Niger Delta Town Hall Meeting: NBA Committed To Resolving The Conflicts In The Niger Delta Region — A.B. Mahmoud SAN

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, A. B. Mahmoud, SAN, has reaffirmed the role of the NBA in cultivating the potentials in the Niger Delta for the development of the region and indeed, the Nigerian economy. The number one bar man said this while addressing stakeholders and prominent personalities of the region at the Town Hall Meeting on the Niger Delta with the theme, ”Improving on Peace, Security and Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta Region: The Imperatives.” According to him, the Region has enough potentials and yet, it is perhaps still vastly under-exploited. He noted that the region has been subjected to various vices which have affected it economically, hence, the reason why the number one body of lawyers have delved into this tasking but imperative aspect of the National Economy. “The Nigerian Bar Association recognizes the significance of Niger-Delta Region to Nigeria’s economic development. With over 30 Million Inhabitants, or 23% of the country’s population and contributing most of the foreign exchange earnings through oil earnings, the region is a vital part of Nigeria’s economic landscape. Yet its potential is perhaps still vastly under-exploited. ”The environmental and security challenges that have pervaded the region over the decades have had a great impact not only the peace, progress and development of the region, but indeed the entire country. The region, has been a hotbed of conflict for decades, arising from demands for environmental and social justice. Whilst the struggles had peaceful origins, they had over the decades become more militant and often spiraled out of control leading to violent armed conflicts and often criminality. All these have impacted a great deal on livelihood of the various communities living in the region and indeed on the rest of the country. This has been of great concern to the Nigerian Bar Association,” he said. Speaking further, he said that, indeed, the NBA has at various times engaged the issues and tried to contribute to a greater understanding of the dynamics of this conflict, adding that the Town Hall meeting is thus part of the wider efforts of the NBA to continue to contribute to the search for peace and sustainable development in the region. This he noted while affirming the past efforts of his predecessors. Mr. Mahmoud, also said that the Task Force that was established, was a direct response to the challenges, and a means to combat the imminent conflicts in the region. ”It was in response to these challenges and in an effort to assist in resolving the lingering crisis across the Niger-Delta region of South-South Nigeria, that the current leadership of the NBA constituted and inaugurated a Task Force on the Niger Delta on 31 October 2016, as an 11-member committee chaired by Chief Albert Akpomudje SAN, comprising of notable Senior Advocates of Nigeria and NBA members. ”The mandate of the Task Force is to coordinate the interventions NBA in the region; specifically the provision of pro-bono legal assistance to individuals and communities affected by the conflicts, promoting the protection of citizen’s rights and the environment and advocating for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in resolving conflicts; partnering with the appropriate Federal and State Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and evaluating the implementation of the Niger-Delta Development Plan and generally engaging with stakeholders in the attainment of these goals and objectives,” he added. He further stressed that it is in furtherance of the Force’s mandate that the town hall meeting was held to tackle the problems affecting the region. ”In furtherance of the Task Force’s mandate, the NBA is organising its first-ever Town Hall Meeting with stakeholders across the region, which shall discuss the issues affecting the Niger-Delta, identify and discuss challenges affecting the attainment of peace, security and sustainable development across the region, the interventions of Governmental and Non-Governmental organisations within the Niger-Delta and suggest effective strategies that can be utilised by these institutions to implement their mandate. ”We shall also consider the challenges arising from the use of domestic and international legal mechanisms and other alternative dispute resolution procedures as the mode of dispute resolution by indigenes and host communities in the region,” he said.]]>