JOURNAL
OF
RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF UYO, UYO, NIGERIA
ISSN 1125-6671
VOL. VI. NO.1., JUNE, 2008
LIBERATION THEOLOGY VIS-A-VIS NIGERIA'S SOCIO-POLITICAL
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
BY
DR. PIUS OYENIRAN ABIOJE
Department of Religions,
University of llorin,
INTRODUCTION
Nigeria is described as a nation flowing with milk and honey being
endowed with abundance of human and mineral resources. Yet, many
Nigerians are said to be striving to relocate abroad, particularly to Europe
and America. That desertion in because along with fertile lands, petroleum
and other mineral resources there is lack of social justice resulting in
oppression exploitation and impoverization of the overwhelming majority of
Nigerians. Consequently, brain-drain represents the reality for Nigeria as
millions of able-bodied Nigerians seek to escape degradation, hunger,
misery, and a waste of human potentialities and abilities. Pervaded with
socio-economic evils, such as bribery, nepotism, misappropriation of public
funds and armed-robbery, Nigeria can be said to have become a country
where one can hardly find truthfulness, kindness, justice and mercy.
The critical concern of this study is that not many Church leaders can
be found to be addressing issues that are related to socio-political and
economic justice, possibly due to the pretext of ignorance that churches are
supposed to be concerned only with spiritual matters. The argument of this
article is that churches in Nigeria should engage in liberation theology, as
overwhelming number of Nigerians need liberation from oppressive forces.
Should Christians then deny their responsibilities as Church to be viewed as
allies of the rich and the powerful who live extravagantly at the expense of
common citizens? In the course of the research for this paper, some
respondents said they got the impression that liberation theology died
along with the dismantling of communism in Russia in the 1980s. This
study discovers that when liberation theology emerged in the Roman
Catholic Church in Latin America, it did not enjoy, the unflinching support
of the churches' highest magisterium that is based in Rome, which could
have given the theology a serious universal appeal in the Roman Catholic
Church, as a good start toward convincing other churches. Udeaja
Nebechukwu notes how in Latin America, the Catholic Church which
should have protected people's rights allied itself with the rich and the
powerful.1 It would thus seem that the reluctance of the various
ecclesiastical authorities to embrace liberation theology has affected its
fortune, so to say. William M. Ramsay notes how Gustavo Gutierrez, who
is acknowledged in many academic circles to be the greatest exponent of
liberation theology, was attacked by both the Vatican and the Roman
Catholic Peruvian hierarcy.2 Yet, one would have thought that since
human liberation is the raison d'etre of Christianity, the Chinch should not
throw away both the baby and the bath water, even if some liberation
theologians err. Sweetland appears to have a balanced opinion, when he
notes:
Liberation theology seeks to recover the
Christian commitment to transforming the world
being part of and marking a contribution to the
kingdom of God, and social justice... liberation
theologians should be praised for urging all
Christians to take seriously the obligation to work
for a better political and social order. They
must remember however, that no one social
or economic system is endorsed by the
gospel itself.3
The argument of his paper therefore, is that Christians in Nigeria
should promote the ideals of liberation theology even though the theology
originated in another land. Part of being human seems to be sharing of
progressive ideas and learning from one another with appreciation and
acknowledgement. In the findings of this study, Nigeria is a country where
many innocent and responsible persons suffer from personal and structural
sins. Mercy Amba Oduyoye notes that "a salvation-history approach to
theology might well be what Nigeria calls for."4 It suffices at this stage to note;
that in the Old Testament, the Prophets, such as Moses and Samuel, were
concerned about the socio-political and economic well-being of the people
of God. The Lord Jesus is also quoted as warning His disciples against "the
yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod" (Mark 8:15). For avoidance of
doubt, it should be noted that Herod was a king of Judea, and the Pharisees
were said to be a set of religious leaders who were socio-politic, influential in
their own ways. Thus, the warning by Jesus has a socio political and
spiritual significance. One's understanding is that if evangelization is to have a
real meaning, evangelizers should discharge the mission of Jesus Christ,
who was sent to set captives free, and give sight to the blind in the sense
of informing the ignorant who are exploited and marginalise on the ground of
their ignorance.
