RELIGIOUS CONVERSION IN NIGERIA: AN ENDLESS CONTROVERSY

Résumé

This study explored the phenomena of religious conversion in Nigeria. It examined how religious pluralism and technological advancements reshaped religious identities and practices. The paper highlighted the historical, social and cultural factors that influenced conversion in Nigeria. It further analyzes the role of internal migration and Western education in shaping religious conversion as well as the consequences of such conversion in a religiously diverse society like Nigeria. The study also considered the impact of the internet and social media as key drivers among younger generations. In other to develop a structural framework for this study, the conversion theory of Pail (1973) served as the lens. The aim of this research was to explore the issues and challenges of conversion among Nigerian Christians and to x-ray the extend agents of modernity have influenced the phenomenon in Nigeria. It employed a historical approach in data collection and descriptive analysis in the discussion. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how religious beliefs and practices are negotiated in contemporary Nigerian society. The work concluded that the issues of conversion and reconversion are endemic and remains a teething challenge among Christians in Nigeria. It recommended that church leaders should incorporate elements of modernity to retain the youths in their fold.