Appeal Court begins Alternative Dispute Resolution system

By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday formally kick-started Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system with an appeal by its President, Justice Monica Dongban -Mensem, to the judiciary to rise up and meet the challenges of adjudication in the 21st Century.

If the challenges are met, the Appeal Court President expressed optimism that the country will become more attractive to international trade and foreign direct investment.

In her remarks at the inaugural sitting of the Court of Appeal Mediation Center, Justice Dongban-Mensem stated that good performance on the part of the country’s judiciary will improve employment and domestic economic growth.

The Appeal Court President who declared the session open recalled that the new system was initiated in 2018 as a way of ensuring speedy and efficient dispensation of justice as well as to promote amicable alternative to the adversarial justice system.

She further said that the ADR represented an innovation which, if fully utilised, will introduce a multi- track justice delivery system to the appellate level and further boost justice delivery.

According to her, “appellate mediation is now part of the global legal lexicon, straddling the appellate courts of countries like the United States of America, United Kingdom and Thailand”

The Appeal Court President further stated that the overriding objectives of the Court of Appeal mediation center is to promote mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanism towards enhancing the administration of justice and speedy resolution of disputes.

Among others, Justice Dongban-Mensem further stated that the new system will assist parties in reaching an expedious resolution of their disputes in all good faith in a fair and efficient manner.

She said, “We must not only build a structure but a mindset that will drive the process of alternative, less expensive and less onerous dispute resolution process such as mediation.

“There is also need for us to build a culture where peaceful resolution of disputes becomes more attractive than litigation”.

She then appealed to the bench and bar to uphold the ideals of the center for quick and amicable resolution of disputes adding that, this can be achieved if all sides imbibe the highest code of ethics and global best practices in the operation of the center.

The Appeal Court President commended Justices Williams Daudu, Sotonye Denton-West and Philomena Ekpe for their commitment to the success of the center and Dr. Kehinde Aina for making the establishment of the center a reality.

Among the appellants at the session are a business tycoon, Chief Ned Nwoko, who described the ADR as a right step in the right direction and appealed to Nigerians to imbibe the new justice dispensation system.