6 October 2008
Lagos — The Amanayabo of Kalabari Kingdom, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, has said Niger Delta is in its current situation because government in the past did not recognise the role of traditional rulers in conflict mediation.
He, however, commended President Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, for their efforts at expanding the peace-making roles of traditional rulers and creation of the Niger Delta Ministry.
Diete-Spiff, former governor of old Rivers State, said this at an event with the theme: "Enhancing the Skills of Traditional Rulers in Conflict Resolution in Nigeria," organised by African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development (ACAHD), in Bayelsa State, in collaboration with the United States Institutes of Peace (USIP) Washington DC, where he also thanked ACAHD for its efforts at promoting the role of traditional rulers in conflict resolution across the Niger Delta.
It was at the event that the state Council of Traditional Rulers appointed ACAHD to negotiate issues pertaining to their interest and their communities on their behalf. Speaking during the weeklong workshop, ACAHD Executive Director, Mr Paul Adepelumi, thanked the monarchs for their trust in ACAHD and their commitment to finding a lasting solution to the Niger Delta crisis.
He said ACAHD's aim is to enhance traditional rulers's skills in conflict resolution, so that they can use traditional methods and practices to resolve recurring conflicts in the region within the context of Nigeria's socio-political legal system. He said monarchs are closely related to the grassroots and understand the issue better, and should be made relevant as they were hundreds of years ago in conflict resolution, because their words are their bonds and communities continue to consider them as epitome of morality and stability.
Other distinguished people at the workshop include Chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers, King Joshua Igbagara, his Vice, King Jonathan B. Kubor, among others.
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