The jurisprudential value of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has been described as a veritable instrument in global peace building efforts towards achieving conciliation among disputants in any given society.
Professor Daniel Uchenna Ibe, a professor of Jurisprudence and Public Law, Igbinedion University Okada made this assertion on Thursday when he delivered the 20th inaugural lecture of the institution titled, The Jurisprudence of Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Reflection of Sustainable Development Goal No. 16 at the University’s Main Auditorium, Okada.
Professor Ibe noted that the jurisprudential value of ADR needs to be strengthed through the joint activism of law teachers in faculties and colleges of law in universities and the Law School as a means of getting everyone in the justice system both in the bar and bench exposed to the usefulness of ADR at their early stages of academic pursuits.
The learned professor emphasized the centrality of peace in every human endeavour hence the relevance of the 16th goal of the Millennium Development Goal which seeks to promote peace, justice and to build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels and such that seeks to reduce violent crimes, sex abuse/trafficking etc, because the international community values peace and justice.
While not denying the positive reflection of ADR in the different levels of our nation’s adjudication process including the family and community level, Prof Ibe said there was a need for improvement and development to show a greater value and worth through aggressive training and retraining of judicial and legal officers via seminars and workshops on the usefulness of ADR in our legal system.
This he asserted becomes necessary bearing in mind that our present crop of judicial and legal officers are adversarially trained.
Said he “the State and Federal Judiciaries and Ministries of Justice should in conjunction with the Nigeria Bar Association, Universities and Para Legal institutions encourage and finance such seminars especially in our local Bars and universities”.
He noted that a holistic embrace and adoption of ADR would certainly transform the world into a better place to live.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Igbinedion University Okada Prof Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye reconed with the symbiotic relationship between town and the academia which the array of distinguished guests at the lecture represented.
The Vice Chancellor described the guest lecturer as a quintessential achiever in both the academia and business worlds, stressing that the inaugural lecture was indicative of the climax of a glorious academic pursuits.
