The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has charged youths across the nine states of the commission to be ambassadors of peace building initiatives.
This move is to sustain the existing peace to propel development across the region.
The NDDC managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, gave the directive while declaring open a capacity building program for Niger Delta stakeholders on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and inclusive peace for sustainable development organised by the department of dispute and conflict resolution ( DCR) of the commission held in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.
The program which is part of activities to mark the silver jubilee celebration of the birth of the commission has the theme: fostering lasting peace through ADR; lessons from the past, building future opportunities to advance the renewed hope agenda.
The NDDC managing Director/chief executive officer represented by his chief of staff, Rev Omeya Oworibo advised the youths of Niger Delta region to be vanguards of peace and avoid actions that could jeopardize the existing peace achieved in the region.
He emphasised that sustainable development can only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace devoid of rancour and acrimony, stressing that as critical stakeholders in the region, they are to seen themselves as agents of development and to build frontiers with the commission to advance the developmental needs of the people of Niger Delta region.
He averred that the various developmental achieved by the commission was associated to the prevailing peace and stability noticed in the region.
He opined that the essence of the workshop is to brainstorm with the various stakeholders in the region, especially the youths, on how best to ensure that the existing peace in region is sustained and how we can best manage ourselves without being confrontational.
According to him,the commission is open for positive and constructive engagement, adding that dialogue and meditation remains the key to finding a lasting peace in the society.
” I am excited on the level of people in this workshop and our core mandate is how to build and sustain the existing peace in the region. How do we keep and maintain this peace already achieved.”he stated.
The NDDC managing Director and chief executive officer urged them to carry the message of peace and stability to their various communities and villages so as to assist the commission achieve it’s core mandate of development in the Region.
Earlier in his welcome of address, the acting director, Dispute & Conflict Resolution (DCR), Ogedegbe Ayewumi Godwin (Esq), said the gathering is with shared commitment to harness the power of alternative dispute resolution (ADR)as a critical instrument for sustaining peace, unlocking development and advancing the renewed Hope Agenda across the Niger Delta and beyond.
He stated that we stand at a consequential moment in our national journey, noting that the theme for the workshop “fostering lasting peace through ADR: lessons from the past, Building future opportunities to advance the renewed Hope Agenda”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 outcome for communities that have borne the brunt of conflict for too long.
