TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Transport has called for the establishment of an amphibious operation sting joint command to provide surveillance and check criminal activities along the waterways.
The Assembly made the yesterday, during, saying that the establishment would be a way to cub the issue of sea piracy and criminality along the Port Harcourt/Bonny sea route,
This formed part of the recommendations of the House Committee on Transport, in its report on the review of security measures along the Port Harcourt/Bonny waterways by security agencies, submitted at the floor of the House by chairman of the committee, Piccolo.
Piccolo, who presents Khana constituency two, said after several interface with security chiefs and stakeholders, the committee discovered that the insecurities along the sea route was overwhelming to be handled alone by the Bonny local council authorities.
He said the Nigerian Army, Navy and Nigeria Police were yet to make their presence felt along the Port Harcourt – Bonny waterways.
The Assembly has also committed two bills before it, titled Rivers State Audit Bill 2019 and Rivers State Public Finance and Control Management Repeal Bill 2019, to committee stages.
The Rivers State Audit Bill 2019 which is a bill for a law to provide for the establishment of the office of the Auditor General of Rivers State, and other connected matters, was committed by the Speaker of the Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, to the House Committee on Public Accounts with a directive to conduct a public hearing with relevant stakeholders in attendance, and report back to the House in two weeks.
Similarly, the Rivers State Public Finance and Control Management Repeal Bill is aimed at repealing the Rivers State Finance Control and Management Law Number 7 of 2010, and to enact the Rivers State Public Finance Control and Management law, in order to make provision for the structural control and management of public finances of the state.
During debate on the bill, Majority Leader of the House, Martin Amaewhule, said the bill, if passed into law, would eliminate confusion as regards the functions of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and its finance counterpart.
The lawmaker representing Tai constituency, Matthew Dike, said the bill would sustain the process and expenditure of government.
In his submission, Speaker of the House, Ibani, announced the formation of House Committee on Finance, to be headed by Enemi George and committed the bill to the committee to conduct public hearing and report back to the house in two weeks.