Religious Freedom for National Development in A Pluralistic Society: The Nigerian Experience

This research explores the intricacies of the relationship that exists between freedom of religion on the one hand, and development on the other, within the context of a deeply religiously plural state such as that of Nigeria. The research contends that the challenge of managing pluralism is far from a merely social, or even religio-social, phenomenon but, rather, is a determinant of development that is essential to how a state is run. This is because, when religious freedom is engineered to be formally protected in a country’s law but, in practice, becomes threatened by inter-religious conflict, discrimination, and politicized religiosity, such freedom can develop into a serious impasse to development within that same state. The research uses the case study of Nigeria to examine the effects that the periodic conflict that has tended to exist, particularly between the two dominant Christian and Muslim groups within that state, has had on certain fundamental development indexes such as trust, a sense of human security, as well as human capital development. The research also reflects on how the problem, or rather dilemma, that is high religiosity coupled with serious developmental challenges seems to exist within that state, in a manner that perhaps a lack of managed pluralism might serve to atomise the civic consensus that is required within a unitary state such as the Nigerian state, within which development can take place. The research concludes with a call to develop a serious state policy that shifts from a merely tolerant posture to one of active constitutional engagement, which formally establishes, declares, and consequently protects freedom of religion, within a state such as that of Nigeria, in order that such a state might see pluralism, which might, hitherto, appear as a serious developmental deficit, transformed into a serious developmental dividend.