LIBERATION THEOLOGY, POLITICS AND SOCIOECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT: SOME HISTORICAL THOUGHTS ON NIGERIA'S SITUATION

Scholars have argued that throughout history people have been empowered by the liberating biblical faith instilling in them the resolve to survive political harshness, poverty, ethnicity, sexism, racism, discriminations, bigotry and many forms of injustice. In the case of Nigeria, this played a prominent role in the liberation struggle during the colonial period especially in the area of interrogation and critique of the bases of colonial leadership. This paper therefore examines the reality of liberation theology, politics and socioeconomic empowerment nexus in the postcolonial Nigerian setting. Data obtained from primary and secondary sources were deployed to carry out the study with an analytical and narrative historical method. Findings indicate that although liberation struggle played prominent role in wrestling power and checking political activities during the colonial period, however in the post-colonial period the same theology has become a tool of manipulation and enslavement of large majority of the people. This is evident in the fact that religious institutions in Nigeria failed in her role of interrogating and providing the well needed critique for good leadership practice. In this way, it has failed to eschew transparency, accountability and probity in the quest for economic and social-political transformation. It also found out that unlike in the colonial period when the priests and pastors were actively involved in the struggle, the case now is that a large chunk of them have limited their activities to the pulpit arguing that politic and socioeconomic empowerment of the people is outside their scope of practice. This act has substantially hampered the socio-economic development of the nation at large.

Open Full Text (PDF)