A RESEARCH SEMINAR ON PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE IN NIGERIA: THE ROLES OF THE CHURCH
| Format: Ms Word | 1-5 Chapters | Table of Content|
INSTANT PROJECT MATERIAL DOWNLOAD
Study Level: BTech, BSc, BEng, BA, HND, ND or NCE
Amount: ₦3,000.00
Introduction
Nigeria has a country, experienced a number of intertribal and religious conflicts even after gaining independence in 1960. This makes researchers from both domestic and foreign universities to always find the problem of peaceful coexistence in Nigeria to be a particularly fascinating one. It is important to remember that from the middle of the nineteenth century until its independence in 1960, Nigeria was dominated by the British Empire.
Islam was firmly established in all of the major cities of the Hausa states, including Borno, around the start of the 19th century. According to the majority of research organizations, Nigeria’s religious composition is roughly 53.5% Muslim, 45% Christian, and 5% other(The World Factbook, 2018).
Atheists make up a very small percentage of Nigerians, with less than 10% practicing local beliefs or indigenous religions. Some individuals are liberal enough to practice both Islam and Christianity, mostly as a result of parental influence.
Muslims make up the majority of the population in the northern and some parts of the eastern states, while Christians make up the majority in the south-south and south-east. Is Nigeria, which is roughly half Muslim and half Christian, a secular nation? Given that Muslims predominate in the northern region while Christians do so in the southern zone.
Regardless of the answer, Nigerians remain steadfast devotees of African deities and worshippers of their ancestors. That is the common factor.
No matter how many Nigerians seem as though they do not adhere to “African Traditional Religion,” they nevertheless publicly pray to Allah or God to protect them from these gods and their worshippers. This explains why disputes between religions have continued to occur even after independence.
The foundation of creativity and development is peace. Peace and development are also closely associated. When kidnappers, oil vandals, Fulani herders, and Boko Haram terrorize people’s lives, the nation cannot see any real progress.
Everyone wants to live in a peaceful environment since one cannot sustain progress in a state of war or strife. It is the shared objective of every church since true progress and pleasure are impossible without it. The church is called to act as a peacemaker and reconciler in these kinds of contentious situations.
Leadership is a key factor in fostering peace, and poor governance robs a country or a community of its peace. It is sufficient to say that harmony is a prerequisite for peaceful cohabitation, and as such, the church plays a critical role in fostering tolerance and good neighborliness among its members.
The church’s contribution to sustainable development and peaceful coexistence has historically been downplayed. One of the highest ideals of Christianity or Christian virtue is peace. Christians are commanded by the Bible to accept and coexist peacefully with their neighbors.
According to Hebrews 12:14, if we don’t pursue holiness and peace with everyone, then nobody will be able to see the Lord. To the best of your abilities, live in harmony with all people (Rom 12:18). Since coexistence and human connections in any given community are fundamentally influenced by peace, it is important to prioritize peace.
The UN General Assembly declared September 21st to be International World Peace Day. The purpose of the event is to promote peace values in Nigeria and around the world (United Nations, 2023).
Even when the church is among the institutions that actively participate in the pursuit of harmonious cohabitation in Nigeria. According to Obuseh (2016), Nigeria cannot coexist peacefully due of “selfishness”.
Oluwaseun (2014), who sees religion as a threat to Nigeria’s peaceful coexistence, supports this theory as to why Nigerians would not coexist amicably. “It is easier for a Yoruba to marry an Efik than for a Muslim to marry a Christian,” he asserted, and vice versa.
This further demonstrates how religious bigotry poses a danger to harmony. And the queries: How should Christianity and peacebuilding interact with one another? Here, the question is: What part can the church play in maintaining peaceful coexistence in Nigeria? According to some researchers, religion is undoubtedly the single biggest cause of conflict and unrest in human history, hence the church cannot contribute in any way to promoting peace (Abu-Nimer 2001, Gopin 1997, &Diez de Velasco 2007).
In the name of religion, so much evil has been committed (Ayer 1976, cited in Collins et al. 2006). For example, on December 24, 2011, members of a hardline Islamist sect believed to have received training from Al Qaeda destroyed the Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madala, a neighborhood of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja, during their Christmas Eve gathering (Adam, 2011).
Churches continue to be vulnerable to violent attacks, which have been rooted in political, religious, and ethnic disturbance and intolerance since the mid-1980s.
In Nigeria, churches have been bombed, and clergymen and congregants are being slain and abducted.These and numerous other factors contributed to the necessity of this study, which will ultimately provide readers fresh perspectives on peace and harmony and how the Church might use them. This paper will examine the roles of the church in peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.