Rivers Lawmakers Set To Further Amend LGA Law
…As Bill seeking the return of mission schools to govt scale second reading
Nelson Chidiebere, Port Harcourt
Despite the decline by the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to assent to the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Bill transmitted by the State Assembly citing nonconformity with the 1999 Constitution as Amended, lawmakers have gone ahead to further amend the bill.
The State House of Assembly at its 118th Legislative Sitting, on Monday, gave First Reading to the Rivers State Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Presenting the Bill, the Member representing Omuma Constituency, Sylvanus Nwankwo said the Bill seeks to further amend the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018 and other matters connected thereto. He explained that the Bill has four clauses and when passed may be cited as the Local Government(Amendment) Law, 2024.
Also, the lawmakers debated on the Rivers State Education (Return of Schools)(Amendment) Bill, 2024 after the Bill was read the Second Time.
Leading the debate, the sponsor of the Bill, Tekenari Granville urged his colleagues to support the Bill which merely seeks the return of Kalabari Girls High School, Buguma to the government, because it was originally built through community effort several years ago; but was erroneously categorized and ceded to church as Mission School in 2005.
He stated further that after the school was ceded to the Church, it was abandoned, and the previous administration in the State graciously renovated the school to its present enviable status.
Contributing to the debate, other Members expressed their support for the Bill, stating that the school should be returned to the Government for better management. They added that the school is now well-positioned to cater to the educational needs of the female gender in the state.
Commenting on the Bill, the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule commended the Sponsor of the Bill, stating that the Bill is a people-oriented Bill, which is the hallmark of the Tenth Assembly.
The Speaker explained that the amendment of the Bill is innocuous because it simply seeks to return the Kalabari Girls High School, Buguma to the government. He hinted further that until 2005 when the Rivers State Education (Return of Schools) (Amendment) Law came into force, the school was under the management of the State government.
Commenting further, the Speaker said, regrettably the church that took over the school allowed it to wallow in a deplorable state, but, for the magnanimity of the Nyesom Wike administration, the school was completely renovated and rehabilitated with new structures and equipment.
He stressed that despite the present enviable state of the school, it is not functional. “So, the essence of the Bill is to legally empower the State government to take over the administration of the school to make it serve the purpose for which it was built”, he emphasized.
The Bill was later committed to the House Committee on Education for further legislative scrutiny.
