Daily Independent Online.
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Tuesday, June 22, 2004.
Rivers legislators embark on fresh United
States’ trip
By Odudu Okpongete
Reporter,
Port Harcourt
About
15 legislators from the Rivers State House of Assembly are now in the United
States of America for a two-week training on capacity-building as it affects
the legislature.
The
legislators are the first batch for the training said to be jointly sponsored
by the state government and the Mississippi Consortium for International
Development (MCID). The second batch is expected to leave soon after their
return.
Deputy
Speaker, Mr. Tonye Harry, disclosed this on Monday in Port Harcourt at a
session of the House, saying the training programme is part of ongoing efforts
to strengthen the 32-member legislature in terms of capacity-building.
The
absence of almost one half of the Assembly members did not however disrupt
proceedings, as the remaining legislators still formed a quorum. But a mild
drama occurred on Monday, as Mr. Gregory Pie-Noah representing Khana I
Constituency represented the Rivers State Education (Return of Schools) Bill
2004 (HA.10), alleging mutilation of the first bill.
The
lawmaker did not however explain who was behind the mutilation of the bill he
sought to re-introduce after it was dropped at the end of the first legislative
year. Pie-Noah instead pleaded for time to enable him re-work the bill.
His
explanation did not go down well with the Deputy House Leader, Mr. James
Fuyafika representing Okrika constituency, who queried the rationale for its
re-introduction after it had been discarded.
"We
do not want a situation where people give excuses. We decided this bill will
not come back, but it still returned with excuses. It is not wise to waste
people's time. The bill should be put in the trash-can," he said.
The Deputy Speaker was however generous in asking the sponsor
of the bill to send it to the appropriate committee for re-listing at his own
time, despite criticisms by members.
