ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA THROUGH PEACE EDUCATION

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global agenda, adopted by United Nation countries in 2015, with a vision of ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. This programme is such that it was targeted to both advanced and advancing nations of the world. The aim is that humanity in the bid to development will benefit from the available resources without compromising the development opportunities of the future generation. To that effect, this work was aimed at examining how the South-South of Nigeria which contributes to about ninety percent (90%) of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of nation which has experienced varied degrees of violent conflicts, either between the communities and the government and its allies or among themselves can  enjoy peace via the technique of peace education. Peace education is a tool of enlightenment and which is expected to bring about re-orientation on the part of the people and government as the understanding of the importance of peace by all parties involved in the conflicts in the region will rather prefer dialogue, negotiation which are necessary for peace building and where ever there is peace, there is development and when such conditions exist for a long time, then Sustainable Development can be said to have been achieved. This work therefore recommends among others, that peace education should be introduced in the education curricular of the nation as it will enable all actors to recognise the existence of others and what their rights are.