The role of the church in conflicts management, peace building and development in Nigeria

Abstract

This research is primarily centered on the Role of the Church in Conflicts Management. It examines the negative impact of conflicts occurrence in Nigeria and the role of the church in either curbing or managing conflicts. The work seeks to draw the attention of religious bodies like CAN and PFN, state policymakers and researchers to the “neglect” of conflicts affecting churches and the Nigerian nation. The historical methodology adopted for this research involved the use of both primary and secondary sources with the model of conflict management. Field survey and personal interviews used for the analysis of the paper constitute the primary sources. The secondary sources include published and unpublished works on the vexed issues of conflicts prevalence in Nigeria though it‟s evident that conflict in all human society is as old as the society itself constituting serious impediments that if not urgently attended to results in destruction of lives and property. The paper submits that, for peace building, the world‟s greatest need to be realized or achieved, there must be first an attitude of love and reconciliation where there is rancor and acrimony. That the church and her leaders in Nigeria have the potential to manage and resolve conflicts through their religious values and principles which involve, love, forgiveness, justice, peace and tolerance. That the only means of achieving this noble task is through dialogue, organizing seminars and workshops. It recommends that, the federal government should as a matter of urgency try as much as possible to resolve the lingering economic, social, political and security challenges in the country as peace and justice are not gained through the barrel of the gun but through dialogues, negotiations and persuasions.

Keywords: Church; Conflict Management; Peace Building; Development; Dialogue, Morality, Love