RSHA Passes 18 Bills Into Law

The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed 18 Executive bills into law during its plenary, yesterday.
The bills include those to amend the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital Bill 2017 and other related matters; and the renaming of Liberation Stadium to Gen. Yakubu Gowon Stadium; bill seeking to rename old Aba Road to Yakubu Gowon Road; and the renaming of newly built Judges’ Quarters to Emmanuel Aguma Judges’ Quarters.
Other bills passed into law include, the renaming of Waterlines Building to Chief Warmate Complex; renaming of former Produce House, Moscow Road to Chief Emmanuel Aguma Complex; and the renaming of Cultural Centre to Cardinal Rex Lawson Cultural Centre.
The house also passed the bill seeking to name Doctors’ Quarters at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital to Dr Dennis Fiberesima Quarters.
The bills also passed into law the name of the Rumuwoji Market, Rumuogba Flyover, Okoro Nodu Flyover, and the Ogbum Na Abali Fruit Market.
The lawmakers also passed the repeal of the Rivers State Physical Planning and Development Bill into law.
Consequently, with the bills approved, the former Creek Road would now be known and referred to as Dame Patience Jonathan Road while the former SARS Road would be referred to as Sir Celestine Omehia Road.
The bills were passed after intense debate by the legislators.
But while explaining the rationale of the bills, the Leader of the House, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, said they were in tandem with recent developments in the state.
He dismissed insinuations that the naming of roads and markets falls within the purview of local government councils, noting that such projects were concurrent in nature, hence all levels of government could build, and rename roads and markets.
On his part, Speaker of the House, who was also Chairman of the Joint House Committee, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, expressed the view that laws were not absolute, stressing that the House passed the bills for the betterment of the state.
Ibani thanked his colleagues for their contributions to making the plenary a success, assuring that, “We will continue to do so for the betterment of the state”.