Ondo — Ondo State Deputy Governor, Otunba Omolade Oluwateru, has said the need to professionalise the mediating skills of traditional rulers is needed now than ever, if Nigeria is to make meanignful impact in crisis resolution.

Oluwateru said this recently, at a workshop themed, "Enhancing the Skills of Traditional Rulers in Conflict Resolution in Nigeria, " organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development (ACAHD), in Akure, Ondo State, in conjunction with United States Institute of Peace(USIP), Washington DC, recently.

Representing his boss, Governor Olusegun Agagu, Oluwateru said traditional rulers are closely related to the grassroots and their communities consider them as epitome of morality and stability and for any sustainable peace to be achieved, their roles must be enshrined in the Constitution.

He suggested that the Federal Government should give serious consideration to the peace-making role of traditional rulers, to make meanignful impact in resolving the Niger-Delta crisis.

Adressing participants, ACAHD Executive Director, Paul Adepelumi, urged royal fathers to stand up to their primary role of peace-making, adding that, "ethnic, tribal, political and religious contests over recognition and access to resources have been causing tension throughout Nigeria's post-independence history."

He said these rot causes of conflicts remain largely unresolved, particularly at the grassroots level, where mornachs have the most influence, with the history of settling disputes in their communities.

Adepelumi said repeated rounds of military rules and failure of our democracy to enshrine their roles in the Constitution has diminished their capacity in conflict resolution mechanism, the need for enhancing their capacity in mediation and enshrining their constitutional roles in the Constitution is a parameter to attainign peace in Nigeria.