The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged its contractors and consultants to embrace early dispute resolution, warning that unresolved conflicts could derail projects and impose extra costs on communities.
The commission’s Executive Director, Corporate Services, Ifedayo Abegunde, gave the charge while declaring open a three-day sensitisation programme on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for NDDC contractors and consultants.
Abegunde said contractors and consultants were not merely responsible for executing projects but were ‘critical first responders in conflict management,’ given their proximity to project sites and communities.
He said early intervention in disputes over payments, variations, designs, timelines, quality of work and site access could prevent minor issues from escalating.
While conflict may be inevitable, he said, its escalation was not, noting that NDDC projects were directly tied to the socio-economic wellbeing of communities across the region.
‘Behind every road is a community waiting for access. Behind every bridge is an economic opportunity. Behind every school or health facility is a human need,’ he said.
He warned that when conflicts stall projects, the cost is borne not by contractors or the commission but by the people waiting for development, citing delayed completion, higher costs, strained relations and litigation as consequences.
He urged participants to spot early warning signs of disputes and deploy mechanisms including negotiation, mediation, conciliation, adjudication and arbitration before disputes turn into costly legal battles.
Abegunde clarified that ADR was not about avoiding accountability or surrendering legitimate contractual rights but about addressing problems early, intelligently and proportionately.
‘Peace is not separate from development; peace is one of the conditions that makes development
possible,’ he said, urging a culture of early intervention and constructive engagement.