Disturbed by the excesses of Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) on Port Harcourt roads, the Rivers State House of Assembly at its 33rd Legislative Sitting, on Thursday, frowned at the brazen harassment of motorists by VIOs in the State.
Moving the Motion, the Member representing Asari Toru Constituency 2, Hon. Enemi Alabo George, decried a situation where in the guise of performing their statutory functions Vehicle Inspection Officers have turned themselves into officers of extortion, intimidation and harassment. Members who contributed to the Motion condemned the incessant harassment of motorists especially women by these recalcitrant VIOs.
Commenting on the Motion, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, lampooned the Vehicle Inspection Officers for engaging in extortion of motorists; describing them as a menace to road users in Port Harcourt.
The House then resolved to invite the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Transport and the Chief Vehicle Inspection Officer to appear before the House to explain the activities of these VIOs on the roads.
Also on Thursday, the House received the Report of the House Committee on Education on the vandalisation and looting of school properties. Recall that the House had mandated the Committee to visit the locus inquo, which is Township School 2, Port Harcourt, to ascertain the level of vandalisation.
Presenting the Report, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Igwe Aforji painted a grim and dire picture of the state of the school and implored the House to urge the government to declare a state of emergency on public primary and secondary schools in the State.
Remarking on the Report, the Speaker expressed his disillusionment and wondered what would be the fate of schools in the rural areas if a school in the heart of Port Harcourt would be in such a deplorable state. The House then resolved to invite the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board to appear before the House to explain the state of affairs in that regard.
Similarly, resolving on the Report of the Joint Committee on Environment and Urban Development on the recent flash flooding experienced in Port Harcourt and its environs, the House urged the government to develop a comprehensive master plan that would reflect the current urban realities of population growth and environmental conditions.
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