The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed the 2015 supplementary budget for the State Government into Law.
Presenting the motion, Leader of the Assembly, Martins Amaewhule said the bill was aimed at ensuring that Governor Nyesom Wike has the legal backing to expend funds into more projects in the state.
The Speaker, Ikunyi Ibani passed the bill after a unanimous vote by the Lawmakers.
The lawmakers also stood-down some sections of the House Standing order (Order 50) to enable quick passage of the appropriation bill in less than an hour.
The supplementary budget has a profile of one hundred and four billion naira (N104,287,285,108).
The Speaker who said the supplementary budget will be for capital expenditure, stated that it is imperative for the legislature to play its role in the sustainability of development in the state.
“Governance is not about paying salaries alone. It is also about bringing meaningful development and taking into account the environment we live in.
“This supplementary budget of N104billion is meant to help the government achieve this,” Speaker said.
In the breakdown of the supplementary budget, the state Judiciary has a budget of a little over N1billion while the Legislature has N2billion. Ministry of Housing has N10billion while over N40billion will be spent in the Ministry of Works.
Earlier, the Rivers State House of Assembly approved Wike’s request to appoint five new special advisers.
Speaker Ibani gave the approval after the Leader of the House moved a motion on behalf of the other members of the Assembly to grant the request of the governor.
The Assembly also screened and confirmed Odame Iyenebari Theophilus and Austine Tam George as commissioner designates into the state Executive council.
A total of twenty-two commissioner-nominees have been so far screened into the state Executive council.
