The Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers has called for the establishment of vocational centres for students on holiday to learn other trades apart from their academic work.
The Chairman of the council and Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja made the call in his address at the 106th q. quartely meeting of the council at Government House Auditorium, Port Harcourt,recently.
According to him, the establishment of such cetres would stem the tide of cultism and other anti-social vices in the state during long vacation, adding that, “this will fully engage them during the long holidays before they go back to school to resume their academic work”. He also called on the government to equip vocational schools with modern machines and tools to be more effective in their trade, stressing that the state is in dire need of its sons and daughters trained to use their hands and natural endowment to be self employed and employers of labour. The state traditional rulers council chairman also commended the state government for flagging-off the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 175 UBE schools in the state, pointing out that the completion of the project would undoubtedly provide conducive  learning environment for the children all over the state. He expressed delight with government for providing its counterpart funding which made it possible for the state to access UBE fund from the Federal Government.
King Douglas Jaja, however, drew the attention of the government on the danger of drug abuse by the youths and the future of the state, stressing that as traditional rulers, they are worried over the menace and called for the setting up of a taskforce that would stop the sale of such drugs like Tramadol and other known hallucinating drugs in chemists all over the state.
The monarch also called for the establishment of counseling clinics in the rural areas to enable the women go for early detection of cancer, HIV/AIDS and other health related diseases and advice on family planning.

Collins Barasimeye