Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike,

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Rivers State House of Assembly on Wednesday granted request of Governor Nyesom Wike to take N25 billion loan .

Wike, in an earlier to the lawmakers had explained that the loan to be taken from Zenith Bank will be used to 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 have expressed  displeasure over the exclusion of Rivers State as beneficiary of the fresh loan request by the federal government.

The Lawmakers therefore urged the National Assembly not to approve the request by the President if Rivers State is not included in the list of benefitting states.

In his remark,the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, in his remarks, described the said exclusion of Rivers State as divisive.

Making  reference 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 regretted that even its 61st independence, 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 benefiting states.