This study unfolds under three sub-headings, viz., Forces of
Oppression and Exploitation in Nigeria; The Political Impact of the Church
in Nigeria, and Application of Liberation Theology to the Nigerian Situation.
FORCES OF OPPRESSION AND EXPLOITATION IN NIGERIA
In contemporary Nigeria, people speak of neo-colonialism, to
express the reality that foreign exploiters are colluding with the internal ones
in and out of government to shortchange common Nigerians politically
and economically. A typical example may suffice. It was reported in
December, 2003, that foreigners were dumping their goods on Nigeria,
based on an agreement with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It
was stated that "while some countries negotiated some 5000 exemptions
on the type of goods that could be imported into their shores, Nigeria
negotiated only 30 exemptions"6 No doubt, many foreigners lobby with
bribe to secure licences for their goods to reach international markets,
and many of the Nigerian leaders are said to be steep in bribery and
corruption. No wonder, Nigeria is a dumping ground for generators and
rechargeable lamps, instead of making the National Electric Power
Authority (NEPA), or what is now called Power Holding Company of
Nigeria (PHCN), to function stably. No wonder, Nigeria prefers to import
refined petroleum rather than refining enough of it within her own territory,
in spite of being the sixth largest exporter of etude petroleum.
More often than not many Africans accuse the International
Monetary Fund (INF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation (WTO),
and other multinational corporations of being Africa's worst enemies, as
the instruments of Western exploitation. But the West sometimes
express disgust at the level of corruption displayed by many third world
leaders, lyabosa Uwugiaren quoted the World Bank for instance as
saying that the "Abuja Stadium contract should not be more than
N19billion", while it was noted that the government of President
Obasanjo "spent close to N100 billion". In the same report, Uwugiaren
noted how Britain's Foreign and International Development Department
was convinced that "55 percent of the corruption in Nigeria is
perpetrated in the presidency." Uwugiaren concluded by commenting
that: "With revelations from the National Assembly and several contract
award scandals, the President Olusegun Obasanjo regime may be
deceiving Nigerians with its anti-corruption crusade"7
In a similar vein, Senan John Murray reported how Usman
Bugaje, the Chairman of the House of Representatives' Committee on
Foreign Affairs took swipes at President Olusegun Obasanjo for
insisting on acquiring another 10 billion naira jet for the presidential
fleet, without consideration for the poor condition of Nigerian workers and
the bad state of the national infrastructure. Much more crucially, Bugaje
was quoted as saying that it was retrogressive to spend 30 percent of the
national budget to service foreign debts, as indicated in the 2004 budget
proposal. Foreign debts are said to be the most debilitating factor against
Nigeria's economy. Bugaje would like "a parliamentary public hearing to
let Nigerians know those that took the loans on their behalf and what the
loans were used for, to determine whether or not the burden of payment of
the debts should now be borne by them."8 Of course, the questions not
likely to be answered, but they might point to the fact that Nigerians would
one day ask sensitive and critical questions to which realistic answers
must be provided by the rulers. Part of what liberation theology is about is
asking such critical questions in relation to the reality of God and the Holy
Scripture.
May scholars have observed that leadership has been the bane of
Africa's socio-political and economic breakthrough Joseph Stigliz notes, for
instance, that:
Botswana was helped by having diamonds, but countries like
Congo Republic (formerly Zaire), Nigeria, and Sierra Leone
were also rich in resources, in those countries, the wealth
from this abundance fueled corruption and spawned
privileged elite that engaged in internecine struggles for
control of each country's wealth.9
In practical terms, that means that official corruption and
embezzlement of public funds among the rank and file of public officials have
shattered the economic chances of the overwhelming majority of African',
The consequences of the financial corruption, with particular reference to
Nigeria, include scarcity of job opportunities, gross retrenchment, and abject
poverty. The crippling corruption has also led to meager provision of
infrastructure, and dilapidation due to improper or non-maintenance; of the
amenities that were achieved in the colonial and post-colonial era of 1960s
and early 1970s. Many elderly Nigerians would testify that there was life in
abundance in that period, when compared with what has been happening
from late 1970s till date.
