R/Assembly passes Wike’s N104bn 2015 supplementary bill into law

The Rivers state House of Assembly has passed the 2015 supplementary budget
for the state Government into Law.
Presenting the motion, Leader of the Assembly, Martins Amaewhule said the bill
was aimed at ensuring that Governor Nyesom Wike has the legal backing to
expend funds into more projects in the state.

The Speaker, Ikunyi Igbani passed the bill after a unanimous vote by the
Lawmakers.
The lawmakers also stood-down some sections of the House Standing order
(Order 50) to enable quick passage of the appropriation bill in less than an hour.
The supplementary budget has a profile of one hundred and four billion naira
(N104,287,285,108).
The Speaker who said the supplementary budget will be for capital expenditure,
stated that it is imperative for the legislature to play its role in the sustainability
of development in the state.
“Governance is not about paying salaries alone. It is also about bringing
meaningful development and taking into account the environment we live in.
“This supplementary budget of N104billion is meant to help the government
achieve this,” Speaker said.
In the breakdown of the supplementary budget, the state Judiciary has a budget
of a little over N1billion while the Legislature has N2billion. Ministry of Housing
has N10billion while over N40billion will spent in the Ministry of Works.
Earlier, the Rivers state House of Assembly approved Wike’s request to appoint
five new special advisers.
Speaker Igbani gave the approval after the Leader of the House moved a motion
on behalf of the other members of the Assembly to grant the request of the
governor.
The Assembly also screened and confirmed Odame Iyenebari Theophilus and
Austine Tam George as commissioner designates into the state Executive
council.
A total of twenty-two commissioner-nominees have been so far screened into
the state Executive council.