Abia House of Assembly; An Overview of Plenary for Monday 12th October 2020

Presented at the Monday's plenary was also a Bill for a Law to Provide for the Establishment of the Office of the Surveyor General of Abia State and for other Matters Connected therewith, also sponsored by the Majority Leader, Hon Solomon Akpulonu both bills scared through first reading.

Other bills the house considered for second reading at Monday's plenary also includes; A Bill For A Law to Establish the Industrial Clusters in the Three Senatorial Districts of Abia State and for other Matters connected therewith, sponsored by the Lawmaker representing Bende South State Constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Ndubuisi.The House entertained the Second Reading of the Bill.In leading the debate, Hon Emmanuel Ndubuisi said the Bill is anchored on three cardinal points of industrialization, income generation and job creation.

According to the Bendel born lawmaker "These Industrial Clusters to be established in the three Senatorial Districts of Abia State will help the State GDP to grow" he argued that "It will help provide local jobs for our teeming youths and it will also reduce youth restiveness", he concluded.Hon Ndubuisi urged the Lawmakers to support speedy passage of the Bill.

The Speaker Rt Hon Chindeum Orji who presided over plenary thanked the Lawmaker for leading the debate and called for Support for the Bill.After listening to the submissions from Lawmakers, the Speaker committed the Bill to the House Committee on Industry for further legislative action.

Also considered for second reading today was " A Bill for a Law to Establish the Abia State Commission for the Welfare of Disabled Persons and for other Matters connected therewith, sponsored by Hon. Paul Tharibo.In leading the debate, Hon. Chief Paul Tharibo, the Lawmaker representing Ukwa East State Constituency said the Bill seeks to establish a Commission to take care of Disabled Persons in the State.The lawmaker opined that "This Bill seeks to ensure that our children with any form of physical disability are free from all forms of neglect and deprivation.He enumerated other benefits of the Bill and urged the Lawmakers to see to the speedy passage of the Bill into Law.He futher argued that "The rights and privileges of persons living with disability will be assured if this Bill is passed into Law".After listening to the respective submissions of Lawmakers, the Speaker committed the Bill to the Committee of the Whole for further legislative action.

As part of the house's legislative business of the day,The house received the report of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Anti- Corruption and Due Process on the 2017 Audit Report on the Accounts of the Seventeen Local Government Councils and Education Authorities of Abia State.

Presenting the report on behalf of the members of the committee the Leader of the House, Hon. Barr. Solomon Akpulonu said after a critical appraisal of the oral presentation by the Seventeen Local Government Councils ,the committe recommended among other things that the Councils block all unnecessary revenue leakages in order to improve the revenue of the State.The Committee urged the House to pass the Audit Report.

The report was adopted by the Abia House of Assembly as a Working Document after its presentation by the Leader, who represented the Committee.The Speaker, Rt Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji committed the Report to the House of Assembly Committee of the Whole for further legislative action on a future legislative date.
Also legislated at the Monday's plenary was the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on "The Indiscriminate Erection of Stalls in Ekeoha Shopping Center, Aba- A Genocide Waiting to Happen" .The report was considered in the house Committee of the Whole.With a Motion by the Leader of the House, Hon. Barr. Solomon Akpulonu the House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole and considered the report.

On the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee On the Indiscriminate Erection of Stalls in Ekeoha Shopping Center Aba, - A Genocide Waiting to Happen", Abia State House of Assembly resolved thus;(1) That the Abia State Governor, Dr.Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, do suspend forthwith the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Hon Cosmos Ndukwe, the Chairman Of Ekeoha Shopping Center Traders Association, Mr Friday Dimiri, and the Chief Security Officer of Ekeoha Shopping Center, from Office to enable the Ad-Hoc Committee complete its assignment.(2) That all security agencies in the State carry out Investigation on the attack on the Members of the Committee and the attempt to snatch a gun from one of the security men attached to a member of the ad-hoc committee.

The House also considered the Report of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Anti-Corruption and Due Process on the 2019 Audit Report on the Accounts of the State.After considering the report at house committee as a whole,the house recommended among other things that;(i) That the Office of the Accountant-General as a matter of necessity should develop a workable medium through which monthly reconciliation of accounts of MDAs in the state would be carried out(ii) That in view of the dwindling revenue from the Federation Accounts occasioned by the fall in in oil prices, the State Government should as a matter or urgency further overhaul the machinery of her revenue collection so as to boost the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the State. (iii) That as a matter of necessity, the State Government should further review the revenue windows whose performances over the years have been abysmal with a view to improving their performances. (iv) That the State Planning Commission in liaison with the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) should employ more pragmatic approach in forecasting revenue targets so as to arrive at a realizable revenue targets for the MDAs in the State.(v) That the House should mandate the Board of Internal Revenue to remit to MDAs their monthly returns to curb negative variances for recurrent revenue recorded by some of them(vi) That the State Government should release monthly overheads to MDAs to enhance their performances. (vii) That the State Government should as a matter of necessity further empower the Office of the Auditor-General by providing her with all the necessary working materials. (viii) That the Committee having painstakingly gone through the submissions of MDAs and satisfactorily addressed all the issues raised in the 2019 Audit Report on Accounts of the State, do hereby urge the House to clear and pass the Audit Report.The House also adopted all the recommendations of the Committee.

Also deliberated at Monday's plenary was "the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Abia State University Teaching Hospital Board Bill, 2019.The House adopted the Report and passed the Bill into Law.

Plenary was adjourned to resume back on Tuesday, 13th October, 2020.