CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE RESOLUTION OF COMMUNAL CLASHES IN CROSS RIVER CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF CROSS RIVER STATE

Abstract

Conflict management strategies seem effective in the resolution of communal clashes. Hence, the study investigated the conflict management strategies in the resolution of communal clashes in Cross River Central Senatorial District of Cross River State, Nigeria. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were used to guide the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was about 568,522 adult residents in the six local government areas in the Senatorial District. A sample of 400 (203 males and 197 female) adult residents was drawn for the study using multistage sampling procedure. An instrument titled: Conflict Management Strategies’ Questionnaire (CMSQ), developed by the researchers, containing 21 items was used for data collection for the study. The CMSQ was face-validated by three experts. A reliability coefficient of 0.81 was established for the instrument using Cronbach Alpha estimate, before the final administration on the respondents. Data collected were analyzed on SPSS version 21 using mean and standard deviations to answer the research questions, while t-test analysis was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 set as the level of significance. The findings of the study showed that: negotiation as a conflict management strategy appears not to be adequately used in the resolution of communal clashes; mediation as a conflict management strategy seems to be applied in the resolution of communal clashes; and that diplomacy as a conflict management strategy seems not to be adequately applied in the resolution of communal clashes in Cross River Central Senatorial District of Cross River State. The findings also revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean responses of male and female respondents on the application of negotiation, mediation and diplomacy as conflict management strategies in the resolution of communal clashes in Cross River Central Senatorial District of Cross River State. Hence, it was recommended that negotiation as a conflict management strategy should be adequately applied in the resolution of communal clashes, with the intermediary effort of the various security agencies; and that the various tiers of government and other concerned stakeholders should encourage the application of diplomacy as a management strategy in the resolution of communal clashes