NEWS
Benue Assembly Receives 27 Bills, Pass 18, Leaves Six Others in One Year
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Benue State House of Assembly lawmakers on Tuesday, received 27 bills, passed 18, while six of the bills were in committees level and three others also pending in the 10th Assembly.
The House also received 20 reports, out of which 17 of them have been conclusively debated in the period under view.
The 10th Assembly was inaugurated on June 5th, 2023 and ended its first legislative year on June 5th.
This was disclosed by the Chairman House Standing Committee on Information of the Assembly, Mr. Elias Audu during a press conference at the Assembly Complex, Makurdi.
Mr. Audu said that the Bills had brought about remarkable legislative improvement and service delivery in the State.
He maintained that apart from painstakingly screening and having heads of MDAs to defend their budgetary estimates, the 2024 Financing and Appropriation Bills, which are the foundation of government financing, were passed before the December, 31st, 2023, deadline despite its late submission to the House by the Executive as a mark of their commitment and support for the Executive Arm of Government to succeed.
The Chairman listed some of the landmark legislation passed by the House to includes; A Bill for A Law to Prohibit Harassment and Extortion of Money from Investors, Developers and Businessmen in Benue State (Popularly called Marching Ground) and for Purposes Connected Therewith, 2023, A Bill for A Law to Provide for the Retirement Age and Enhanced Remuneration of Magistrates and Legal Officers in the Ministry of Justice and for Purposes Connected Therewith, 2024, A Bill for a Law to Repeal the Maintenance of Former Elected Governors of Benue State and Their Deputies Law, 2023; The Benue State Civil Protection Guards (Establishment) Bill, 2024 and The Benue State Youth Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024.
Mr. Audu explained that the repeal of the bill for maintenance of former elected governors and their deputies became necessary to ease the huge burden it placed on the lean resources of the State, adding that it was done in the overall interest of the State and has nothing to do with seeking vendetta or trying to get at anybody in particular.
According to him, the Civil Protection Guards Establishment Bill is a Legislative intervention to end the incessant killings and mindless displacement of people of the State from their ancestral homes by marauding herdsmen and the general insecurity in parts of the State so that farmers can go back to work and produce enough crops to feed the State as well as improve their socioeconomic conditions.
“As a way of halting the negative trend of harassment and extortion of money from Land Developers in the State by some unscrupulous youths, the Bill to criminalize “Marching Ground,” has become more relevant now than ever before.
“The passage of the Bill for a Law to establish the Benue State Youth Development Commission on the other hand is in recognition of the importance of youths in our society and the need to mainstream their issues in governance as a panacea to provide a platform by which their interest will be projected and promoted through trainings, credit facilities and gainful employments.
“The objectives of the Commission when established will end youth restiveness and help to achieve the Governor Alia-led administration’s dreams of resourceful youth population and a peaceful Benue.
Other very critical bills that are at the last stage of passage include, the Bill for A Law to Make Provision for the Establishment of the Benue State Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency and the Bill for A Law to Provide Free Snake Bite Treatment in Government Hospitals.
“While the Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency Bill when passed and assented to by the Governor will be a game changer as it will provide the avenue for donor agencies and other development partners to assist the State in the provision of affordable drugs to our people.
The Bill for Free Snake Bite Treatment will make it mandatory for government medical facilities to treat victims of Snake bite free of charge. All these are bills that are targeted at improving the living standards of our people especially those in rural areas.
Also lending his voice, the Majority Leader of the House, Saater Tiseer said no fewer than 20 out of all the motions moved and debated on the Floor of the Assembly were Motions to draw attention of the executive arm of government and other security agencies to the security challenges within and around Benue State.
According to him , the leadership of the Benue State House of Assembly under Aondona Dajoh, has intervened in communal crises with the view to bringing lasting peace in the affected areas.
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State government has commended the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) for propagating the teachings of Jesus Christ and its intervention programmes towards providing succour to people affected by natural disasters.The Deputy Governor, Sen.
Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo gave the commendation recently when the Christian Council of Nigeria, South-South zone, paid him a courtesy call in Government House, Yenagoa. He expressed delight that the CCN had offered to support the state’s development initiatives which he described as laudable and also congratulated the new South-South Zone executive members of the foremost Christian organisation in the country on their election.Ewhrudjakpo implored the current executives to make a difference by consolidating on the gains of their predecessors and demonstrate exemplary leadership, stressing that true leaders respond to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.Commenting on the interaction between the church and society, the deputy governor expressed displeasure over the church’s inability to adequately play the role of catering to the welfare of the less privileged.According to him, the churches should not place unnecessary burden on their adherents but allow them to make free will donations to support their programmes and projects.He also frowned at the practice whereby the church now placed more emphasis on materialism to the detriment of spiritual wellbeing as exemplified in the scriptures which enjoin humanity “to seek first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto them.”Ewhrudjakpo further noted that one of the major concerns of the church should be about attracting people to the word of God for redemption and salvation as well as taking care of the needy.On the CCN’s request for land in Bayelsa, he expressed the government’s willingness to provide land for the purpose of establishing the National Research institute for the South-South zone.In their presentations, the National General Secretary of CCN, Rt. Rev. Evans Onyemara, and the South-South Zonal Chairman, Rev. Dr Jonathan Ihwighwu, said they were in the state to hold a zonal meeting as well as inaugurate the new executive of the CCN, South-South zone.Rt Rev Onyemara explained that aside from its evangelical mission, the CCN also provides humanitarian services and assists in developmental issues.He added that in 2022, the General Assembly of the CCN resolved that the South-South zone should establish what it called, the Institute of Church and Society and appealed to the state government to provide land for the building of a national research institute in Bayelsa for the South-South zone.The Bayelsa State Chairman of CCN, who is also the Bishop of the Northern Izon Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt Rev. Funkuro Amgbari, that of Rivers State, Rev Dr Innocent Ordu and their Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross River and Edo counterparts accompanied the Zonal Chairman on the visit.The Highlight of the visit was the offering of prayers for Governor Douye Diri, Senator Ewhrudjakpo and the entire government and people of Bayelsa.
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has again indicated its determination for effective collaboration with reputable individuals and firms to harness the abundant resources in the Blue Economy sector of the state.The Deputy Governor, Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, indicated the state’s readiness at a dinner organized by the state government in honour of participants of the Senior Executive Course(SEC) 47, 2025 of the National Institute For Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Yenagoa, at the weekend.
Ewhrudjakpo, described Bayelsa as a state richly endowed with not only oil and gas but also huge marine resources as low hanging fruits waiting for investors to pluck.To this end, he called on private and other corporate investors to look at Bayelsa for new investment opportunities in the blue economy sector, especially in the area of developing a deep sea port.He also reiterated the foresightedness of the present Bayelsa State Government in establishing a ministry of marine and blue economy, and assured prospective investors of the safety of their investments in the state.The Deputy Governor urged the participants of the Senior Executive Course 47 to act as ambassadors of Bayelsa and tell the world about the potentialities of Bayelsa in the blue economy sector.Ewhrudjakpo equally implored the team to make its report available to the state government in good time, stressing that Bayelsa was looking forward to the outcome of their study in the state believing it will help in the development of the sector.His words: “We are happy that you are happy. We are here to round off what we started some few days ago. As we all know, everything that has a beginning must have an end.”We believe that in Bayelsa we have the potential for a vibrant marine and blue economy. That is why the present administration created a separate full-fledged ministry to oversee that critical sector. We are the first state to do so in the country.”Just as oil and gas, the marine and blue economy is also very important to us. And so, we are looking forward to the outcome of your study so we can see what we can achieve with it in the area of blue economy.”We want you to be our ambassadors and tell other people that Bayelsa is investment friendly. Bayelsa is also very safe for investment.”For the participants, I believe that your coming today will add to our thinking capacity and we are open to all the critiques that will come with it.”Earlier in his opening remarks, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei, lauded participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47, 2025 for their choice of Bayelsa and the discipline they all exhibited throughout the period of the study tour.Prof Ayawei, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, SSG’s Office, Mr Felix Asingbi, expressed optimism that their visit will open up opportunities for the state to make progress in the development of its blue economy potential.Also speaking, the Leader of the NIPSS Study Team, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Umar, commended the Bayelsa State government for what he described as exceptional hospitality accorded to members of the team.He said going round the state enabled the team to have first-hand knowledge of Bayelsa’s huge potential in the blue economy sector, and urged the government to vigorously pursue the development of the sector.
From Francis Sadhere, Delta
The Delta State Government has issued a stern warning to contractors handling state-funded projects, emphasizing that it will not tolerate substandard work, negligence, or any form of misappropriation.Speaking on the government’s renewed commitment to infrastructure accountability, a senior official of the state’s project oversight agency stressed that effective monitoring and reporting mechanisms have been put in place to track the progress and quality of ongoing projects across the state.
He stated that the state will take decisive action against any contractor found delivering poor-quality work or engaging in sharp practices, noting that public funds must be judiciously used for the benefit of the people.”Let me make it clear: any contractor who fails to meet the standards expected of them or attempts to cut corners will face the full weight of the law. This administration is determined to deliver projects that will stand the test of time,” the official said.The agency, according to him, is actively inspecting projects to ensure they align with contractual specifications and timelines, adding that erring contractors risk sanctions ranging from blacklisting to legal action.This move comes as part of the state’s broader effort to promote transparency, accountability and value for money in all government undertakings.Residents have welcomed the warning, urging the government to match words with action and ensure no contractor goes unpunished for delivering substandard work.
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