In many parts of the world, religion provides people with social solidarity and strong feelings of belonging. It also establishes and legitimizes forms of social order by prescribing the norms, practices and behaviours that actuate shared identities. Most religious teachings stipulate sanctions for undesired conduct as well as rewards for accepted behaviour.
As the most populous country in Africa and one of the continent’s most religious, Nigeria’s religious identities and practices are a crucial lens for understanding social relations and phenomena. A 2017 Afrobarometer survey on religion in Africa found that 56 per cent of respondents in Nigeria identified as Christian and 42 per cent identified as Muslim. Fewer than 5 per cent of respondents in Nigeria said they identified with other or no religious beliefs. As an indication of religious participation, 49 per cent of Nigerians taking part in the Afrobarometer survey said that they were active members of religious groups that met outside of regular worship services, while 10 per cent of those surveyed described themselves as leaders in their religious communities.
In Nigeria, religious beliefs, identities and practices are very public social markers and animate everyday behaviours and interactions. From social events to workplace meetings, the demonstration of a belief in a divine being that determines fortunes and outcomes as well as apportioning rewards and punishments is highly visible across the country. Religious organizations also play a vital role in Nigeria, often providing social services, financial support and the means for social mobility to adherents.
Many religious organizations in Nigeria fill a critical gap in service provision left by the general failings of state governance and poor funding of public institutions at federal, subnational and local levels.
Many religious organizations in Nigeria fill a critical gap in service provision left by the general failings of state governance and poor funding of public institutions at federal, subnational and local levels. Services and benefits provided by religious organizations can be thought of as ‘club goods’, as they tend to provide exclusive benefits for members of the relevant religious community. For example, services provided at a church or a mosque are limited to its members (i.e. Christians or Muslims, respectively). However, religious organizations may also provide broader public goods where state social safety nets are lacking or absent, by generating non-excludable benefits for an entire community through charity and social services. So religious organizations in Nigeria often provide a range of both club goods (i.e. exclusive to their members) and public goods (i.e. benefiting other community members – for example, food donations or free medical check-ups for people in need, irrespective of their religious beliefs).
Religious communities provide a sense of belonging, and religious teachings, particularly associated with various Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, promise adherents material prosperity as a direct consequence of their faith in God. Therefore, success in business, politics, career or life generally and material wealth are typically viewed as divine rewards that should be acknowledged through reciprocal giving (including the giving of public funds) to the religious community. The exponential growth of Pentecostal movements in Nigeria over recent decades has deepened the belief that holiness is evidenced by prosperity, and this has combined with norms of giving to religious leaders and community, as well as social pressures to demonstrate material prosperity. These social norms and pressures can provide a justification for, rather than criticism of, corrupt behaviour.
Correspondingly, while reformist Islam in Nigeria emphasizes frugality, it also emphasizes charity to one’s religious community in the form of zakat, which is a mandatory obligation for all Muslims to contribute a portion of their wealth to charitable causes. Zakat is considered a form of worship and is expected in Islam. It is determined by wealth and income and it translates literally as ‘to purify’ – referring to the purification of the wealth of the rich by assigning a portion of it to the poor, not just as a gift, but as a recognition of that portion of wealth as belonging to the poor. In accordance with the teaching of Islam, it is considered morally wrong and objectionable (impure) for a person to acquire any wealth and consume it ‘alone’. Therefore, zakat is a core Islamic belief and practice that serves the twin purposes of providing for the poor while also redistributing wealth – a sort of mechanism for providing social protection. The purpose of giving obligatory zakat and voluntary sadaqa (almsgiving) is to show solidarity with the global Muslim community, support the collective well-being of an individual’s community and also secure the good fortune associated with charity.
