A STUDY ON THE PEACEBUILDING CHALLENGES OF THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF ABUJA, NIGERIA

By

Chukwuemeka Ogbonnaya Nwosu

Mathias Jarikre

&

Taiwo Philip Orebiyi

Department of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution

National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

The quest for durable peace has been a fundamental issue since violence and persistent insecurity became hallmarks of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. This explorative survey examines the key challenges the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja faces in its peacebuilding efforts. Primary data was obtained from participant observation, interviews, and discussions with benefiting community members. Secondary data was sourced from extant literature consisting of books and journals. The study utilises the structural functionalism theory which stresses social solidarity. Findings indicate a strong correlation between the peacebuilding initiatives of the archdiocese and the relative peace in the area. Notwithstanding its successes, the peacebuilding initiatives of the archdiocese are not without several setbacks. The study established that the archdiocese is faced with the key challenges of lack of a unified peacebuilding advisor and vision, inadequate funding, inadequacy of qualified human resources, as well as its peacebuilding initiatives being misperceived as proselytism in some quarters. The paper tasks the archdiocese to establish a central body to coordinate its peacebuilding activities, scale up synergistic collaborations with other faith-based and secular institutions to train peacebuilders, and jointly build projects to erase prejudice.