Interrogating Religious Identity and Politics in Nigeria

Religion is at the centre of the circle of African way of life including politics. The relationship between politics and religion is age-long, not in Africa alone but also in the entire world. The African experience is distinctive in the sense that, Africans are more religiously conscious that it goes a long way in affecting politics. Many Africans today hold religious beliefs alongside political beliefs. These religious beliefs form the religious culture which does not only control the way of life but also politics, and astute political leaders have used religion as a means to achieving their political goals. This paper examined religious identity and politics in Nigeria with a scope that spans from 2011 to 2019. It queried why it is almost impossible to achieve a dichotomy between politics and religion in Nigeria. Guided by relational dialogism theory, this paper explores the link between religious identity and politics. It showed a strong and symmetric relation between religious identity and politics and concluded that politics and religion are two sides of a coin. The paper recommended that politics-religion dichotomy, if possible, is not necessary as both are complimentary in the pursuit of a better society.