BENEATH THE SACRED MIND: A PSYCHOANALYTIC INTERPRETATION OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN SELECTED PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT: Many African states, Nigeria among them, continue to suffer from poor governance and rising insecurity. In 2025 Nigeria scored 26 out o1f 100 on the Corruption Perceptions Index, and in 2026 it was ranked the fourth most terrorism-affected country in the world. This situation has renewed scholarly interest in what religious traditions can offer to public life. This article examines the teachings of the Old Testament prophets as a theological resource for good governance and national security in African Chr1istianity. The study adopts a qualitative design which combines library and Internet-based resea1rch with exegetical analysis of Deuteronomy 16:18-20, Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Amos 5:21-24 and Amos 8:1-14. It is guided by two frameworks: covenantal kingship theology and the prophetic imagination. The covenant lawsuit (rib) motif is used as a hermeneutical brid1ge between ancient Israel and present-day Africa. The study finds that the selected texts teach five related principles: justice, accountability, impartiality, restrained power and car1e for the vulnerable. It also finds that the prophets treated national security as the fruit of justice and not of military strength alone. When these principles are set beside current evidence of corruption, electoral weakness, banditry and the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency, the prophetic tradition offers African Christianity a clear language for confronting bad governance. The article argues that the Church should move beyond charity alone towards steady structural critique and constructive civic engagement. It recommends leadership formation in churches, reform of theological curricula, ecumenical peacebuilding, financial accountab1ility within churches and further exegetical research. Keywords: Old Testament Prophecy; Good Governance; National Security; African Christianity; Nigeria