Rivers
Nemieboka Promises Office Space For PCC In Ogu/Bolo
The Chairman of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Council, Barrister Vincent Nemieboka, last Wednesday, received the Rivers State Commissioner of Public Complaints Commission (PCC), Dr Alpheaus Paul-Worika, during a courtesy visit in his office at the council secretariat in Ogu.
Speaking while welcoming the delegation to Ogu, Nemieboka commended the choice of Paul-Worika as the Rivers State commissioner of PCC for two tenures because of his outstanding qualities as a defender of the people.
The chairman said owing to the importance of the PCC, he would be glad to provide an office space for them and also furnish the office.
He also promised to support PCC in any way he can to see that it succeeds.
In his response, the Rivers State Commissioner, PCC, Dr Alpheaus Paul-Worika said the visit was part of the commission’s official tour of local government areas in Rivers State to aquatint the chairmen on the functions of the commission.
He noted that Ogu/Bolo was the second LGA to have been visited after Port Harcourt City Local Government.
The commissioner said the PCC, was domiciled in the National Assembly so that the people can have access to it.
He added that the primary aim of the Ombudsman institution was to see that people, especially the downtrodden, can raise complaints where they feel aggrieved, where there are issues of injustice and get remedy.
According to him, the PCC by law is supposed to look into every conflict that bothers principally on administrative injustice in the federal, state and local government.
“It has a very wide scope of jurisdiction but it has been observed that people, especially in the rural areas, have not been talking advantage of it despite being decentralised and in place like Bori, Ahoada, Degema, Okrika and Port Harcourt”.
Part of the agenda of the commission and the body of state commissioners, Paul-Worika said, was to take PCC to all LGAs in the federation so that people can have access and take advantage of the services of PCC.
He said that the PCC was saddled with the responsibility of building the confidence of the people on the government system so that whatever grievance they have can be trusted be fairly resolved.
He said the PCC’s desire was to have zonal talk-shops with a view to achieving the needed support of the chairmen.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of a copy of the Public Complaints Act to the Ogu/Bolo LGA chairman by the state PCC commissioner.
The state PCC commissioner was accompanied on the visit by some staff of the commission in Rivers State.
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