 of the Constitution and also because I believe that where a law spells injustice, its injurious effect shall be curtailed by the National Assembly as the institution saddled with that responsibility that I pray the House to direct INEC to ensure compliance with the Constitution.
“Rivers State has 13 members in the House of Representatives and a 32-member state House of Assembly. My interpretation of the Constitution, is that Rivers State is qualified for an additional seven State Constituencies, to increase its number to, at least, 39 state constituency seats.”
He added that “it is not only Rivers State that is short-changed, but other states such as Plateau, Oyo, Sokoto, Borno, Anambra, Bauchi, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and many more are also adversely affected by INEC’s failure to discharge this obligation.
“While INEC is focusing on amendments of some sections of the electoral acts, they should also see to the enforcement of the Constitution where they have necessary powers. It is more than 20 years since the last delimitation was done. The Constitution is supreme to any other law and we should toe and follow it to the letter”, he argued.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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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
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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.
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