Rivers
Group Wants Inclusion Of Women, Persons With Disabilities In Flood Committees
Nature Justice Movement Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation in Nigeria, has called for the inclusion of more women and persons with disabilities in the Rivers State Flood Management Committee.
The group said this at a peaceful protest to Government House in Port Harcourt.
Country representative of the organisation, Barrister Mike Karikpo, said persons with disabilities and women, including young people, suffer more during flood disasters.
He, however, commended the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalaye Fubara, for taking proactive steps to adress the issues of flooding in the state.
Karikpo said the protest was to call attention for the government to make the committee more inclusive by adding the women, persons with disabilities and young people.
“We will march from here to the Government House to present a petition to both the Governor and the flood Response Committee to expand and ensure that the committee is inclusive.
“That persons with disabilities, the women and young persons are added to the committee”.
He said young persons, the women and person with disabilities have always been victims of flood disasters, adding that these group of persons need to be included as far as flood Response Committees are concerned.
Also speaking, the State Chairman of the Joint National Association of persons with Disabilities, Mr. Kie Obomanu, said his members have always suffered more during flood disasters.
He said persons with disabilities in Rivers State are demanding that they be included in the various flood Response Committees across the state.
“Climate change has affected persons with Disabilities. We have lost employment and so many things. This is why we are asking for justice.
“We are asking that we should be included in the various flood committees in the state”, he said.
Also speaking, Dr Mfon C. Utin said women have always suffered more during flood disasters.
“The climate change is affecting the women. We are calling on the government to help the women, restore the source of livelihood and employment for our girls”, she urged.
According to her, many women have lost their sources of livelihoods as farmlands have been washed away by flood.
“Our farmlands have been destroyed. The flood has really affected a lot of things. We are calling on the government to help to relocate the women”, she said.
Also, representatives of Student bodies who participated in the protest called for the inclusion of students in the flood committees.
By: John Bibor & Mercy Nobert
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