Rivers
Residents Decry Return Of Destitutes, Lunatics
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Residents of Port Harcourt, have raised alarm over the rise in the number of mentally challenged persons and destitutes in parts of the metropolis.
Some respondents who spoke to The Tide on the development expressed fears that if no drastic measures were taken by the state government, Port Harcourt metropolis would soon be overwhelmed by mad people and destitutes.
A food vendor at the Mile 3 market, Mrs. Faustinah Eke, who spoke to The Tide on the situation, expressed surprise that despite efforts by the state government to curtail the spate of insane people in the state, Port Harcourt is still littered with mad people.
She further said :“They are everywhere, go to Rumuola roundabout by Port Harcourt Water Board and imagine how mad people and destitutes turn themselves into traffic wardens to support in the control of the heavy traffic during rush hours.
“If you move upto Artillery, Oil Mill and Eleme Junction, you will meet another set of mad people mostly women and young ladies who hardly move around unless they go to search for food and come back almost immediately. One thing with them is that they are not hostile and don’t hurt an ant. If you move toward Mile One Flyover axis from Oil Mill, these mad people are there in their large numbers. They seem to have turned the flyover bridge into their places of abode, resting endlessly.
“Some of them will go to sleep and never wake up for hours making one to believe that he or she may have gone to the world beyond as he or she never wakes up but always look stone dead.”
Chief Linus Okafor, a trader at the New Layout Market, also disclosed that many mad people also loiter around the market.
By: Bethel Toby
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