NDDC Trains over 200 Niger Delta Youths in Alternative Dispute Resolution

Sunday Okobi 

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has trained over 200 selected youths from the nine states of the commission in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.

The one -day capacity building workshop organised by the Department of the Dispute and Conflict Resolution of the NDDC with the theme: ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism: Facilitating inclusive youth Engagement for Transformative peace’, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is aimed to equip the youths with the skills to manage conflicts and disputes in their communities.

Declaring the workshop open, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, emphasized the importance of conflict management through ADR.

According to Ogbuku, the Niger Delta region is prone to conflicts due to its dominance in oil explorations and exploitations, and therefore requires a more convenient and peaceful approach to resolving conflicts.

Ogbuku, who was represented at the event by the Director Research, Planning and Statistics, Dr. Patterson Ogon, stressed that Niger Delta region is at the centre of conflict due to its dominance in oil explorations and exploitations and there is the need to acquaint the youths who are always on the front burner during agitations on a more convenient peaceful approach to go about resolving conflicts without it snowballing to crisis.

He said the workshop exposed the youths to alternative ways of resolving conflicts, emphasising the importance of dialogue and negotiation.

According to him, “What we want to achieve in the workshop is how to resolve and manage these conflicts when they arise, and how we explore other windows of dispute resolution, negotiation, dialogue and nip them in the bud before they occur. ADR is germane to Niger Delta region.”

He urged the participants to take the workshop seriously so that they can take the message back to their various communities and states.

Also, the acting Director of Department of Dispute and  Conflict Resolution (DCR) of the NDDC, Godwin Ogedegbe, stated that the training was designed to teach the youths alternative ways of resolving conflicts, rather than resorting to violence or destruction of critical national assets.

He stated that the training was 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, adding that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the best way to resolving and managing crisis.

Ogedegbe stated that peace is critical to the commission and the region, noting that 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 their communities, as such acts can’t bring peace,” he stated.

The participants, drawn from Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Cross River, and Bayelsa States, among others, were urged to take the workshop seriously and share the message with their fellow youths.