Rivers Assembly Confirms 9 Commissioner Returnees

•Threatens to stop receiving correspondences from Fubara

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State House of Assembly has screened and confirmed the nine nominees presented to the House in consideration for commissioner positions.

The confirmed commissioner designates are:  Zacchaeus Adangor, Dr Jacobson Nbina, Dr Gift Worlu, Mrs Inimefien Aguma, Chukwuemeka Woke, Prof Chinedu Mmom, Dr Dakorinama George -Kelly, Isaac Kamalu, and Mr Ben Chioma.

THISDAY recalls that the former commissioners who are loyal to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had in November 2023 resigned from the Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s cabinet, following a political misunderstanding between the governor and FCT Minister.

However, the governor, in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House and dated December 11, 2023, re-nominated the nine former commissioners as part of the resolutions reached at a peace meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

During the screening yesterday, at the 92nd legislative sitting of the House, the Leader, Hon. Major Jack, who had requested that the nominees take a bow and leave, moved that they be confirmed.

All the 22 lawmakers who were in attendance at the sitting, however, voted in favour of the motion and the speaker subsequently directed the Clerk of the House to forward the resolution on the confirmation of the nominees to the governor for further action.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers have threatened to stop receiving correspondences from Fubara, following their claim that the Government House staff always shows discourteous behaviour whenever a mail is sent to the governor from the Assembly.

The Speaker, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, who made the observation condemned in the recalcitrant behaviour of staff of Government House towards receiving mails emanating from the  Rivers State House of Assembly.

Amaewhule warned that if such spite continues, the House will cease to receive correspondences from the governor.

He added that resolutions of the House are religiously transmitted to the office of the governor, but staff of Government House often decline to receive such resolutions.

Amaewhule said: “We have resorted to courier services to send messages to the governor. The staff send communication from the governor to us, but refuse to take that of the house to the governor.

“At a point, the House will stop receiving communication from Government House. We will forward the resolution of this House on the Commissioners’ screening and confirmation to the governor, but if they refuse, we will no longer take communications from the governor.”