By Abdulwahab Abdulah

THERE is plan by the Country Chairman of the Negotiation and Conflict Management Group International,  Justice Ayotunde Phillips (rtd.) to partner with the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NIC on negotiation and conflict management.

At a stakeholders round meeting and presentation of award recently held at National Industrial Court, Ikoyi Lagos, Justice Philips, the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State enumerated the importance of alternative dispute resolution, saying the time is now for the industrial court to adopt the system.

She said: “You have seen the importance and the power of alternative dispute resolution. We pride ourselves as the foremost propagator of ADR in Nigeria, we want to partner with you.

“We also want to tap into that drive that you have to help us to do even more. I have joined in, generation to generation, we are moving on, we now see in you somebody that we need to work with, more so, you are in office, there is so much that you can do for us than has been done now. We are aware of your gazette.

“We’ve had the multi-door courthouse since 2002 in Lagos State; we started something and it gets better, so that’s what we really want and you being a national court, you are going to make even more impact and that is why we are here today to acknowledge what you have done, to appreciate you for your forthrightness and for your vision and for your thinking outside the box. Not so many judges think outside the box.”

Also Founder, NCMG, Mr. Kehinde Aina appealed to the President of NICN, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mohammed Mahmud, the Global Chairman of NCMG and Justice Phillips to partner to change the judiciary and make the country great.

According to Aina, if the National Industrial Court and NCMG partner together, there will be a lot of improvement in the judicial system.

In his response, Justice Adejumo promised that the alternative dispute resolution which he said is good for industrial harmony will be consider by the court.