Rivers lawmakers summon Amaechi’s aides for alleged fraud THE Rivers State House Assembly on Tuesday asked the Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Generation, Mr. Nwankwo Nwankwo, and the Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside, to appear before it over the dwindling revenue base of the state. The House also directed the Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service Board, Mrs. Onene Osila Obele, to appear before it over what it called “monumental fraud” in the agency. The Deputy Speaker, Leyii Kwanee, who presided over plenary, instructed the Clerk of the House to write to the three officers, asking them to appear before the House during the next sitting. Kwanee cautioned that no excuse would be accepted from them should they refuse to honour the invitation of the House. The deputy speaker, however, decried the reason given by the state Commissioner for Water Resources for her failure to appear before members of the House over the $280m water and sanitation projects. Kwanee warned that the commissioner must not fail to appear before the House in the next sitting, adding that members would not tolerate the lack of respect for constituted authorities. Earlier, the Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Robinson Ewor, had moved a motion during the House sitting on Tuesday, calling for an improvement in the revenue base of the state to enable the state governor to fulfill his promises to the people. Ewor observed a reduction in the revenue accruing to the state from the Federation Account. “From a monthly average of about N17bn to N13bn; this amount cannot cater to the payment of members of staff salaries, overheards and general administration of the state monthly,” he said. Also, the Leader of the House, Chidi Lloyd, observed the presence of “monumental fraud” at the internal revenue office, even as he alleged that the board was not making efforts to improve the revenue base of the state. Source: PUNCH
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 09:22:36 +0000