Religious Politicisation and Ethnicity as Steeplechases to National Integration in Nigeria

Religion, politics and ethnicity in Nigeria are deeply rooted every facet of Nigerian life and have threatened the very survival of the nation. Religion which has been politicised is fertilised by ethnicity which in turn has negatively impacted on the socio-economic and bureaucratic landscape of Nigeria to the extent that issues that should have been resolved are unnecessarily ethicised or take a religious-political standpoint. This hydra headed quandary has persistently shown that the grievances which usually provoke religious, political and ethnic mendacities are most often than not demonstrated through sectarian crises, tribal unrests, and bitter political grumbles operated by political elites, incendiary media rhetoric reports and violent insurgencies and banditry. This paper argues that religious politicisation and ethnicity as steeplechases to national integration in Nigeria has arrested good governance and enthroned incompetence on the Nigerian socio-economic and political space. There have been religious and ethnic minorities that harbour grievances against the majorities’ lack of inclusivity in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper bearing in mind the current events unfolding in the country, takes the onus of an academic perusal on the issue in order to proffer an enduring panacea to checkmate the disintegration that may be invoked by religious-political and ethnic palaver.