RELIGION AND POLITICS IN NIGERIA- A great mistake which can not be easily shapen. A britain fault.

RELIGION AND POLITICS IN NIGERIA- A great mistake which can not be easily shapen. A britain fault. edited by ALEX .C.O. The two themes can hardly be separated as a component of a society. The religious practice of a given society has it as one of its main sources of the constitution, which governs the political behaviour of the society. If critically saying, the politics must go in line with the provisions of the religious norms. Now, in the case of Nigeria, what becomes her fate as she has more than one religious practice which is part of her political crisis and instability? The problem of church and state has to do with institutions and the spheres of actions that are appropriate for each. Here, the concept of separation is valid as Kenneth Cauthen notes: Citizens who belong to religious groups are also members of the circular society which the dual association generates complications. It can be noted above, that what Cauthen said is an undoubted truth. Religion has greater influence in the behavior of individuals, these individuals also influence the politics of the society. The basic principle of the separation of religion and politics is widely misunderstood and misinterpreted, if one examines its root in Islam and governance. The idea of separation of religion and the state is significantly different among christians and christian nations among their musleum counterpart. It has been a long standing issue right from the history of the world, even in creation. A spritually minded individual will trace the war among the two religious group in Nigeria to the eras of Abraham and his sons. Historians and philosophers will lay the blames of political instability of Nigeria to the rough amalgamation done or carried out by the Britains in 1914. These two religious groups can never stay in peace in a cycled entity like Nigeria. Check the differences in beliefs, norms, values, cultures. The Christians have a diverse understanding of religion so to the musleum, whereas, these religious groups come together to make a united entity with different constitutional beliefs. That is why the issue of politics and religion and its impact in Nigeria has been a long standing issue. The impact of religion on politics in Nigeria, where roughly half the population is musleum and other half christian, has been an important part of academic discourse and commentaries. Kalu .O. stated that "religion is woven into the fabrics of politics and provides the compelling touchstone of legitimacy or the love of the ruler by the ruled. Considering the secularism and the multi-ethnic composition of Nigerian state, the undeniable link between religion and politics has been a catalyst for political crisis, instability and intra-ethnic and religious tension. Alex Jude opined that "the issues of catalysts in Nigerian politics arose from the link in politics and religion in Nigeria. And can be traceable to the blind inter-mingling and togetherness of Christians and muslems by the Britain". He went further saying that "the Britain out of selfish desire mingled and tagged these societies one so as to gain what has always been their motive- the economic desire and the labour force". Toyin Falola's violence in Nigeria reveals the central role that religion plays in the ethnic nationalism and violence that has confronted Nigeria since the 1980's. Indeed, major cases of violence in the 1980's and 1990's including the Maitatsine riot in Kano which claimed thousands of lives have a direct link to the mjor division in Nigeria. The worst of such incident in the city of Kaduna in 2000 resulted in the massacre of thousands of people. If I may say, Politics in Nigeria is bestowed on the shoulders of religion. And for there to be a peaceful co-existence, each of these groups should be given a considerate territory.