RSG Fair In Chiefs Classification – Commissioner

Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Sir Charles Okaye, says the State Government did a fair job in the classification of chieftaincy stools in some parts of the state recently.
Sir Okaye who made the disclosure in a chat with newsmen in Government House, Port Harcourt last Wednesday, said, “before the stools were classified government looked at the pros and cons”.
He observed that most of the protests trailing the stools classification were normal since there were always contending parties in communities seeking to be recognised.
“In every community in Nigeria, especially in the South, there is no way that traditional rulership will come up that there will be no crisis, there will be no petition. So it is not peculiar to Rivers State. It is everywhere,” Okaye further declared.
Okaye revealed that he had received several petitions on the matter stating that most of them were baseless since the matter was yet to be sent to the governor for approval. “I can tell you how many petitions I have even received even for the ones that have not been sent to the governor for admission. There are so many of them. So, it will continue as long as we live”, he said.
Sir Okaye also flayed critics of the one-week holidays declared by the State Government for civil servants to commemorate 100 years of Port Harcourt celebration.
The Commissioner was of the view that contrary to views in some quarters the holidays were not political neither did they sabotage the state’s economy.
He noted that it had become common in the state to hear critics of government spread false rumours without any tangible reason.
“As far as I am concerned, commercial and economic activities are still taking place…it is only for the public servants. Yes, we know that  holidays affect the economy, but  this one is not total as in when you declare public holiday for everybody,” he said.
Okaye insisted that the Health Walk to mark the centenary celebrations last Wednesday would promote good health, insisting that, “one day for health walk is not extravagant.”

Senator Magnus Abe (left) addressing the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (right), Senate Leader, Victor Egba-Ndoma (3rd left), Senator Ahmed Barata (2nd left) and Senator Cyrus Nunieh during the presentation of request for Bori State creation in Abuja, recently.