Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has visited the residential quarters of members of the State House of Assembly, on Port Harcourt/Aba Road opposite Old Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) headquarters.
The visit came barely 24 hours after the Martin Amaewhule-led lawmakers re-enacted the local government Bill.
Sources close to the governor said he made a detour to visit the quarters to have an on-the-spot assessment of the mood and status of quarters while enroute the Emohua-Kalabari Road to inspect the readiness of the first phase of the Trans-Kalabari Road billed for commissioning in a few days.
Fubara, in an eight-second short video clip posted on Facebook by one of his aides, was seen walking around the premises with his security details.
Meanwhile, the 27 Pro Wike lawmakers at their 175th Legislative Sitting on Wednesday, consolidated the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, the Rivers State Local Government ( Amendment) Law of 2023, and the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Law No. 4 of 2024 to form a new Local Government Law that provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of the Local Government Councils and other matters connected to the State.
The lawmakers, who used the auditorium at Assembly quarters as a make shift Chambers passed the Bill after deliberating on it merits and demerits.
A statement by Martins Wachukwu, the Special Aide on Media to the factional Speaker, Amaewhule, explained that before passing the Bill, the House debated on the essence of consolidating all the Local Government Laws in the State, which they argued would make for ease of reference.
Thereafter, in line with the rules of the House, the House resolved into Committee of the Whole and further X-rayed the cream of all the Laws to be consolidated.
He further explained that while co.enting on the Bill Amaewhule, posited that the intendment of the Bill is to consolidate all the Local Government Laws in the State to a one whole piece of Legislation.
He added that in consolidating the Laws, the House looked at some critical sections and amended them for effective management of staff of the Local Government Councils in the State in line with current realities; quoting Amaewhule as saying: “no single individual in borrowed ropes will be allowed to hold any Local Government Council to ransom.”
Also, on Wednesday, the House read for the second time the Rivers State Electricity Market Bill, sponsored by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule. Debating on the Bill, Members highlighted the benefits of the Bill, arguing that the Bill when passed will transform the entire value chain of the electricity market, and positively touch the economic life of the people of Rivers State.
Commenting on the Bill, the Speaker, Rt.Hon. Amaewhule stated that what the Bill seeks to do is to improve power supply in the State for business to thrive; emphasizing that since power is now in the concurrent list it is important for the State to have a legal framework for effective power supply.
The Bill was then committed to the House Committee on Power to organize a public hearing on the Bill and report to the House before long.