Religion and Political Culture in Nigeria (original) (raw)

Religious influences on politics in Nigeria: Implications for national development

OGIRISI: a New Journal of African Studies, 2020

The phenomenon of religious politics in Nigerian is an obvious one. In political aspects such as style of governance, policy formulations and the electoral process in Nigeria, religion has been a strong determining factor. However, the influence of religion on politics in Nigeria could be both positive and negative. In other words, as religion enhances national development, so also it could be counterproductive. This paper critically discusses the influence of religion on Nigerian politics especially in the post-independence Nigeria, with emphasis on the implications for national development. This study recommends ways of ensuring the sustenance of the positive influence, as well as tackling the challenges of the negative influences. In practising politics in Nigeria, adherence to religious moral values and observance of Nigerian constitution which makes provision for freedom of religion are necessary for achieving national development. The paper concludes that if the recommendation...

The role of religion in Nigerian politics and its sustainability for political development

2015

Religion has taken a position of importance in Nigerian politics. The nation is the most populous country in West Africa and vest with religious diversities: Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. These religions are intertwined with political activities in the country. The political office holders are misusing religion as a tool to get to power while religious leaders are mishandling it to get personal gain from those who hold public office. Thus, religion has been mostly used negatively in Nigerian politics since independence. The study makes use of descriptive methodology to explore how religion impulse has affected political development and how it can bring sustainable political development if used positively.

THE USE, MISUSE OF RELIGION AND IMPLICATIONS IN NIGERIAN POLITICS

2ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF POLYTECHNICS (ASUP), 2015

Religions, especially (Islam and traditional) have for long period of time even prior to colonial domination determined both spiritual and temporal lives of our people. In fact, in some places like the Sokoto Caliphate and Oduduwa Empire, Islam and traditional religions had shaped and influenced both private and state matters. Today, Nigerians follow different religions but majority are either Muslims or Christians who apart from their differences share many religious provisions as in peace, justice, tolerance, offences and punishments. The Role played by religion in Nigerian politics has at the recent times increased and heated the polity so much that it (the religion) is now used and misused for political and other ends with negative implications on the religions, body polity, social coexistence, unity and development of the country itself. From colonial to the independence period and adoption of secular state, religious role has been relegated to personal lives and silent in politics until in the late 1970s. From then on, religion has continued to gain prominence in Nigeria’s political activities and politicians have come to use it for both good and bad ends. This paper explores the complex and confused relations of religion and politics in the art of Nigerian politics. The paper used secondary sources of data, and among others the following were found: that Nigerians vary on issues of religion and politics and to some beliefs like Muslims, politics is inseparable from religion and so they go together; Nigerians are so much attached to their respective religions; all religious adherents use it to achieve some other ends; the religions mean a lot and are very sensitive to Nigerians. The study found that: failure of the state and the leadership to discharge their obligations has largely contributed to the proliferation of religious misuse in politics and most Nigerian politicians have resorted to use of religion as a cheap means of vote catching device; most Nigerians have been lured into religious politicking; misuse of religion by politicians has led to excessive ethno-religious and sectional divisions and lack of trust of one another among the various religions and their adherents; use and misuse of religion has heated the polity (Sharia, elections, North-South divide, etc.); created unhealthy religious and political rivalry among Nigerians and as a result, most political activities especially elections are today largely influenced by religious intonations. The paper recommends among others: extensive religious education, proper and extensive enlightenment on religious and social coexistence, extensive civic education, proper control of religious preaching and other activities, proper dispensation of social justice among Nigerians, control and guarding politicians in their actions and utterances, ensuring properly regulated campaigns/political activities, especially during elections and adequate and equitable distribution of social amenities.

