The deplorable human rights records of dictatorships around the world in particular from the First World War in 1914, till the wake of this Millennium (2000) and beyond, were matched and even exceeded by the atrocities unleashed by anarchy in failed states or potentially underdevelopedand developing nations of the world. Intolerance of religion, ethnic nationalities and political power tussle leads to violence. Most religious believers are challenged in a special way by the disturbing way religion is being manipulated to serve the cause of violent nationalism and ethnic conflict in many countries. For Eghosa E. Osaghae “Religion and ethnic based perceptionshas become the whipping boyfor much of the world’s violence. This is the case in Nigeria and many other countries in Africa and other parts of the world.” Jan H. Boer furthermore maintains that “Ethnic and religious violence arean everyday feature that have createdsoured relationships in Nigeria and beyond.” The situation canserve as a lens through which one can “further the study of the problems of democratization and peace-building in divided societies.”For Sixtus Njoku, “The active collaboration of all peoples who share a similar vision for peace and harmony in a pluralistic society like Nigeria is the only way to peaceful co-existence.”This thesis in the first place, will examine the theology of peacebuilding as proposed by the Catholic Church at the local level in Africa and particularly Nigeria. Secondly, it will discussthe contributions of contemporary African and Nigerian theologians. Does their work make a distinctive contribution to the universal quest for peace?