The Bayelsa State Multi-Door Courthouse has successfully resolved 860 cases since its establishment in 2009, maintaining a 60% success rate in dispute resolution.
According to The PUNCH, the chairman of the BMDC committee, King Collins Daniel, shared this achievement while addressing journalists in Yenagoa on Monday.
His remarks came ahead of the courthouse’s inaugural Stakeholders’ Sensitisation Conference, set to take place on Thursday.
Daniel emphasized the significance of the conference in raising awareness about the BMDC’s role in alternative dispute resolution.
“The BMDC was established to enhance access to justice by providing alternative mechanisms to litigation, reducing delays in justice delivery, and offering a fair and efficient framework for dispute resolution,” he said.
Themed “Multi-Door Courthouse as an Engine for Peace, Economic Growth, and Development,” the event will feature a keynote address by Mr. Kehinde Aina, President of the Negotiation and Conflict Management Group.
Expected participants include legal professionals, representatives from government ministries and agencies, host communities, oil companies, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, the Niger Delta Development Commission, and market women.
Daniel explained that individuals can access the BMDC in two ways—either by walking in to consult with a dispute resolution officer or through case referrals from magistrate or high courts.
Speaking on the impact of the initiative, the Director of the BMDC, Mrs. Yingi Eke-Spiff, highlighted the effectiveness of ADR in resolving disputes amicably.
“We encourage parties to come, sit, and talk. When they reach an agreement, it is documented and endorsed by an ADR judge,” she stated.
Eke-Spiff also stressed the confidentiality of the process, assuring that “whatever is discussed in the Multi-Door Courthouse remains private and cannot be used in a regular court. However, if parties fail to reach an agreement, they are free to pursue litigation.”
