DEMOCRACY AND WESTERN IMPERIALISM: TOWARDS DECOLONIZING RELIGIONISM IN NIGERIA

• Published in: Journal of Liberty and International Affairs (Bitola) 2023-07, Vol.9 (2), p.312-331
• Main Authors: Ottuh, Peter O. O, Eneji Ogar, Thomas, Ahowbewon Ajimase, Angela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administrative Law; Asylum, Refugees, Migration as Policy-fields; Civil Society; Comparative politics; Decolonization; Democracy; Developing nations; Dominance; Economic policy; Exploitation; Freedom of religion; Geopolitics; Globalization; Governance; Government/Political systems; Historical analysis; History and theory of political science; Imperialism; Indigenous languages; Inter-Ethnic Relations; International Law; International relations/trade; Languages; Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence; Methodology and research technology; Military policy; Nationalism Studies; Nigeria; Peace and Conflict Studies; Political behavior; Political economy; Political psychology; Political Sciences; Political Theory; Politics; Politics / Political Sciences; Politics and communication; Politics and Identity; Politics and law; Politics and religion; Politics and society; Politics of History/Memory; Presumptions; Public Administration; Public Law; Religion; Religionism; Religious education; Security and defense; Social Theory; Welfare services; Welfare systems; Western Imperialism
• ISSN: 1857-9760; 1857-9760
• DOI: 10.47305/JLIA2392406o

The way allied Western nations protect their interests has been a major problem and factor in the demise of governance and democracy in the Nigerian state and other African nations. This has made Nigeria’s democracy, like that of other African countries, unstable since independence. Therefore, this article examined Western imperialism, which used religion as a tool and barrier to a strong, viable democracy in Nigeria. The article used critico-historical analysis as a method. The results showed that although Western imperialism and globalization, along with religion, have an expansionist and civilizing nature, they have also exhibited traits of dominance over other countries and systems of governance, thus making democracy weak and less rewarding. We argued that Nigeria’s democracy and religion must be independent and self-sufficient to avoid Western exploitation and imperialism and provide a context for religious inculturation. We concluded that for Nigeria and other African nations to thrive in true and strong democracies, religion should be decolonized through pulling down colonial religious presumptions, de-internationalization of religion, reorientation of religious education, restoration of indigenous languages, authentication of religious freedom, non-governmental funding of religion, and provision of theologically motivated research to a more legitimate position within religionism.