By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT— GOVERNOR Chibuike  Amaechi has signed the Rivers State Land Use Prohibition and Extortion Bill No. 5 of 2010 into law.

The new law will protect property developers and those who do businesses in the state. The law prescribes a three-year imprisonment without an option of fine, for anyone found guilty of contravening the law.

Governor Amaechi, who assented to the law and four others in Port Harcourt,  said he will personally oversee the implementation of the law to check the activities of those who disturb property owners, or sell a parcel of land to two or more persons.
According to him, “we need to send some people to prison to allow for conducive business environment in the state. People are running away because of all these unnecessary things, which bear all shades of names, such as “matching ground, bush entry, youth and community levy, among others.”
The governor disclosed that he will soon set up a committee comprising of lawyers from the Ministry of Justice, Police officers and Military officers, that would go round the state looking for people, who disturb those engaged in legitimate business activities in the state, while the office of the Attorney General would harmonise all existing tax laws in the state to avoid double taxation.

On the Rivers State Statistics Law, a private bill, Governor Amaechi said it will help take care of the problem of lack of accurate data in the state,  adding, no proper planning can take place without adequate statistics. He emphasized that “figures and data appears to be a problem in this country, and we were happy when we learnt that such a bill had been initiated.”

Governor Amaechi expressed satisfaction with the Finance Control and Management Law, which he said would make for accountability, and challenged the state lawmakers to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Bill, which was sent to them many months ago, which is  to further check corruption in the state.

He thanked the Speaker of the state Assembly and members of the House for their commitment towards the passage of the laws that had been signed, and expressed hope that it would promote development in the state.