By: Felix Ikpotor
Following the seeming ineffectiveness and barrage of criticisms that has greeted Executive Orders 21 and 22, the Rivers State government is now in the process of passing the orders into law.
This is as The Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State Owned Properties Prohibition Bill, 2022 has scaled through second reading on the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The bill sponsored by the leader of government business in the house, Martin Amaewhule prohibits the use of residential buildings for non residential purposes, prohibit outdoor advertisements, particularly posting of bills, posters and other materials and the use of State-owned institutions or public schools for political rallies without government approvals.
Persons or political parties wishing to use public schools are to pay a non refundable security fee of five million naira including obtaining permission two weeks before such use.
The bill also seeks to compel persons intending to use residential areas for other purposes to obtain permission from the State Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning.
It also states that a person who contravenes any provision of section 1 of the bill commits an offence and is liable to a fine of three million naira for section.
The proposed bill also stipulates that any individual who contravenes section 4 of the law when passed will pay a fine of two hundred thousand naira while corporate bodies will pay four hundred thousand naira.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that most of the provisions of the proposed bill are thesame with the two executive orders.
