Rivers
2023 Elections: COAS Cautions Troops
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has warned troops of the Nigeria Army to avoid being dragged into politicking as the 2023 general elections approaches.
Yahaya spoke at a three-day ‘Second Senior Command and Leadership Seminar’ in Port Harcourt on Wednesday for commanders of various formations across the country.
The seminar had the theme: ‘’Building the Capacity of Nigerian Army to Meet Contemporary Security Challenges in a Joint Environment: The Role of Senior Leadership.”
According to him, no personnel will be allowed to participate in the elections or support any candidate as stipulated by the extant laws guarding the service.
“So, I want to remind all commanders that as the electioneering season approaches the political landscape is likely to become more tense across the geopolitical zones.
“Engagement of political thugs; use of hate speeches and other inimical activities by desperate politicians and their supporters will likely instigate a more fragile security situation in the coming days.
”I charge commanders at all levels to ensure that troops under their command are adequately enlightened on the need to be apolitical and eschew all political vices.
“To this end, all army personnel must act within the ambit of the law; the provisions of the extant rule of engagement and code of conduct for the elections in 2023,” he said.
He said the army would adopt a more superior system of operation to harness the collective potentials of all security stakeholders in the coming days and weeks.
The army Chief added the seminar was organised to brainstorm and proffer solutions to challenges confronting ongoing operations in the country.
“Our current operating environment is dynamic and has continued to expose new threats which require deeper insights to successfully overcome them.
“So, the forum offers senior commanders the opportunity to engage one another and introspect on our existing operational model so as to identify gaps.
“Resource persons invited, including academic practitioners, security and intelligence experts, retired officers and social media influencers, will contribute ideas towards addressing national security challenges,” he stated.
Yahaya said the army under his command was passionate towards ensuring that troops were adequately trained, equipped and motivated to perform their constitutional roles in support of the Federal Government.
On his part, the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said the seminar was also organised to expose senior officers to ways to protect the image of the army.
According to him, the participating senior officers are drawn from army headquarters and all army formations in the South West, South South and South East.
“This seminar is organised, considering that our contemporary threat and operating environment demanded astute and innovative leadership competences from our commanders,” he said.
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