DEMYTHOLOGIZATION OF RELIGION: INTEGRITY AND THE ROLE OF PATRIOTIC CITIZENSHIP IN THE REALIZATION OF RESTRUCTURING AND RESOURCE CONTROL

Abstract

Employing mainly documentary methods of data collection and analysis with reflections on the Rudolf Bultmann theory of Demythologization, the paper seeks to interrogate integrity in Nigeria and the relevance of religion to the discourse on restructuring and resource control. Reflecting on Rudolf Bultmann theory, religion in modern times should not be employed in the restructuring drive of the nation Nigeria rather integrity should be at the core, so, to get at the true meaning of restructuring, religion must be demythologized. This agitation for restructuring and lack of integrity among Nigerians not merely illustrates but actually coincides with failure of government and systemic poverty and inequalities within the state. The less important role of religion in driving restructuring and the discourses around leadership and conscience restructuring towards National Cohesion is far from the concerns of students of Religion. This paper, therefore, seeks to interrogate the ways in which nationalist restructuring methods by leaders with integrity are mobilized and contribute to the growing and widespread recourse to restructuring and national cohesion as against the emphasis on religion. This paper also submits that Nigeria has never been a nationalist state, what has been is ethnic nationalism which is what needs to be restructured, not necessarily resource control. Religion has only been used as tool to foster ethnic nationalism depending on the side of the divide. Religion has thus helped in producing these difference and confusion. We are particularly interested in unraveling how social and nationalist actors with moral standing can feed into national cohesion.