RIVERS ASSEMBLY ENDS TOUR OF LGA\'S

 

The committee set up by the Rivers State House of Assembly weekend concluded the tour of the Local Government areas to assess the performance of Caretaker Committee Chairmen alleged to have massively looted their council Areas.
Leader of the group which toured Rivers East Senatorial Zone, Mrs. Linda Stewart described her experience as a “Mixed bag” and added  that the report to be submitted to the Assembly will ensure quality leadership.
The lawmakers had threatened to hand over the Council Chairmen to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission once they have been proven  to have engaged in  corrupt practices through over-bloated contract valuations.
In some of the councils, the lawmakers were miffed by the cost attached to some of the projects which were started by their predecessors but gulped millions and still remained uncompleted.
They openly quarreled with some of the Caretaker Chairmen some of who displayed ignorance of particulars of the projects they claimed to have executed.
On two instances, at Ogu/Bolu and Etche Local Councils, the Chairmen were almost attacked either by the natives or by their councilors who openly disagreed and insisted that money were taken and projects executed in the past were presented at new.
At Bolo, the youths were restrained by soldiers when their Chairman claimed he spent N5 million to roof a medium sized police station while the natives said he was just coming to the place since his appointment for the first time that day.
In the same council, he used about N5 million to put three coaches of blocks on the Chairman’s guest house at Ogu, a situation that made the group to get angry and left but with an order that he should present them with the details of his income and expenditure for the period under review.
At Etche, the group was told that N15 million was spent to replace four electric poles that fell down while N9 million was used for fumigation and lawn mowers purchased at about N250, 000 each.
Also in the place, clearing of side walks, registered in the contract execution sheet as grading, cost the council about N18 million. The  committee left the place with an order that he should supply all records to them today.
At Okrika Local Government the Caretaker Chairman said he was to spend N30 million to rehabilitate the Pharmacy in the Local government area but so far spent N4 million in repairing the soak away pit and minor repairs on the project.
He also told the team that he awarded the contract for the repair of Abam road with about 36 potholes with N15 million.