Research & Scholarly Publications
A Conflict Prevention Approach to Public Policy and Vice Versa: The Case of Nigeria
This paper argues that conflict prevention should be integrated into public policymaking rather than treated solely as a separate security intervention. Drawing on Nigeria's history of communal, ethnic, religious and resource-related conflicts, it examines how exclusionary policy processes, inadequate conflict analysis and weak implementation can deepen existing grievances. It advocates conflict-sensitive policy design informed by historical and social contexts, stronger public participation, institutional support for research and the development of national and regional peace policies. Its central proposition is reciprocal: sound public policy can help prevent violent conflict, while a conflict prevention perspective can improve policy effectiveness and accountability.