‘How we managed 40,000 disputes in 10 months’

Odusanya said the figure, which averages at over 4,000 complaints resolved monthly, is 25 per cent more than what was recorded last year. She explained that to cope with the huge number and diversity of the disputes, the MOJ reinforced a policy of posting only mediators with local and international certification to the CMC. Odusanya spoke in Badagry, Lagos at a two-day programme to mark the United Nations (UN) International Day of Tolerance. The event featured sensitisation rallies in Badagry and Ojo on the need for peaceful coexistence and the benefits of mediation for dispute resolve rather than a resort to self-help or the judicial system. The team, comprising lawyers and tens of other members of the CMC, took the ‘gospel of tolerance’ to markets and other public centres in Ojo and Badagry, including a visit to the Akran of Badagry, De Aholu Menu-Toyi I. Odusanya said: “The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Kazeem Adeniji, is very enthusiastic about the CMC especially because the governor has indicated his intention to locate mediation centres in all Local Governments Areas (LGAs) and all Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) across the state. “So, the government ensures that people that are posted to the mediation centres are seasoned mediators that are trained both locally and internationally, people with integrity. “This is because the ethics of mediation requires people with integrity. It’s a voluntary process and essentially all the information that is obtained during mediation is expected to be confidential. So, we have people of high integrity within the centre who are well trained. “Last year on a monthly basis, we treated about 3,000 complaints but this year, we are getting over 4,000 complaints. Patronage keeps increasing and that shows that the public’s confidence in the services of the mediation centre is rising.” According to her, the rising number of disputes resolved by the agency is not due to a commensurate rise in conflicts in Lagos. “It is the awareness we are creating that resulted in the increasing number of people coming to the centre and their increasing confidence in mediation, because they’ve seen people that have come to the mediation centres and have had their matters resolved. “So, Instead of going to court, many people now prefer to resolve their disputes through the mediation centre because they know that the services are free and it’s also faster for them.” On the choice of Badagry and Ojo for the campaigns, Odusanya said: “Ojo mainly because it’s quite cosmopolitan in nature, Badagry because we have a unit here that we need to create aware for, to sensitise the people that they have access to justice on their doorstep, so that they won’t have to come all the way to Ikeja to access justice. “We also want people in Badagry to know that the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has them in mind, that they have not been left behind.”]]>