Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has dissolved all the 23 Local Government Caretaker Committees in the state.
Wike, through his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, in a statement, yesterday in Port Harcourt, directed the caretaker committee chairmen to hand over to their respective Heads of Personnel Management (HPM).
The governor also directed the HPMs to immediately compile lists of staff being owed salaries, adding that the lists should include the number of months owed the workers by the respective councils and that the lists be submitted to his office with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, the governor has called on magistrates across the country to be fearless and firm in their dispensation of justice.
Speaking yesterday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, when he granted audience to the members of the National Executive Committee of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Wike stated that the functions of magistrates remain vital to the dispensation of justice in the country.
He urged magistrates to stop the practice of returning case files on the basis that they were afraid of the antics of certain interests and those who would malign them after delivering judgments.
“Judicial officers should not abdicate their responsibilities because they are afraid of petitions. If everyone throws in the towel, who will dispense justice?,” Wike asked.
While noting that every profession had its inherent risks, Wike admonished the magistrates to always remain focused as they deliver judgments within the ambit of the law.
He approved the request of the magistrates that the biennial delegates’ conference be hosted in Port Harcourt.
Governor Wike reiterated that the state would be hosting many national events between May and October, in response to the improved security in the state.
The President of Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria Isiguzo, had earlier called on Wike to support the hosting of the biennial delegates’ conference, during which a new executive would be elected for the association.
Isiguzo lauded the Rivers governor for granting financial autonomy to the state’s judiciary and approving the procurement of official vehicles for magistrates.