Salaries: Rivers' Assembly Dares Amaechi, Summons Nine Aides

THE Rivers State House of Assembly appears to be
on a head-on collision with the state Governor, Mr.
Rotimi Amaechi, over civil servants’ unpaid
salaries.

The lawmakers, who expressed shock at the
contrasting reports on the unpaid salaries of
workers and the state’s economy, summoned nine
of the governor’s aides to appear before the House
by 10am on Tuesday (today) to make clarification
on the issues.
Those invited, according to the lawmakers who sat
on Monday, are commissioners for Information,
Finance, Tourism, Health, Power, Works,
Agriculture, Budget and Transport.
Also, heads of ministries, departments and
agencies summoned by the House include the
Accountant-General, Chairmen of Board of Internal
Revenue, Rivers State Assembly Service
Commission and Secondary School Management
Board.
This will be the first time the House would
summon nine of the governor’s aides to give
explanation on the state of Rivers’ economy and
unpaid workers’ salaries.
The House had observed that while the state
government was insisting that it had paid salaries
of civil servants up to March 2015, there were
reports that were contrary to such claim.
Meanwhile, the state House of Assembly has
suspended three local government caretaker
committee chairmen.
The lawmakers said the suspension became
necessary following reports of financial
recklessness and insecurity within the chairmen’s
council areas.
Those suspended are Cassidy Ikegbidi (Ahoada
East), Ojukaye Flag-Amachree (Asari-Toru) and
Derick Mene (Khana).
An ad hoc committee was immediately set up to
investigate allegations against the affected council
chairmen.
However, prior to the assembly’s decision to
summon the commissioners and heads of MDAs,
the Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Nname Ewor,
had during the 169th legislative session presented
two motions.
Ewor, who represents Ahoada East Constituency 1,
had raised the alarm over the level of insecurity
and mismanagement of public funds, adding that
the situation was common in the three affected
local government areas.
The lawmaker said, “In these three councils,
human lives have been rendered insignificant and
financial frugality has been jettisoned to the waste
bin. The local government areas are drifting to the
Hobbesian State of Nature.”
Also, the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Leyii Kwanee,
explained that the decision of the House was not
aimed at witch-hunting anybody.
Kwanee, who presided over the sitting of the
House, expressed worry that reports on the state’s
economy was not encouraging.
He added that the development necessitated the
invitation of some top government officials to the
House for some explanations on the issue..
“As an arm of government, we are not out to
witch-hunt the executive. But we are out to
strengthen things.
“You are aware that the seventh Assembly is
gradually coming to an end. I want to tell you that
it is better started than never. We have been
seeing a lot of conflicting reports.
“The other day, the Commissioner for Information
(Mrs. Ibim Semenitari) was on air saying that they
(workers) have been paid up to March. So, we feel
very embarrassed as an arm of government.”
Describing the motion on suspension of the
caretaker committee chairmen as timely, Kwanee
pointed out that the council chairmen should be
held accountable for whatever happened in their
various areas.