Religion, Leadership, And Sustainable Development In Africa: The Nigeria Experience

Africa is the theatre of many different religious persuasions.  Nigeria, as an African country, is known to be  very religious  Although the country has no state religion, three religions are widely practiced and recognized namely: African Traditional Religion, Christianity, and Islam.  Generally speaking, every citizen subscribes to one of these major religions.  This paper argues that there is no observable commensurate development that  accompanies such religious convictions in the area of good governance.  This has resulted in the failure to harness the country’s abundant human and natural resources into meaningful developmental projects.  By examining the various teachings of Christianity and Islam in relation to leadership and governance, this work evaluates the performances of Nigerian leaders in the light of their religious persuasions. The researcher employed phenomenology in the presentation of the religious tenets; historical methods to account for various activities that negatively or otherwise impacted sustainable development of the country; and participatory- observation method to present personal observations and experiences of the researcher as a citizen of Nigeria. The paper discovered that situations could change for the better if the leaders and the led would follow the religious guidelines for successful leadership as exemplified in Christian and Islamic religion respectively. The work therefore concluded that for sustainable development, leadership qualities as taught by these two religions must be imbibed and incorporated into the acts of governance. It asserts that credible leadership will enhance sustainable development.