People buying fish on the road side at the Gamboru market in Maiduguri last Tuesday. Photo: NAN

Barely two weeks after the Rivers State House of Assembly held its plenary in Government House, Port Harcourt, the lawmakers have resumed sitting at the same venue.
The House had  during their first sitting in Government House described the old Banquet Hall of the state Government House as a temporary chamber for them to meet.
Though members had maintained that they had to relocate as a result of the on-going renovation work at the Assembly complex , the sealing of the Assembly complex by the police had forced them to hold plenary elsewhere.
Seventeen out of the 27 members were present at the sitting presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon Otelemaba Dan- Amachree.
The lawmakers, however, considered three bills, including the Rivers State Waste Management  Bill, which went though the first reading.
Dan-Amachree explained that the bill when passed into law, would replace the law establishing the Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority.
The two other bills, which also went through the first reading are Rivers State Taxes and Levies Harmonisation Bill  2013 and the Rivers State Customary Court Bill 2013.
On the absence of some members at yesterday’s sitting, the Speaker pointed out  that those absent asked to be excused from the day’s exercise, stressing that the three bills would have been passed into law in 2013.
He said the political crisis in the state had delayed deliberations on the bills.
The pro-Amaechi lawmakers absent at the sitting are the Leader of the House, Hon Chidi Lloyd, whose  absent was due to ill-health, the member representing Okrika constituency, Rev Belema Okpokiri, Hon Azubuike Wanjoku, Hon Onari Brown and Hon Frederick Anabrabra.