religious intolerance in nigeria essay

British Journal of Education (BJE)

+44(0)1634 560711
[email protected]
124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. UK

Religious Intolerance and Educational System in Nigeria

() , , (), –

The study examines the implications of religious intolerance on the Educational system in Nigeria. Nigeria experienced a lot of religious intolerance due to its diversity of ethnic groups and religions. Due to the narrow-mindedness, misunderstanding, extremism, and zeal of religious devotees, religion, intended to be a unifying element among many ethnic groups in Nigeria, has instead turned out to be one of the triggers destroying lives and property. Several persons have suffered bodily and psychological harm due to intolerance based on religious beliefs and practices, which has caused rifts between Nigerians of various religious backgrounds. Nigerian educational system is under threat from this turmoil. Problems of religious intolerance has hampered Nigeria’s efforts to establish a standard educational system .

Citation: Bolanle Oluwatosin Oyeleye and Fawziyah A. Belo (2022) Religious Intolerance and Educational System in Nigeria, British Journal of Education , Vol.10, Issue 14, 1-6

Keywords: religious; intolerance; education; christians; muslims; violence

This work by European American Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License

Recent Publications

A pupil-centric analysis in the teaching- learning process of information technologies using ict in albanian schools, influence of irrational belief on academic performance among students in some federal colleges of education in the north-west zone, nigeria, delving into word and print awareness in 4-year-old children, adoption of indigenous language (igbo) in teaching of agricultural science at the primary school: a panacea for food insecurity.

Author Guidelines Submit Papers Review Status

British Journal of Marketing Studies (BJMS) European Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance Research (EJAAFR) European Journal of Business and Innovation Research (EJBIR) European Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (EJHTR) European Journal of Logistics, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management (EJLPSCM) Global Journal of Human Resource Management (GJHRM) International Journal of Business and Management Review (IJBMR) International Journal of Community and Cooperative Studies (IJCCS) International Journal of Management Technology (IJMT) International Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Research (IJSBER)

British Journal of Education (BJE) European Journal of Training and Development Studies (EJTDS) International Journal of Education, Learning and Development (IJELD) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research Methods (IJIRM) International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods (IJQQRM) International Journal of Vocational and Technical Education Research (IJVTER)

British Journal of Earth Sciences Research (BJESR) British Journal of Environmental Sciences (BJES) European Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology (EJCSIT) European Journal of Material Sciences (EJMS) European Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research (EJMER) European Journal of Statistics and Probability (EJSP) Global Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry Research (GJPACR) International Journal of Civil Engineering, Construction and Estate Management (IJCECEM) International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Studies (IJEEES) International Journal of Energy and Environmental Research (IJEER) International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology Studies (IJEATS) International Journal of Environment and Pollution Research (IJEPR) International Journal of Manufacturing, Material and Mechanical Engineering Research (IJMMMER) International Journal of Mathematics and Statistics Studies (IJMSS) International Journal of Network and Communication Research (IJNCR) International Research Journal of Natural Sciences (IRJNS) International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Physics (IRJPAP)

British Journal of English Linguistics (BJEL) European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies (EJELLS) International Journal of African Society, Cultures and Traditions (IJASCT) International Journal of Asian History, Culture and Tradition (IJAHCT) International Journal of Developing and Emerging Economies (IJDEE) International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research (IJELLR) International Journal of English Language Teaching (IJELT)

International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Studies (IJAERDS) International Journal of Animal Health and Livestock Production Research (IJAHLPR) International Journal of Cancer, Clinical Inventions and Experimental Oncology (IJCCEO) International Journal of Cell, Animal Biology and Genetics (IJCABG) International Journal of Dentistry, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Oral Hygiene (IJDDEOH) International Journal of Ebola, AIDS, HIV and Infectious Diseases and Immunity (IJEAHII) International Journal of Entomology and Nematology Research (IJENR) International Journal of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology Research (IJECER) International Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (IJFAR) International Journal of Horticulture and Forestry Research (IJHFR) International Journal of Micro Biology, Genetics and Monocular Biology Research (IJMGMR) International Journal of Nursing, Midwife and Health Related Cases (IJNMH) International Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism Research (IJNMR) International Journal of Public Health, Pharmacy and Pharmacology (IJPHPP) International Journal of Weather, Climate Change and Conservation Research (IJWCCCR) International Journal Water Resources Management and Irrigation Engineering Research (IJWEMIER)

