Rivers
Tenants Union Backs Planned Waterfronts Demolition
National Union of Tenants of Nigeria has backed the Rivers State Government over the planned demolition of some water fronts in Port Harcourt city.
Executive Secretary of the union, Ceasar Enwefoh who stated the union position in an interview with the Tide in Port Harcourt also critczed some non Government organization for making money from the plight of the water front dwellers.
Enwefoh said far from what some of the NGOs are doing there is no law protesting slum dwellers in Nigeria.
He said the water front have become a den of criminals and Illegal oil bunkering.
There is no provision in Nigeria that protect slum dwellers. It is only at international level but the protection is not absolute because the same United Nations instrument that said don’t demolish it is the same law that introduce what we call safer city and city without slum.
So when we are coming to advocate against slum demolition we try to make the truth crime and safer city and people that are homeless we try to compare the gravity.
So when we try to look at it actually find that yes absolute majority of crime committed in port Harcourt are always on water front he said.
He however pleaded with the government to extend the time for which those in the affected areas were given to evaluate the slum.
Enwefoh also warned the slum dwellers against allowing civil society groups to demonstrate for them as the groups are using item to make money.
By: John Bibor & Oribim Ibama
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