Religion, Leadership And Sustainable Development In Nigeria

This study examines the socio-cultural contexts of religion, leadership and sustainable development in the light of contemporary Nigeria experience. Religion is one of the institutions in the humanities that make a consistent, committed and sustainable development in Nigeria. Political office holders often drew on religious ideas, practices and symbols as tools of negotiation with the electorate during political campaigns. Candidates are often chosen based on their religious rhetoric and affiliations. Nigeria as a nation has failed to achieve its sustainable development due to misplaced priorities, corruption, and ignorance, lack of close monitoring of infrastructural assets, poor funding and implementation of projects by the leadership elites. The paper adopts descriptive and historical approaches in its analysis. The paper reveals that political leaders deploy religion as a tool in gaining political positions in Nigeria. The paper concludes that in order to help salvage Nigerian situation from decay and persistent lack of sustainable development, social dynamics of religion should be articulate under filial devotion, obligation and social reorientation.