British Journal of Psychology Research (BJPR) European Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research (EJAFR) European Journal of Biology and Medical Science Research (EJBMSR) European Journal of Botany, Plant Sciences and Phytology (EJBPSP) European Journal of Educational and Development Psychology (EJEDP) European Journal of Food Science and Technology (EJFST) Global Journal of Agricultural Research (GJAR) International Journal of Health and Psychology Research (IJHPR)

Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (GJAHSS) Global Journal of Political Science and Administration (GJPSA) Global Journal of Politics and Law Research (GJPLR) International Journal of Development and Economic Sustainability (IJDES) International Journal of History and Philosophical Research (IJHPHR) International Journal of International Relations, Media and Mass Communication Studies (IJIRMMCS) International Journal of Music Studies (IJMS) International Journal of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Essays (IJNGOE) International Journal of Physical and Human Geography (IJPHG) International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research (IJSAR)

International Journal of Biochemistry, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Studies (IJBBBS) International Journal of Coal, Geology and Mining Research (IJCGMR) International Journal of Geography and Regional Planning Research (IJGRPR) International Journal of Library and Information Science Studies (IJLISS) International Journal of Petroleum and Gas Engineering Research (IJPGER) International Journal of Petroleum and Gas Exploration Management (IJPGEM) International Journal of Physical Sciences Research (IJPSR) International Journal of Scientific Research in Essays and Case Studies (IJSRECS)

Don't miss any Call For Paper update from EA Journals

Fill up the form below and get notified everytime we call for new submissions for our journals.

Contributors
What's New
Other Sports
Marie Claire
Appointments
Business News
Business RoundUp
Capital Market
Communications
Social Media
Love and Relationships
On The Cover
Travel and Places
Visual Arts
BusinessAgro
Executive Motoring
Executive Briefs
Friday Worship
Youth Speak
Corporate Social Responsibility
Philanthropy
Social Impact
Environment
Mortgage Finance
Real Estate
Urban Development
Youth Magazine
Life & Style
Love & Life
Travel & Tourism
Brand Intelligence
Weekend Beats
Ibru Ecumenical Centre
News Feature
Living Healthy Diet
Living Wellbeing
Guardian TV

Truth about religious intolerance in Nigeria

The recent incident in Sokoto which has attracted serious backlash and disaffection from within and outside the country is extremely unfortunate.

The spillover effects which have been generating ever since need proper and careful handling by all and sundry in order not to escalate into unpleasant situations with irreparable consequences. There is no other word that could better be ascribed to the heinous act than “intolerance”; and, the misconceptions and misinterpretations that a lot of people have been disseminating around are not helping matters.

It is in view of the foregoing that this review is necessitated as a way to pacify the already tense atmosphere and proffering suggestions to preventing the reoccurrence of such in our societies. Therefore, the aim of this writes up will not be to apportion blame in order not to aggravate the situation and prejudice the case in court; but, it will not also be silent or fail to state in categorical terms that the lynching of the victim for whatever reason is barbaric, callous and unlawful; and, such should not be condoned in any sane society, to say the least.

Our country is operating a democratic system of government with the “rule of law” as one of its cardinal principles; therefore, it is expected that the citizenry shall be guided by the law. There is no place in any subsisting law of this country where it is provided that anyone has the right or authority to take laws into his hands. More so, Section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)states it clearly that “every person has the right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria”.

