Strategic Conflict Transformation in Northern Nigeria: NGOs Making the Process Work

Abstract

This article addresses the question of what role Non-Governmental Organizations played in managing ethno-religious conflict and why strategies employed in the process have improved relative peace in Northern Nigeria. The study argues that NGOs’ peace initiatives in Northern Nigeria have promoted peaceful coexistence and also inculcate culture of peace among conflictants. First, by employing strategic expertise and creating room for participatory peace talk, second, by training, sensitization and advocacy on preventive measures; and third, by aiding peaceful conflict solution through facilitative peace agreement. NGOs in making the process work have exhibited capability and creativity that elucidates the complex interplay between disputants, NGOs practitioners’ and other stakeholders towards facilitative mediation, negotiation and interfaith dialogue aimed at ensuring social change. The fact that NGOs both conventional and interreligious have played an important role in managing violent conflict in Northern Nigeria, the Interfaith Mediation Centre case, in particular, has illustrates how NGOs’ role perception resulted to support from key actors, particularly religious leaders, community leaders, youth and women leaders, and authorities as well. The study generated data from documents obtained from the interfaith Mediation Centre in combination with interviews with officials of the Centre in respect of conflicts. The data described and analyses reason why NGOs peacebuilding become instrumental in improving peaceful coexistence. The article, thus, in its findings has provides an insightful information on this emerging trend in Nigeria, by highlighting how NGOs make a difference in dealing with violent conflicts ravaging the Northern Region of Nigeria through voluntary intermediary role.