Roles of Pentecostalism in the Political and Economic Development of Nigeria between 1999 and 2015

Abstract

Nigeria is a country that is shaken by recurrent socio-economic and political crises, which started right 
after the implementation of the structural adjustment program since the early 1980s under the military 
regimes. A number of scholars have argued that religion played a crucial role in the political truce that 
ushered in the democratic government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. This paper 
analyzes the extent to which Pentecostalism became instrumental to the political and economic 
development of Nigeria. Pentecostalism became more involved in politics, establishing itself as a 
crucial force in political decision-making at the national level. Relative Deprivation theory is used to 
explain the popularity of the Pentecostal movement and reason for their involvement in the Nigerian 
politics. The paper also uses descriptive analysis to identify the role of Pentecostalism in the political 
development of Nigeria between 1999 and 2015. The democratization of the media in addition to the 
wealth and size of Pentecostal churches encouraged the growth of Pentecostalism, but also heightened 
religious tensions in Nigeria. Many Nigerians have turned to the new faith in an attempt to access its 
perceived spiritual, social, economic, and political rewards. The permutation of the theocratic class 
that by gaining political power to stop the killings of Christians in the northern part of the country has 
failed to achieve the solution to peacebuilding.