Be that as it may, what happened in this circumstance could be said to be an aberration from the law of the land. This is totally unacceptable; and, such should be “firmly condemned” in all its ramifications. The authorities must rise up to the occasion towards ensuring that the n

However, it needs to be quickly mentioned that those that have been arrested and charged for the death of the victim are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction as provided in Section 36 (5) of the same Constitution under reference. In this situation, the burden of proof shall be on the prosecution; and, they are expected to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Now that the incident has happened and there is nothing we can do to bring back the dead to life; our best option would be to wait for the outcome of the court proceedings hoping that justice would be served at the end of the day. At this stage, it is very important to delve extensively into the issue of “religious intolerance” being the major revolving factor of this incident.

“Religion”, according to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, is simply defined as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods”. It could also be put differently, as a particular system of faith and worship. In the Nigerian settings, the three major systems of faith and worship are Christianity, Islam and the African tradition or others. Majority of the people “do not joke” with their religion; and, as such, it will be safe to say that Nigerians, to a large extent, are “very religious.”

Therefore, it is not surprising that Section 38(1) of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. However, such freedom is to the extent of allowing every citizen to choose, decide, manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance. As a result of this provision, no one can compel you to practice any religion against your wish; and, no one can deprive you from practicing the belief or religion of your choice.

The above provision notwithstanding, it is very important to quickly mention that, the freedom does not “permits” anyone to “abuse” or “disparage” other people’s religious beliefs or inclination; because, in the face of the law, no one religion is taken as being superior to the other(s); and, that is why the country is termed as a secular state.

It is in recognition of this basic fact that the people are expected to co-exist peacefully and harmoniously in every nook and cranny of the country regardless of whichever religion they practice. Consequently, there is expectations of high level of tolerance amongst the people in order to make the coexistence to remain meaningful, cordial and mutually beneficial. It is only in circumstances where this high level of TOLERANCE breaks down and slide into a state of INTOLERANCE that such ugly incidents like what happened in Sokoto rear their ugly heads.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that the minimum requirement for living together happily and coordinately, is TOLERANCE. If we tolerate one another, then there will be MUTUAL RESPECT for our different styles and modes of worshipping God, (whilst also noting to accommodating and respecting the positions of those that do not even subscribe to the existence of God).

The most important thing here is that every man has got the right to his beliefs and unbelief. As such, you are free to propagate your beliefs to high heavens (provided that in doing so, the rights and sensibilities of others do not encroach); and, in the same vein, you can also hold onto your unbelief (provided such is also done without trampling on the beliefs and sensibilities of others).

You are free to solicit and encourage other people to embrace your religion; but, in doing so, there shouldn’t be any form of compulsion or intimidation in your mode of trying to convert them, Furthermore, as a traditionalist, a Christian or a Muslim today, you can freely convert to any religion tomorrow; because, the choice is yours.

Looking at it holistically, Nigerians could be said to be highly tolerable in terms of religious differences. There is hardly any community that you go across the length and breadth of the country where you would not find people of different beliefs living and doing businesses together. As you see different denomination of churches on almost every streets; so also you see mosques of different sizes along the same stretches.

As, you hear melodious songs and praises coming from loud speakers of churches; so also you hear the Muslims calling for prayers five(or in some cases six) times daily in the same manner without anyone complaining against one another. The Traditionalists and others are not left out as they also go about their worships and businesses without condemnation from the Muslims or the Christians. So, to a very large extent, it is safe to say that religious tolerance is prevalent in the country.

In the dim and distant past, some missionaries and religious bodies such as the Methodists, the CMS, the Roman Catholics, the Anglicans, the Ansar-Ud-Deen, the Ahmadiyyahs, the Zumratul Islamiyyahs, the Nawair-Ud-Deen and others, through their educational institutions played a pivotal role in instilling religious tolerance amongst their pupils/students and the generality of their members. Some other societies and organizations such as the Eckankar, the Rosicrucian Order, the Freemasonry, and the ROF to mention but a few, also contributed their quota to sustaining high level of tolerance amongst the different religion and beliefs.

