The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has advocated inclusive, conflict management and dispute resolution in the Niger Delta region.
This is to save the time and resources otherwise spent in the use of litigations as well as other losses of peace and development in the society.
Speaking during a capacity-building programme in Port Harcourt, the Chairman of the NDDC Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, said it was necessary to equip traditional rulers, clergy, and community leaders with effective strategies for resolving disputes and fostering regional peace.
He identified peace as a catalyst for development and crisis as a significant hindrance. He urged community leaders to adopt dynamic approaches to conflict resolution.
The Chairman of Board of NDDC noted the importance of the training and capacity building saying that conflict was part of the daily challenge of the human race.
“Everyday there is conflict”, he stated. “It can be at home, it can be at work, it can be in the community, it can be anywhere”.
According to the Chairman of the NDDC Board, “conflict is part and parcel of the day-to-day life of human beings. But the issue is how do you do with conflicts when they come up?
He said the commission decided to put the programme together to try and broaden everybody’s knowledge on terms of resolving disputes irrespective of the shape and size of the dispute.
Ebie stressed the importance of alternative dispute resolution or by managing the conflict in a different manner than through litigations.
He said; “I practiced law for the greater part of my career and I saw how frustrating and challenging litigations can be. A lot of times people allow their egos and everything to take a better of them and so they don’t like to move forward to an alternative form of resolving the dispute so you end up litigating for decades and you expend so much money and do so much to litigate, meanwhile you could have resolved that dispute through alternative dispute resolution or by managing the conflict in a different manner.
“When we come to the communities where we live, it is the same thing. Traditional rulers and religious leaders play important roles because the subjects and people within your communities will always come to you for you to resolve issues for them”.
He thanked the managing director for giving his team the opportunity to do things that impact very positively and also apply to day to day live of the society.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the NDDC Dr Samuel Ogbuku underscored the importance of proactive conflict management saying: “Let us not wait until conflicts arise; we must be proactive. Our responsibility is to equip community leaders with the necessary tools to prevent and manage disputes effectively.”
He highlighted the NDDC’s broader role beyond infrastructure development, noting that the Commission was equally committed to human capital development. “As an interventionist agency, our mandate extends beyond projects and road construction. We are also investing in people, fostering regional integration, and strengthening conflict resolution mechanisms to ensure sustainable peace,” he noted.
The NDDC boss stressed the need for regional cooperation, citing ecological degradation as a common challenge uniting the Niger Delta states. “Despite our linguistic differences, we share issues such as conflicts and environmental challenges. Without peace, development cannot thrive,” he said.
The Managing Director urged the clergy to promote peace through their teachings and encouraged traditional rulers to foster inclusivity and generosity within their communities. He identified greed and exclusion from decision-making as key drivers of conflict and urged leaders to engage their people transparently to build trust and harmony.
In his welcome address, the NDDC Acting Director of Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution, Mr. Goddy Ogedegbe reiterated that crisis prevention was crucial to sustainable development. “We should not wait for conflicts to escalate before seeking solutions. In any environment plagued by crisis, progress is impossible,” he said.
The traditional ruler of the Elelenwo community, Eze Samuel Chukwu praised the NDDC for fostering dialogue among stakeholders. He urged communities to protect NDDC projects and discourage vandalism, emphasising the critical role of local leaders in maintaining peace.
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