The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said that it is working closely with the Nigeria Army to restore total peace in the trouble Okuama community in Delta State.
NDDC disclosed this in Port Harcourt at a Strategic Capacity Building on Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Approaches for NDDC’s Personnel, tagged, “Fostering Peaceful Engagement for Sustainable Development” organised by Peace and Development Project, PEDEP, in partnership with Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution, DCR, NDDC.
It, however, assured that it is making all good efforts to ensure that the perception of the people of the region as regards project execution is changed to reduce conflict and usher in equitable development.
The Acting Director, Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution, NDDC, Goddy Ogedemgbe, said the commission is in talks with the military to ensure that total peace returns in Okuama, stressing that it also working to ensure that Okuama experience does not repeat in any other part of the region.
“This training is going to solve a lot of issues in the region, because the MD of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku is a man of vision. When they went for the economic summit in Akwa Ibom, there is one thing he said that the NDDC is transiting from transaction to transformation.
“What that means is that we are going to be doing things in a more transparent way. This programme is the idea of the MD where NDDC personnel are trained as managers of conflict. Conflict should not arise before we move, but once we observe anything that leads to conflict we move,” he said.
On his part, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Office of NDDC, Prof. Samuel Ogbuku, who was presented by the Director, Administration and Human Resources, Patrick Ikade, thanked the DCR arm of the commission for the training, adding that it would equip the staff members of NDDC with skills in conflict management and resolution.
He said that the people of the region have much distrust and suspicion of the commission over projects and that such has triggered conflict, but noted that the training would address such issues.