Abstract:
The religious crisis in Nigeria dates back to the colonial era. The amalgamation of two
distinct nationalities (Northern and Southern Nigeria) for the purpose of administrative
convenience by the colonial government, irrespective of their cultural and educational
differences, not only created a hitch in assimilation but also mistrust and bitter rivalry
that has accentuated to conflict. In the same vein, most of the communal crises taking
place today could be traced to colonial making as they created artificial boundaries that
did not take cognisance of kith and kin, consanguinity and linguistic identity. It rather
brazenly demarcated people to suit their exploitative governance. The above built-up
grievances and tensions spark off a crisis at the slightest provocation or misunderstanding.
The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) to identify the factors responsible for the
crises, (2) to trace and analyse the antecedents of the crises, and finally (3) to proffer
solutions to this seemingly intractable national problem. The methodology adopted for
the study is the qualitative phenomenological approach, whereby data were collected
from secondary sources and treated analytically. The work found that religion and intercommunal
conflict have hindered sustainable development, taking a large toll of lives and
property amongst others.
Description:
This research is part of the
research project ‘Hermeneutics
and Exegesis’ directed by Prof.
Dr Ernest van Eck, Department
of New Testament and Related
Literature, Faculty of Theology
and Religion, University of
Pretoria.
