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Commissioner Advises Investors To Leverage On Investment Opportunities

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The State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon Tonye Briggs Oniyide, has called on those in hospitality business to rethink and chart a roadmap for restarting the tourism industry toward a more effective resumption, recovery and resilience.
The commissioner made the call in her address to mark the World Tourism Day in Port Harcourt.
The World Tourism Day is celebrated on the 27th of September. The theme of this year’s celebration was: “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Monday Yeiimonah, reiterated that as countries gradually lift restrictions especially on travels and businesses, and tourism slowly restarts in many parts of the world, health concerns must continue to be top priority in the operations
She added that there was need to expand the frontiers of tourism investment beyond the traditional areas; harnessing and leveraging on the vast potentials and opportunities in the State.
She commended the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, for the support in the sector.
“Let me reiterate that as countries gradually lift restrictions especially on travels and businesses, and tourism slowly restarts in many parts of the world, health concerns must continue to be top priority in your operations. I urge you to put in place adequate and comprehensive health protocols to protect workers, communities and guests in compliance to State regulations on Covid-19.
“The administration of His Excellency, Chief(Barr) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, considers very seriously the health and safety of all Rivers people and will not condone any act of negligence that could jeopardise the lives of the people.
“Furthermore, inclusive growth reflected in the theme, highlights the needs to expand the frontiers of tourism investment beyond the traditional areas; harnessing and leveraging on the vast potentials and opportunities in the State; bridging service gaps; exploiting new opportunities across vast tourism value-chains in eco-tourism, cultural festivals, wildlife, marine, indigenous cuisines, local fabrics, arts, parks and monuments, and landmark historical events; these should all be developed across communities in the State.
“Experiences in about the past 18 months of the pandemic, clearly show that active private sector participation is crucial to the survival, speedy recovery and resilience of the sector. I call on all investors in the sector to be more resourceful, innovative and to collaborate and leverage on every available opportunity to promote investments and speedy recovery of the sector. There is also the overriding need to digitalise the tourism economy to launch out into the global hub or endless possibility.
She appealed to the good people of the State to continue to project the traditional peace and hospitality for which the State and its people were known.
“Rivers state is known for its wide accommodation, friendliness, peace, traditional hospitality and mutual co-existence with its guests and neighbours. It is as well that there has not been any reported incident of unmanaged violence in the State as are often reported in some parts of the country.
“From the vast agricultural land resources of the upland region, to the roaring oceans, wetlands, and wildlife of the riverine; from the landmark bravery of our ancestors, to the rich cultural diversities of its people; from the rich oil and gas reserves across the length and breadth of the State, to the alluring beauties of the flora and fauna in their natural environment; these together sing of the glorious and endless opportunities and promising prosperity of Rivers native country home.
“Rivers State beckons on all sons and daughters, development partners, the business community, friends and well wishers to come and invest in the abundant natural and human resource endowments in the State.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, Yibo Koko, said the board focused on effectively engaging, empowering and creating people-centric community development tourism programs to secure cultural centric social investment activities that hinged on improving on overall well-being of stakeholders.
“In Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, we believe that Tourism is a driver of sustainable development and tourism increases economic growth, quality of life, environmental protection, preservation of culture and heritage.
“Therefore, we are focused on effectively engaging, empowering and creating people-centric community development tourism programmes to secure culture-centric social investment activities that are hinged on improving the overall well-being of stakeholders and members of our communities with the provision of sustainable, smart and socially inclusive programmes”.
He said the agency was responsible for promoting and improving sustainable tourism development in the state and was tasked by the state government to innovate, engineer and administer its emerging local, national and international tourism interests.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive social and economic impact on the global economy, both developed and developing economies have been hit. The world tourism organisation postulates that the restart of tourism will help kick start economic recovery and growth, stating that domestic tourism will return before international tourism.
“UNWTO has therefore designated World Tourism Day 2021 as a day to focus on tourism for inclusive growth. This is an opportunity to look beyond tourism statistics and acknowledge that, behind every number, there is a person”.

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23,870 Cases Pending In Rivers Courts

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The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.

By: Akujobi Amadi

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Church Sues For Peace Among Politicians In Rivers

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A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.

By: Bethel Toby

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NG CARES: Rivers Tops Performance Chart In Nigeria

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Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.

By; John Bibor

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