Rivers government confirms 2017 budget in public domain 

Urges Amaechi To Fix State’s Airport

The Rivers State government has affirmed its 2017 budget is in public domain, refuting allegations the document is inaccessible.The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Isaac Kamalu, made the disclosure yesterday during a radio programme in Port Harcourt. 

Kamalu insisted civil society organisations and interested members of the public have been accessing the budget. According to him, copies were given to the presenter of the programme, Mr. Segun Owolabi, who randomly read from the pages to listeners.

He added that the claim by Livingstone Wechie, former Executive Director of Integrity Group, that the budget is a secret document is baseless.Kamalu, an ex-member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, said Wechie was out to make mischief, not access the budget.

The chairman of Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Finance, Ehie Edison, meanwhile has commended Governor Nyesom Wike for diligent implementation of the 2017 budget.

In a related development, the state government called on the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi, to fix the Port Harcourt International Airport. The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, yesterday, advised the former governor to redeem his image by attracting Federal Government projects to Rivers.