Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Nigeria has arguably eluded by good governance. Hardly has Nigeria shown much improvement on the indices of good governance especially in the current republic (4th republic) which has been the longest republic in the history of Nigeria. This has become worrisome to all as the situation continues to be worse than imagined. As it were, good governance as imperative as it is should be the concern of all sectors of the society. Nigeria, being a religious pluralistic country, the current research sets out to discuss the interventions of the Catholic Church in good governance in Nigeria as a part of the Nigerian society with its members as citizens of who experience the effects of bad governance. The study adopts the functionalist theory since the church is a part of the society with specific roles for the good of the whole. Virtue ethics approach is adopted also as the church’s social teaching emphasizes virtues that promote good governance. Data were gathered majorly from secondary sources. The study finds out that the church has been concerned about the happenings in the governance stance of the country through especially the body of Bishops. Although, these interventions were mostly verbal and scripted, they are very salient for any nation that intends to achieve good governance. The study recommends that the church should not relent in serving as the conscience of the society and voice of the voiceless. Efforts should be made at preparing and supporting godly candidates and not necessarily sitting on the fence during electioneering.

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