Frequent Oversea Trips by Rivers legislatures, a collossal wastes of funds!

I have always believed in the administration of Dr. Peter Odili. For one thing, it has continued to perform better than most State governments in Nigeria. There are those who will argue that it's success in being able to deliver to the people, has to do with the lack of opposition from the legislature. This assertion may be true, given the fact that most State governments and their legislature has continued on a war path. While l do not endorse a one party system in any democratic experiment, It has to be recognized that every democratic experiment, needs the opposition, not as means of disstabilizing government but as the alternative voice and the voice of moderation in bringing about justice and fairplay in goverment.

The news that the Rivers State government, has given a blancket approval for fifteen legislatures to embark on a two week trip to United States to understand how democracy works is troubling, given the collossal sum of money being spent.

There are institutions in Nigeria funded by the Federal government whose function is to do just that. Institutions like the Center for Democratic Studies and our universites are just places that ought to provide the enabling environment for legislatures to learn their trade. The Internet is also the biggest resource center for anyone including the legislatures to get free tutorials about their job function. So why is government spending all that money to send our assembly men to Mississippi State, a heaven for racist values, where nothing good has ever been seen about the black man. Five years in our democratic experiment is long enough to see that there are those starving at home while these so called law makers, embark on trips that will do us no good. Our able governor should as a matter of urgency discourage this waste and invest funds in our colleges to provide the needed training for these legislatures.