The Rivers house of assembly has passed the local government amendment bill into law despite the refusal of Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, to give his assent.

On March 13, the Rivers assembly amended the “Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018 and other matters connected thereto”.

The house sent the bill to the governor for his assent but he declined.

Section 9 subsections (2), (3) and (4) of the law were amended by the lawmakers.

The amendment empowers the house of assembly via resolution to extend the tenure of elected chairpersons of LGAs and councillors, where it is considered impracticable to hold elections before the expiration of their three-year term in office.

The Rivers assembly said the amendment is to ensure that LGA elections are conducted before the expiration of the outgoing administration.

On April 16, the Rivers high court in Port Harcourt, the state capital, issued an interim injunction directing the house of assembly to maintain the status quo on the move to extend the tenure of elected LGA officials.

The order was sequel to a suit filed by Enyiada Cooky-Gam, executive chairman of Opobo-Nkoro LGA, and eight other elected council officials.

The court fixed April 22, to hear the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

However, despite the court order, the Rivers assembly on Monday passed the LGA amendment bill into law.

The bill was presented to the house by Major Jack, the majority leader.

This is not the first time the Rivers assembly will override the decision of the state governor.

In January, the Rivers assembly overrode the decision of Fubara not to assent to four bills earlier passed by the lawmakers.

In March, the assembly again overrode Fubara on the passage of some bills.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, says the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway is a misplaced priority by the federal government.

In a series of posts on his X handle on Monday, the former Anambra governor said the government should focus on completing the countless abandoned road projects across the country.

“At the forefront of my concerns is the pressing issue of numerous uncompleted roads scattered across the country many of which have become hazardous death traps and security risks,” Obi wrote.

“Most of these roads, vital for economic growth, regional connectivity, and overall development have been under construction for several years if not decades now and are unlikely to be completed any time soon due to poor and unplanned funding.”

Obi said despite the envisaged benefits of the coastal highway, its funding would “only exacerbate the problem of abandoned uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development” of the country.

He said the project may not be completed in the next 30 years and advised the federal government to prioritise the urgent needs of Nigerians.

“We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure crucial for the well-being and safety of our society, before embarking on new projects, no matter their perceived benefits,” he said.

“Let’s prioritise the urgent needs of our people and ensure that our investments serve the collective good of the nation.

“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years.”

Meanwhile, a week ago during an interview on Channels Television, Dave Umahi, minister of works, said the project would be completed in eight years.

The inspector-general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, says Nigeria is not “mature” for state police.

Egbetokun spoke on Monday at a national dialogue on state police organised by the house of representatives in Abuja.

The theme of the dialogue is ‘Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria’.

Represented by Ben Okolo, an assistant inspector-general of police, Egbetokun said Nigeria is not ready for a decentralised police force.

“It is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria police force that Nigeria is yet to mature for the establishment of state-controlled police,” he said.

There have been renewed calls for the establishment of state police following an uptick in kidnappings, banditry and violent attacks across the country.

On February 15, the federal government set up a committee to explore the creation of state police, amid the spate of insecurity in the country.

On February 20, a bill to establish state police passed second reading at the house of representatives.

The IGP said rather than create state police, the challenges mitigating against effective policing in Nigeria should be addressed.

He listed some of the challenges as inadequate manpower, inadequate operational equipment such as vehicles, arms and ammunition, communication equipment, drones, aerial surveillance cameras, security surveillance helicopters, armoured vehicles, and inadequate training of personnel.

He said these challenges have impacted negatively on the performance of police personnel.

He also said state police is open to abuse from powerful state governors.

“Then there is the potential for abuse of power by the state political leadership. State governors could use the police forces under their control for political or personal gain and compromise human rights and security,” he said.

“There would also be a conflict of jurisdiction.”

‘NSCDC SHOULD BE A DEPARTMENT IN THE POLICE’

Egbetokun also proposed that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) should be merged to become a department in the police.

“In view of this, the police leadership rather is recommending the following instead of creating state police,” he said.

“First, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety to form a department under the Nigerian police.”

He said the recruitment of police personnel into the force should be increased by at least 30,000 annually to meet the minimum policing standard of the United Nations.

Egbetokun’s stance contrasted with that of Ibrahim Gaidam, minister of police affairs, who backed the establishment of state police.

Gaidam, who spoke at the event, said a more decentralised police force will help tackle rising insecurity in the country.