THE ROLES OF THE STATE IN THE REGULATION OF FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Freedom of religion in Nigeria is enshrined in section 38, 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in a tripartite provision; Freedom of Conscience, Thought and Religion. In addition, section 10 of the same Constitution provides that Nigeria is a secular state. However, it would be unsafe to leave said right to freedom of religion, as sensitive as it, unregulated. Therefore, the state has the duty to regulate and checkmate the exercise of the said right. This paper aimed at appraising the duty of the state in regulating the freedom of religion in the country. We adopted the doctrinal method in carrying out the study, which included the use of primary and secondary sources. We discovered that, though Nigeria is a secular state, it is involved in the affairs of the two predominant religions in the state, Christianity and Islam. This bias has created a lot of loopholes in the system, which has paved way to corruption, loss of lives and property, amongst others. We recommended that the State should maintain a neutral status as a secular state as stated in her Constitution. This will help her regulate and checkmate religious activities without bias, by so doing, majority of the problems caused by religion will be solved once and for all.