The Cross River State House of Assembly on Wednesday moved to provide legislation to regulate property rental and leasing in the state.

The motion, which was sponsored by Mr Davies Etta, member representing Abi constituency, is titled “Matter of Urgent Public Importance on the Unreasonable Hike in House Rents in Calabar Metropolis”.

Presenting the motion during plenary on Wednesday, Etta noted that residents of the state had been lamenting the unreasonable increments in the price of rents.

”As we speak, a single self-contained room on Marian Road now goes for N1.5 million per annum in Calabar South, while a one-bedroom apartment costs between N800,000 and N1 million.

“In Parliamentary Extension, State Housing and Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) areas, tenants are being asked to pay N2 million and above for a one-bedroom or two-bedroom flats.

“This unregulated rental inflation is not only heartless; it is economically destabilising, socially dangerous and breeds homelessness, desperation and urban inequality contradicting the principle of fairness,” he noted.

Mr Stanley Nsemo, member representing Calabar Municipality, in his contribution to the debate, emphasised the urgent need to regulate rents as well as the activities of housing agents in Calabar Metropolis.

Other lawmakers who contributed to the motion were unanimous in their support, noting that, housing was not a luxury but a basic human right which the 10th Assembly would strive to protect.

Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Elvert Ayambem, while restating the 10th Assembly’s commitment to making laws that would make life easier for the citizens, commended the sponsor and members for their concern towards the well-being of residents.

Ayambem noted that the incessant increase in house rent was putting untold hardship on residents of the state.

He said that in view of this, the house would soon commence the legislative procedures for a law to regulate house rents across the state.

Gov Douye Diri of Bayelsa has announced his resignation from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Diri made this known at the State Executive Council Meeting at the Government House in Yenagoa on Wednesday.

Similarly, all 19 members of the State House of Assembly from the PDP alongside the Speaker, Mr Abraham Ingobere, as well as members of the state executive council, have also resigned membership of the party.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, also confirmed the development in a post on his verified social media handle.

Following the development, residents are expecting the governor and his followers to move to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Tuesday, Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu announced his resignation from the PDP to the

Mbah, shortly after his defection, had said that he decided to leave the PDP for the ruling APC because the PDP did not recognise the voice of his people.

The governor had dismissed suggestions that his action amounted to a betrayal of the PDP, under which he was elected.

”This is not a betrayal; it is also not abandonment. It is more about understanding that I was entrusted with the people’s mandate by the people, and it is also a responsibility on me to carry that same mandate on a platform that will best serve the people,” he said.

He had explained that his decision followed consultations and was rooted in the belief that the PDP platform could no longer ”serve the people optimally”.

”We have people who, under a particular platform, gave me their mandate to lead them.

”But it became clear to us that the platform on which that mandate was given may not serve us optimally, and then, in consultation with them, we decided that we’re now going to migrate to a stronger platform that will best serve them. So, I don’t see that as a betrayal,” he added.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to launch an investigation to unravel why the $35 million Brass Modular Refinery project in Bayelsa State was abandoned despite the huge financial commitments made about four years ago.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Billy Osawaru (APC, Edo), alleging that despite the investment, there is nothing on the ground to suggest that the government has made such an investment.

Leading the debate on a motion titled “Need to Investigate the Abandoned $35 Million Modular Refinery Project in Brass, Bayelsa State, Four Years After Financial Commitments,” Osawaru expressed concern that the project, funded by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), has recorded no tangible progress since inception.

He recalled that in 2020, the NCDMB invested $35 million (over N50 billion) in the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, proposed to be sited in Brass, as part of efforts to boost indigenous refining capacity and reduce pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange.

He expressed concern that despite this huge investment of $35 million dollars which is more than N50 billion and enough to fund fundamental components of the national budget, the proposed modular refinery was never set up, adding that there is nothing on the ground to show that such a huge financial commitment had been made.

“Despite this substantial investment, the proposed modular refinery was never established, and there is little evidence of progress on the project,” Osawaru stated.

He maintained that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, indigenous refining has been identified as a key driver of energy independence, job creation, and industrial revitalization.

He said the key objective of the present administration is to ensure energy security through improved oil production output in order to increase the Nation’s revenue base, and that every available opportunity has been geared towards this objective.

The lawmaker noted that the House had previously directed its relevant committees to look into the matter, while a petition was also submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in May 2024 to probe NCDMB’s multi-million dollar investments, including the Brass refinery project.
He said till date, no updates have been received.

According to him, the continued inactivity of this Brass modular refinery project raises significant questions about the management of public funds and the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms in Nigeria.

Following deliberations, the House resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the $35 million investment and report back within four weeks.