By Disun Amosun
Following Friday’s eventual meeting between the the House of Representatives Special Committee on Rivers State and the appointed Sole Administrator Rtd. Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, the House acceded to the administrator’s request for additional time to come up with an in-depth and constructive briefing to hold at a later mutually agreed date.
In a presentation to the committee, Ibas based his request on the complexities and sensitivities surrounding the current transitional period in Rivers State, adding that the operating situations, including the current spate of protests, which must be laid out in their true perspectives before the lawmakers,
The Sole Administrator stressed that any engagement with the committee must be in depth, accurate and clear, given Rivers’ present state of relative calm and fragility under declared Emergency Rule.
Ibas acknowledged the House of Representatives Special Committee’s critical role in safeguarding the democratic and constitutional integrity, not only in the troubled Rivers State, but also the nation at large.
Tendering apologies for not meeting with the committee members before now, he said “I deeply regret my inability to attend earlier engagements with this esteemed committee, like you rightly said. Today is exactly 10 days after the first invitation and in between we’ve had four days that were off calendar as public holidays plus the weekends inclusive.
“The absence, of course, was not out of disregard, but rather due to the weighty and urgent demands of stabilizing governance in a state under a declared emergency.
“I have always held the National Assembly in the highest regard. I recognize the importance of your oversight responsibilities and your interest in the progress being made in River State, which is presently fragile despite relatively calm.
“I remain fully committed to cooperating with the committee and to ensuring that all relevant information is made available in due course to support your important work”, he said.
Chairman House of Representatives Special Committee over sighting Rivers State under Emergency Rule and Leader of the House, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere in the spirit of fair play and inclusiveness granted Ibok more time as requested to get his acts and reports together in preparation for a very robust engagement to be fixed for a later date.