My experience during secondary school days at Ansar-Ud-Deen Grammar School, Randle Avenue, Suru-Lere, Lagos (a Muslim school) in the late 70s and early 80s is still fresh in my memory. The school could be likened to a training ground where religious and ethnic tolerance was not relegated to the cause of our academic pursuit. Despite the fact that the student population was made up of people of different religion and ethnic backgrounds; we co-existed peacefully, harmoniously and happily like children from the same parents (though, we were not also totally immuned from the natural traits of youthful exuberance). Day in day out, we were never tired or bored of praying according to the Islamic doctrine during the morning devotions. Though, the Christians also have dedicated days for “Fellowships”; there was never a time when we experienced religious friction throughout my stay in that school.

The atmosphere was always devoid of any form of discrimination; and, it was only during Jummah prayers on Fridays and the dedicated days for our Bible fellowships that you are able to distinguish the Muslims from the Christians amongst us. It is, therefore, not surprising to me that the solid foundation of religious tolerance that was laid for us since then has been very crucial in my unblemished and unbiased relationship with people of other faiths and beliefs to date.

The situation was not different during my sojourn in Jos, Plateau state where the Muslims and the Christians lived together happily and peacefully in the hostels and the surrounding environments. I was always thrilled and extremely proud of the state and her people whenever I walked through Adebayo Street in the Terminus area of the city to behold a church and a mosque sharing the same fence. These two places of worship (as I was rightly informed) had co-existed for several decades without any form of conflict or disagreement. The excellent care and wonderful treatments that the then Deputy Governor of the state, His Excellency, Alhaji Halilu Bala Usman (a core Muslim) and other staff of the office accorded us (my humble self and two other Christian Corps Members) throughout our service (NYSC) year will remain indelible in my heart.

To be continued tomorrow, Oise-Oghaede is a political & public policy analyst. He wrote from Suirulere, Lagos and can be reached at [email protected].

cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Why are you flagging this comment?

I disagree with this user

Targeted harassment - posted harassing comments or discussions targeting me, or encouraged others to do so

Spam - posted spam comments or discussions

Inappropriate profile - profile contains inappropriate images or text

Threatening content - posted directly threatening content

Private information - posted someone else's personally identifiable information

Before flagging, please keep in mind that Disqus does not moderate communities. Your username will be shown to the moderator, so you should only flag this comment for one of the reasons listed above.

We will review and take appropriate action.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.

Please Enable JavaScript in your Browser to Visit this Site.

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

We're Hiring!
Help Center

Education and Religious Intolerance in Nigeria: The Need for Essencism as a Philosophy

2013, Journal of Educational and Social Research

Related Papers

British Journal of Education

Bolanle . O . OYELEYE

The study examines the implications of religious intolerance on the Educational system in Nigeria. Nigeria experienced a lot of religious intolerance due to its diversity of ethnic groups and religions. Due to the narrow-mindedness, misunderstanding, extremism, and zeal of religious devotees, religion, intended to be a unifying element among many ethnic groups in Nigeria, has instead turned out to be one of the triggers destroying lives and property. Several persons have suffered bodily and psychological harm due to intolerance based on religious beliefs and practices, which has caused rifts between Nigerians of various religious backgrounds. Nigerian educational system is under threat from this turmoil. Problems of religious intolerance has hampered Nigeria's efforts to establish a standard educational system.

Journal of Cultural and Religious Studies

Peter Chineke

Journal of Educational and Social Research

Maxwell Bassey

UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities

The question of “restructuring” for national development has taken the central stage in the political, social and economic life of the Nigeria nation. This question hangs on the understanding that Nigeria as a nation is bedevilled with ethnic divisions occasioned by distrust, suspicion and perceived marginalization. To this end, arguments abound that the entity called Nigeria is not yet a nation but a creation of the erstwhile colonial masters, to favour a particular ethnic nationality. Restructuring therefore is perceived as the only veritable solution to the problem of ethnic divisions in Nigeria, as this would enhance sustainable national development. This research submits that religious education is a fundamental key for restructuring for the enhancement of national development that is sustainable and enduring. It further proposes true Federalism as a system of government that would work pari-pasu with religion to achieve this goal of restructuring for sustainable development.

