Rivers govt justifies demolition of Assembly complex

The Rivers State Government has justified the demolition of the State House of Assembly complex, saying the facility was no longer safe for the lawmakers as a result of an explosion that rocked the Assembly complex in October.

Ripples Nigeria had on Wednesday, reported the demolition of the complex located along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, on the orders of State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The demolition of the complex had also forced the House to shift its sittings to the Government House.

While giving reasons for the demolition of the building in a statement,Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, said it was “due to the fire that gutted the complex and destroyed property worth millions of naira and also rendered the facility unfit for legislation.

“The decision to demolish and rebuild the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex was due to the structural defects which arose mainly as a result of the recent explosion and fire incident which rendered the main building unfit for human use,” the statement reads.

“After the visit of the governor to inspect the level of damage done to the building on the day of the fire incident, it became necessary to invite 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 the 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,” the Commissioner added.

Johnson added that the government had tried all cost-saving measures towards the repair of the complex until it bowed to the superior view of rebuilding the complex into a more befitting edifice.

“In the interim, the Rivers State Government has provided an alternative venue for the House of Assembly to conduct their affairs pending the rebuilding of the complex”, he added.

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