Rivers
NUJ Pledges Support For Healthcare Programmes
The Nigeria union of Jour
nalists (NUJ), has promised to support all health care programmes in the state.
Chairman of the Rivers State Council of the NUJ, Mr Opaka Dokubo, stated this while addressing members of the State Support Team, Demand Creation of National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP), who paid him an advocacy visit in his office recently.
Dokubo, noted that health was an integral part of human existence, saying that it was for this reason, NUJ would throw its weight behind any group that comes up with programmes that would improve the quality of health of the people.
He said, “health is essential to effective functioning of humans, it is at the very foundation of our being, it is such a priority that we cannot afford to toy with it. Call us and we will be there to help educate and inform the people, liaise with us and let us work together.
He solicited support for the preventive health care policy of the state government adding that the Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) was one of the strategies to eradicate malaria.
In her speech, leader of the team, Adaeze Maha, said they were in the NUJ chairman’s office to intimate the union of government’s plan to replace existing NLLINs with new, improved ones saying that by now, the old ones would have expired.
Maha said replacement of the LLINs was to intensify the fight against malaria, and pointed out that they were provided free of charge by government and Roll Back malaria partners.
She urged the people of the state to sleep under mosquito nets to stay protected from mosqutoe bites in order be free from malaria attacks.
Tonye Nria-Dappa
Rivers
Rivers CJ To Sanction Lawyers Who Refuse To Comply With ADR Compliance
The Rivers state Chief Judge, Justice SIMONE CHIBUZOR-AMADI has given an indication to sanction any lawyer who fail to comply with directive of a judge in the state to transferred a case to Rivers State Multi Door Courthouse for Alternatives Dispute Resolution.
Justice AMADI stated this during a brief ceremony held at the chief judge auditorium in port Harcourt Friday held to hand over certificates of operation to two private ADR chambers on Precarious Dispute Resolution Services and Harmony Arbitration and mediation center .
He urged the two private ADR centres to be diligent in the discharge of their duties and warned against compromising the standard of Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR but should observed the regulations set out in collaboration regulation by the state Multi Door Court House.
Earlier in a address, the Director of the State Multi Door Courthouse, VICTOR NWEKE esq, highlighted some of the achievements of the Multi Door Courthouse especially in decongestion of court rooms.
NWEKE while disclosing how the department certified the two private ADR centres called for serious punitive measures be taken against any lawyer who fail to comply with a case referred to Multi Door Court House by a judge or magistrates in the state.
In her acceptance speech on behalf of the two certified private ADR centres, ALICE NIMI commended the State Judiciary and Multi Door Courthouse for the approval and assured that all the rules and regulations spelt out will be followed.
In a related development; the Rivers State Judiciary has assured its readiness to collaborate with Nigerian Securityding Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in using Alternative Dispute Resolution to resolve some of the issues in their office.
The state Chief Judge , Justice SIMONE CHIBUZOR-AMADI made the promise when he received in audience the Zonal Commander of NSCDC, Assistant Commandant General, AYINLA TALYE OLOWO and his team who paid him a courtesy visit in his office , Friday where issuees ADR utilization took centre stage.
He used the opportunity to brief his visitors on the hurdles judges faces daily in the court room and the need for the decongestion of the court room , stressing that one judge handle more than three hundred cases but that if lawyers and litigants adopt ADR practice court rooms can be releive of the daily congestions.
The state Chief Judge however urged NSCDC to ensure a wider sensitization of the members of the public on the practice of ADR for a better awareness and knowledge.
Earlier in his speech, the Zonal Commander of NSCDC, Assistant Commandant General, AYINLA TALYE-OLOWO said the visit was to seek collaboration on the use of ADR in resolving some issues which he insisted would help decongest the courtrooms.
Our correspondent reports officials of the Rivers State Multi Door Courthouse led by the Director, VICTOR NWEKE led the team of NSCDC on a technical session where information on how to the fully in cooperated into the Multi Door Courthouse and operation of ADR will be emphasized.
Akujobi Amadi