RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND PEACE: A PANACEA FOR DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria is a pluralized society, especially in terms of religion and tribe. When one considers the teachings and articulations of the various religions in Nigeria about moral and interpersonal relation, one would expect the presence of these religions in the country to be a blessing, however, the socio-political misfortune of Nigeria in the present time have been blamed on her religious plurality. For more than two decades now, Nigeria has experienced religiously precipitated security challenges apart from the daily kidnapping and the destruction of lives and properties of innocent Nigerians that have become a commonplace. Based on this backdrop, this study probed the place of religious relation on the socio-economic retrogression experienced in Nigeria in recent times. The paper explores the various factors of the poor interreligious, intra-denominational and sectarian problems experienced in Nigeria, including their implications on socio-economic development of the country. The paper made use of functionalism as the theoretical approach to appraise the role of religion in Nigeria in recent time. It employed the qualitative and descriptive research design and made use of the secondary method to elicit information. The paper suggests sincere/genuine secularization of Nigeria in order to give way for meaningful development in the country. Adherents of religions in Nigeria should eschew the proclivities of religious fanaticism in order to encourage good interpersonal relations among the people of different religious persuasions in the country.