By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt,The Nation

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The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has appealed to stakeholders in the region to continue sustaining peace, stressing that the commission cannot operate effectively in an atmosphere of violence.

Speaking in Port Harcourt at the opening of a three-day Capacity Building Programme for Niger Delta stakeholders on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Inclusive Peace and Sustainable Development, Ogbuku said the prevailing peace had enabled the commission to execute and inaugurate projects across states in the region.

The event, themed “Fostering Lasting Peace Through ADR: Lessons from the Past, Building Future Opportunities to Advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda”, was organised by the NDDC’s Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution (DCR).

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Rev. Julius Oworibo, Ogbuku emphasised that sustainable development in the Niger Delta could only be achieved in an environment of peace.

He urged communities to embrace dialogue instead of violence, noting that peace would allow development to spread across the region.

Ogbuku said, “Without peace, development will not come our way. Recently NDDC has been commissioning projects in different states of the religion.

“And that could be possible because of the peace that is being observed by the different people, different youth groups, women, elders in their communities.

“Without peace, things will not go forward. Today we are here to reinforce the saying that peace must be present, development will move forward.”

He said the days when people of the region insisted on protest were over, noting it was time to seek peace through dialogue and Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms.

He said: “This peace that has come to us, how do we sustain it? The days are over when we say “we no go agree”, at times, we have to agree. So, how do we resolve issues without taking eyes from others and without our eyes being removed by other people?

“When you think that you are strong, there could be someone who is stronger than you somewhere to say okay come, let’s see how it is like at times the people who you think are so quiet they are not strong enough can surprise you.

“So the best thing to do is to see how we can resolve issues peacefully. We argue over things, we dialogue here in NDDC. We now prefer people who can talk to us than threaten us. When people say they want to come and threaten us, we say let them come. We don’t have problems, people threaten us. But we rather talk to people who will come peacefully.”

The Acting Director, DCR, Godwin Ogedemgbe, noted that development could not thrive in a conflict environment, adding that the agenda of President Bola Tinubu on Renewed Hope was in line with the commission’s commitment to sustainable peace.

Ogedemgbe said the seminar provided opportunity for the participants to reflect on what had worked in bringing peace to the region and sustain same.

He said, “The theme calls us to reflect deeply on what has worked, what must be reinforced and how we can leverage ADR to translate policy intentions into tangible, peaceful and prosperous outcomes for communities that have borne the brunt of conflict for far too long.”