Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and chairman of the Middle Belt Brain Trust and Institute for Integrated Transitions, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), has blamed the persistence of communal conflicts in Nigeria on failure to address the root causes of tensions before violence erupts.
Speaking at a Conflict Sensitivity Workshop for the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs and Traditional Council Secretaries in Lafia, Agwai said many interventions focus on reacting to crises rather than preventing them through proper understanding of the underlying issues.
“Why do conflicts in our communities continue to repeat themselves even after interventions, peace meetings and security deployments?” he asked. “It is often because we respond to conflict without fully understanding the context driving it.”
He said sustainable peace can only be achieved through early identification of tensions, careful analysis of relationships, and responses that unite communities instead of deepening divisions.
General Agwai described conflict sensitivity as a proactive leadership approach that helps communities identify hidden tensions before they escalate into violence.
He said traditional rulers remain central to peacebuilding because they are closest to the people and often detect signs of unrest before government agencies intervene.
“Before crises make national headlines, traditional rulers already know where tensions are building, whether from farmer-herder clashes, youth unrest, boundary disputes, mining activities or political grievances,” he said.
“If we only respond when violence breaks out, then we are already late. The real opportunity lies in prevention,” Agwai added.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who declared the workshop open, said conflict prevention is the best strategy for tackling rising insecurity linked to mining and political activities in the state.
Sule noted that prevention remains cheaper and more effective than responding after violence has erupted, pledging the state government’s continued partnership with the Middle Belt Brain Trust and IFIT.
