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DIALOGUE AND PEAECE BUILDING: THE DELTA EXPERIENCE, BY DR. EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. EMMANUEL EWETA UDUAGHAN, THE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE, ON DIALOGUE AND PEACE BUILDING AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE/AGM OF THE AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR COMMUNICATION EDUCATION AT THE DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA, ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2008. It is heartwarming to be associated with the gathering of academicians and professionals in communication education. I welcome all of you to Delta State, the Big Heart of our dear nation. It is particularly interesting that the African Council for Communication Education is holding its Annual General Conference in Delta State. It is also gratifying that you have chosen to look into problems of the Niger Delta with a view to harnessing the views, propositions and solutions of communication scholars and experts on the lingering crisis in the region. The theme for this Conference – Media, Dialogue, Peace Building and Reconciliation in Multi-Ethnic Societies – is most appropriate given the situation in the Niger-Delta. This administration understands the primary role of Peace and Security in the socio-economic development of a society. However, it is our strong belief that Peace and Development must go together as they often impact positively or negatively on each other. This is the reasoning behind this administration’s three point agenda of Peace and Security, Human and Infrastructural Development. Peace, Security, Law and Order, are basic requirements for creating the conditions necessary for development and prosperity. The intractable orgy of violence in the Niger Delta and the tales of woes it leaves for all to see are sufficient reasons to continue to place Peace and Security on the front burner. However, in the pursuit of peace and security, we are emphasizing poverty reduction and other economic development strategies as important aspects of conflict and violent prevention. Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, let me briefly touch on the topic – Dialogue and Peace Building – that was specifically assigned to me. The topic is quite suitable as we seek mechanisms to bring about peace to our State and the entire Niger Delta region. It is particularly noteworthy that here in Delta State, we identified dialogue early enough as the most effective lubricant in the machinery of peace, harmonious co-existence and development. Dialogue is a reciprocal conversation between two or more people. It originates in such a form where people are involved in communication in order to explore and appraise each other’s thinking, meaning, attitudes and other social effects. However, Russian Philosopher, Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of dialogue emphasizes the power of discourse in increasing understanding of multiple perspectives and creating myriad of possibilities. Bakhtin held that relationship and connection exist among all living beings and that dialogue creates a new understanding of a situation that demands change. Today, dialogue is used in the classroom, community centre, corporations, public agencies and other settings to enable people share their perspectives and experiences about difficult issues. For the moment, we are concerned about its use in helping people resolve longstanding conflicts and building deeper understanding of contentious issues. Dialogue should not be about understanding and learning only. Dialogue should be able to dispel stereotypes, build trust and enable people to be open to perspectives that are very different from their own, especially ordinary citizens. Dialogue is essential to the process of peace building, which involves establishing normalized relations between parties on both sides of a conflict. Peace building usually takes a number of years; it is a long, slow process. It usually involves efforts to increase “normal” cooperative contacts between opponents. Unlike peace keeping which builds barrier between warriors, peace building “builds” bridges between ordinary people. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in the process of peace building, efforts are made to open channels of communication, get people involved in joint projects, work with media and the educational system to try to breakdown stereotypes and reduce prejudice and discrimination. The goal of all these efforts is reconciliation – getting the people to accept each other as part and parcel of their own group or reconciled to mutual co-existence and tolerance. Before the People Democratic Party government came on board in 1999, the State was torn apart by inter-ethnic conflict. However, the application of dialogue and peace building helped in bringing about peace. Our conscious effort was to eliminate every element of distrust through adopting a transparent approach to create inter-ethnic co-existence. In the same way, we have restored Peace in the waterways through the formation of consultative forum and reaching a form of accord with the youths and communities in the riverine areas. In these efforts, we deployed our knowledge of the environment, respected the cultural values of the people, shared with them, their fears, worries, hopes and aspirations. The exchange of ideas was done in a most genial atmosphere where understanding could best be reached. In all, peace, development and democracy form an interactive triangle. They are mutually reinforcing. Without democracy, fair distribution of economic progress is unlikely, without sustainable development, the disparities become marked and can be a cause for unrest, and without peace, development gains are quickly destroyed. I am, therefore, calling on this distinguished cream of intellectuals who are concerned with communication education, to adapt their research, teaching and methodology to our local environment. I urge you to use the knowledge acquired from theories derived from foreign lands to understand the peculiarities of our people to be able to inform, educate and entertain them better. I accept J.D. Halloran’s views that: We have recognized several intrinsic problems, but we must now ask how we can possibly deal with the increasing diversification within communication research which inevitably stems from its extension to cultures outside the cultures within which most of its ideas and tools were conceived, developed and articulated. He is advocating and I agree with him, the building of a culturally relevant bridge of understanding between agents of change and social systems with a view to engaging people more effectively in fact-finding discussions. Let me once again welcome you all to Delta State. Please take advantage of the hospitality of our people to go round the State and take the good news of the sustainable peace and harmonies co-existence of our people home. I thank you for your kind attention as I tried to walk on a field I am not too familiar with but happily experts are here to show us the way.   
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