… alleges past administration recklessly withdrew N35bn
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has assented to five Bills passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He signed the bills into law, noting that they were meant to further good governance in the state, with a gross domestic product (GDP) economy of over $21 billion.
The bills include: Rivers State Education (Return of Schools) Amendment Law Number 1 of 2017; Rivers State Honours Law Number 2 of 2017; Rivers State Reserve Fund (Repeal) Law Number 3 of 2017; Rivers State University Law Number 4 of 2017, and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital Law Number 5 of 2017.
Speaking after giving his assent to the bills, Governor Wike lauded the State House of Assembly for its commitment to the rapid development of the state.
According to Wike, the Return of Schools law is vital because it permits the state government to intervene in Mission Schools already returned to their owners, and the bill will help in the sustenance of the quality of education in Mission Schools returned by the state government to their previous owners.
Meanwhile, Wike explained that the Rivers State Reserve Fund (Repeal) Law Number 3 of 2017 became necessary, as the Law was no longer relevant, following what he described as the “financial recklessness of the immediate past administration in the state.”
The administration under Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (October 2007 – May 2015), “refused to respect the law, as it indiscriminately withdrew funds from the Reserve Fund meant for the future.”
Wike said: “Between February 12, 2014 and May 27, 2015, they (immediate past APC administration in the state) withdrew N53 billion from the fund without passing through due process. The State is today suffering from the financial recklessness of that administration, as it squandered state resources through illegal withdrawals.”
On the Rivers State University Law Number 4 of 2017, (which changed the name of Rivers State University of Science & Technology – RSUST, to Rivers State University – RSU), the governor said, it was “done to avert the loss of accreditation of several courses by the University following recent regulations by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
RSUST was Nigeria’s first university of science and technology, established in in May 1980, to run mainly science, technology and mathematical (STM) programs. Over time, non-STM disciplines like Law, Mass Communication, Environmental Science, among others, were introduced, apparently to broaden candidates’ in-take of the state origin.
But recently, the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission directed all specialty institutions to go back to their fields, otherwise they should change their orientation (name).
Majority leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, while presenting the five bills to Governor Wike, said, the House of Assembly passed them because of their commitment to the development programmes of the state government.
Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Ikunyi Ibani, said the Assembly would always put up its best in the interest of the state, commending the governor for his outstanding achievements.
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