12th July, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Citizens Mediation Centre, CMC, has disclosed that it has successfully resolved 12, 747 matters brought before it in the last six months and has also collected over N652 million in form of settlement on behalf of parties.
Director of the Centre, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Odusanya stated that the feat was achieved through the creation four new sub-offices in addition to the former 14 existing offices and the dedication and commitment of its workforce.
The Director explained that the inauguration of these additional offices in Ojokoro, Epe, Eredo and Ikosi-Ejinrin respectively had greatly provided succour to residents of the state in settling their disputes amicably, adding that the opening of these offices had assisted residents who lived far from town.
She noted that before the inauguration of sub-offices in Epe axis, residents within the area often travelled to Ikorodu town or Ibeju/Lekki, a journey of about 30 kilometres, to access the services of the Centre but that due to the establishment of these offices, residents had heaved a sigh of relief as the state government had brought justice nearer to the people at no cost to the beneficiaries.
Odusanya said that prior to the opening of the new units, the existing nearby offices in Agege, Alimosho, Ibeju Lekki and Ikorodu had often been inundated with high number of parties who throng the office, adding that the new offices were also conceived to ease the workload of the previous units and to further make justice more accessible to the people.
The Director further stated that with the activity of the mediation Centre, justice delivery had been made faster and convenient and that Lagosians were happier and were exhibiting more confidence in the judicial sector in Lagos State.
According to Odusanya, plans were still underway to have mediation units in all 57 local governments and local council development areas of the State, stressing that with this in place, the whole of the State would have been covered and alternative to dispute resolution is brought closer to the indigent.
It will be recalled that the CMC was established in 1999 as a unit under the Directorate of Citizens’ Right of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice before it later became an entity by law in 2007 to provide free legal services to the needy and residents of the State.
Services rendered by the Centre include matters relating to landlord/tenant issues, employers/employees disputes, family matters (including marital disputes, child custody etc). Others are property inheritance and land matters, monetary claims, local disputes and commercial disputes.
The Centre has offices located in Ikeja, Agege, Alimosho, Amukoko, Badagry, Bariga, Epe, Eredo, Iba, Ikotun and IbejuLekki. Others are Ikorodu, Ikosi-Ejinrin, Lagos Island Ojo, Ojokoro, Oshodi and Yaba.
In 2016, the CMC registered a total of 41, 709 complaints across its sub-offices. Out of this number, 26, 533 complaints were mediated upon with a total of 24, 417 matters being amicably resolved as evidenced by the Memorandum of Understanding executed by the parties with the sum of N652, 265, 957 as value of settlement facilitated by the Centre on behalf of parties, which translated into 80% success.