This is a comprehensive reference work, and a unique and original compendium of knowledge and analysis on Nigeria's Rivers State from the distant past to recent times. It includes contributions from some fifty scholars on diverse subjects relating to aspects of the lives, history and environment of the peoples of Rivers State. The material is organised into sections on the environment, peoples and cultures, the arts, history, politics, economics, social services and gender. As a whole, the work is concerned with the rights of minorities in Nigeria and for indigenous control over natural and human resources. It aims to present the cases of the peoples of the Niger delta to the world from an insider's perspective, and articulate a sense of their political, human rights, and humanitarian concern in an objective and academic format. A companion volume to Land and People of Bayelsa State: Central Niger Delta (1999).

Modelled on a similar study of Rivers State in Nigeria, the objective of this study is to give a simple but authoritative interdisciplinary introductory history. Although written by specialists, it is directed to a lay readership. Bayelsa, being a new state, is in need of self- definition and understanding, not least to promote greater tolerance within and between communities. Thirty-six scholars, largely Nigerian, have contributed to the study, which is divided into seven parts: the enviroment, the people, culture, history, politics, economy and social services.

Attempts to Import Weapons

Restores the river to its central place in the city’s history With bountiful salmon and fertile plains, the Duwamish River has drawn people to its shores over the centuries for trading, transport, and sustenance. Chief Se’alth and his allies fished and lived in villages here and white settlers established their first settlements nearby. Industrialists later straightened the river’s natural turns and built factories on its banks, floating in raw materials and shipping out airplane parts, cement, and steel. Unfortunately, the very utility of the river has been its undoing, as decades of dumping led to the river being declared a Superfund cleanup site. Using previously unpublished accounts by Indigenous people and settlers, BJ Cummings’s compelling narrative restores the Duwamish River to its central place in Seattle and Pacific Northwest history. Writing from the perspective of environmental justice—and herself a key figure in river restoration efforts—Cummings vividly portrays the people and conflicts that shaped the region’s culture and natural environment. She conducted research with members of the Duwamish Tribe, with whom she has long worked as an advocate. Cummings shares the river’s story as a call for action in aligning decisions about the river and its future with values of collaboration, respect, and justice.

Rivers State was created out of the former Eastern Nigeria on 27 May 1967 by virtue of the States (Creation and Transitional Provisions) Decree No. 14 of 1967, and inherited Eastern Nigeria legislation in accordance with section 1(5) of the said Decree. Consequently, legislation applicable to Rivers State as at 27 May 1967 consisted of the Laws contained in The Revised Edition of The Laws of Eastern Nigeria 1963 and those enacted between 1963 and 1967. Thereafter, Edicts were promulgated by the successive Military Governors of Rivers State between 1968 and 28 May 1999, interspersed with brief periods of democratic Government that enacted Laws. The first and only revision of the Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria was published as The Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999 containing legislation still in force at that time. It should be noted that by virtue of section 3 of the Revised Edition (Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria) Law 1991, there may be Laws which, although omitted in The Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999, still have the force of law, just like those included in it. Unfortunately, there is an operational disconnect between the enactment of legislation and their publication in the official form either in the Official Gazette or in bound annual volumes as required by law.Consequently, it becomes a Herculean task to search for every piece of legislation which may be hidden in volumes of files containing signed copies or among thousands of copies of the Official Gazette littered in several locations! Herein lies one aspect of the indispensability of this book, the first edition of which was published in 1994. Without this book, citizens, businesses, organisations, law enforcement agencies, lawyers, Customary Court Judges, Magistrates, High Court Judges, Federal High Court Judges, Justices of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, various Rivers State Government Ministries and Departments, etc. may not be aware of some of the existing laws of Rivers State that are in force. The Author Dr Leesi Ebenezer Mitee holds a doctoral degree (PhD) of Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Master of Laws degree (LLM) of the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom; Barrister-at-Law postgraduate professional law practice certificate (BL) of the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, Nigeria; Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Town Planning and Country Planning, both of the Rivers State University, Nigeria. Leesi, a former legal research national consultant to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)on the 1998 PCASED project and a legal research consultant to the government of Rivers State of Nigeria on the Laws of Rivers State, is the global pioneer advocate of the universal recognition of the right of free access to public legal information as a stand-alone or substantive human right. He discussed the concept of free access to public legal information and the proposal for its universal recognition elaborately in his 628-page PhD thesis, The Human Right of Free Access to Public Legal Information: Proposals for its Universal Recognition and for Adequate Public Access. His Human Right of Free Access to Public Legal Information (HURAPLA) website ( publiclegalinformation.com/ ) is dedicated to actualising the law-reform and policy-relevant proposals and recommendations in his PhD thesis. Dr Mitee's special research interests include different issues in the concept of the human right of free access to public legislation; legal informatics or legal information technology (the application of information technology to legal processes and specialised legal information systems); public access to indigenous customary law; indigenous rights; and legal systems. More resources on Dr Leesi Ebenezer Mitee's books are available on his Human Right of Free Access to Public Legal Information (HURAPLA) website ( publiclegalinformation.com/ ) and PublishThem.Com website ( publishthem.com/ ).

DID THE GREAT FLOOD OF INDIAN LEGEND ACTUALLY HAPPEN? WHY DID THE BUDDHA WALK TO SARNATH TO GIVE HIS FIRST SERMON? HOW DID THE EUROPEANS MAP INDIA? The history of any country begins with its geography. With sparkling wit and intelligence, Sanjeev Sanyal sets off to explore India and look at how the country’s history was shaped by, among other things, its rivers, mountains and cities. Traversing remote mountain passes, visiting ancient archaeological sites, crossing rivers in shaky boats and immersing himself in old records and manuscripts, he considers questions about Indian history that we rarely ask: Why do Indians call their country Bharat? How did the British build the railways across the subcontinent? Why was the world’s highest mountain named after George Everest? Moving from the geological beginnings of the subcontinent to present-day Gurgaon, Land of the Seven Rivers is riveting, wry and full of surprises. It is the most entertaining history of India you will ever read.