THE ROLE AND PLACE OF RELIGION IN THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF DR. NNAMDI AZIKIWE

Abstract

The relation between religion and politics has continued to be an important theme in political philosophy. This is because religion is one of the oldest, deep-rooted and most important traditional institutions on the face of the Earth. It is a divine reflection of mankind’s craving and effort to interrogate and understand the reasons of creation of the universe, and the meaning of life on Earth. Religion is said to have an important influence on forming the individuals’ worldview in general and correspondingly their political perception and identities. However, the influence of religion on politics in Nigeria and in particular on the political leaders could be positive or negative or both positive and negative. The political office holders are misusing religion as a tool to get to power while religious leaders are mishandling it to get personal gain from those who hold public office. In other words, as religion enhances national development, so also it could be counterproductive. The study makes use of descriptive methodology to explore the role and place of religion in the formation of Nnamdi Azikiwe’s political thoughts.