There are no resolution conflict experts in Nigeria. Perhaps someone from the very diplomatic US of A can help us engage in dialogue with the terrorists militants. At least thats a good start or not?



From  the NIGERIAN GUARDIAN http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article01


Yar'Adua seeks foreign help on N'Delta crisis
From Laolu Akande, New York
TO tackle the menace of militancy in the Niger Delta, the new administration of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua may engage the services of foreign conflict resolution experts, particularly from the United States (U.S.).

According to sources, Yar'Adua has specifically instructed Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to be in change of the efforts to engage international conflict resolution experts across the world. They are to develop conflict resolution ideas and strategies to resolve the restiveness in the oil rich region. Jonathan was said to have started the job.

The Guardian learnt that in the first week of May, the then President-elect Yar'Adua sent Jonathan to Boston in the U.S. to start discussion with some conflict resolution experts at the Consensus Building Institute.

Speaking on Tuesday at his inauguration, President Yar'Adua noted that "the crisis in the Niger Delta commands our urgent attention. Ending it is a matter of strategic importance to our country. I will use every resource available to me, with your help, to address this crisis in a spirit of fairness, justice and cooperation."

The Niger Delta crisis has since attained a militant dimension and drawn consistent international attention in the western media, thereby raising the stakes dramatically, and, according to sources, compelling the new President and his deputy to seek ideas from international sources on the best way forward.

It was learnt that Yar'Adua and Jonathan are both keen on a peaceful and lasting resolution of the Niger Delta crisis. When Jonathan visited Boston, he spent days in Boston at the Institute and at Harvard University, participating in brainstorming sessions on new strategies that the new administration can use.

The Consensus Building Institute (CBI), which organised the sessions for Vice President Jonathan is a not-for-profit organisation "created by leading practitioners and theory builders in the fields of negotiation and dispute resolution and the institute works with leaders, advocates, experts, and communities to promote effective negotiations, build consensus, and resolve conflicts."

A CBI source explained that the institute "improves the way that leaders use negotiations to make organisational decision, achieve agreements, and manage multi-party conflicts and planning efforts."

Also, CBI uses proven principles, processes and techniques that improve group decision-making on complex public and organisational issues. The institute has been involved in consensus building on a variety of issues from the economic to environmental, both of which are at play in the Niger Delta crisis.

The strategies that the Yar'Adua administration may adopt on the Niger Delta crisis according to a CBI source, "have been developed through the Programme on Negotiation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Programme at Harvard Law School, where a number of CBI staff and board members are affiliated."

CBI's Managing Director, David Fairman, confirmed that the Vice President visited the institute a few weeks ago after the election, but declined to go into the specific details of their meetings.

According to Fairman, also a United Nations-recognised expert on conflict resolution, "we were asked to do a little work with the Vice President as he was preparing to take office."

Another official of the CBI who pleaded for anonymity said "lots of our work is confidential because we do mediation. We met with the Vice President and his delegation to talk about the Niger Delta crisis, which is a complex conflict."

He said Jonathan and his delegation came here in the first week of May to study and to explain, and exploring new kind of dialogue to resolve the conflict.

CBI was founded by Lawrence Susskind, a world-class professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Urban Studies and Planning. MIT is one of America's top ivy universities.

CBI's directors, Fairman and Patrick Field, are experts in consensus building and negotiation theory and practices and the staff are senior professionals who provide training, facilitation, mediation, assessment and research services to clients on local, national, and international negotiations and collaborations. CBI also works with well-known senior partners and consultants who further expand its areas of expertise and capability.

I ve read the article earlier today, I wondered is that another OBJ idea or what. We need to tackles our own problem holistically not bring in some foreign expert who going to get paid to lay new foundations for more problem in the Delta area.

Indeed, there is a spell on Nigeria and its embracement of humiliation and mediocrity.
Were it not for this, we wouldn’t have the dogs at the helm of power jostling for crumbs from the basket of the Imperialists USA.
Were it not for this, our leaders would be ashamed to dance along with the World's beguiled Democratic country.

I read of when Kissinger wanted to visit Nigeria. Murtala Ramat Muhammed told him NO!!! Africa has come of age.
Unfortunately, Murtala was assasinated and Obasanjo, the lapdog of Robert McNamara (who by the way was the infidel who incited Obj to call for the "decarbonizing" of African brains - only God knows what that means) - came to power.

As a newly SELECTED President; Yaradua, you cannot appoint accountable able men and women (like Condo Rice) from Nigeria willing to be pacifiers on the Niger Delta issue, but you'ld rather spend money to invite a white man from another country to solve Nigeria's problems.  

