The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in a bid to promote peaceful stability in the region, has trained over 200 selected youths from the nine states of the commission in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.

The one-day capacity-building workshop, held in Port Harcourt, aimed to equip the youths with the skills to manage conflicts and disputes in their communities.

The workshop was organized by the Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution of the Commission, with the theme “Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism: Facilitating Inclusive Youth Engagement for Transformative Peace.”

Declaring the workshop open, the NDDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Ogbuku, emphasised the importance of conflict management through ADR.

According to Ogbuku, the Niger Delta region is prone to conflicts due to its dominance in oil exploration and exploitation and therefore requires a more convenient and peaceful approach to resolving conflicts.

Ogbuku, who was represented by the Director of Research, Planning, and Statistics, Dr. Patterson Ogon, stated that conflicts are an inherent part of human society and that the Niger Delta region, being at the center of oil exploration and exploitation, requires a more convenient and peaceful approach to resolving conflicts.

He expressed optimism that the workshop would expose the youths to alternative ways of resolving conflicts, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and negotiation.

He said: “The participants would be taught how to manage conflicts in their areas when they arise and how to explore other windows of dispute resolution, negotiation, and dialogue to nip conflicts in the bud before they occur.”

Meanwhile, the Acting Director of the Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution (DCR) of the NDDC, Godwin Ogedegbe, stated that the training was designed to teach the youths alternative ways of resolving conflicts rather than resorting to violence or the destruction of critical national assets.

He said, “Peace is critical to the commission and the region, and the destruction of oil installations and other critical national assets affects revenue and development in the region.”

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Ogedegbe emphasised that the NDDC has been proactive and preventive in conflict management in the region and that the commission has not witnessed any major crisis since the inception of the present management. He attributed this to the commission’s commitment to promoting peaceful stability in the region.

The participants, drawn from Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Cross River, Bayelsa, and other states, were urged to take the workshop seriously and share the message with their fellow youths.