National Assembly committees visit Rivers to verify N78.9b federal projects

Assembly tasks Neighbourhood Watch on release of abducted victims

The Joint Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives on Aids, Loans and Debt Management have toured federal road projects executed by Rivers State government as the latter awaits reimbursement of N78.9 billion spent on the roads.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Loans and Foreign Debts, Clifford Ordia, who led other members on inspection of the federal projects executed by Rivers State government, yesterday, expressed satisfaction with the standard of the projects.

The senators were led on the tour of the roads by Governor Nyesom Wike.

Ordia, who commended the state for the quality of roads that were constructed, advised other state governments to emulate Rivers State on execution of federal projects to complement the efforts at the centre.

Also, Chairman, House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Ahmed Safana, said members of the committee were satisfied with the federal projects executed by the state.

He said that his committee members were impressed and proud of the developmental strides of Wike.

Wike, who thanked members of the committees for the physical verification of the projects, stated that the decision of the state government to execute federal roads was to promote the socio-economic development of the state.

IN another development, the state’s House of Assembly has charged the Committee on Neighbourhood Watch and Security to work with security agencies in the state to secure the release of several persons abducted during a burial ceremony in Bonny Local Council of the state.

Gunmen had on September 12, 2020 stormed Banigo Isile-Ogono community in Bonny Local Council, shot sporadically and abducted several persons while others escaped with bullet wounds and some unhurt.

Chairman of the council, David Irimagha and lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency in the House, Abinye Pepple, escaped being killed by the masked hoodlums.

Speaker of the Assembly, Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, at the plenary, yesterday, prayed for progress in efforts to secure the release of those in captivity, tasking the security committee to intensify efforts to ensure their safe return.