Appeal court begins alternative dispute resolution system — ‘first in West Africa’

The court of appeal in Abuja has established an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) centre as a way of ensuring speedy and efficient dispensation of justice.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the ADR in Abuja on Monday, Monica Dongban-Mensem, president of the appeal court, described the court’s mediation scheme as “the first of its kind in the West African sub-region”.

Dongban-Mensem said: “Appellate mediation is now part of the global legal lexicon, straddling the appellate courts of countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom (which piloted its program in 2012 and has run its mediation scheme since then), and Thailand, among numerous others that have followed suit.

“The overriding objective of the court of appeal mediation centre is to promote mediation and such other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms towards enhancing the administration of Justice and speedy resolution of disputes.

“The centre seeks to promote a just and speedy determination of every civil and criminal appeals which has been brought and is pending before the court.”

She said the centre will also “assist the parties in reaching an expeditious resolution of their disputes in all good faith in a fair and efficient manner” and encourage disputing parties and their counsel to strive towards “reducing the cost of litigation and associated delays thereby facilitating a lair and Just resolution of disputes with limited animosity amongst parties”.

Dongban-Mensem said the centre will also “promote mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms as veritable tools of dispute resolution in the court”.

She added that it will also “improve access to justice, user confidence in the court system and afford the justices ample time for such matters or issues that are best resolved through litigation”.

The appellate court president urged the public to “build 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 said

Dongban-Mensem said also commended Williams Daudu, Sotonye Denton-West and Philomena Ekpe, all former justices of the court,  for their commitment to the success of the centre.