By Abiola Olawale
In a world grappling with escalating conflicts, from regional disputes to global tensions, Professor Olajide Olagunju, a renowned professor of conflict resolution, has offered actionable and pragmatic insights on strategies for fostering peace and building understanding.
A Professor of Conflict Studies at Bakke Graduate University, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, United States, and a pioneer of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Nigeria, Olagunju provided a roadmap for addressing conflicts globally.
Speaking during the 2025 JBLLC Mentorship Program, which was held via Zoom App and monitored by The New Diplomat, Olagunju who is author of several publications, including “How to Resolve a Conflict,” emphasized that effective conflict resolution begins with understanding the underlying causes.
According to him, the root causes of all conflicts lies in “unmet needs” between parties with pre-existing relationships.
Olagunju emphasized that conflicts arise when the expectations or needs of one party in a relationship—whether between individuals, communities, or nations—are not fulfilled.
These unmet needs, ranging from economic security to cultural recognition, create friction when left unaddressed, he maintained.
He stated: “People are in conflict because the need for which relationship exists is not being met. Conflict is a situation of unmet needs in a relationship.”
Giving further explanations during the mentorship program, hosted by Managing Partner of the JBLaw Professional Corp, Johnson Babalola, Olagunju, an anthropologist, peace building scholar, lawyer abd mediator said unmet underlying needs are necessary ingredients to resolving conflicts as they precede any conflict situation.
He advocated the need to use dialogue to uncover the unmet needs, driving such conflict conflict.
“Identifying the unmet needs is the first approach to conflict resolution. Meeting needs is secondary, it’s not as important as identifying them.
“So if there’s a conflict, identifying the unmet needs first has solved 90% of the problem,” he added.
Olagunju who has broad work experience cutting across government, non-profit organizations, related institutions and arbitration, is also a researcher and author of books in his field of specialty.
