THE SOCIALIZATION OF PEACE CULTURE BY THE FAMILY INSTITUTION AS A BASIC UNIT OF THE SOCIETY CAN BE A STRONG BASIS FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION AND RESOLUTION IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, NIGERIA

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to show the importance of peace culture socialization in the family institution as a basic unit of the society in peace culture socialization, conflict prevention and conflict resolution in Nigeria. The Nigerian traditional societies hold great value of peace culture during socialization of her young members. This Culture recorded high success in conflict resolution at that time. However, the Nigerian society today maybe heterogeneous but the needed traditional way of conflict prevention and resolution has been eroded and may still prove very useful in  modern time conflict prevention and resolution. Culture by its definition is the summation of the peculiarities of a people’s values which is regarded as the totality of their persons. In extension, any culture that has mal-nutrition in peace socialization and conflict resolution can sustain an unhealthy environment of persistence intra-state conflict. Peace socialization can also be an antidotes of conflict/war culture, that can infiltrate into the main culture. This antidotes like other biological antidotes will help to neutralize the virus of any war/conflict culture that may manage to infiltrate into the main culture, whether from internal forces or external forces. The study discovered that alot is spent on resolution while very little is spent on conflict prevention in Nigeria. Barely 20years back in Ebira Tao land of Kogi State, domestic conflict like the dispute between husband and wife used to attract the attention of everyone around including,close friends, families and next door neighbours alike. That tradition of peace culture has gradually been eroded. In 2007 general election in Kogi State, the region recorded high number of murder victims. The attempt by security operatives to gather useful information on the perpetuators fell on blind faces and deaf years. No son of the region was ready to give useful information to security operatives. Suddenly, it has become every man for himself like in other region of Nigeria. The adage; Be your brother's keeper has become strange in the ears even as religious leaders reiterate the same peace adage. Few decades from now, the adage; be your brother's keeper may completely go into extinct. In addition, the socialization of peace culture on Young Nigerians should be given more priority now than ever. From informal socialization (religious group socialization) to formal socialization in school. The willingness of the people to involve genuinely  in conflict resolution is minimal today compared to the traditional society. This  perceived difference is evidently in the form of peace culture socialization and with scrupulousness of resolution and ingenuous temperament. In the case of conventional schemes, the people think more of themselves as individuals than as a community involved in conflict prevention and resolution. The encounter consistently faced by security operatives speak louder of the  unwillingness of people to give vital information to security operatives. Constant blame Is put on the government on problems of insecurity and acclaim so intrinsically in the difficulty faced by the government in curbing insecurity in Nigeria. This paper is used to suggest that together as a community we can and will curb the menace of insecurity in Nigeria. This paper also suggest that the socialization of peace culture by the family institution can help and will help in curbing insecurity at large and that, there is no “bad; hausa,Igbo,Yoruba,Ebira or Igalla and “Good; Hausa, Igbo,Yoruba,Ebira or Igalla but rather we have “bad Nigerians and good Nigerians” As good Nigerian community, we must collectively work together to curb all forms of violent conflict in our beloved country, Nigeria.