13th December, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Governor Siminalay Fubara led Rivers Government has defended its decision to roll out bulldozers and other heavy equipment for demolition of State House of Assembly Complex early Wednesday morning.
The Rivers State Government had rolled out over ten bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment for the demolition of the Assembly Complex.
The Rivers State Government defended the demolition in a statement by its Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, following insinuations that the demolition was a fallout of the division of the House of Assembly into two, with one faction supporting Fubara and the other faction supporting his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
However, Johnson said the demolition of the Rivers Assembly was as a result of structural defects inflicted on the recent explosion and fire incident, which rendered the main building unfit for human use.
According to the statement, Fubara had inspected the facility to see the level of damage done to the building on the day of the fire incident and had invited professionals to advise the government on the integrity of the building.
“It would be recalled that on the night of the attack on the complex explosive dynamites were used to attack the complex, which shook it to its foundation. There were visible cracks on the walls afterwards, and the entire structure looked frail and unsafe for legislative business
“After the assessment of the integrity of the complex, the experts warned the government that continuing to use the building in its present state would be disastrous”, he said, noting that the government had tried all cost saving measures towards repair of the complex until it bowed to superior view of rebuilding the complex to a more befitting edifice.
Johnson added that the Rivers State Government has provided an alternative venue for the House of Assembly to conduct their affairs pending the rebuilding of the complex.
Ends