RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN NIGERIA: AN OVERVIEW

The fervent demand for transformative shifts within Nigeria’s contemporary socio-political landscape serves as a compelling testament to the nation’s entanglement in profound social, political, and economic complexities. A significant impediment to Nigeria’s advancement as a diverse polity is the pervasive issue of intolerance, manifesting in various forms such as religious, ethnic, political, and gender based. Particularly noteworthy is the heightened prevalence of religious intolerance, attributed to the metaphysical nature of religious doctrines, rendering them susceptible to manipulation and entanglement in broader public concerns. This research endeavors to scrutinize religious intolerance, aiming to elucidate its role in hindering progressive transformations within Nigeria. As a multi-religious and multi-cultural polity, Nigeria grapples with a plethora of challenges encompassing religious conflicts, electoral violence, insurgency, human and food insecurity, epidemic diseases, systemic corruption, mass unemployment, and youth restiveness. The clamor for change within Nigeria’s socio-political sphere in contemporary times underscores the nation’s profound entrenchment in a web of intricate social, political, and economic predicaments. At the crux of issues characterizing Nigeria’s pluralistic polity lies the pervasive challenge of intolerance, which, in the contemporary context, manifests across religious, ethnic, political, and gender dimensions. Of particular concern is the religious dimension, accentuated by the metaphysical nature inherent in religious beliefs. Essentially, religious intolerance denotes preconceived and unreasoned prejudices against religious beliefs and practices, often resulting in adherents of a specific faith antagonizing their counterparts in a multi-faith society.

Undoubtedly, religious intolerance has permeated the socio-political and economic spheres of Nigerian society, deeply ingraining itself within the contemporary fabric of the nation. The pervasive nature of this issue is unmistakably evident across various strata of public life, tarnishing interreligious and socio-political relations with profound religious animosity, antipathy, and suspicion. The clash of religious claims and the intolerant disposition exhibited by followers of Islam and Christianity towards other faith traditions have significantly marred the harmonious coexistence within Nigeria. Manus (2006) emphasizes the imperative of contextualizing the interplay between religion and politics within the socio-political and economic milieu wherein Islam and Christianity competitively assert themselves as missionary religions in Nigeria. Falola (2008) contends that in nations where Islam and Christianity vie for dominance, such as Sudan and Nigeria, stability and identity-related challenges are exacerbated by the fierce competition for religious supremacy, potentially leading to religious contests and the transformation of the state into a theocracy with the imposition of religious ideologies.

It is noteworthy to assert that religious intolerance has shaped the cognitive frameworks of numerous Nigerian Muslims and Christians, constraining them within the boundaries of their respective belief systems. Any perceived contradiction to these beliefs is vehemently opposed, thereby becoming a catalyst for social unrest and violent conflicts among adherents of Christianity and Islam in Nigeria (Lenshie and Inalegwu, 2014). The persisting challenge of religious intolerance poses a grave threat to the peaceful coexistence of followers of diverse faith traditions in Nigeria, particularly in an era marked by the ready availability of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of extremists. Gofwen (2004) posits that religious intolerance stands out as a prominent catalyst for religiously driven violent conflicts globally, permeating various forms of human civilizations and carrying destructive implications.

The roots of religious intolerance in Nigeria trace back to the legacy of foreign missionaries. The advent of Islam and Christianity in the country introduced intolerance and discord into the socio-religious landscape of its diverse communities (Atoi, 2019). Uzoma (2004) notes that the onset of these missionary religions brought about religious antagonism and social upheaval, initiated by the derogatory characterizations of African religious thought forms as primitive, savage, pagan, heathen, idolatrous, and the like. Consequently, adherents of Christianity and Islam engaged in the demonization of African religious practices, leading to the destruction and desecration of sacred artifacts, vestments, altars, and shrines associated with indigenous African religions. It is crucial to emphasize that instances of religious intolerance in Nigeria manifest both at interfaith and intrafaith levels, involving conflicts between distinct religious traditions and internal disputes among sects or denominations within the same religion. Ubrurhe (2000) notes that Christian denominations and sects frequently engage in disparaging one another through various means such as songs, member indoctrination, and the accentuation of perceived weaknesses. The historical narrative of Christianity in Urhoboland highlights condemnations by the Catholic Church of the doctrines espoused by the Anglican Church upon its later introduction to the region. The competition and rivalry between Catholic and Protestant missionaries among the Igbo from 1857 to 1914 resulted in adverse effects, fostering an environment conducive to religious intolerance.

A notable development in the context of religious intolerance within Nigerian Christian Churches is the emergence of neo-Pentecostalism. These churches distinguish themselves through a radical approach to Christian doctrines, marked by a militant stance in evangelistic and proselytizing endeavors. Their aggressive style of witnessing and intolerance towards those they categorize as “unbelievers” contribute to heightened tensions within the Christian community.

