Full Text Speech From The Former NBA GS, Emeka Obegolu At ICMC Fellowship Training

THE FULL TEXT OF WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED MEDIATORS AND CONCILIATORS, ICMC, CHIEF EMEKA OBEGOLU ON THE OCCASION OF THE SPECIAL FELLOWSHIP COURSE ORGANISED BY THE ICMC AT THE TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL ABUJA ON THE 7th SEPTEMBER 2017 Protocol I am highly elated by the current level of interest in mediation and the high degree of response to our deliberately chosen nominations for the fellowship of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators. The Council of ICMC carefully selected and approved each of you in this room for this course and that explains the quality of resource present here. It was the sage, Mahatma Ghandi that is reported to have said: “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Nonviolence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could.” Ghandi was speaking about what he termed his encounter with the truth. In his autobiography, this gentleman of the orient exposed the efficacy of non-violent dispute resolution. Ghandi traversed his experiences within colonial India and how he resolved to engage the authorities by silent, passive resistance. Like Nelson Mandela and his years in the apartheid prison system, the selfless giving and orientation of these two gentlemen would eventually become hallmarks of acceptable conflict resolution. Ghandi and Mandela will continue to be acknowledged as perceptive and clear sighted individuals who used their knowledge and status for the good of others and not just themselves. The practice of mediation requires similar selflessness and perseverance. Mediation is a dispute resolution mechanism in a spectrum that includes formal and informal adjudicatory processes, and retributive self-help orientations. Adjudication allows for a third party to decide and give a binding decision that would end a dispute. The other end of the spectrum is what we see manifesting in the human desire for revenge. The practice of mediation is a conviction. A lawyer will go to court and follow the rules of court; lead evidence and cross examine witnesses, but a mediator is limited in his/her adherence to rules to only those rules he/she selects and allows to govern the mediation process. The mediator is continuously forced to depend on his/her intuition and prior knowledge of human nature and subject matter to guide the process. It is not possible to teach how to be a mediator per se, as this is a function of your personal conviction and we believe that each of you have mediated disputes before now, though informally. But it is possible to assist you learn how to conduct a mediation session. Once your conviction brings you to mediation, learning how to conduct a mediation session becomes routine. It becomes a routine that builds seamlessly into habits which your nature has already established. It is in consideration of the busy schedule of our nominees that we divided this fellowship programme into three parts consisting of pre-course, workshop and post-course assignments. The pre-course materials which I believe you have studied were collected with the aim of giving you an idea of the vastness of mediation and its practice around the world. I hope you did justice to the materials. They form the foundation upon which our discussions at this course. After todays interactive workshop, we will give you post course assignments that will form part of your assessment for the rank of Fellow of ICMC. The Fellow cadre is the highest grade of membership of the Institute. This means that whoever bears the title of Fellow, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, FICMC, has attained the highest level of proficiency in mediation practice. Such a graded practitioner must be seen to be versatile in handling dispute and conflict resolution through mediation including the possible acknowledgement of or preference for any particular model of mediation practice. We believe this training will put you all on a course that will lead to your being seen as representing the core values and principles of mediation practice. By the end of this day, you should be comfortable in your appreciation of mediation as a viable and reliable choice when determining the appropriate dispute resolution mechanism by which to resolve any disputes. I know this because you have chosen to do this. You believe and you have decided to make your actions shape the values you cherish, I am certain you are destined to contribute to the positive changes our justice system urgently needs. Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. You all will be mediators to be reckoned with because of your belief and the choices you have made so far. Today’s interaction will give you the capacity to conduct a mediation intervention according to your disposition. We have structured today’s course deliberately to give you the chance of using your personal dispute resolution methods in comparison to the structure of a mediation. Your varied backgrounds constitute a minefield which the Institute expects to mine for ideas. Your certification and admission as Fellows will reinforce the knowledge base of mediation practice in Nigeria. I say this with the highest sense of responsibility. Each participant here has something to contribute to the practice of mediation and to give it the momentum it deserves. In that respect, the Institute stands in the same stead with you. It expects to learn from your wealth of experience, as it expects the faculty to lead discussions that hinge on the principles underpinning mediation practice all over the world. I am proud and feel highly honoured to welcome you all to this learning experience. You are welcome and I wish you the best. Thank you for listening. Emeka J. P. Obegolu, FICMC, FICArb(UK) President, ICMC]]>