Religion and national integration in Nigeria : a transcendental religious perspective

Abstract

The decision which was made by the people of Nigeria prior to independence to become the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Britain required that the People of Nigeria will be integrated with one another for the purposes of coexistence, co-sharing of resources, co-administering and co-development of the nation. But this goal seems to be elusive in Nigeria during the nearly 50 years of her existence as an independent nation. What seems to linger so much is the cries of marginalization; promotion of individualistic and ethnic interests such as ethnic resource control; propagation of exclusive religious ideologies; and the practice of sectional and tribal politics et cetera. In view of the above, this paper discusses first, the nature and essence of religion (specifically, Christian religion); second, the concept of national integration; and third, the paper suggests a transcendental religious orientation for national integration. According to the transcendental religious perspective, national integration in Nigeria after independence is not a choice; rather, it is an ontological necessity (Ajah 9).Therefore, the question of national integration should not be ignored, sidelined or discarded in the name of any religious, political or ethnic guise/affiliation; rather, it should be encouraged, embraced and put into practice by the people of Nigeria in order to promote unity and development within and outside the nation.