Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday suspended three caretaker committee chairmen
over allegations of financial impropriety and issue of insecurity in their
councils.
The affected caretaker committee chairmen are Mr Cassidy
Ikegbedi, Ahoada East; Mr Ojukaye Amachree, Asari Toru, and Mr Derrick Mene for
Khana Local Government Area.
The House, during its sitting presided over by the Deputy
Speaker, Leyii Kwanee, also set up a committee to investigate allegations
against the council chairmen.
The Assembly also summoned nine commissioners and four heads
of ministries, agencies and departments to appear before it today.
Kwanii explained that the Assembly took the action to get
clarification from some of the commissioners on the economic position of the
state, adding that the lawmakers were not out to witch-hunt anybody.
“As an arm of government, we are not out to witch-hunt the
executive. We are out to strengthen things. You are aware that the seventh
Assembly is gradually coming to an end.
We have been seeing a lot of
conflicting reports. The other day, the Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim
Semenitari, was on air saying that civil servants have been paid up to March.
So, we feel very embarrassed as an arm of government,” he said.
Those to appear before the lawmakers include the Commissioners for Finance, Agriculture,
Power, Health, Tourism, Information, Budget, Works and Transport.
Others to also appear are the Accountant-General, Chairmen
of Board of Internal Revenue, Rivers State Assembly Service Commission and
Secondary School Management Board.
Deputy Leader of the House, Nname Ewor, representing Ahoada
East Constituency 1 in two motions he presented before the House, had expressed
worries with the conflicting reports on the economy of the state.
He lamented the rising incidents of insecurity and degree of
financial recklessness in the local government areas of the affected Caretaker
Committee chairmen.
“In these three councils, human lives have been rendered
insignificant and financial frugality has been jettisoned to the waste bin. The
councils are drifting to the Hobbes ion State of Nature,” he added.
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