RELIGIOUS HARMONY AND SUSTENANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

RELIGIOUS HARMONY AND SUSTENANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

 INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background to the Study

Nigeria is a country with the conglomeration of states with different people, cultures and religious backgrounds. Nigeria comprises Christianity, Islamic and traditional religions. The adherents of three religions, especially Muslims and Christians are often engaged in conflicts, leading to lose of lives and property. Hardly will a day pass without the two religions engaging in one conflict or the other. The religious scenario in Nigeria has assumed a violent dimension, leading to suicide bombing, loss of innocent lives and property. The area that is most affected with terrorists attacks is the defunct Northern region. That is, the North and the area called today Middle-Belt of Nigeria today. Even if there is a seeming peace, the relationship between Christians and Muslims is marked with mutual suspicion and distrust. These religious crises are more rampant in the Northern states and they sometimes bring about reprisal attacks in Eastern states of Nigeria. The reprisal attacks by Christians in Eastern Nigeria are directed to all the Northerners without distinction of religious affiliation. That is, both Christians and Muslims are victims of such attacks (Dzurgba, 2006). The Northern Christians particularly suffer death casualties at every twist of events. They loss lives in the Eastern part of Nigeria during reprisal attacks. This ugly situation calls for reflection on education as one of the possible measures of preventing religious conflicts and insecurity in Nigeria.

With over 400 ethnic groups belonging to several religious sects, Nigeria since independence has remained a multi-ethnic nation State, grappling with the problems of ethno-religious conflicts. Ethnic groups and religious intolerance have bought about the recurrence of ethno-religious conflicts. Major motivations behind most religious conflicts are economic and political, for, as one scholar puts it: in the struggle for political power to retain the monopoly of economic control the political class instigates the ordinary citizen into mutual suspicions resulting in conflicts. Colonialism did not cause the primordial conditions that generated conflicts between Christians and Muslims, but it made them worse. Indeed, colonialism established the basis for using identity politics as a means of accessing political and economic resources. Consequently, religious differences come to worsen political crisis. From the early 1980s, religion has been making increasing in-road into the political development of Nigeria, in spite of the official legal status of the country as a secular state. This is a status accepted by the majority of Nigerians, and it is clearly laid down in the constitution. Nigeria is at the moment experiencing major challenges. It is one of the fastest growing nations with a population that doubles every two and a half decades. Access to higher education and healthcare is limited. Poor infrastructure and weak leadership deficit have also conspired to impede the development of the country.

RELIGIOUS HARMONY AND SUSTENANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA