THE GAINS OF THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRE-COLONIAL AND CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Over the years, it has been observed by scholars that many countries in Africa are facing the terrible debacle of underdevelopment and Nigeria is one of Such. The challenge is vivid in her educational, social and economic depreciation. This work examined the reasons for this state and sketched what religion had impacted on the development or otherwise of the country Nigeria in the Pre-colonial and colonial period vis- a vis contemporary time to ameliorate her state. It discovers that the practice stemming from wrong understanding of religion is not out of the reasons responsible for this debacle. Descriptive and historical methods of analysis were used in this study. It was further exposed that beside venality, lack of good governance and religious intolerance contribute largely to underdevelopment in Nigeria. While it is acknowledged that religious sects have contributed significantly to national growth through the establishment of schools for formal education, hospitals for health care delivery services, instilling morals in religious and political arenas, economic development through micro loans in corporation with directorate of rural farmers and artisans, establishment of peace and justice commissions, other humanitarian services, and playing her role as a prophet and the conscience of the nation; it is also acknowledge on the other hand that religion had been used in fomenting lots of evils. The article therefore recommended an enhanced cooperation between the government and the different religions in order to further enhance peaceful co-existence and continuous national developments through those aforementioned services as it is known for in the pre-colonial and immediate post-colonial days. It further recommended continuous preaching of socio-religious values of hard work, integrity and honesty in order to fasten the bid of national development.