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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has proposed a budget of N800.3 billion for the 2024 fiscal year.

Tagged Budget of Renewed Hope, Consolidation and continuity, the Governor presented the budget Wednesday, December 13, 2023, to the Rivers State House of Assembly, with Rt. Hon Edison Ehie as Speaker, sitting at the Government House, Port Harcourt, as an alternative meeting venue, following the demolition of the House of Assembly complex.

The budget has N412bn earmarked for capital expenditure, N361bn proposed for recurrent expenditure and N128bn for key infrastructure like Health, Education, Security, among others.

Meanwhile, the River State Government has commenced the demolishing of the state assembly complex on Wednesday morning, with the intent of rebuilding it, according to a statement by Warisenibo Joseph Johnson, the State Commissioner for Information and Communication.

About seven excavators were seen on ground, knocking down the building; a decision which the Rivers State Government said was due to the structural defects which arose mainly as a result of the recent explosion and fire incident that rendered the main building unfit for human use.

The statement by Mr. Johnson also hinted that after the visit of the Governor to inspect the level of damage done to the building on the day of the fire incident, it became necessary to invite professionals to advice the government on the integrity of the building.

“After the assessment of the integrity of the complex, the experts warned the government that continuing to use the building in its present state would be disastrous”, he said, noting that the government had tried all cost saving measures towards repair of the complex until it bowed to superior view of rebuilding the complex to a more befitting edifice.

In the interim, the Rivers State Government has provided an alternative venue for the House of Assembly to conduct their affairs pending the rebuilding of the complex.

And in a related development, the member representing Opobo/Nkoro State Constituency, Adolphus Timothy Orubienimigha, has been elected as the Leader of the Edison Ehie-led lawmakers.

The Rivers State House of Assembly also declared 25 seats amongst the 27 members who recently defected from the PDP to APC vacant. Two members reportedly reversed their earlier defection in the nick of time and quickly returned to the PDP.

The House in session also disclosed it’s intention to officially communicate to INEC on the vacant seats of the State Constituencies and the need to conduct fresh elections to fill up the vacant seats.

Dr. Godgift M. Gillis-West is now reportedly the newly confirmed Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly.