The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has approved a request from Governor Douye Diri for a N2.9bn loan “to buy operational vehicles for the governor, deputy governor and other top government functionaries.”
The assembly approved the loan for Diri during plenary on Tuesday following a motion moved by the Leader of the House, Monday Bubou-Obolo.
Bubou-Obolo, who is the immediate past speaker of the assembly, said the proposed facility had repayment tenure of 36 months.
He said, “The contractor that will provide these vehicles needs to have facility to provide them. This will be repaid within a period of 36 months.
“I hereby move that this House do approve the request sent to us in order to enable the contractor to supply the needed vehicles for the office of the governor, deputy governor, top government functionaries and other Very Important Persons as required.”
The motion received unanimous support from the lawmakers and the request was approved for the governor.
Diri was inaugurated on February 14 after the Supreme Court nullified the election of the former governor-elect, David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress.
Meanwhile, the assembly has called on the state Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to come up with measures to prevent a possible outbreak of corona virus in the state.
It urged the Diri-led administration to invest more on enlightenment campaigns on the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the different dialects, in order to keep the public informed.
The call was sequel to a motion moved on the coronavirus also known as COVID-19 by the member representing Yenagoa Constituency 2, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, under matters of urgent public importance.