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33,794 Cases Pending In Rivers Court -CJ
About 33,794 cases are said to be pending at various courts in Rivers State as at September30, 2020.
The state Chief Judge, Justice Adanma Iyayi-Lamikanra, disclosed this while presiding over a special court session to herald the proceedings of the 2020/2021 legal year at the auditorium of the High Court Complex in Port Harcourt, over the weekend.
Justice Iyayi-Lamikanra while giving a breakdown of the activities of the Judiciary in the last legal year, said that the number of pending cases cut across all divisions of the state High Court and Customary Court in the state.
She said that about 32,022 were cases brought forward from previous years; 14,367 new cases, while 13,346 were cases disposed of between October 1, 2019, and October 30, 2020.
The state chief judge averred that both judges and magistrates and their counterparts at the customary courts in the state made positive progress in the number of cases disposed of within the legal year compared to the 2018/2019 legal year.
According to her, despite the efforts put in by judges, magistrates and chairmen and members of the customary courts, the number of cases filed on daily basis was on the increase.
She explained that the significant progress recorded could be attributed to her administration’s policy to allow judges and magistrates conclude cases at advanced stages irrespective of any petitions by counsels and liquidators in line with the policy direction of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The CJ, however, said that activities of some lawyers and litigants in the state have continued to delay cases pending in the courts due to their frivolous petitions and consistent requests for adjournments, and urged them to shun such tendencies.
Justice Iyayi-Lamikanra further disclosed that the state Judiciary generated a total of N347,683,787.60 within the year under review, saying that the amount represents a positive increase of about N8,162,787.60 compared to last year’s revenue generation.
She opined that the increase was borne out of the stringent measures introduced by her administration to curb diversion of affidavits while blocking financial loopholes within the system.
“These are revenues gotten from the Office of the Registrar, revenue courts, sanitation courts, magistrate courts as well as customary courts”, she stated.
The state’s Number One Judiciary Officer stressed that the special court session provides an opportunity for self-examination and stock-taking on the activities of the Judiciary within the year under review.
She used the opportunity to thank the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, for his support to the state Judiciary, saying that the governor has consistently approved and released needed funds to the state Judiciary.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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