The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has partnered with stakeholders to advocate for dialogue in resolving regional issues.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, represented by his Chief of Staff, Reverend Julius Oworibo, emphasised the importance of dialogue in resolving conflicts.
Ogbuku stated that the commission is commissioning projects in the states of the region due to the peace that has since returned to the area.
Ogbuku disclosed this in Port Harcourt at the opening of a 3-Day Capacity Building Programme for Niger Delta Stakeholders on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Inclusive Peace and Sustainable Development with the theme: “Fostering Lasting Prace Through ADR: Lessons from the Past, Building Future Opportunities to Advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda”, organised by the Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution, DCR, NDDC.
He emphasised that with peace, development would spread across the communities of the region, urging people of the region to seek dialogue in place of violence.
Ogbuku said, “Without peace, development will not come our way. Recently, NDDC has been commissioning projects in different states of the religion.
“And that could be possible because of the peace that is being observed by the different people, different youth groups, women, and elders in their communities.
“Without peace, things will not go forward. Today, we are here to reinforce the saying that peace must be present; development will move forward.”
He stated that the days when people in the region insist on protesting are over, adding that it was time to seek peace, even through dialogue and Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms.
“We can dialogue, we can resolve issues on a round table, and from there, we can come to an agreement on what must be done to ensure that the world will live in peace,” Oworibo said. “The things we are looking for – roads, water, houses, bridges, and jobs -can only come if we live in peace.”
Meanwhile, the Acting Director of the DCR, Godwin Ogedemgbe, noted that development cannot thrive in an environment where conflict exists, adding that the agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Renewed Hope, aligns with the commission’s commitment to sustainable peace.
Ogedemgbe said the seminar provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on what has worked in bringing peace to the region and sustaining it.
He said: “The theme calls us to reflect deeply on what has worked, what must be reinforced and how we can leverage ADR to translate policy intentions into tangible, peaceful and prosperous outcomes for communities that have borne the brunt of conflict for far too long.”
However, a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Udengs Eradiri, said the peace enjoyed in the region followed the right appointment made into the NDDC management by President Tinubu.
He said: “We want to appreciate Mr President for appointing a stable board in the NDDC. A board that has been able to dispense political authority to the people.
“The new NDDC is doing its job; that is why there is peace and calm in the Niger Delta.
“One of the drivers of conflict is putting square pegs in round holes. What you do is that, instead of doing the right thing, they begin to do the wrong things that lead to all the conflicts in the region.
“As we move on in Nigeria, let us do more to ensure that our leadership selection process is geared to produce the right persons in the right offices.”
