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PHALGA Seals FG’s Marriage Registry Over Court Judgement

The authorities of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers State have sealed up the Ministry of Interior’s Marriage Registry in Port Harcourt to enforce the 2021 judgement of a Federal High Court in Lagos State.
The court, presided over by Justice D.E. Osiagor, had in August, 2021, in a civil suit No/FHC/L/CS/816/2018 brought by four local government councils, Etiosa in Lagos State, Egor in Edo State, Owerre Municipal, Imo State, and Port Harcourt City, Rivers State, on behalf the 774 LGAs in the country and against the Ministry of Interior, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and Achor Dataware Solutions Limited, in a landmark judgement, ruled in favour of the plaintiffs by granting a perpetual injunction stopping the three defendants from conducting and contracting marriages forthwith under the Marriage Act.
The trial judge further granted perpetual injunction against the defendants from issuing marriage certificates under the Marriage Act as well as an order for the plaintiffs to seal up the Marriage Registry offices of the defendants across the local government areas of the plaintiffs, except the Ikoyi office in Lagos State and Abuja, respectively.
The second defendants in the matter, the Federal Ministry of Interior contracted the Marriage Registry office to the third defendant, Achor Dataware Solutions Limited to be conducting, registering marriages as well as issuing marriage certificates across the 774 local government areas of the country, a situation which the local government councils viewed as contraction of their constitutional responsibility, and thereafter, approached a Federal High Court in Lagos State in 2018 and secured judgement against the defenders in 2021.
Leading the team of Inter-Governmental Agency on Marriage Committee, Bailiffs of Federal High Courts and members of marriage registries of local government areas in the state to seal up the Federal Ministry of Interior marriage office in D/Line axis in Port Harcourt, last Monday, the Secretary of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council,Barrister Chilee-Kay Owuru, said one of the cardinal responsibilities and function of the local government council as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution was the sole right to conduct marriages,issue marriage certificates and death certificates.
According to him,the local government councils in the country secured a court judgement to seal up the premises,adding that the court bailiffs and other critical stakeholders have enforced the court judgement and the marriage office sealed up.
He advised prospective couples to approach local government councils within their areas and conduct and register their marriages legally and avoid patronising unregistered and unrecognised marriage registry offices,adding that any marriage conducted outside the approved marriage registries would be declared null and void.
Also speaking,the lead counsel to the plaintiffs,Barrister Roger Michael Ademoji, said the court ruled that only the local government councils have the right to register and conduct marriages as well as issue marriage certificates.
On her part,the Marriage Registrar,Port Harcourt City Local Government Council,Mrs Angela Ovie, said every efforts made by her office to stop the Ministry of Interior’sMarriage Registry office to stop holding marriages and issuing certificates were not successful,adding that sealing up the premises had sent strong signal to vulnerable members of the society who were ignorant of the Marriage Act.
She warned to institute contempt charges against the operators of the illegal marriageregistries,should they ignore the action and unseal the premises.
By: Amadi Akujobi
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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
News
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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