ENGAGING THE AFRICAN DEITIES IN THE NIGERIAN POLITICAL THEATRE: TOWARDS FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The role of religion in national development in African in continent is something to be reckoned with. Religion in Nigeria has played a very significant role in governance, even in the selection of leaders. Nigeria is referred to as a nation of high religious tenets with the clear presence of three dominant religions; Christianity, Islam and traditional religions. With its religious presence in almost every aspects of governance, one would have expected greater developmental strides as most of the leaders of the nation profess one form of the religions (Christianity or Islam) or the other and also because of the teachings of these faiths, but reverse seems to be the case. Most public officeholders take oaths using either the Holy Bible or the Holy Quran before the commencement of their service to the nation, but it seems they quickly forget the implication of that vow. This paper aims at x-raying the reasons behind the non-commitment to the vows by the public officers and also to propose the engagement of African deities in oath-taking which comes with immediate repercussions to defaulters. This study was carried out through a careful study of the African deities, their functions and responses to oaths taken before them. Sources of this study were basically the submissions of African scholars on African deities in books and journal articles. Results from the study revealed that active involvement of the deities in the political theatre will propel conscious commitment to stewardship from the political officeholders, as the judgment of the deities is claimed to be instant, thereby keeping the political officeholders always in check.

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