RVHA Passes Advertisement, Use Of Govt Property Prohibition Bill

The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed the Rivers State Advertisement, Use of Government-owned Property (Prohibition) Bill 2022.
This is sequel to the presentation of the Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee and Deputy Speaker, Hon Ehie Edison, and subsequent debate on the bill today on the floor of the Assembly.
The deputy speaker, while presenting the report, said majority of stakeholders said the bill was timely and out to sanitise the state.
According to the report, anyone who wants to use government facility must seek approval from the appropriate office.
The report also said the Ministry of Urban Development should regulate and impose appropriate sanctions to defaulters.
Commencing debate on the bill, the House Leader, Hon Martin Amaewhule,emphasised that the bill was not to regulate political parties but to ensure residential areas were not used for non-residential activities.
Other lawmakers such as Hon Michael Chinda of Obio/Akpo Constituency, and Christian Ahiakwo, noted the issue of caution fee should be taken seriously to effect repairs on government facilities that may be destroyed in the cause of usage.
Speaker, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, in his submission at the end of debate, said no society can make meaningful progress without laws, noting that the essence was to keep a clean environment.
He stressed that all converted buildings in Government Residential Areas (GRAs) should return to status quo.
The Assembly also passed the Climate Change Bill 2022, and Rivers State Heritage Reservation Agency Bill 2022.
In a related development, majority of stakeholders in the state have supported the Rivers State Advertisement Use of state-owned Properties Prohibition Bill 2022.
The stakeholders, including Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Justice, Egerton Madume;representative of All Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Comrade Chidi Ewuru;representative of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Rivers State Command, among others, during the one-day public hearing at the Assembly, described the bill as timely, stating that there was need for public awareness.
According to them, the function of government was to protect lives and property of the people.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Hon Edison Ehie, who said the bill was to sanitise the state, noted that it has three cardinal areas, which include prohibition of conversion of residential buildings to public use, prohibition of indiscriminate advertisement and regulation of the use of state-owned facilities such schools without due approval.

Ike Wigodo