Thread by @TheAmbitio

Good Evening, my name is Efemena Iluezi-Ogbaudu (@Efemenaa_) and I’ll be sharing a very important peace-keeping concept with you today. As earlier published, the topic for today’s tweet chat is “ADR In Promoting Unity and Strengthening Institutions”. #Ambitiotalks

I’ll address the key issues in relation to this topic very summarily. I’m afraid to dive too deep in to avoid obscuring the very simple idea I intend to present. I have pre-recorded a 14-minute address on the topic to shed more light on my tweets. #Ambitiotalks

You can access my 14-minute address on the topic “ADR In Promoting Unity And Strengthening Institutions” by following this link. #AmbitioTalks

drive.google.com/open?id=1ySNGj…

I will now proceed to address the topic, “ADR In Promoting Unity & Strengthening Institutions” summarily in a number of tweets. #Thread #AmbitioTalks

1. ADR is at the centre of our discussions. It is a term that is used to refer to all methods of dispute resolution outside of the Court system (the traditional system), hence the full term, Alternative Dispute Resolution. #AmbitioTalks

2. ADR has gained prominence in Nigeria in recent times, however, I’d like to say, at this point, that, while most people refer to ADR as an adopted concept, a look into Nigeria’s history shows this to be false. #AmbitioTalks

3. A look back into conflict resolution methods applied in pre-colonial Nigeria by Hausas, Igbos and Yorubas (as a measure) shows ADR techniques to be part and parcel of our culture. #AmbitioTalks

4. Disputes that arose in these periods were first confronted in family settings, then before the elders, and finally before the overall rulers. These processes had as their major focus, the reconciliation of the parties who had fallen out, a core feature of ADR. #Ambitiotalks

5. While admittedly ADR processes could be binding or non-binding, save for adjudicatory/quasi-adjudicatory processes like Arbitration, the primary objective of ADR is an amicable settlement. It is in this context that we will discuss our topic. #AmbitioTalks

6. The similarity between the pre-colonial Nigerian Dispute Resolution methods and what is currently referred to ADR is significant to show that, as a people, peace, progress and reconciliation is a fundamental part of our culture. #Ambitiotalks

7. Now, in our quest for national development, a return to our dispute resolution roots provides the clearest path to national unity as ensured through conflict resolution. #AmbitioTalks

8. Accordingly, while ADR is commonly spelt out as “Alternative Dispute Resolution”, based on previous tweets and in the context of current discussions, a more precise meaning of the term is “Appropriate Dispute Resolution”. #AmbitoTalks

9. As such, the resolve is that, when there is a dispute of any kind, the immediate recourse by the disputing parties should be a resolution by ADR. Not to the Courts & definitely not by Jungle Justice. I’ll, in the next tweets, explain the concept of ADR In-depth #AmbitioTalks

10. As stated earlier, ADR is any means of resolving dispute outside the court system. ADR exists in various forms but I will proceed to address the three major forms - Negotiation, Mediation & Arbitration. #AmbitioTalks

11. Negotiation is a process where two disputing parties come to the table to set out their differences and reach a mutually acceptable settlement. This is often the first ADR step. #AmbitioTalks

12. Mediation is essentially Negotiation that has a neutral third-party come in to facilitate and ensure settlement discussion between the disputing parties where it is difficult to negotiate due to the attitude/emotions of the parties. #AmbitioTalks

13. The neutral third-party is called a Mediator. His/her skill/competence is extremely important in getting the disputing parties to come to the table to settle the dispute in question #AmbitioTalks

14. Arbitration, unlike the other two processes, involves a neutral third-party who comes in decide then dispute (who is right/wrong) as opposed to facilitating amicable settlements between the parties. #AmbitioTalks

15. Although not entirely relevant to this discussion, as most conflicts arise at grassroots, it is important to note for learning that it is entirely relevant in resolving national disputes and has been applied to resolving inter-state disputes globally #AmbitioTalks

16. Having examined the types of ADR, the question is, how does this affect our society? How does it promote unity? How does it strengthen our institutions? Rather than dish out theoretical answers, I’ll use a practical scenario. #AmbitioTalks

17. The Herdsmen v The Farmers: How ADR would have helped.

Assuming the stories to be true, the gist is that, the farmers prevented the cattle from roaming their farms because it would have threatened their means of livelihood. Some cows were killed in the process. #AmbitioTalks

18. It was in response to the harsh treatment of their herd that the Herdsmen confronted the farmers and ended up killing some. Now, it’s a national issue. A settlement proposal, RUGA has been fiercely opposed and tagged a fulanist move despite it merits #AmbitioTalks

19. How would ADR have come in to help resolve the conflict and promote unity? #AmbitioTalks

20. The dispute arose when the farmers took objection to the cattle being present on their farms. Rather than treat the cattle harshly (jungle justice as their own dispute resolution method), the farmers could have initiated Negotiations #AmbitioTalks

21. Had this been the case, there would have been an opportunity for reasonable discussions and possibility of a settlement. #AmbitioTalks

22. Assuming the herdsmen were not forthcoming, a skilled mediator could have been enlisted. Preferably one who can relate properly with the herdsmen. This definitely would have opened the floor for discussions. #AmbitioTalks

23. At the end of the day, a settlement would have been reached. And even if not, if the herdsmen have proposed RUGA as their settlement option after reasonable good faith discussions, it definitely would not have been met with the opposition it has now #AmbitioTalks

24. ADR will have helped us avoid the descent into kidnapping, killings, terroristization and widespread fear of the unknown. This is just a single scenario of when ADR would have been extremely helpful. #TheAmbitio

25. Having summarily shown the role ADR could play, I’d conclude by saying that it is more than a concept but a culture that must be imbibed. I recommend that it be taught in schools and that it be adopted in our day to day lives. #AmbitioTalks

I know this has been a summary of summaries, however, please listen to the pre-recorded talk on this topic by following the link below. It’s not the best in terms of delivery as I recorded it mid-air, however, it’s a much clearer narration of the topic. drive.google.com/open?id=1ySNGj…

Thank you for following. I’m available to take any questions. #AmbitioTalks