Ex-AGF canvasses online dispute resolution mechanism
Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), yesterday called for the promotion of online dispute resolution mechanism.
The erstwhile chief law officer of the federation said in view of the increasing relevance of the internet as means of carrying out everyday functions, government, private organisations and individuals should pay more attention to such means of dispute resolution.
Ojo made the submission in his keynote address titled: “Access to Justice and the Future of Dispute Resolution” at the maiden Global Pound Conference (GPC) lecture series in Africa, organised by the Negotiation and Conflict Management Group (NCMG) International in Lagos.
The theme of the conference was Shaping the Future of Dispute Resolution and Improving Access to Justice.
“Not only is this form of dispute resolution cheaper, it allows for several disputes to be settled simultaneously. Programmes are being developed to enable easy access and individuals, institutions and governments ought not to close their eyes to this form of dispute resolution,” Ojo stated.
He said Wikipedia, alongside its dispute resolution efforts, has also focused on dispute prevention through technological tools, adding that eBay has developed a similar strategy.
“Offline dispute resolution should not be left behind in this. It has been suggested that this practice should also be applied to physical dispute resolution prevention,” he added.
Earlier, chairman, organising committee of the conference and former Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, said the GPC series would facilitate the development of 21st century commercial and civil dispute resolution tools at the domestic, regional and international levels.
According to her, the series began 40 years ago.
“The inaugural conference was held in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA in April 1976. Championed by Dean Roscoe Pound, it has been recognised as the seminal event that led to the birth of modern dispute resolution systems,” she added.
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