Rivers
Soberekon Calls For Six Vice Presidential Slots For Nigeria
An elder statesman in Niger Delta, Rev Sokari Soberekon, has called for a provision for six vice presidential slog for the country. This is as he called for the restructuring of Nigeria before the 2023 general election.
In a memo titled “proposal for the restructuring of Nigeria for peace and stability, sustainability, rapid development and good governance”, made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt, the cleric said the political zones have been grossly neglected for years especially the villages that produce the resources that have sustained the country for 65 years, hence, the six vice presidential positions if put in place, would serve the interest of the autonomous geopolitical zones of the country.
Soberekon maintained that only restructuring will correct injustice and encourage healthy competition among the zones for rapid development since all the zones have resources that can be developed for growth and development.
Each of the six geopolitical zones include; south east, south west, south-south, north-east, north-central and north-west zones, he said, ”is naturally endowed with wonderful mineral resources that need be tapped and developed for rapid economic growth and development”
Soberekon in the same memo, warned against heeding to calls for the division of the country instead, he sued for “staying together as one indivisible entity”, as the best option for Nigeria, via restructuring.
Meanwhile, Soberekon has also called for the establishment of a petroleum and gas university in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State, as he invites President Mohammadu Buhari and other world leaders to visit Oloibiri to see the level of underdevelopment in the place.
Regretting the absence of a federal presence in the community, he said nothing less than the establishment of a petroleum and gas university would serve enough compensation to a people and land where crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in Nigeria.
By: Kalu Emmanuel
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