The role of religion in politics - Nigeria's Scenerio

As the 2015 general elections rescheduled for March 28, 2015 and April 11, 2015 gradually approach, some political parties have adopted very worrisome political campaign strategies aimed at instigating unwarranted division of Nigerians along ethnic and religion line. Nigeria as a state is very volatile when it comes to issues relating to religion and it becomes gravely baffling when government that is supposed to be the unifying force begins to instigate religious disaffection amongst its citizens by its (in)actions. This is particularly evident in the desperate attempts to mix politics with religion by some agents of the two (2) leading political parties in order to score some political points. Religion by definition is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. It’s a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects. While politics on the other hand is science of government; It is that part of ethics which has to do with regulation and government of a nation/state, the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of it strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with preservation and improvement of their morals. Whereas politics is meant to regulate social behavior so that man can co-exist peacefully and gainfully; religion regulates individual behavior and the belief of a higher power. Its therefore suffice to state that politics and religion play important roles in the way people live and societies operate. Civilization has availed people the liberty to think and believe anything they want. Moreover, they are free to practice a high degree of ethical pluralism in their life i.e. they are free to ‘do their own thing’. But that freedom does not imply total ethical anarchy. Not everyone can ‘do his own thing’ in every area of life, so government exists to set some limits to human behavior. Government is to bear the sword and thus must stipulate some minimum level of morality when there is a threat to life, liberty or property of citizens. A rapist is not free to ‘do his own thing’ nor a terrorist or an armed robber. At this point the government must step in to protect the rights of citizens. Religion and politics have been bound in a passionate love-hate affair almost from the beginning of history. One may ask; should religion and politics be mixed most especially in a secular state like Nigeria? And if they are mixed, would the mixture be like manna from heaven or a powerful poison that burns everything it touches. Bearing in mind the volatility of Nigeria and the havocs religious crisis have wrecked in the country. Religion and politics wield power and an alliance of the power was meant to be the best way to exercise absolute power on people. (Aymen Zaben 2012). Researched have over the years revealed that during the middles ages, the church was a formidable power, one that was potent enough to even threaten the monarch. To keep itself strong and viable, the church encouraged feudalism and discouraged independent thought. However, massive corruption and abuse of power by the church led to popular dissent and revolution. Records have it that Martin Luther King was one of the most prominent figures of this dissent. Coming back to Nigeria, the unfolding events as we approach the March 28, 2015 and April 11, 2015 general elections have indicated that the church and government of Nigeria have refused to learn from history. The continues instigation of religious disaffection by politicians in their political campaigns in attempt to make some political gains while invariably dividing the nation along ethnic and religious line poses a dangerous threat of grave magnitude to the peaceful co-existence amongst the diverse interest groups that make up this entity – Nigeria. More befuddling is that Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and its leadership have allowed themselves to be dragged into the antics of politicians who are ready to explore any means to score political goals. The allegation of N6,000,000,000 and/or N7,000,000,000 bribe monies purportedly to have be given to CAN leadership by the presidency aimed at wooing the Christian body to support and canvass for votes for the re-election bid of President Jonathan is perplexing. Also bewildering is the purported ‘whatsapp message’ being circulated and alleged to have originated from CAN leadership warning Christians not to vote for a Muslim Presidential candidate in the forth coming election, that a vote for a Muslim president is tantamount to automatic islamization of Nigeria. This message was also sent to my mobile number. One begins to wonder, could it be that the Nigerian government and religious leaders (both Muslim & Christian) have forgotten that Nigeria is a secular state as routed for by our founding fathers? In the western world, the experience of the middle ages and the teachings of ‘free-thinkers’ like Rousseau gave birth to the phenomenon of secularism. A true secularism seeks to keep the state/country independent of religious influence. Individual has the right to practice their own religion while the state will not be swayed and/or swindled by religious motives or ideologies. Having lived through the detrimental effects of mixing religion with politics, the west was now ready to let religion and politics rule separately. Howbeit, reverse is the case in Nigeria. The politicians haves succeeded in manipulating various religious bodies/leaders into instigating religious sentiments just to grab power on religious ground. Nigeria is a country where religion can make the most education individual portray the behavior and attitude least expected from the worst illiterate. The incumbent Vice President who is also the Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was recently caught on video instigating religious concerns in one of his political campaigns in Kaduna State (another religious volatile state). It is so unfortunate that those who are supposed to engender peaceful co-existence in the country are the very ones causing great disaffection amongst the diverse groups in Nigeria. Everywhere else in the world political campaigns were supposed to be issue-based. Conversely here in Nigeria, it is all about character assassination of political opponents and inciting of ethno-religious sentiments. Latest events further revealed that our very revered national institutions such as Army, Police Force, CAN e.t.c have been dragged into politics to further the political gains of certain politicians/political parties. It is wise to opine here that Christians should beware of certain Christian leaders in CAN who have soiled their hands and stained their garments with bribes. Same counsel goes to Muslim adherents. These bribes have beclouded their sense of judgment and sound reasoning. Some of these religious leaders are spiritual charlatans and demagogues looking for religiously gullible and fickle minded individuals to spiritually exploit in order to advance their material benefits. We have to allow our conscience determine the direction of our votes irrespective of our religious and ethnic affiliations. Let us vote for the best candidates who can upturn the present precarious state of the nation as regards the economy, security, power, unemployment e.t.c. We must as a matter of urgency vehemently reject every attempt by politicians to divide this nation along ethnic and religious line. Religion and politics must be kept separate. Religion is meant to unite a people with similar beliefs into a ‘moral community’ e.g. Muslims, Christians e.t.c. while politics is meant to unite all people of a country like Nigeria into a single community regardless of ethnicity, personal beliefs and practices.

