The Citizens’ Mediation Center (CMC) Lagos supported by J4A organized a 15th year anniversary on the 28th of September 2014. This event was aimed at showcasing the impact the center has made on the lives of the citizens of Lagos State.
The occasion was attended by traditional rulers, directors of CMCs from 16 states, representatives of other justice agen-cies (Police, Judiciary, Prisons and the Ministry of Justice), users of the CMCs and other government agencies like the Ministry of Women Affairs, Academia, Legal practitioners, Donors, etc.
The event was used as an opportunity to call for more sup-port from both the state government and non-governmental agencies. It also sought to enlighten participants on the im-portance of CMCs and also promote the concept of Alterna-tive Dispute Resolution (ADR).
“I am comfortable using the services of the centre my mediator has been very professional. The high costs of lawyers and the time taken to resolve disputes at court has made me prefer using the mediation centre ". CMC User, Lagos State
There was a consensus that there is a need to increase the use of mediation in resolving not only civil disputes but also minor criminal offences and the need to create more centers. Government participants also promised to pro-vide more support for the CMCs.
It is expected that participants from other CMCs in various states will replicate some of the successful approaches that were implemented by the Lagos CMCs.