Int’l Alert Trains 150 on ADR in Kaduna
http://www.newsportng.com.ng International Alert, (IA) in partnership with Multi-door courthouse said that they have targeted one hundred and fifty Kaduna residents at the ongoing trainings on Alternative Dispute Resolution, (ADR)
The program is to equip participants with relevant skills to mediate between individuals of their respective communities whenever there is conflict.
Giving the overview of the project, the Senior Project Manager, International Alert, Mr. Sunday Jimoh disclosed that the NGO have been working in Kaduna state for the past one year in the area of strengthening referral pathways to be able to reduce the menace of sexual and gender based violence, (SGBV) especially in communities where those issues are prevalence.
He stressed that part of the training is to be able to give more people access to justice especially local justice in communities so as to be able to boost opportunity for peaceful coexistience and building cohesion between communities and individuals.
The ADR training according to him will also take place in Jema’a LG this week to provide the trainees with requisite skills for them to be able to fill in the gap or the voice that exists in access to justice based, especially skills of mediation. He said that International Alert have been able to see that enough people are able to have the skill of mediating between two aggrieved party and as such will go a long way towards mitigating peace in the communities.
Commending Kaduna state government in a bid to foster peaceful coexistience amongst residents of Kaduna state, Sunday said, “the efforts that the government of Kaduna state is making in the area of ensuring that people has access to justice and creating a spaces such as the multi door court house and dialogue houses go a long way in boosting that partnership to contribute access to justice in communities.
“This training as it is happening here in Chikun is going to also happen in Jema’a LG where we are also implementing. So about 150 persons are going to benefit from this training and what we want to see is to be able to have more people with the skill to mediate and also adopting methods that works in alternative dispute resolution especially at community levels.”
In his remarks, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Kaduna state Barrister Sule Shuaib commended International Alert, said that the training at such a time is apt.
Represented by the State’s Counsel, Ministry of Justice Kaduna state, Salvation Kyari, the Attorney General disclosed that the ministry has a department that is called the citizens right department, solely responsible for ADR who engages in different ADR services for indigenes of Kaduna state at zero cost free.
Salvation reiterated that the department is very busy running smoothly and entertains all sorts of ADR matters, adding that resolutions of peace and conflicts in the society is easy, friendly and cost efficient when citizens use the alternative dispute mechanism, outside litigation.
Speaking with Journalists shortly after the event, the Director Multidoor Court and ADR Center, High Court of Justice, Kaduna state, Dorcas Daniel opined that “ADR is key, important, vital and resolution of dispute which are inevitable is important instead of litigation.
She avered that the options of settlement, mediation are better than going to court as they save time and energy, even as she positioned that party settles disputes amicably and they restore their relationship back, against the conventional judicial system.
One of the participants, Kumasae Dankande from Juji Community, in Chikun LG said “I am taking home the quality and procedures of how to mediate when conflicts arise from home and also to the community. I learned patience and how to treat people with respect, and thereafter give them the forum to express themselves.
“I am taking home the identity that I must mediate, make sure that I bridge peace in areas where we are having conflicts among the members of Juji Community. I prefer the ADR because it build confidence between the parties and gives privacy to share whatever is the challenge since it is confidential and it has it own power to limit the exposure of individuals involved in the area of public stigma.”
