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President’s New Year Address for 2023 to Members

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Distinguished mediators and members of our great Institute.

May I on behalf of the Governing council wish you a Happy New Year. It is our expectation that the year 2023 will bring notable achievements for members in their diverse fields of endeavours, and great achievements for our Institute as well.

The year 2022 witnessed a lot of progress for our Institute notwithstanding the challenges of harsh economic climate and heightened insecurity. It is our sincere belief that with your continuing support we will surpass our expectations in 2023.

In 2022, we made some significant strides as an Institute. I wish to place on record my personal gratitude to the members of the Institute who have to support us through all our projects and initiatives.

Some of the highlights of the activities and accomplishments in 2022 are as follows:

  1. Launch of the ICMC ODR Platform/ Inauguration of ODR Panel of Neutrals – The ICMC Online Dispute Resolution Center/Platform was launched on the 29th day of November 2022 alongside the inauguration of the ODR panel of neutrals. This platform was designed to avail members of the public access to Justice by having their disputes resolved without being physically present. This system is faster, quicker, cheaper and more convenient for dispute resolution.

The online dispute resolution platform can be accessed with the use of any smart device. Parties can file dispute complaints from anywhere in the world. Additionally, settlements emanating from the ICMC ODR Center/Platform can be presented before ADR Judges of High Courts in appropriate judicial divisions and the same entered as consent Judgment of the High Court. To visit the platform please follow the link below:

odr.icmcng.org

 

  1. Global Collaborations/ Partnerships – The Institute in 2022 partnered with NDIC, Nigerian Law School, The German Agency for International Development (GIZ), Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), Citizens Mediation Centre, Lagos State, Savannah Energy Group, Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta – PIND, Nigerian Bar Association (Lagos Branch) amongst many others to run various categories of trainings as part of our mandate to continue to contribute to institution building.

 

  1. Corporate Social Responsibility – In 2022, ICMC Nigeria branches in Kaduna, Abuja, Minna and Benin conducted Mediation/ Settlement weeks. These events were geared at offering corporate social responsibility to the public by providing access to justice and effective/speedy resolution of disputes. These programs contributed to the professional growth and experience of our members in these branches.

 

  1. Update on the ICMC House Project

The development of the ICMC Mediation House is at an advanced stage. The mediation   House is a 4-storey building, which will house the Institute’s offices, research unit and training facilities. The Mediation House project was inherited from our predecessors in office.

It was our projection to finish the project and commission the same by the date of the 2022 annual conference. Sadly, the dwindling resources on account of the economic downturn and the rising cost of building materials during the course of this year attributable to the volatile and unsteady exchange rate has made that target impossible to attain. We are confident, however, that we shall have the project commissioned by mid-year 2023.

We have received a request for an 80 % review of the finishing cost from N200,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) only to N380,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira) only.

I renew my appeal to all well-meaning members to please come forward and support the building project. Nothing given is too small. It is proposed that if we have 1000 members of the Institute contribute N20,000.00 (Twenty Thousand Naira) each to the building fund, we can raise N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira). It is further proposed that if we have 500 members of the Institute contribute N50,000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira) each we can raise N25,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Million Naira).  If we can have 200 members contribute the sum of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand) each, we can raise N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira).

I wish to place on record my personal gratitude to some members of the Institute who have responded to our call for donations towards the completion of the building project. As communicated through several emails to our members, all donors will be acknowledged and their names listed in the ICMC Building “Donors Record” and on the “ICMC Honours Roll” for donations above N500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only, which is to be engraved permanently in the Auditorium.

  1. Branch Membership

May I encourage all members, especially newly inducted members of the Institute to register with ICMC branches spread across the country. We have branches in the following locations; Abuja, Lagos, Asaba, Port Harcourt, Jos, Minna, Akure, Benin, Akure, Ibadan, Minna, Uyo, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Abakaliki, Calabar, Awka and Ado Ekiti.

Members domiciled in these locations are encouraged the register with the branches, attend branch meetings and participate actively in the branch activities. By attending branch meetings, members are afforded the opportunity to network, learn new trends in the practice of mediation, and take advantage of opportunities to interact with various dispute resolution practitioners from various fields of discipline, which can benefit members in their practice of Mediation and Conciliation.

The Branches are headed by Chairpersons, who coordinate the affairs of the members within the Branch, and work to encourage a fraternal relationship among the members of the Branch.

