The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has trained over 200 youths selected from the nine states of the commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategies to sustain the peace in the region.
The one-day capacity-building workshop was organized in Port Harcourt,.Rivers State, by the commission’s Dispute and Conflict Resolution.Depattmemt and was tagged, “Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism: Facilitating inclusive youth Engagement for Transformative Peace.
Declaring the workshop open, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, harped on the importance of conflict management through ADR.
Ogbuku observed that the Niger Delta region was prone to conflicts due to its dominance in oil explorations and exploitations, saying it required a more convenient and peaceful approach to resolving issues.
The NDDC boss, who was represented by the Director Research, Planning and Statistics, Dr Patterson Ogon, said there was a need to acquaint the youths, who were always at the forefront during agitations on a more convenient peaceful approach to go about resolving conflicts without allowing them to snowball into crises.
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He said the workshop exposed the youths to alternative ways of resolving conflicts, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and negotiation.
He said: “What we want to achieve in the workshop is how to resolve and manage these conflicts when they arise; how they explore other windows of dispute resolution, negotiation, dialogue and nip them in the bud before they occur. ADR is germaine to Niger Delta region.”
The Acting Director of Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution (DCR) of the NDDC, Godwin Ogedegbe, said that the training would stop the youths from engaging in violence and destroying critical national assets in times of disagreements.
He said: “The training is designed to teach the youths an alternative ways of resolving conflicts when they happen or occur rather than resorting to arms carrying and destruction of critical national assets in their domain. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the best way to resolving and managing crisis.
“Peace is critical to the commission and the region. When the youths destroy the oil installations and other critical national assets in the region it will affect revenue accruing to the commission and in turns affects development in the region
“They are going to preach the message learnt here to their fellow youths that there are other ways of resolving conflicts despite carrying arms or destroying oil facilities in there communities as such acts can’t bring peace.”