•Lawmakers sit at Govt House
A MID tight security, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi presented to the Assembly yesterday a N485.524 billion budget for this year.
The budget, which is N4.797billion lower than last year’s N490.320 billion, was immediately passed inside the Government House, Port Harcourt.
The ceremony took place, in spite of protests by the six lawmakers loyal to the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, a former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt.
The capital and recurrent provisions are N247.573 billion and N237.950 billion. The capital to recurrent ratio is 76:24 for the financial year 2014, as against 70:30 achieved as at September 2013.
The budget, according to Amaechi, who is also the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) chairman, will be funded by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee’s (FAAC’s) allocation of N241.243 billion and the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) of N92.420 billion.
Others include balance of N10.717 billion, proposed loans of N100 billion, credit from the World Bank of N6.983 billion, the European Union’s (EU’s) grant of N0.660 billion and the sale of assets of N33.5 billion.
The Ministry of Works has the highest allocation of N60 billion, followed by the Ministry of Education with N30 billion. The Rivers Urban Beautification, Parks and Gardens, as well as the Auditor-General (State), each has the lowest of 0.080 billion.
The budget was passed into law, after a few hours deliberations by 23 of the 25 pro-Amaechi lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Otelemaba Dan Amachree.
The six anti-Amaechi lawmakers, in a joint statement, however, raised the alarm over Amaechi’s plan to present the 2014 budget inside the Brick House (Government House), instead of the hallowed chambers of the Rivers House of Assembly, which was done later in the day.
Prior to the budget presentation, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Leyii Kwanee, a lawyer, on Rhythm FM Radio in Port Harcourt yesterday, denied the anti-Amaechi lawmakers’ claim and said the people would be informed when the budget would be presented in the Assembly.
The pro-Wike legislators are Evans Bipi (Ogu/Bolo constituency, the self-acclaimed speaker), Michael Okechukwu Chinda (Obio/Akpor II), Kelechi Godspower Nwogu (Omuma), Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I), Victor Ihunwo (Port Harcourt III) and Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, the Chief Whip (Andoni). They were not at the budget presentation.
Ibani, until his December 1 last year’s defection to Wike’s camp, was one of the 27 pro-Amaechi members of the Assembly.
The chief whip is a political “boy” to the Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, from Ikuru Town in Andoni Local Government Area, but defected at the rally of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), which has Wike as the grand patron) in Ogu, the headquarters of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area.
In the earlier group of 27 lawmakers supporting Amaechi and led by Amachree, one of them, Tonye Harry, a former Speaker of the Assembly and deputy to Amaechi while he was speaker for eight years, died last year. He is yet to be replaced.
Besides the anti-Amaechi lawmakers’ joint statement, Bipi, in a telephone interview yesterday, described the budget presentation as illegal, stressing that the budget could only be presented in the Assembly.
Amachree said the budget presentation and passage took place inside the Government House, in view of the ongoing renovation at the House of Assembly complex, because of the July 9 last year’s fracas, with most of the appliances and valuable items vandalised.
Amachree also cited insecurity and not having access to the Assembly complex as other reasons for the Government House budget presentation and passage. He accused Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu of taking sides and unable to provide security for the lawmakers to perform their duties.
The deputy speaker, a lawyer, also insisted that the presentation was legal and one of the constitutional rights and duties of the lawmakers.
A renowned human rights activist, Ken Atsuwete, who is a Port Harcourt lawyer, backed the budget presentation and passage at the seat of power, while declaring that governance in the state was nor normal, in view of insecurity and uncertainty.
Atsuwete noted that ingenuity and keeping governance running must be employed in the state, especially with the incessant bomb blasts across the state, particularly in courts and at the office of the Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, an engineer.
The activist (Atsuwete) noted that the budget presentation and passage in Government House amounted to adopting the Doctrine of Necessity, which the National Assembly employed in making Dr. Goodluck Jonathan President, stressing that the legislature and the judiciary were being frustrated, but “the executive must not be frustrated”.
While speaking live on Rhythm FM Radio in Port Harcourt at 4 pm yesterday, two of the six anti-Amaechi lawmakers: Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, the Chief Whip (Andoni) and Martins Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor I), faulted the budget presentation and passage, saying the implementation would be legally prevented.
Ibani, who has been a lawmaker for six years, said: “The 31 legislators (Tonye Harry, a pro-Amaechi lawmaker and ex-Speaker of the House of Assembly, died last year; he is yet to be replaced) ought to receive the 2014 budget from Governor Amaechi in the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“There cannot be an exception to the rule. Anything to the contrary is null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
“You cannot present and pass budget into law in one day. It is laughable. It is an injustice. There is separation of powers. What they did will be challenged in court. It is a constitutional matter.”
