The immediate past Publicity Secretary of the Rivers Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chris Finebone, is among the 18 commissioner nominees screened and confirmed Tuesday by the Rivers House of Assembly after their nomination was announced on Monday.
Their screening is coming over five months after the state governor Nyesom Wike sacked members of his executive council and re-appointing only very few of them, with the last being the re-appointment of Tammy Danagogo as the Secretary to the State Government.
The list of the nominees became public on Monday when Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Stanford Oba, in a statement announced that the nominees should appear on the floor of the House for screening on Tuesday.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly is inviting the following nominees to appear before it on Tuesday 25th October 2022 by 9 am for screening as commissioners designate,” the statement added.
The nominees include Prof. Princewill Chike, Hon. Jacobson Nbina, Mr Ndubuisi Okere, Barr. Mrs Inime Aguma, Engr. Charles Amadi, Mrs Tonye Oniyinde Briggs.
Others are, Mr. Ben Daminabo, Mr. Chris Finebone, Engr. Austin Ben Chioma, Mr Uchechukwu Nwafor, Dr. Fred Barivule Kpakol, Barr. Emenike Eke, Mr. Prince Ohia.
Also nominated according to the statement are, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku, Mr Ezekiel Agri, Mrs Ukiel Oyaghiri, Hon. Damiete Herbert Horsfall and Hon Emeka Onowu.
At the screening exercise, the house gave leave to returning former members of the executive council to take a bow and exit the time assembly chambers while first-time nominees including Finebone had to go through the screening process.
However, in the course of screening the former APC spokesman, the house came to a unanimous agreement that in recognition of his good work with the APC, he should also be allowed to go without much grilling but to display the same capacity at his new posting in the PDP administration.
A motion to that effect was moved by Linda Somiari Stewart, representing Okrika State Constituency but the Deputy Leader of the house, Edison Ehie in supporting the motion, amended it to include that another nominee Damiete Daminabo should also exit with Finebone.
Speaker of the house, Ikuinyi Owaji Ibani, after the others were screened led the house to confirm all the nominees for appointment as commissioners designate through a vote of 20 to nil by members present at plenary.
It is expected that based on his antecedents in information management, Chris Finebone might emerge as the next commissioner for information to replace the past commissioner, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim who was not reappointed by the governor.
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