When God says yes - who can say no? Religion as a factor in political discourse in Nigeria since the 1960s

Abstract

This article analyses postcolonial developments in Nigeria and their contribution to the awakening political awareness of Christians, which led to the increased involvement of the Christian laity into politics. It begins with a short flashback into the history of what is today known as Nigeria and into the colonial encounter with the British which led to a substantial loss of authenticity in leadership, especially in the South of the country. While in the North the incorporation of the political-religious Muslim leaders of the Northern oligarchy and the pre-colonial Emirate-system into the colonial administration laid the ground for the supply of authenticity to their political leaders by Islam, the effect of the British administrative system of Indirect Rule in the South was quite different. There in contrast to the North, two sets of political leaders evolved, “colonial chiefs“ and neo-political leaders, both of whom, due to the religious plurality existing in the South - Islam, Christianity and African Traditional Religions (ATR) - better did not refer to their religious background. This article draws on public discourses referring to the Sharia debate and on examples from the Nigerian press to illustrate the increasing interplay of religion and politics.

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