Rivers
Jaja Wants Constitutional Responsibilities For Traditional Rulers
The Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, has called for constitutional responsibilities for traditional rulers in the country.
He also wants proper recognition to be accorded the traditional institution in the country to enable traditional rulers function effectively.
Jaja made the call when he received the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who paid him a courtesy visit at the state secretariat of the traditional rulers in Port Harcourt, recently.
He blamed the military regime for removing the roles of the royal fathers from the nation’s Constitution, saying the traditional rulers have been struggling since then for the reinstatement of their roles in the Constitution to no avail.
According to him, the National Council of Traditional Rulers has made frantic efforts and several representations to the National Assembly for the recognition of their natural roles in the Constitution without success.
“Every aspect of recognition of the traditional institution’s roles was removed. The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria has made several representations to the National Assembly for the recognition of our God-given roles as custodians of our culture and tradition, which sadly had been turned down by the national law makers.
“The paradox of the cat and mouse game is that those who have been playing with the traditional institution and refused to recognise their roles in the constitution turn to that institution to be honoured with chieftaincy tittles and recognition; even some of them end up becoming traditional rulers,” he stated.
Jaja, who is the paramount ruler of Opobo Kingdom, said that traditional institution has a lot to offer in the Nigerian project, adding that the institution has repository of intellectuals, professionals and men of diverse disciplines.
He appealed to the National Assembly to revisit the roles of the traditional rulers in the ongoing 1999 Constitution review to enable traditional institution to be more alive to its natural responsibilities.
The monarch also decried the bad state of the Eleme/Onne sections of the East-West Road and appealed to the Federal Government to reconstruct the road without further delay.
By: Akujobi Amadi
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