The Kogi State Office of the Public Defender and Citizens’ Rights Commission (PDCRC), in collaboration with Mercy Corps Nigeria, has trained law officers on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) towards promoting peaceful coexistence in the state.
Speaking at the workshop on Friday in Lokoja, Barr. Abdullahi Zakari, the Director General of PDCRC, said the two-day workshop was to develop the capacity of law officers working with the PDCRC and selected lawyers from the Kogi Ministry of Justice on ADR skills.
According to Zakari, the workshop, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was aimed at equipping law officers with the needed skills in managing conflict and dispute resolution using ADR template.
“After the workshop, it is expected that the participants who are persons involved in dispute resolution would have developed their capacity to deliver on their jobs.
“For us at PDCRC, 60 per cent of what we have done since we started operation is on ADR, because the governor established a commission to resolve dispute amicably, so that it can strengthen peace in the state
“The governor links peace directly with development. He said that a strong institution that takes care of all these issues, without necessarily going to court, would engender peace and unity in Kogi.
“We are expecting the law officers to be more efficient, effective and deliver on the objectives for the establishment of PDCRC,” Zakari said.
In his remarks, the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Muhammed, SAN, commended Mercy Corps, USAID and Savannah Centre for providing the opportunity for the state’s law officers to be trained.
According to him, the best way to ensure the realisation of the objectives of the justice sector reforms is to develop the capacity of lawyers.
The attorney general advised the participants to bring to bear what they learned from the training to what they do in the office.
On his part, Mr Sani Suleiman, the Deputy Chief of Party, Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP), Mercy Corps Nigeria, said the organisation was implementing a five-year USAID-supported project, called Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP).
According to him, “one of our major areas of intervention is strengthening and building capacity of communities and institutions to be able to resolve disputes and conflicts in a non-violent and more effective way.
“Part of what we do is to build the capacity of traditional and religious institutions, women and youth leaders and government institutions that have mandates around disputes and conflicts resolution.
“This is to enhance access to justice by citizens and opening multiple avenues that enable the people to resolve their disputes.
“This would safeguard relationship and satisfy interests of parties in disputes and promote peaceful coexistence and development,” Suleiman said.
He stressed that the super ordinate goal was to achieve a more peaceful society, strengthen cohesion and build understanding among the people that violence was not an option.
Two of the participants, Mrs Mariam Otaru, from the Ministry of Justice; and Victor Ayobami Olorunfemi, from PDCRC, said the training had enhanced their knowledge about alternative dispute resolution, mediation and negotiations.
