Nigeria’s recurring communal and political conflicts will persist unless leaders embrace honest dialogue backed by concrete action, leadership development expert and Executive Director of Still Waters Foundation, Dr. Femi Lanre-Oke, has warned.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, Dr. Lanre-Oke said conflicts stem from deep-rooted differences in culture, upbringing, interests, and perspectives, and can only be resolved when leaders and citizens alike “address the root causes, not just the symptoms.”
While urging Nigerians to embrace dialogue rooted in sincerity and action as a lasting solution to the country’s recurring conflicts, Lanre-Oke explained that conflicts are inevitable, saying: “We are wired differently. We see things differently. That clash of difference is what results in conflict,” he said.
He advised that resolving disputes requires humility, active listening, and focusing on issues rather than on personalities. “You cannot be always right. No matter how much you know, you cannot know all, all the time. Address the issue, not the person,” he stressed.
The leadership coach advocated for transformational leadership, which he said fosters positive change in organisations and, ultimately, in the nation. He called on journalists to help bridge divisions by presenting balanced perspectives and speaking truth to power.
“At the national level, people see things generally differently. People see things that the South-West presently is taking advantage against the North; the South East believe that they are even cut-off.
“So, we now need people like you journalists to put a balanced perspective, that this is the situation of things, that, this is the complete view. So, conflict can come when people feel cheated and neglected, when they say, this things is not nationally distributed.
“When we have the right perspective and even speaking to the government if that is the true picture, and say government, we have seen that this thing is coming this side and it is not coming this side, you need to put a balance.
“Putting that reminder also helps. That is how we can bring about change at the national level. You have the tools and the weapon to do that. The government may even be ignorant of what is happening. They may not know what is happening, but when journalist speak truth to power they can come into check and balance, and do the right thing,” he noted.
On Nigeria’s communal crises, Dr. Lanre-Oke urged the government to address root causes rather than applying temporary fixes, while encouraging genuine dialogue backed by concrete commitments.
“The communal crisis in Nigeria, the government has to look at the root causes. What is actually the grievance? What is actually the matter? “If you do not address the root, and we use external force, you just calm it down a little, and it will come back again.
“So, we must look at it, what are they fighting for, what is the need? I encourage dialogue, and not just dialogue that is empty, but dialogue backed with action.
“If there is a promise, let there be a commitment to it, and a fulfilment to that promise. If everybody cleans the front of his compound, the whole community will be clean. We can do better if we all take responsibility,” Dr. Lanre-Oke concluded.