The situation in Islam mirrors this dynamic, with the rise of fundamentalist sects among Muslims demonstrating intolerance toward other Islamic groups. Uzoma (2004) observes that the intolerant stance between Islamic fundamentalists and orthodox practitioners has strained their relationship, illustrated vividly in the 1980s by the Maitatsine Muslim sect waging war against fellow Muslims deemed as unbelievers, particularly in the ancient city of Kano.

Reports of religious intolerance within Nigeria’s tertiary institutions have been recurrent since the 1980s. An illustrative incident occurred in Kafanchan, where a violent clash erupted between Christian and Muslim students at the College of Education in 1987. Kukah (1993) points out that what initially began as a minor misunderstanding among Muslim and Christian students escalated into widespread destruction of lives and property, extending beyond the institution’s confines to other parts of the country. The catalyst for this upheaval was purportedly a Christian preacher who, using verses from the Qur’an, sought to delegitimize Islam while asserting the exclusive validity of salvation within the framework of Christianity (Gofwen 2004).

The latest manifestation of religious intolerance in Nigeria is exemplified by the actions of the Boko Haram Islamic fundamentalist sect, which presently poses a significant threat to the cohesive existence of the Nigerian state. This group has exhibited a pronounced degree of intolerance by instigating terror against both Muslims and non-Muslims indiscriminately. Onuoha (2010) elucidates that the primary objectives of the Boko Haram sect involve seeking political and religious reforms within Nigeria, particularly advocating for the adoption of Sharia law aligned with Orthodox Islam principles. The contemporary religious landscape in Nigeria necessitates an examination of the thesis characterizing religion as a double-edged sword capable of either enhancing or undermining a society. However, an analysis of religion as a phenomenon reveals that it is not inherently a double-edged sword, as the transcendent reality, revered in major world religions, is a singular figure surpassing the entire cosmos. The designation of religion as a “double-edged sword” arises primarily when considering the backdrop of pervasive religious intolerance observed in many pluralistic polities globally. The widespread insecurity and social instability stemming from religious intolerance have engendered numerous challenges within the Nigerian social sphere, impeding concerted efforts directed towards substantial growth and development in the nation’s collective life. A prominent case in point is the Boko Haram phenomenon, which has continually overwhelmed Nigerian security agencies since its emergence in 2009. This group poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace, and stability, engaging in various violent activities such as bombings, robberies, kidnappings, rape, intimidation, molestation, and acts of vandalism (Nmah 2012).

Economic life in Nigeria has also suffered considerable setbacks due to conflicts arising from religious intolerance. Religious violence and insecurity have obstructed the economic prosperity of the nation, particularly in the northeast, affecting agrarian communities that contribute significantly to the country’s agricultural production. Economic and business activities in various regions have been severely impacted, with traders and farmers forced to abandon their businesses and farms due to acts of terrorism perpetrated by religious extremists. Religious fanatics and insurgents have looted shops and destroyed agricultural farmlands, targeting those who reject their religious ideology. Moreover, religious intolerance has significantly influenced Nigeria’s democratic governance, with the desire for positive changes and the consolidation of democratic values facing obstacles due to religious fanaticism during electioneering. This phenomenon has raised questions about the authenticity of Nigeria’s democratic culture. Reflecting on religious intolerance and violence in Nigeria’s democratic governance, Nwaka (2012) notes that the country witnessed a resurgence of violent uprisings, particularly of religious nature, at the onset of the 21st century democratization.

The impact of religious intolerance extends to the Nigerian value system and national unity, resulting in a negative transformation. The indigenous values of social solidarity, social justice, patriotism, nationalism, honesty, truthfulness, good neighborliness, public peace, and social order have given way to social injustice, hatred, ego-centrism, sectional consciousness, insecurity, and social disorder. This adverse development hampers Nigeria’s pursuit of positive change in nearly every aspect of the nation’s public life.

The imperative of fostering a philosophy of tolerance is both a social and religious necessity for cultivating harmonious human relationships within multi-religious and multicultural societies. It constitutes an inherent truth that nations characterized by religious pluralism can only attain positive transformations in their national life when there exists a genuine disposition of tolerance towards individuals from diverse religious and socio-cultural backgrounds within the public domain. Tolerance, being a foundational socio-philosophical instrument, plays a pivotal role in steering pluralistic polities towards national growth and development. Consequently, there exists an urgent national imperative for Nigerians to renounce intolerance, embrace religious diversity as an inherent social reality of the country, and acclimate to it by acknowledging the absolute constitutional right of fellow citizens to freely practice any religious faith of their choosing.

This imperative is grounded in the constitutional provisions delineated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, which enshrines the freedom of religious beliefs and practices for all citizens, granting them the fundamental right to pursue their convictions without discrimination or intimidation. To culminate, as a means of cultivating a genuine ethos of tolerance, religious leaders are enjoined to actively promote sincere and unfeigned inter-faith dialogue. This collaborative effort is crucial for reassessing foundational social issues and comprehensively evaluating the present state of the Nigerian nation.

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