Religion as the Opium of the People: Reference to Socio-Political Dimension in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is a sociological interpretation of religion and politics in Nigeria. The sociological tradition recognizes two broad approaches to the interpretation of religion in society, and each of them – substantive and functional – has had, and continues to have, its undaunted defenders. The issue, however, as Peter L. Berger pointed out, is not to decide which side of the debate shall eventually win, but to see how each approach enhance our understanding of the particular aspects of religion that we want to study.

The author argues that religion must first be seen in its primary identity, recognizing that it has substantive dimension, which precedes any of its functional manifestations. The researcher shall justify this approach by arguing that it enables us to understand most comprehensive the picture of Nigeria religiosity. This paper upholds the view that religion gets involved in politics and on many occasions, politics also gets theologized. However, when the religion has its face blunted while politics is bolstered by the resources of religion. There are three discernable patterns in which this unequal interaction can take place. In religiously homogeneous societies, religion may become an apparatus of state affairs; in some religiously pluralistic societies the appearance of religion may be an epiphenomenon, and in some other religiously heterogeneous societies religious may enter into power competition and consequently become political religions. It goes without saying that this last pattern is what we find in Nigeria.

The author shall first review the place of religion in society, then review Bryan Wilson's and David Martin's thesis of secularization. Thirdly, the interaction of religion and politics in independent Nigeria will be sociologically investigated. Lastly, the researcher shall discuss the ways in which the religions responded to the challenges posed by the social realities in young emerging Nigeria.