By Demola Akinyemi

ILORIN—The Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, CPSS, University of Ilorin, Dr. Mahfouz Adedimeji, has urged Nigerians to embrace functional dispute resolution strategies to stem the violent conflicts in the country, saying this become necessary because conflict is an inevitable phenomenon in human society.

Dr. Adedimeji spoke while delivering a keynote address at the maiden edition of Kwara Youth Summit organised by the Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Students Association, PERCORSA, National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, in conjunction with the CPSS, University of Ilorin.

In the keynote address, entitled “No cause for conflict, really?”, Adedimeji said the current security situation in Nigeria  called for a sober reflection and affirmed that ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity in the country were “tinderboxes that are vulnerable to exploitation by the arsonists and anarchists” among the people.

Adedimeji explained that conflict arose mainly because of plethora of factors on economic, political, economic, cultural, ideological, religious, ethnic and personal issues.
He posited that “As long as there are differences, there will be conflict. There is therefore cause for conflict because we are from different backgrounds.”