RVHA Moves To Amend High Court Law …Public Hearing Holds Today

The beginning of the 4th session of the 7th Rivers State House of Assembly, yesterday, witnessed the presentation of a bill for a law to amend the Rivers state High Court law of 2001.
Presenting the Bill on the floor of the hallowed Chambers, Hon. Golden Chioma representing Etche constituency 11, disclosed that the purpose of the Bill was to amend section 40 of the principal law.
Hon. Chioma noted that section 40 of the principal law needed to be amended by adding a new sub-section (2) to read, “where the office of the Chief Judge is vacant and it is impracticable to appoint an acting chief Judge or a Chief Judge, the registrar shall assign cases to any judge, and shall perform other administrative duties until a chief judge is appointed.
He said the amendment would help to resolve the crisis in the High court in the state, adding that it would also enable the judiciary discharge its duties effectively.
The lawmaker stressed that the Bill, when passed into law, may be cited as Rivers state High court (Amendment) Bill, No. 1 of 2014.
Speaking, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Leyii Kwanee, who presided over the plenary, urged members to consider the Bill as a matter of urgency to enable peace and harmony reign in the state judiciary.
Meanwhile, a public hearing on the amendment of the Rivers State High Court rules holds in Port Harcourt, today.
A statement from the Rivers State House of Assembly indicated that the public hearing will hold at the Ministry of Justice Auditorium, Secretarit complex.
It urged all stakeholders to attend the event which begins by 12 noon.

Picture show, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications , Mrs Ibim Semenitari (middle) fielding questions from newsmen, during her news briefing Monday on the grounding of Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s chartered flight in Kano by the Nigerian Aviation Management Agency. Photo: Chris Monyanaga