Rivers State House of Assembly has approved the request of Governor Nyesom Wike to borrow the sum of N25 billion.
The approval followed a letter from Wike requesting the house to do so which was read in plenary on Wednesday.
According to the state government, the loan which is being facilitated by Zenith Bank will fund the construction of the Rumukwurusi-Eligmbu flyover, 27-kilometre stretch of the Chokocho-Igbodo Road, Oyigbo-Afam Road, Nabo Graham-Douglas Campus of the Nigerian Law School, the Judicial Institute, and new magistrate courts.
Meanwhile, the state legislators also registered its displeasure over the exclusion of Rivers State as beneficiary of the fresh loan request by the federal government.
The house urged the National Assembly not to approve the request by the President if Rivers State is not included in the list of benefitting states.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, in his remarks, described the said exclusion of Rivers State as divisive.
While referring to Chapter Two (Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Speaker noted that section 14 of the constitution provides that the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a state based on the principles of democracy and social justice.
Ibani lamented that even as Nigeria clocks 61, the country still finds discrimination among states.
He noted that the federal government should acknowledge that the people of Rivers State are part of Nigeria.
Ibani also set up a three-man committee to meet with the Rivers State National Assembly caucus to ensure that Rivers State is included in the list of benefitting states.