You are all encouraged to join a branch closest to you. To join any of the branches listed above, please send the following information to memberservices@icmcng.org:

  1. Full name
  2. Location (Branch interested in joining)
  3. E-mail address
  4. Phone number

Upon receipt, we will connect you with your desired branch. The Governing Council may approve the establishment of a branch in an area not listed above, which has at least twenty (20) financially up to date members.

  1. ICMC Community

This is the Institute’s Membership Portal, where all inducted members of the Institute can have their Mediation Profiles listed. Registration on the platform will afford members of the public the opportunity to peruse the list of certified Mediators in Nigeria and select individuals to facilitate the resolution of their disputes. Younger Mediators with little or no experience will also have the opportunity of viewing the profiles of more seasoned and experienced Mediators and may approach them for Mentorship purposes.

To register on the ICMC Community kindly click on the link below and follow the following steps: https://icmccommunity.com/register

  1. Click on “Register” at the top right-hand corner of the screen
  2. You will be required to fill in your name, membership ID, email address and password. Please, your membership number is to be used as your membership ID. Kindly create       your own password and confirm same.
  3. Once you have filled in all the fields, kindly click on “Register”
  4. You will be required to verify your email address. Kindly open the inbox of the email address you registered with, and click on the button that says “Verify email address”
  5. Upon verification, you will be successfully registered on the ICMC Community. You are encouraged to read the Terms of Use and update your profile honestly.

If you require confirmation of your membership number, have any questions, or    experience any difficulties, you may kindly send an email to            memberservices@icmcng.org, and we will assist you as best as we can.

          DESIGNATION

Upon induction into the Institute, members are allowed to use the following designations – AICMC, MICMC, and FICMC.

Associate Members may use the designation – AICMC (Associate Member, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators), Members may use the designation – MICMC (Member, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators) and Fellows may use the designation – FICMC (Fellow, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators).

You are encouraged to use your designations on your social media platforms, official correspondence, e-mail signatures, business cards, etc., to continually promote the Institute. ICMC is proud to associate with you!

PAYMENT OF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

Members are reminded to pay up their annual subscription as at when due. The Institute requires these payments for its day to the operations. The Governing Council at its pre-AGM meeting approved the upward review of annual subscriptions to take effect from January 2023.

The new annual dues payable by cadre are stated below:

Associate – N20, 000 (Twenty Thousand Naira only)

Member – N30, 000 (thirty Thousand Naira only)

Fellow – N50, 000 (Fifty Thousand Naira only)

  1. THE SECRETARIAT

The ICMC Secretariat is always available to assist you with enquiries or concerns you may have in relation to the Institute and your membership. We encourage you to contact the Secretariat with any suggestions, ideas for collaboration with the Institute. We also welcome feedback or constructive criticism.

The Secretariat is open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 8am and 5pm.

Below are the channels for contacting the Secretariat:

  1. ICMC Social Media Platforms

Members are encouraged to follow the Institute’s activities on the various social media platforms to keep abreast of the Institute’s activities, partnership/collaborations, and programs.

You can follow the Institute on Instagram: @icmcng; Twitter: @icmcng; Facebook: ICMC Nigeria and Linkedln: ICMC Nigeria.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I undertake that we will continue to intensify efforts towards delivering the goals and vision of our founding fathers. In that regard, members are encouraged to send in their suggestions which will assist the Executive Committee in achieving these goals and visons.

  1. Plans for 2023

i). Launch of the Moot Mediation Competition: Plans are in earnest to commence the annual moot mediation competition for university students. The executive committee believes that this project will help in driving home our interventionist objective as encapsulated in the SAP in our universities and will lead to more strategic partnerships within the educational sector.

ii). Mediation Conference for Judicial Officers: At the 2022 ADR Conference held on the 29th of November 2022, it was proposed and resolved that ICMC initiate and hold a mediation conference for Judicial officers. The Chief Judge Ogun state has approved that the Ogun State judiciary is willing to partner with ICMC to hold the conference before the end of the 2nd quarter of 2023.

  1. Conclusion

On behalf of the Governing Council and Executive Committee, I wish to restate our commitment to continue to work hard to grow your Institute and take it to even greater heights. As this my last New Year message to you, I am hopeful that when my successor in office delivers his New Year message to you next year, he will speak to the giant strides that we will achieve this year. Thank you for the opportunity of service.

Please remain assured of my esteemed regards.

Signed:
Agada John Elachi, Ph.D. FICMC, FCIArb (UK)

President

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