Rivers
12 Journalists Get Scholarship Award In Rivers
Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry Banigo with Ogechi and Ngowari during their wedding ceremony at St. Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Hospital Road, Port Harcourt.
Twelve practicising Journalists in Rivers State, have benefited from the 2015 edition of the Prince Emma Anyawu Foundation (PEAF) scholarship Award for Journalists.
Speaking during the Scholarship Award presentation at the Rivers State Council Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (Ernest Ikoli Press Centre), the founder of the foundation, Prince Emma Anyawu, said he was impressed by the effort of the committee in driving the scholarship project.
Prince Emma Anyawu who tasked the beneficiaries on the judicious use of the scholarship scheme was not associated with politics, but a selfless effort to encourage practicing journalists in Rivers State.
In his welcome address, the chairman of the occasion, Mr Celestine Ogolo thanked Prince Emma Anyawu for his goodwill and commitment to the promotion of excellence in Journalism practice in Rivers State.
Ogolo who is the General Manager of the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the Tide Newspapers, commended the efforts of the special committee in managing the scholarship fund, and urged the beneficiaries to take good advantage of the opportunities provided to improve their professional training as journalists in Rivers State. In his remarks, the chairman of the scharlarship committee Pastor Paulinus Nsirim thanked Prince Emma Anyawu over his effort towards the upliftment of journalism practice in Rivers State. Pastor Nsirim who hinted that a Pastor Nsirim who hinted that a total of 50 journalists had benefited from the scholarship scheme since it inception, said the beneficiaries passed through strict guidelines and scrutiny to benefit from the award.
He said the scharlarship scheme which covers, ICT training, Diploma programmes, graduate and post graduate students including doctorate programme, was open to all qualified journalists Rivers State. The beneficiaries, of the 2015 edition of the Scholarship Award, include, the Vice chairman of the Rivers State council of the NUT, Uche Agbam, Chairman of National Association of women journalists, (NAWOJ) in Rivers State, Lilian Okonkwo, a correspondent with The Tide Newspaper Mr Beemene Taneh, among others speaking shortly after the presentation of the scholarship Award, one of the beneficiaries, Mr Beemene Taneh, thanked the founder of the foundation for his benevolence and assured that the opportunity provided would be judiciously used.
Teneh Beemene Okoromah Anthonia
The Rivers State Judiciary has described as embarrassing and misleading a purported online publication by the News Week Electronic Media channel alleging that the State Chief Judge , Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi plans to embark on a One Year annual vacation.
The Judiciary in a statement signed by the Chief Registrar High Court Port Harcourt, DAVID IHUA-MADUENYI while dismissing the said report described it as malicious and baseless, stressing that the allegation levelled against the person and the office of the Chief Judge of Rivers state was an embodiment of falsehood.
The statement reads this “to put the records straight, the Chief Judge did not at any time announce nor intend to announce embarking on any recess or extended recess leave by whatsoever name called, as such leave is alien to the Judicial Officers Calendar of Vacations.”
The vacation calendar of Judicial Officers is of public knowledge, namely: Christmas Vacation, Easter Vacation and Annual Vacation “the statement stated.
He therefore urged members of the public and the judiciary community to disregard the misguided publication as it is targeted to causing disaffection , confusion and ill will in the State.
Maduenyi however threatened a legal action against the author of the publication, JAKE CLIFFORD and the publishers if they failed to retract the false publication immediately without hesitation.
Akujobi Amadi
Determined to sustained and promote a peaceful stability in the Niger Delta states, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has trained over 200 selected youths drawn from the nine states of the commission on the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR)in settling conflicts and disputes in there various communities.
The one -day capacity Building workshop organised by the Department of the Dispute and Conflict Resolution, NDDC with the theme “Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism: Facilitating inclusive youth Engagement for Transformative peace “held in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Declaring the workshop open,the NDDC managing Director and chief executive officer, Mr Samuel Ogbuku said the essence of the workshop was to build the capacity of the youths in the region on conflicts management through Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) mechanism which will enable them handle conflicts in there communities,noting that conflicts is part of human society and happens every day in the society.
Ogbuku who was represented on the event by the Director Research, planning and statistics,Dr Patterson OGOM, stressed that Niger Delta region is at the centre of conflict due to its dominance in oil explorations and exploitations and there is the need to acquaint the youths who are always on the front burner during agitations on a more convenient peaceful approach to go about resolving conflicts with out it snowballing to crisis.
According to him,the workshop will exposed the youths on how to manage conflicts in there areas when they arise, adding that carrying arms and destruction of national critical assests in there communities was not the best option for achieving peace when conflict arises.
Ogbuku averred that Niger Deltans are noted for settling there disputes through dialogue and that informed the choice for the ADR workshop.
” What we want to achieve in the workshop is how to resolve and manage these conflicts when they arise.How the we explore other windows of dispute resolution, negotiation, dialogue and nip them on bud before they occur.ADR is Germaine to Niger Delta region.
The NDDC MD/ CEO urged the participants to take the workshop serious so that they can take the message back to their various communities and States.
Also speaking, the Ag Director, ADR NDDC, Godwin Ayewumi Ogedegbe esq, disclosed that since the inception of the present NDDC management led by Mr Samuel Ogbuku the region has not witnessed crisis as it was in the past , adding that the commission has been proactive and preventive in conflicts management in the region.
Ogedegbe averred that the training was designed to teach the youths an alternative ways of resolving conflicts when they happen or occur rather than resorting to arms carrying and destruction of critical national assets in their domain, adding that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the best way to resolving and managing crisis.
He opined that peace is critical to the commission and the region, noting that when the youths destroy the oil installations and other critical national assets in the region it will affect revenue accruing to the commission and in turns affects development in the region.
“They are going to preach the message learnt here to their fellow youths that there are other ways of resolving conflicts despite carrying arms or destroying oil facilities in there communities as such acts can’t bring peace.”he stated.
Our correspondent reports that the participants were drawn from Rivers, Delta, Akwa ibom, Edo, Cross River and Bayelsa states
Others include, Imo, Abia and Ondo states.
Akujobi Amadi