Oyo mediation centre resolves over 80 percent cases in 6 years

NO fewer than over 80 percent of cases presented before the Oyo State Mediation Centre have been resolved in the last 6 years.

The centre which was established in 2005 was primarily set up to provide alternative conflict resolution mechanism through a non- adversarial forum for settlement of disputes between parties who voluntarily submit to the mediation of their disputes.

The Director, Oyo State  Mediation Centre, Barrister Tunji Thomas who made this disclosure while interacting with journalists on Tuesday in Ibadan explained that the centre has the responsibility for the provision of free legal services and advice to the citizens of the state.

The breakdown of cases and issues resolved reads thus: 2011 (94.66%), 2012 (82.23%), 2013 (73.95%), 2014 (75.36%), 2015 (84.70%), 2016 (79.34% ) while 263 out of 320 cases have been resolved between January – August 2017 .

According to Barrister Thomas, the centre is usually flooded with cases ranging from landlord and tenant matters, employer and employee matters, family inheritance matters, matrimonial matters, debtor/creditor matters, contractual /commercial matters, labour matters, land matters among others.

Stressing further, he also observed that the years of 2011-2017 can be regarded as a glorious era because of the support the centre enjoyed from the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi.

“It is a reflection of the present administration peaceful and violence stance”, he noted.

Attributing the level of successes recorded to the commitment of workers and other stakeholders, while calling for more encouragement from all the stakeholders, Thomas, however advocated for more training and retraining of mediators.