A bill seeking to regulate the activities of the Community Development Committee, CDC from interfering with the traditional rulers and chiefs in Tai Local Government Area will soon be passed into law.
Right Hon. David Barine Sunday, the leader of Tai Legislative Assembly, while speaking to newsmen shortly after the public hearing on the CDC bill at the local government headquarters Saakpenwa disclosed that the bill has passed through the first and second stage and is now at the committee stage.
He also said that the usual seven days notice was given to the people to make their contributions and impute into the bill before the public hearing which according to him several people from the area responded promptly including the traditional rulers.
The lawmaker who declared that himself and his colleagues are working based on the standing order of the house expressed worry over the position of some prominent traditional rulers in the areas who he noted claimed not to have been given enough time to make their impute despite the seven days notice given.
According to him “we gave seven days notice before the hearing today, but as they claim not to have been given enough time we are given them another opportunity by extending it so that they will look at the bill, study it and come up with more memorandum, because the more contribution we have the more effective we work”.
While expressing joy over the well attended public hearing he maintained that the bill when passed into by-law would attract development to various Tai Communities and spelt out the duties of CDCs in the area so that it will not interfere with the functions of the traditional rulers as experienced in time past.
On her part Hon. Meezia Bari Nnaah Teeh councillor representing Botem and Gbeneue Ward I in Tai Local Government Legislative Assembly urged the people of the area to support the bill and make their contributions, saying the bill would usher in peace and security if passed into law and will make Tai Local Government one of the best local government in Rivers State Nigeria and the world.
Nnaah the sponsor of the bill said CDC occupied a very important place in the community and should be encouraged by all so that their right will not been trampled upon.
She said, “If the CDC did not know there right how will they know their boundary or how will they develop their communities. So what we are doing or looking at is the development in Tai Communities not personal interest as was demonstrated by some of our traditional rulers. Although is normal when things like this comes up because you don’t expect everybody to embrace it”.
Similarly, Money Dumbari Hope, the media Aide to the executive chairman of Tai Local Government, Hon. Jacobson Nbina maintained that it was important that the Bill which he noted will affect the lives of the people and regulate their activities be presented to them to make impute so that it will not look as if its forced on them.
He also said it is not true that the CDC bill will usurp the duties of the traditional rulers as speculated, adding that if the chiefs are kicking against the bill, that means they don’t want the CDC to exist.
Dumbari said it is imperative for the duties of the CDCs, chiefs and youths to be regulated and defined by law so that they will operate under a peaceful atmosphere having development as their paramount aim.
It would be recalled that crisis was averted during the public hearing as some of the chiefs who were not comfortable with the bill carried out a verbal attack on the leader of the Assembly and his members, asking them to suspend the hearing, they almost walk out of the hall if not for the timely intervention of the Tai Local Government chairman and his royal highness Samuel Nnee Gbebemene Tua tua Tai the paramount rulers of kpite who latter calm them down.
However, Chief Samuel Nnee who spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the event said there was nothing wrong with the bill but they were worried with the timing especially as it had to do with what affects the traditional rulers. He also expressed fear that the bill if passed into law may cause problem as it seeks to make the CDC independent.
