Rivers
HOS Charges Directors On Accurate Nominal Rolls
The Rivers State Head of Service (HOS), Barrister Samuel LongJohn has urged Directors of Administration in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the State Public Service to ensure that accurate and updated staff nominal rolls are submitted to his office monthly.
Barrister LongJohn gave the directive last Friday during a meeting he held with all Directors of Administration at the State Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt.
The Head of Service, who expressed displeasure at the inclusion of deceased and retired staff as well as the non-reflection of those promoted in the monthly staff nominal rolls, said if such data is not made available to his office, there was no way the Ministry of Finance could stop or effect payment of entitlements to affected persons.
He described the staff nominal rolls as the basis of the payroll system and stressed the need for a regular submission of update and accurate staff nominal rolls to eliminate cases of ghost names, omissions, over payments and non-payments of entitlements.
Barrister LongJohn, therefore, requested all Directors of Administration to submit soft copies of staff nominal rolls in the new prescribed format on or before the 5th of each month while both soft and hard copies should be submitted twice a year.
The Head of Service advised them to always discharge their duties in line with the Public Service Rules and informed them of efforts made by his office to codify all extant circulars to make them readily available to all workers as well as to domesticate the Public Service rules.
He urged all civil servants to always identify themselves by displaying their identity cards, pointing out that a circular to that effect had been issued to all MDAs.
The meeting, which was attended by Directors of Administration from 47 out of the 75 MDAs in the State Public Service, also featured interactive session where other issues were discussed including the implementation of GL17 for Directors in the State Public Service.
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