SPECIAL REPORT: Abia House of Assembly Plenary for Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
The Abia State House of Assembly commenced Plenary on Tuesday after the adoption of the Votes and Proceedings of Monday, 20th July, 2020.
Letter from the family of Late His Royal Highness Hon Daniel Egbogu
The Speaker read a letter from the family HRH Eze Hon Daniel Egbogu, Eze Mma II of Okwuta Ibeku Autonomous Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State notifying the House on the death of their former colleague who represented Umuahia East State Constituency in the past.
The family notified the Speaker of the burial date of their Late father which has been fixed for the 6th of August, 2020.
He died on the 8th of July, 2020.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, described the Late Lawmaker as an Honourable gentleman who represented his people with sincerity and led them as a traditional ruler with fairness.
The House Observed a minute silence for the late Lawmaker and Traditional Ruler.
PETITIONS:
The Lawmaker representing Isuikwuato State Constituency, Hon. Barr Emeka Okoroafor brought three Petitions to the floor of the House:
(1) Alleged illegal exploitation of crude oil in the farmland of Agro Allied Industries Ltd
The Petitioners sought the intervention of the House in the issue and save the situation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
(2) A Petition against Abia State University, Uturu by KELSOB MECHANDISE NIGERIA LTD.
They prayed the House for their speedy intervention.
(3) A Petition by one Philip Okoro on falsification of documents of FADAMA Development Projects by one Mrs Ezinne Otuka
The Petitioner alleged in his petition that some persons were used as fronts to divert funds
The Petitioner therefore requested the intervention of the House.
The Petition against Abia State University, Uturu, was referred to the House Committee on Education with two weeks to turn in its report.
The Speaker committed the other two Petitions to the relevant Committees of the House with a mandate to turn in its report within two weeks.
MATTER OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
The Minority Leader of the House, Hon Sir Abraham Oba, brought a Matter or Urgent Public Importance over the refusal of some Hospitals and Medical Personnel in Abia State to attend to patients over the fear of coronavirus especially in the Aba axis of the State.
“Mr Speaker, if you bring anybody to the hospital, they will ask you to take him away; they won’t even apply First Aid; they will allow the patient to die just like that,” he said.
“Mr Speaker, I am of the opinion that we call the Commissioner for Health to ask him why such is happening even when the medical practitioners are on oath to save lives”, he requested.
The Speaker urged Abians to ensure they volunteer themselves for COVID-19 Test so that they can show the Hospitals their result which would further encourage the Hospitals to attend to them.
“Anybody that is sick, the first test to conduct on such a person should be a COVID-19 Test to avoid any misunderstanding with Hospitals”, he said. While appreciating medical practitioners for the risks they take in this pandemic era to save lives, he urged them to be more humane and considerate in their approach to patients.
RESOLUTION:
(1) The House condemns in strong terms the rejection of patients by hospitals in Abia State.
(2) To urge private hospitals to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for their frontline workers
(3) To urge citizens of Abia State to undergo COVID-19 Test at the slightest opportunity they may have
The House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole and considered the following Reports:
(1) Report of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Anti-Corruption and Due Process on the accounts of the 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State
(2) Report of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Anti-Corruption and Due Process on 2016 Audit Report of the Accounts of the 17 Local Government Education Authorities of Abia State
ADOPTION OF RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) That for the attainment of higher degree of probity and transparency, there is the need for the House to mandate every Local Government Council in the state to procure a vehicle each that will be used by their staff to carry out their official duties as part of measures to curb the continuous waste of huge resources spent on hiring of vehicles by various Councils in the State
(2) That as a matter of necessity, the Treasurers of the 17 Local Government Councils should ensure that all the advances made in any preceding year are retired on or before the end of first quarter of the following year.
(3) That the Commitee having satisfactorily addressed all the issues raised in the 2016 Audit Report on the Accounts of the Seventeen Local Government Councils of the State do hereby urge the House to clear and Pass the Audit Report.
The House adopted all the recommendations and adjourned Plenary to resume on Wednesday, 22nd July, 2020.
Courtesy: Media Unit, Office of the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly.
