Inter-Religious Harmony: A Panacea for Good Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria is the most populous country in West Africa and vested with religious diversities: Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. These religions are intertwined with political activities in the country. Although, religion has been mostly used negatively in Nigerian politics since independence, the need for political stability in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Indeed, all segments of the Nigerian society are interested in the political future of the nation. However, this interest is approached from various dimensions. A major interest in the Nigerian polity is the relationship between religion and governance. The curiosity to write on this topic came out of the complex relationship of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, and the growing extremism and intolerance between them. The methods used in this paper are historical and descriptive. The paper is divided into sections: section one is the introduction, section two defines conceptual issues and its interrelatedness, section three discusses the overview of ethno religious crises in Nigeria, section four discusses the need for interreligious harmony, while section five is the findings, recommendations and conclusion. This paper discovers that religion can be both an integrative and divisive factor in any society. Conclusively, the government and her citizens are yet to accept fully both in theory and practice the stark realities of pluralism of religious beliefs and practices. These have made Nigeria permeated with violence, crime and insecurity; hence, an unstable government. The writers of this paper suggest inter-religious harmony as a panacea for good governance.