Towards a Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts in Nigeria: With Particular Reference to Some Aspects of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s and Catholic Social Teachings on Nonviolence

When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am speaking of that force which all great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu-Moslem-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about the ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the first epistle of Saint John: ‘Let us love one another; for love is God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.’ (M. L. King, Jr.). Join African to Hindu-Moslem-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist then, this statement summarizes the major content of the work. This investigation does not claim to cover or solve all the problems in Nigeria. It rather examines the central principles of peaceful resolution of conflicts, investigates King’s background and intellectual development culminating on his concepts of nonviolent resistance. Further, the modus vivendi of the early Christians and Igbo concepts of Ala (Earth) and Oji (Kola nut) in the light of Catholic Social Teachings are closely investigated. The result indicates that their application can usher in political and religious peace in Nigeria.