Religious violence in Nigeria: An obstacle to effective public service delivery

In Nigeria, despite the lofty programmes embarked upon by different administrations to better the lives of Nigerian citizens, the extent to which these services are provided, in most cases, has remained stuck in swampy ground because of the pervasiveness of religion. Departing from the underlying causes approach, this study undertakes an analytical inquiry into how religious violence has hindered the smooth operation of public service delivery in Nigeria. A logical method of analysis was adopted. Findings showed that religious violence has remained endemic in the country since the last two decades. The adherents of the two dominant religions in Nigeria – Christianity and Islam – have fought more wars than they had sought peace. This has deterred the government’s efforts in providing the required services that will benefit the Nigerian people. In view of these findings, the study recommends reforming the structure of the public sector and personnel management in Nigeria in a way that would help to check incidences of religion-based violence among the citizens. Contribution: One of the most important is ignorance or a lack of understanding of the teachings of the faith being maintained by Christians or Muslims. Despite the government’s numerous initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians, execution has remained a struggle because of considerations related to religious beliefs.