Rivers Assembly Receives R/S Internal Revenue Monitoring Agency Bill 2013

Speaker, RSHA

Rivers State Internal Revenue Monitoring Agency bill 2013 sponsored by Hon. Michael O. Chinda, member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency II at the State House of Assembly has been presented to the House.

Hon. Chinda said that the objective of the Agency as contained in the bill would be to ensure that all funds generated from the State Government by Ministries, Departments and Agencies are paid into the Government’s account.

He explained that the passage and implementation of the bill will help to check illegal diversion of State funds by public officers, to expose leakages in the internally generated revenue with a view to block them and promote Fiscal discipline, transparency and adherence to standard practice in the financial transaction of the State.

He said that the governing board shall be made up of nine members : Executive Chairman, one representative each from  of Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant-General and Board of Internal Revenue not below the rank of Assistant Director, and five other members of the public who must be experts in Taxation, Accounting, Economics and Statistics.

Hon. Chinda stressed that one of the most important function of the Agency if established would be to maintain and update records of monthly remittance to Government’s account by MDAs. Click on read more to continue reading...

Also to ensure that officers of MDAs that embezzle Government funds are brought to book.                                                                            

The bill passed through its first reading at the floor of the House.

Meanwhile, Rivers State Customary Court Bill 2013 sponsored by Hon. Golden Chioma, member representing Etche Constituency II has rejected by the House on accounts of bad construction of the bill.

According to the leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, the Bill had fundamental problems arising from the long and short title which contradict the principal of law.

He said that the bill which was seeking to repel the principal law of 2009 and at the same time seeking an amendment of a part of the bill was contradictory.

In his words, he described the bill as ‘a computer without a mouse’, urging Hon. Golden to take back the bill and rephrase it.

In their separate submissions, Hon. Anderson Miller, Legborsi Nwidadah, Hon. Aye Atama Pepple, Hon. Ikuiniyi Ibani, Hon. Innocent Barikor and Hon. Onari Brown pointed out that knowledge and culture are universal, adding that the contradictions inherent in the bill does not call for debate, rather the speaker should divide the House, for the House to take its position on the bill.

Hon. Victoria Wobo Nyeche, Hon. Kelechi Nworgu and Hon. Sam Eligwe in their opinion said that there was need for the State to have a Comprehensive law on customary matters. They therefore sought for the passage of the bill to the next level.

The Speaker while ruling on the bill prayed the House to have a deep breath on the bill and directed the sponsor to repackage the bill and present to the House within two weeks.