Rivers
Don’t See Your Incarceration As Barrier, Controller Tells Prison Inmates
The Controller, Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre, Mr Felix Lawrence, has charged inmates not to see their incarceration as a barrier, but rather another window for excellence in life.
Lawrence said this during the graduation ceremony of the centre students at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Port Harcourt last Friday.
The Controller, who spoke through the Human Resources Manager, Mr Benson C. Luke told the inmates to aim high irrespective of their incarceration.
According to him, the graduand-inmates have so far proven that one can excel in any condition or environment regardless of the nature.
He also charged them to use the ‘power’ given them to fight vices in the society, saying that education is the bed rock of the society.
“Education is not easy. We call on you all to reintegrate them into the society. Don’t stigimatise them by avoiding them upon their release”, he said.
In his view, the Deputy Controller, Mr Effiong Etim, who described the opportunity to study while in incarceration as a special privilege, cautioned against its abuse by the beneficiaries.
One of the ways to abuse it, Etim said, was to fall back to crime upon their release to the society.
He revealed that all the inmates are within the budding age of 25, which he tagged the epic of one’s youthful age that can be utilised positively in any given environment.
The Deputy Controller also hinted that there is provision for skills acquisition programme for those who are willing to get trained.
Meanwhile, the Registrar of NOUN, Mr Felix Eluka, reassured the inmates of the institution’s decision to offer free education to as many as may wish to school while in prison custody.
“We are here to formally present certificates to those who made it. Seven of you in all.
“Two made Second Class Upper Division, while the rest made Second Class Lower Division. We appeal to inmates to pick our forms. The university is offering you free education. No money to be spent, even the form”, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the the graduands, Mr Cletus Akanazu thanked both the Prison’s management, the Director, Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Special Centre of NOUN, Dr Nnenna Chukwuma, and promised to be good ambassadors upon their release to the ‘outside world’ as they fondly refer to the society.
By: King Onunwor
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