In furtherance of its commitment to enhance and facilitate Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR), advance knowledge and promote mediation practice, the Lagos State Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) on Thursday trained some staff of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) on mediation practices.
Addressing participants at the training held at CMC headquarters in Ikeja, the Director CMC, Mrs. Biola Oseni, explained that the training was organised to promote interest in mediation and expose participants to necessary techniques and skills needed to achieve an amicable resolution of disputes.
She said the training would enable the participants to acquire mediation skills needed in settling domestic violence and family disputes, among others, adding that the training would also equip the Ministry’s officials with basic mediation techniques.
In her presentation titled: “Mediation and Alternative Disputes Resolution Spectrum”, the Deputy Director, CMC, Mrs. Olubunmi Adesomoju, averred that a mediator is a driver of mediation who employs all relevant techniques and skills to help the disputing parties achieve a resolution they desire.
According to her, the techniques will enable a mediator to identify the problems and provide a solution in such a way that none of the parties involved would feel cheated with the resolution made.
While explaining the aims of mediation, Adesomoju said the purpose of mediation is to settle disputes arising from conflicts, highlighting poor communication, self-interest, lack of compromise and desire for power among others as major causes of conflict.
She, therefore, urged mediators to thoroughly address the causes of the conflict and provide a lasting solution to the problems for an amicable resolution of disputes.
In the same vein, the Chief State Counsel, Mrs. Sade Ajiboye, in her paper titled: “Meditation and Domestic Violence”, stressed that through mediation, domestic violence can be prevented when a mediator saddled with the task employs required techniques and skills.
She averred that the issue of domestic violence needs to be taken seriously as parties involved must be thoroughly counselled by showing them the aftermath of their actions and the adverse effects on their families.
