AKU: An African Journal of Contemporary Research

Culture had played and will continue to play fundamental roles in the history of humanity. Peaceful coexistence and conflict resolution are one of the unaccomplished tasks of the Nigerian state. Primarily, the imperative of building a culture of peace in Nigeria is the thrust of this paper. Hence, this paper examined how cultural diversity cum ethnic pluralism could be positively harnessed to promote peaceful coexistence, which will subsequently foster inclusive growth and sustainable development in Nigeria. Additionally, the paper identified and addressed the problems of cultural and ethnic pluralism in Nigeria to ensure unity within diversity for a strong, united, virile and democratic society in Nigeria. The main source of information is secondary data such as books, articles, newspapers and journals. The paper calls on all stakeholders in the education, tourism and mass communication industries to exploit the potentials Nigeria’s cultural values offer to promote the “Nigerian in us”. Among other suggestions, this paper recommended that massive cultural education should be embarked upon by relevant agencies, like the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to take pride in the strength and plurality of Nigeria.

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