The Proliferation of Churches in Modern Nigeria: A Socio-Political and Economic Reconsiderations

Abstract

The Nigeria geo-political landscape is dotted with the presence of various Christian churches and ministries to the chagrin of even onlooker. What teases the imagination of Nigerians is that in spite of the presence of these Christian churches and ministries, Nigeria is notoriously noted for corruption. It is this bewildering situation that elicited the researcher to beginning a critical investigations of the phenomenon of proliferation of Churches in Nigeria. The researcher finds histo-sociological and philosophical method relevant in executing the research. At the end of the research, the findings yield that the proliferation of churches and ministries in Nigeria is occasioned by variety of factors depending on historical epoch [pre-independent period, the 1960’s -1970’s, 1970’s -1980’s and 1980 to the present]. Notably, the 1980’s period made it obvious that it was economic down-turn that gave birth to such Christian churches and groups. The new church groups therefore became somewhat an escape route for the timing population of Nigerians, more especially the youth, who could no longer find future in Nigerian polity and society.  Here the church offered and still offers hope in a seeming forlorn situations. The conclusion of this work therefore is in spite of the various criticism levelled against the mushrooming of churches and ministries in the Nigerian geo-political scenery, their presence has been quite relevant in maintain stability as Nigeria would have been more awful than the European society of Thomas Hobbes’s description.

Keywords: The Proliferation, Churches, Modern Nigeria, Socio-Political, Economic.