Admin l Saturday, August 10, 2019
IKEJA, Nigeria – The Lagos State Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) today at its headquarters trained forty-five (45) already existing volunteer mediators in order to further sharpen their skills.
The volunteers who consisted of members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikorodu chapter and members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) were led through topics such as the roles of a good mediator, facilitated by the Director of the centre, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi.
Other papers delivered during the training included communication skills, by the Deputy Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Adesomoju, and ‘What is mediation & mediation stages” by Mr. Oluwafemi Adeniji, an Assistant Director of CMC Agege.
While speaking at an interview after the series of presentation, Mrs. Rotimi declared that though these volunteers have been exceptionally useful in settling disputes in their domains and mean very well for the society, some of them were still not completely adhering to laid down rules and procedures guarding their duties.
Mrs. Rotimi lauded the efforts of mediators in Lagos state as she disclosed that the resolution of disputes in a highly populated state like Lagos, with a wide range of indices like economic, religious and tribal that can equally lead to conflict, needs more arbitrators to settle disputes.
She declared that arbitrators, especially volunteer mediators, ensure justice gets to Lagosians at the shortest possible time without the hinderances and cumbersomeness that entails court procedures.
Speaking at the end of the training, Chairman of PCRC, Apostle Kehinde Sowemimo, attested that the training has imbibed into himself and other attendees more skills to make them better mediators.
In appreciation of the training, he declared that all mediators in CMC are now automatic members of the PCRC. He therefore said that members of the CMC are henceforth free to attend meetings of the PCRC. Members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikorodu also thanked the centre for organising this very apt training.
The programme ended with a drama depicting a mediation session and with the presentation of certificates to participants.
