Leadership (Abuja)
Amaechi Dike
2 May 2008
opinion
Nigeria's quest for peace through effective conflict resolution mechanism got a boost last week, with the meeting in Abuja, of over a thousand "peace advocates" from across the country. The gathering - an amalgam of professionals from all walks of life, - including traditional rulers, the academia, technocrats, the Armed Forces, the international community and civil society groups - was, indeed, a beautiful sight to behold.
The group, a galaxy of the young, the not so young, the old and the not so old - men and women of timber and caliber - all gathered at the Ladi Kwali hall of Sheraton Hotels, Abuja, under the auspices of a vibrant association known as the Association of Professional Negotiators and Mediators (APNM). For two solid days, on Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25, participants at the 1st Biennial Conference and General Assembly of the association brainstormed on effective means to fast track the country on the path of conflict management and resolution.
Discussions were frank as participants reviewed the so many contentious issues troubling our country, with emphasis on the lingering crisis in the Niger Delta. Because the realities of the Niger Delta were laid bare in a frank and empathetic manner, many participants who were hitherto far removed from the problems of the region by virtue of geographical distance, came to appreciate the reason for the growing militancy in the country's oil producing area. The empathy was palpable as participants conversant with the topography and environment of the Niger Delta told their stories, either by formal presentation of papers or by way of discussions and comments.
Indeed, the Chairman of "Oil Peace", His Royal Highness, Barrister David Serena-Dokubo Spiff evoked the highest empathy as he delivered a well-researched 11-page paper titled - "Towards A Long - Term Sustainable Solution of The Niger Delta Crisis: The Role of Alternative Dispute Resolution". After listening to him, it became obvious to most participants that successive Federal and State Governments have yet to take the problem of the Niger Delta seriously. In my view, given the insider's perspective which the paper brought to the fore, the problem became a "collective problem" rather than "their problem" - as some Nigerians not familiar with the real Niger Delta question were wont to believe.
True, the picture of an endangered species which fellow Nigerians who inhabit the Niger Delta axis have been reduced to, in spite of their holding the status of the hen that lays the country's golden eggs, provoked such emotion, even outrage, against the Nigerian state and its leaders. It is really amazing why successive Federal Governments have not deemed it necessary to declare a Marshal Plan of action to tackle the Niger Delta crisis, especially during the last administration which had the fortune of increased price of exported oil.
Clearly, the emotions were high - some time to explosion point, but being a group of peace makers and professional negotiators and mediators, it was possible to deploy our expertise into action and bring the emotions under control. Convinced in the saying that injustice to someone anywhere is injustice to humanity everywhere, the association resolved to persuade the governments (Federal and Niger Delta States) to be more proactive in bringing the Niger Delta crisis under control, through a just and pragmatic policies.
As a corollary, the association in its 12 - point communiqué, called on the presidency to adopt alternative dispute resolution mechanism as a strategy to douse the tension in the Niger Delta region. The APNM considers the ADR strategy most imperative, because the unending activities of militancy and abduction in the Niger Delta constitute a clear and present danger, not only to the economy of the nation, but also to the survival of Nigeria as a united entity. In that regard, the association has declared its willingness to lend a helping hand to government to achieve an end to the crisis in that region.
Beyond the Niger Delta crisis, the conference also reviewed the nation's growing political crises and concluded that it was high time political parties and politicians adopted ADR as effective tool for resolving intra and inter party disputes. It was the view of the conferees that ADR will also be suitable for resolving election petitions because of its numerous advantages over litigation. To underscore the emphasis which the group places on this reinvented concept of dispute/conflict resolution, it strongly advocated the inclusion of ADR in the curricular of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions as a compulsory subject/course of study. By this, it hopes that generations of Nigerians would be better equipped to imbibe the culture and nuances of dispute resolution early in their lives.
But it was not all work and no play for the participants. They took out time to unwind and relieve tedium on the last day of the conference which was Saturday, April 26. Attired in their immaculate white, the conferees retired to Mediterranean Recreation Centre located in the high brow Asokoro for an all night get together. There, we were treated to rib cracking jokes by the popular "Basket Mouth" and a musical troupe which rendition succeeded in bringing both the "young" and "the old" to the dancing floor. Suffice it to say that we had a swell time, jointly and severally, as lawyers would say.
Before going for merriment, however, the association elected its Board of Trustees (BOT) and a 10 - member National Management team. The BOT members comprise His Royal Highness, Igwe Dr. Lawrence Okechukwu Arinze, the Obi of Enugwu - Adazi kingdom; HRH Oba Olateru - Olagbegi, the Olowo of Owo Kingdom; HRH, Barr. David Serena Dokubo Spiff of Town Brass; former Commissioner of police for FCT, Mr. Lawrence Alobi and General Robert I. Elebor (rtd). Elected into the board also are two academics, Prof. Dan Fulani and Dr. Haruna Dabin; Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo of Ogudu Chief Magistrate Court, Lagos State; Ms. Clara Ndive; Mrs. Kukoyi Tinuola of the Nigerian Customs Service, headquarters, Wuse, Abuja, and Mr. Yakubu Bulus Samuila of Nipost headquarter, Abuja, Mr. Kevin Nwosu who is the Director General of the palatial Settlement House, Asokoro and also the driving force behind the new professional association was unanimously appointed life patron in appreciation of his invaluable contributions and commitment to its growth.
To run the day-to-day affairs of the association, some members were elected as pioneer National Officers. They are: Mr. Dorn Cklaimz Enamhe (National President); Barr. Mrs. Ann Obiageli Eze (1st National Vice President); Mr. Victor C. Aguku (2nd National Vice President); Mr. Ogbonnaya Okoronkwo (Secretary General); Mariya Aliko Dangote (National Treasury); Chief Chigbata Anthony Edozie (National Financial Secretary); Barr. Amaechi Dike (National Public Relations Officer); Hadiza Hanidu Ibrahim (Asst. National Public Relations Officer); Barr. Dr. innocent Ekwu (Director, Inter-Governmental Affairs); and Mr. Segun Ogunyannwo (Director of Studies).
Random Strokes wishes to commend the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe for his exemplary display of a rare sense of punctuality. To the surprise of participants, the urbane Chief Scribe for Government not only arrived ahead of the 9 a.m take off time for the opening ceremony, he patiently waited for over an hour before the event kicked off. Yet, he remained unruffled even as he jokingly explained that it should not be in our character as Nigerians to be late comers. Cheers, Mr. SGF!
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