The quest for an enduring social peace: The Nigeria situation

Abstract

How can an enduring peace be assured a society? We subscribe to thesis that to achieve social peace, it is imperative that the culture of violence and war prevalent in virtually all societies is replaced with a culture of non-violence and peace. This requires embarking upon a process of peace education as a means of imparting and imbibing new set of values that are essential for constructing the right attitudes as well as social institutions and structures that are congenial to non-violent resolution of conflicts and promotion of enduring social peace. The paper discusses some of the characteristics features of the culture of violence, which are values, beliefs, social institutions and social structures that encourage the use of violence before outlining the content of the peace education required to undermine the culture of violence and promote the culture of peace and non-violence. These include teaching the values of social peace, social justice and respect for the dignity inherent in humanity.We argue the cultivation of a culture of peace that provides the framework within which practical skills of conflict transformation and conflict resolution can be put to a productive use. Key words: Culture, Violence, Education, Society.