Rivers
Stakeholders Blame Restiveness In N’Delta On Collapsed Family Values, Unemployment
Some stakeholders in the Niger Delta have identified collapse in family values and unemployment as factors contributing to the rising level of insecurity in the region.
They also called for value reorientation to stem the rising level of insecurity in the region.
This was part of resolutions at the end of a one-day stakeholders round table on strategies to mitigate youth restiveness, criminality, and violence in Borokiri, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
It was organised by the Foundation For Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) in conjunction with Centre for Gender, Conflict And Development Studies, University of Port Harcourt.
The stakeholders also called for the creation of employment opportunities for the unemployed youth in the region while skill acquisition centres should also be created in the region to engage the youths in various skills.
Declaring the event open, Capacity Building Coordinator, Peace Building Programme (PIND), Chukwudi Njoku, said the foundation is liaising with various stakeholders to find solutions to restiveness in the region.
Njoku also cautioned against the use of force to seek redress to the problem, adding that any attempt to push the criminals away cannot succeed.
He said PIND is working with some agencies such as the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation to find solutions to the problem.
Reading out the objectives of the forum, Madam Lauretta Ahuokpeme said the aims and objectives of the roundtable forum are to change the mindsets of community youths, build their capacities in peace building and conflicts management and to get commitment of key stakeholders in peace and security advancement in the area
Also speaking, the Commissioner, Ministry of Social Welfare And Rehabilitation, Mrs Inime Aguma, said the Ministry is doing so much in the Borokiri axis of the city in terms of giving youths meaningful lives.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Justina Atonye Jumbo, she said peace cannot thrive in an atmosphere of violence, adding that “peace is something everybody wants to have”.
Also, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uchechukwu Uriri, described the level of restiveness as frightening.
Uriri, who represented her Commissioner, Dr. Roseline Uranta, also blamed the situation on get-rich-quick syndrome and failures of families to uphold moral values.
She urged people who are well to do to share what they have with those who do not have.
Secretary of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Barrister Chile Owuru, said security agencies need to step up their activities to check criminalities in the Borokiri axis of the city.
He expressed regrets that some youths in the city have failed to utilise various opportunities put in place by the council to improve themselves.
Some representatives of Communities in Borokiri axis of Port Harcourt, including representatives of security agencies and Non Governmental Organisations, said more need to be done to check youth restiveness in the Borokiri axis of the city.
By: John Bibor
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