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society. Owing to harmful effects of religious discourage laziness, balancing religion and
fundamentalism in Nigeria, certain norms of reason will enable religious groups encourage
cultural discrimination and civil disabilities had people, especially its members to embark on
been imposed on some citizens because of farming by providing fertilizer and soft loans to
their religious affiliations. In the words of Ugwu, them. The members would also encourage the
“Some zealous Muslims have corrupted the farmers by buying their harvested goods. This
original koranic meaning of the Jihad and will better Nigeria, instead of using religion to
introduced the principle of holy war in order to preach against farming.
spread Islam by force” (24).Religious extremism
is caused by the inability to balance religion and Conclusion and Recommendations.
reason.

Striking a balance between religion and reason,
Improving Nigeria as a Nation Through Nigeria as a country will grow for good. It will
Balancing Religion and Reason. provide much needed incentives for indulging
in productive activities. Owing to this
In economic terms, one of the cardinal aims of argument, it is necessary to bring out some
development is to realise economic self- recommendations in an attempt to balance
reliance accomplished through intensive rural religion and reason; people should desist from
farming and the articulation of other imposing their religion on other people,
productive forces to place the nation in sound especially people who do not share their belief.
economic footing. If religion and reason are The Government should live up to their
balanced in this Country, religious groups will responsibility of maintaining peace and order in
work in collaboration with the Directorate for the society by ensuring that the educational
Rural Development, Road and system at all levels in Nigeria include
Infrastructural Facilities so as to meet in its curriculum, values and
the needs of citizens. Another role practices of the various ethnicities
religion has played in national with emphasis on their common
development is in the educational features. Religious leaders should
sector. Religious groups have been endeavour to contain extremists
involved in the educational sector of within their midst and ensure that
this country through the provision of they monitor their adherents so that
schools, however, the knowledge they will not practice their religion to
being disseminated in these the detriment of other people’s
institutions is subject to criticism as religion. When we are able to
some of the fruits of this institutions reasonably practice our religions as
are handicapped when it comes to individual Nigerians and as groups,
morality and social l upbringing. the benefits would be numerous.
Educational sector in this country'
has experienced incessant strikes.

One of the banes of the nation is lack
of political education among the
leaders shown by rabid display of
power, and funnily enough, most of these
Political leaders belong to one religion or the
other in Nigeria. Balancing religion and reason
will provide the maturity to educate people on
their role as citizens of the country so as to
reduce the bad leadership the country is Works Cited
experiencing. Moreover, religious groups in this Johnstone, Roland. Religion in society: A sociology of religion.
country have been doing their best to see that Prentice Hall, 2001.
our country is a better place to live in. It has been Kukah, Mathew. Religion, politics and power in Northern
Nigeria. Spectrum Books. 1993.
providing and helping people to have good Kukah, Mathew.Religious militancy and Self-Assertion: Islam
health care services, for example, Divine Mercy and Politics in Nigeria.Avebury and Ashgate, 1996.
Hospital Shendam, and many others built by Meynil, Thomas. Reasoning and Philosophy. Gryuter, 1987.
Ugwu, Jovita. Man and his religion in a contemporary society.
religious groups. This can be improved if Chuka Educational Publishers.1993.
religion and reason are balanced in this country.
In addition, Agriculture is an important sector of
Nigeria and, since most of the religious groups