Integrity Journal of Arts and Humanities

Integrity Research Journals

This paper discusses the role of religion (Islam and Christianity) and education for humanization: Nigeria in perspective. It also includes the dimensions of humanization, education in the project of humanization, religion in the humanization process, and the roles of education and religion in the humanization of Nigeria. The burden of this paper is to show how religion is crucial in this process of socialization with special emphasis on the socialization or education that must produce humane persons who have been humanized. The paper has decided to localize the task to Nigeria for the purposes of delineation and immediate relevance but with a view to generalisability. The method for gathering information in this paper is the library research method and the tools for reasoning are deductive and analytical. This will expose the roots and effects of the mammoth problems of inhumanity in Nigeria and proffer recommendations that will help in the amelioration of the problems. Recommendations include: standing by rationality in education and religion, acceptance of the fundamental equality of all human beings, demolition of suffocating prejudices and biases, agreement to be contributive producers rather than mere consumers, etc, as can be gleaned from the "evaluation".

NJOKU NKECHI

Crisis, whether political, ethnic or religious is gradually becoming a permanent feature of Nigeria communities. Consequently, the assurance of quality needed for development in twenty first century Nigeria is becoming elusive and a mirage based on occurrences of religious crisis in Nigeria. Religions connotes socio-political, cultural and spiritual phenomenon with overriding influence in individual and community life of most members of the Nigeria population, and has been often suspected and accused of anti-social activities. Many people have lost their lives and properties worth billions of naira destroyed. The perpetrators of religious crisis have been fomenting terror out of selfish ambitions. The study adopts historical, sociological and theological research approaches and data collated were sifted, critically analyzed and presented descriptively. The study showcased that various religious crises in Nigeria had causes and adverse effects on the well being of Nigerians and the d...

Religion affords a system for understanding the processes of the world and for covering contingencies with shelters of "sacrility" and "taken-for-grantedness". Unfortunately, religion has been said to be the bane of peace as against what it ought to be hence, the need for human beings to impose some cognitive order upon the chaotic disorderliness of reality to function. It is based on this understanding that this work intends to explore

Godfrey A S E K H A M H E Odoma

Religion is understood in the view of Marxism as the "opium of the masses." on the one hand, it seems to be the remedy for one's concerns and on the other, it can be accused of causing human's inhumaneism. That is the act of a man becoming a wolf to fellow man. This book, has dealt to an extent, the discussion on the influences religion may have on human existence.

STJ | Stellenbosch Theological Journal

Miracle Ajah

umor morrison

RELATED PAPERS

Aydin Sukru bengu

Journal of the Japan Society of Engineering Geology

Elisabeth Espinoza Canales

IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine

Mohamed Elshenawy

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases

Pankaj Jorwal

Guillermo Diaz

sonata christian

Revue de l’histoire des religions

bernard heyberger

Folake Longe

16.Avrillya Ananta

Jurnal Minfo Polgan

WRESTI ANDRIANI

Henk Verkuyl

Revista Ibero Americana de Estratégia

Rui Fernando C . Ferreira

International Journal of the Physical Sciences

MUHAMMAD SAMI

Journal of Analytical Toxicology

Stephen Donovan

Future Generation Computer Systems

Giandomenico Spezzano

European Journal of Biochemistry

Helmut E. Meyer

Deshinta Dewi

Anne-Claude Berthoud

Biochemical Journal

Brian Austen

Terra Latinoamericana Num 1 Vol 31

Aurelio Dominguez Lopez

International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders

Maria Ekbäck

Applied Sciences

Roberto Aguiar

Suryansh Pandey

International Journal of Engineering Research and

Tapan Doshi