See, the folks in the Niger delta area already know of the strong economic interest of these Foreign countries in their area. They are not dumb folks.
And when our FG debase us by signing up to sing to the tunes and hobnobs of America rather than provide basic amenities like tarred roads, electricity, jobs, world class hospitals,etc in an area where the BULK of our country's wealth lies, what do you expect?

By the way, who is Yaradua's adviser?

Foreign help is just so sad to hear, what about neighboring help? Why is it that naija have decided to disregard our neighbors? Foreign help will turn out to be bakassi pennisula, foreign help will turn out to be a stakeholder without government intervention, foreign help will be sabotage when those involved feel they are going to have an upper hand, foreign help will be spies all over nigeria, foreign help will be signing national natural resources to a group of greedy people(mostly militants). We better watch out for what we ask for.

ToToChoper:

As a newly SELECTED President; Yaradua, you cannot appoint accountable able men and women (like Condo Rice) from Nigeria willing to be pacifiers on the Niger Delta issue, but you'ld rather spend money to invite a white man from another country to solve Nigeria's problems.

i think we have to look within ourselves to solve the issue, perhaps the government has no faith in their capacity to engage in effective dialogue. But i guess it wont be a bad idea to go outside to see how diplomacy is done, as you know nigerian style of diplomacy is mobile police, police force, anything to do with agressive force=diplomacy,

These people never cease to amaze me! How can foreign help solve the problem of the niger delta? it's like using nigerian methods to solve the iraqi problem. when would we wake up and smell the coffee

The last thing I read on the news was that the militants demanded all their kinsmen that are in jail should be released for the kidnappings to abate.

This is in addition to the issue of more control of the oil.

Is Yar 'Adua going to grant their wishes ?

Nigeria should be able to solve its own problems. The western capitalists (who happens to be controlling their governments) did not want the crisis to stop so that prices will continue to increase, that is how they make their money and they don't give a damn about the Niger-Delta people (even if a genocide happens there.)

That will be the worst mistake we will make as a Nation.

McKren:

That will be the worst mistake we will make as a Nation.

I totally agree.

stupid move

Hey guys, I think we should look at the writeup closely,

I see someone who's wants to employ ''academic'' means to resolve a crisis we all know is difficult to tackle ''crudely'' at the moment. Our fellow Nigerians (non-Niger Deltans - Hausa, Igbos, Yourubas and Midle Belt) feels and believe that if they ''let go'' (not that they own the oil resources or can deprive us of the ownership of the resources anyway) of the oil resources in the Delta, we, the people of the Delta will become so powerful and uncontrollable that we might decide to secede! - well, at least that's the much I know as the major excuse given by the other tribes in this country for holding what belongs to us for everybodys use. Somebody should correct me if I'm wrong.

So, lets wait and see how Umoru and Goodluck, after employing this academic means will help drive home the truth to the hearing of other tribes in this country, that the resources of the Niger Delta belongs to them and their generations yet unborn, and that the authority to ''share'' the proceeds from the sale of crude oil and other resources of the area rests with them and not some idiots at Abuja and other places.

what do you mean ono? are they not people of other ethnic tribes that have been in the niger delta way way back in the day. So you mean they are just going to leave right. The main reason why the niger deltans will not be given all that land to themselves is because they have decided to be greedy, wicked, and not logical at a period like this. They forget that oil will finish which is the only thing they have, and before now they basically were welcomed in every part of the country but today they threaten the rest.
We(nigeria) giving them the control of the resources might as well give them the control of the land which is likely to jeopardise the rest of the country, how can uneducated bunches control and rule a country in a country. It will eventually lead to war because we'll not have a national security because of sabotage by those fifteen faced people. The truth is that yar adua will not succumb to those unintelligent request or threats or intimidation whichever way they disguise it. And if it leads to war with all other nigerians against the niger -delta militants who do you think will come out victorious? Have you guys heard of ethnic cleansing before? Do you think that the rest of nigeria don't have their own resources under government control?
You guys(niger delta militants) are just shakara and need to be dancing with that musician called shakira. You guys will be crushed if you push too hard and they will be no taiwan in nigeria, there will be no eriteria in nigeria, and i wish yar adua will just make a stand of vision and principle like letting those muthaf*ckers know that Africa is at least going to have a regional unity before 2100 and nigeria being the capital, will lead by example, will lead by understanding, will lead with intelligence, and will be the driving force of that unity.

its a misinformed move

@ToToChoper


Well said!