Religious diversity in post-colonial multicultural Nigerian society

Abstract

Chapter one set out the aims of this study, and outlined the scope and methodology employed in achieving this. Chapter two dealt with the definition of some key terms employed in this study and also gave the historical background of pre-colonial and colonial Nigerian society. It highlighted the divisions that existed in the pre-colonial societies that make up what is today Nigeria, and pointed out that, apart from the major differences in culture, ranging from language to religion, these societies each had different political systems, the most organised at the time, being the Hausa/Fulani system, where the Sokoto Caliphate linked over 30 different independent Hausa kingdoms, creating the most powerful Islamic state in West Africa. As noted in this chapter, the caliphate provided the longest resistance to British colonial rule in Nigeria, and although it was annexed in 1903, some of its political systems adopted prior to British occupation, were retained by the colonial government. Unfortunately, the gradual transition of British influence in the region that is today Nigeria, from slave trade to legitimate trade and then to colonialism did not allow enough time for the local people to mount any formidable opposition to British annexation. In the beginning, the growing British influence was seen as a welcome relief from the oppressive period of the slave trade. The encouragement of legitimate trade and the coming of the missionaries led the local people to be more open to British occupation of the region, believing that this was for the greater good of the people. In addition, some traditional rulers who resisted British occupation were quickly subdued by the much more advanced military might of the British forces. Nevertheless, throughout the period of British colonial rule in Nigeria, cultural differences, while extant, did not necessarily lead to conflicts as the political and economic systems were managed by the British administrators. In addition, by the mid-20th century, the wave of nationalism movements provided a distraction from the focus on cultural affinities. Nigerians saw the British colonial government as a common enemy and they, therefore, overlooked their cultural differences and regional affinities and, together, emphasised a common national identity and a collective goal of attaining independence from Britain. When Nigeria became independent in 1960, the expectations for the country s future were positive. The population density provided a labour force and a consumer market which showed great potential for economic growth. This, coupled with the fact that commercial quantities of petroleum had been discovered in the Niger Delta region in 1958, led many people to believe that Nigeria was destined for a leading position, not just in Africa, but also in world affairs. Unfortunately, this was not to be, as independence from Britain did not bring with it the perfect society which Nigerians had envisaged. According to Falola and Heaton (2008: 158), by 1970, Nigeria s stability and prestige had been greatly damaged by a decade of political corruption, economic underdevelopment and military coups. Most damaging, however, was the culmination of these problems in a civil war from 1967 to 1970 that rent the country along regional and ethnic lines, killed between 1 and 3 million people, and nearly destroyed the fragile federal bonds that held together the Nigerian state.