Title: The Role of Religion in Nigerian Politics: A Case Study of the 2023 Elections

Caleb Ezeh, 2024

The intersection of religion and politics in Nigeria is a crucial and dynamic aspect of the country's electoral landscape, profoundly shaping voter behavior, candidate selection, and political strategies. This literature review explores the role of religious demographics in the 2023 Nigerian elections, with a focus on the strategies

Topic: The subtle influence of religion on Nigeria politics, with a particular focus on 2023 Presidential election in Nigeria, Odogbolu Local government area of Ogun State

The subtle influence of religion on Nigeria politics, 2023

The study examined subtle influence of religion on Nigeria politics, with a particular focus on 2023 Presidential election in Nigeria, Odogbolu Local government area of Ogun State. The study was structured in five chapters. Chapter one focused on the introductory part, chapter two presented literature review and theoretical framework, chapter three and four focuses on research methodology and presentation of data analysis while the chapter five of the study conclude the study with recommendations. The study explored how religious factors shape voter behaviour, candidate selection, and political campaign within the context of the study.

the negative and positive effect of religion in nigerian government

Religion in Nigerian Political Space: Implication for Sustainable National Development

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2014

Nigerian politics has been replete with lots of anomalies and upheavals because the country leaders past and present have dragged religion and ethnicity into politics in their quests for leadership in the country. It's a known fact that since independence, more than 2/3rd of the country's independence has been spent by military junta. It is heartwarming to also note that within these periods of military and civilian rule, most of the military heads of states are from the north and most of them are Muslims. But it is disheartening to also know that since the return of Nigeria to democratic rule in 1999, power has shifted from the southern bloc to the north and back to the south, but the recent activities of politician by employing religious violence into politics thereby causing all sorts of mayhem and violence to satisfy their selfish sinterests leave much to be desired. It has been discovered that the recent Boko Haram insurgence in the country that has claimed more than 20,000 lives of innocent citizens and the state agencies are politically motivated, if this is true then, how can these religious intolerance perpetrated and transposed into politics lead to a sustainable national development in Nigeria? This research adopted literature review and found out that both Christianity and Islam have a stint in Nigeria politics and so many people have dragged religion into politics and are also using religion as a tool for achieving political powers by using it to cause violence and destruction of properties in the country. The paper therefore recommends that religious leaders and

Religious Overview of Post Election in Nigeria: Challenges for National Development

The aim of this paper is to explore post-election violence in Nigeria and the role religion plays in Nigeria"s political processes especially during electoral processes. The work adopts the historical methodology to analyze the profound influence of religion in shaping the character of partisan politics in Nigeria and finds that politics in Nigeria has always been based on ethnic and religious considerations. Moreover, Nigerian politicians exploit the emotive power of religion in their quests for electoral offices. This leads to conflict resulting in violent destruction of lives and property. This unpleasant situation poses grave challenges to the development of the country as both local and international investors do not commit their resources investing in an unsafe environment. The paper recommends political education through sensitization and effective security measures to check violence. It concludes that politicians should put national interest above personal gains by accepting the outcome of election results so as to enhance and sustain developmental strides in Nigeria.

Religion and Politics In Contemporary Nigeria

2016

My formation in academic theology, which is not the same as popular theology, places me at the meeting point of faith and reason. It involves reading and taking philosophers seriously in intra and inter-religious matters because philosophers deploy the intellective power that pertains to our common humanity in addressing our common existential questions.This academic formation imposes on me an intellectual obligation, which is, to address the matter at hand in a way and manner to which even those in our multi-religious entity who may not share my Christian faith affiliation would be able to subscribe. If, therefore, you expect me to quote copiously from the Holy Bible, you may be disappointed. I shall not do that. Instead, I intend to undertake this as an exercise in philosophical commentary on the relationship between religion and politics in contemporary Nigeria. Peoples of divergent religious and political affiliations can enter into dialogue on a common ground located on the int...

Religion and Political Culture in Nigeria (original) (raw)

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