RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY: A THREAT TO NATIONAL UNITY IN THE PLURALISTIC CONTEXT OF NIGERIA AND THE WAY FORWARD

Résumé

National unity in the pluralistic context of Nigeria has continued to be a grave concern in the discourse on the broader concept of peaceful co-existence and national development. The quest to achieve this national objective has often been threatened by non life-giving factors. This paper focused on religious bigotry as one of the threats that has constantly marred attempts to achieving this national goal. Sociologically, religion which is considered as one of the ultimate factors for integration and social cohesion is ironically viewed as one of the threats to national unity and development. The supposition is attributed to the religious bigotry exhibited by the major religions in Nigeria coupled with the complexity of plurality in the Nigerian context. Following an examination of the attempts made by the Nigerian government and spirited organizations to curb the scourge of religious bigotry in Nigeria, the paper called into question the potency of these approaches. Through an African notion on humanness entrenched in the African system of thought, the paper proposed a distinctive approach that has the capacity to neutralize this threat. This is achieved through a systematic review of relevant literature that unpacks views on the subject under consideration. The systematic review of the relevant literatures covers the concept of religion in national unity, concept of religious bigotry, concept of national unity and the complexity of the plurality in the context of Nigeria. The way forward is informed by the distinctive African notion of humanness irrespective of the religious diversity identified within the pluralistic context of Nigeria. The paper concludes that the approach to curtail the scourge of religious intolerance in Nigeria is not monolithic and that cogent African concepts can be explored and served as panacea to national unity irrespective of the religious diversity in Nigeria.