Amaewhule also described the action of the pro-Amaechi lawmakers and the NGF chairman as condemnable.
The representative of Obio/Akpor I Constituency said: “What took place in Government House, Port Harcourt today (yesterday) was a kangaroo club meeting and not 2014 budget presentation and passage.
“Budget presentation and passage outside the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly amount to an illegality, unconstitutional and quite shameful. These have never happened in the history of Rivers State.”
Late last year, the anti-Amaechi legislators attempted to sit in the Rivers House of Assembly, based on the December 10 judgment of the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, which declared as unconstitutional, the taking over of the Assembly by the National Assembly, but were prevented by policemen.
For many weeks late last year, the pro and anti-Amaechi lawmakers and supporters, including the members of the National Assembly, top Rivers government officials and prominent indigenes, protested in front of the Assembly, but were always teargased and dispersed by policemen, who barricaded the Assembly’s gates with Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and patrol vans.
In view of their inability to access the Assembly, the pro-Amaechi lawmakers, with plastic chairs form the nearby Port Harcourt City council, sat at the centre of Moscow Road, in front of the Assembly.
The decision of the anti-Amaechi lawmakers and supporters to continue to protest in front of the Rivers House of Assembly, even as early as 4 am, for many days late last year, was to prevent the budget presentation and passage, while also raising the alarm then, of a plan by the pro-Amaechi legislators to sit inside the Government House.
At yesterday’s presentation were commissioners, other top government officials and eminent Rivers indigenes.
Presenting the appropriation bill for 2014, christened: “A year of sustained action”, Amaechi lauded the legislators for their “very kind” support and encouragement.
The budget estimates were based on crude oil benchmark price of $67.5 to create a safety net of $10, in view of the inconsistent nature of the international oil market prices, to enable the government accommodate any shocks resulting from possible fluctuation.
Amaechi expected his administration’s FAAC and IGR profile to be realistic, based on the modest projections, the reforms and improvements going on in the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR).
He assured the people that the strategies, coupled with improvements in the implementation of policies and programmes this year were designed to handle the eventualities, while noting that the budget was presented after due consultations with stakeholders within and outside the public service.
The NGF chairman said: “On behalf of the Rivers State Government, I would like to record our gratitude to Rivers people for supporting and defending the mandate given us in October 2007, to continue to lead the state.
“In return, we shall be unwavering in our determination to deliver on every promise made to you, to deliver good governance and sustainable development. Neither our personal comfort nor any threat to our persons would deter us from reaching our collective goals as Rivers people.
“In the midst of these provocations, we will fulfill the promises of our mandate and make our people proud. The 2014 budget will not accommodate new projects. This is in the light of current realities and out of a resolve to guarantee efficient service delivery.
“The economic realities arising from already-dwindling revenues since mid 2013 suggest a need for prudence and good sense this year. Government will continue to demonstrate good sense of management, by making more money available to finance the ongoing projects for completion next year.
“The focus of the budget (2014) will be on completing ongoing projects in health, education, roads, transport, power, water, agriculture and other critical infrastructure. The 2014 budget is formulated to achieve the agenda of this administration, with the overall objective of prospering the state and promoting the wellbeing of the people.”
The Rivers governor also stated that his administration remained indebted to the lawmakers and grateful for all their support, encouragement and good sense of judgment, “particularly at this great moment of the state’s political history”. He urged them to sustain the tempo, in the interest of Rivers people.
He said: “Posterity will judge your stance fairly, even as today, you have become hallmarks and bastions of our democracy. We at the Executive, reaffirm the commitment of this administration to our people and our stand for justice and equity and fair play.”
Amaechi also stated that he remained focused and would never be distracted by the antics of the enemies of democracy.
Prior to the commencement of the deliberations, during their brief sitting, the speaker of the Rivers Assembly (Amachree), stated that the lawmakers decided to continue with their legislative duties in makeshift chambers, in order not to be held to ransom by some persons who did not mean well for the state.
Amachree called on the House’s Deputy Leader, Nname Ewor, to move the motion to designate the makeshift chambers as the chambers of the House of Assembly, after which the Assembly’s Deputy Whip, Irene Inimgba, seconded the motion.
Moving the motion, Ewor said: “As it is common knowledge that on the 9th day of July, 2013, there were few events that took place in the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“In that circumstance, our computers and a few other items in the chambers, including the entire complex, were destroyed. As a result of this, our chambers are not ready for use, because the executive arm of government will have to undertake holistic repair and renovation of the complex.
“In this circumstance, I move that this auditorium be designated as a temporary sitting place of the Rivers State House of Assembly, until such a time that the executive would finish with the renovation of the permanent Assembly complex that will enable us to carry on with our legislative business. I so move.”
