Rivers State House of Assembly has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest against any commissioner or head of government parastatal, who failed to honour its invitation in the next sitting scheduled for tomorrow.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Leyii Kwanee, who presided over the plenary Tuesday, made the threat, following the failure of some commissioners and heads of parastatals to honour the Assembly’s earlier invitation.
Kwanee declared: “If any person wants to test the will of this place, on Thursday at 10a.m., we will be compelled to issue a warrant of arrest. No one can test the will of the House, no matter how short the time is.”
The House had, on Monday, summoned the Commissioners for Finance, Agriculture, Power, Health, Tourism, Information, Budget, Works and Transport.
Heads of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) also invited were the state Accountant-General, Chairmen of Boards of Internal Revenue, Rivers State Assembly Service Commission and the Secondary School Management Board.
But, Tuesday, only the Commissioners for Transport, Budget and Power, as well as the chairman of Rivers State Assembly Service Commission, appeared before the lawmakers. The state lawmakers had summoned government officials over the state’s economy, and conflicting reports from government.
, which they said were “very embarrassing” to them, following a motion brought by the Deputy House Leader, Nname Ewor, on the state’s economy.
As the session commenced, the Deputy Speaker, Kwanee, suggested that the House should adjourn to the next sitting to allow other officers invited to be present, adding that some of the commissioners wrote in to ask for permission.
Kwanee’s suggestion was strongly opposed by some of the lawmakers, particularly the Deputy House Leader, Ewor, representing Ahoada East Constituency I and Benibo Anabraba, representing Akuku-Toru Constituency II.
Ewor, who presented the motion, stated: “If we want to screen them, they will rush down from any part of the world they are, to attend because they want to get job. This is a matter of urgent importance. I do not know what is more important to them than this. We need to do something, so, we can be taken seriously.”