Nowadays, frustration, hypertension, death front curable disease, poverty,
hunger, armed robbery, homicide and suicide rampant. Nasir El-Rufai,
Nigeria's minister for the Federal Capital Territory, observed that nearly
eighty million Nigerians live below the poverty line. 1 0 Liberation
theology cherishes and emphasises such awareness and conscientization
of the populace.
Political Impact of the Church in Nigeria
As a matter of fact, several Christian leaders occupy influential
positions and have regular contacts with political leaders. A good
percentage of the Nigeria civil servants belong to various churches
under diverse pastors. But, as Anya O. Anya is quoted as saying:
Despite the presence of high profile Christians in the
corridors of power and in spite of the regular procession of
Christian leaders visiting and worshipping with our president,
his ministers and other men of power, there has neon no
noticeable change in the march of evil in our nation because
Christian leaders have not reproved and refused evil.'
That was the type of experience that led to the re discovery of
liberation theology in Latin America, where the Roman Catholic population
was more than ninety percent, yet the gap between the rich and the poor was
so wide. Conscientious and humane Christians started asking. Why should
there be so much exploitation and marginalization among a people whose
majority were Roman Catholic Christians? They found as attempt at solution
in liberation theology, which basically, emphasizes a fundamental option for
supporting the cause of the poor, as God has done for His people, Israel, not
only when He saved them from the Egyptians, but throughout their history in
the promised land. As H.M. Conn notes, liberation theology "seeks to
interpret the Christian faith from the perspective of the poor and the
oppressed."12 In many cases, God had saved His people through the
instrumentality of some leaders and selfless citizens. Liberation theology
intends to make every Christian to be such an instrument.
Application of Liberation Theology to the Nigerian Situation
Most liberation theologians hold that the traditional form of theology
has served the interest of the Church in the sense of proclaiming the paschal
mystery, convincing people, sometimes in an apologetically manner, that
Jesus is the Lord and Saviour of the world, through whom alone human
beings can be saved. The impression is very often created that Jesus Christ
had completed the work of human salvation, and all that remained was for
churches to amass members in His name, for administration of sacraments
and words of eternal life. Liberation theology, while not depreciating the old
form of Christian theology, tries to emphasise the conviction that the Lord
Jesus expects His followers to continue the work of liberation of human
beings, from every force that oppresses, exploits and dehumanizes them.
The word "salvation" is substituted with "liberation" to underscore the
viewpoint of liberation theologians that human salvation should be wholistic,
embracing body and soul, rather than salus animnnim alone, as apparently
implied in the traditional approach to theology. There may be no greater
evidence that the Lord Jesus was concerned with human body and soul than
occasions when He was reported to have fed the crowd with bread and fish
after feeding them with words of eternal life (e.g. Mt. 15:32-38) Gustavo
Gutierrez, explaining the point raised here about the traditional form of
Christian theology observed that:
Theology seems to have avoided for a long time
reflecting on the conflictual character of human
history, the confrontations among men, social
classes, and countries. St. Paul continuously
reminds us, however, of the paschal core of Christian
existence and of all of human life: the passage from
the old man to the new, from sin to grace from slavery
to freedom.13
Gutierrez awoke the Christian world to the importance of liberation
theology with the publication in Spanish of his Teologia de la Liberation.
Perspectivas, in 1971. The American edition was published in 1973,
followed by the British edition in 1974, title: A Theology of Liberation. In the
words of Rogar Haight:
This book canonized the label of liberation theology and won
worldwide attention as one of the most influential books of
the decade of the 1970's. By virtue of this book, Gutierrez
became the acknowledged leader of the liberation theology
movement.14
In Guterrez's own words:
The theology of liberation offers us not so much a new
theme for reflection as a new way to do theology ....
This is a theology that does not stop with reflecting on
the world, but rather tries to be part of the process
through which the world is transformed. It is a
theology which is open in the protest against
trampled human dignity, in the struggle against the
plunder of the vast majority of people, in liberating
love, and in the building of a new, just, and fraternal
society to the gift of the kingdom of God. 15
The aim of liberation theology is to gear-up the Church and all Christians to
put in sharp focus, the need to work for human liberation from oppression,
exploitation, and all forms of inhumanity of human beings to fellow human
beings. This purpose almost coincides with the Marxist vision of creating a
world in which human beings would share the good things of life, rather
than the jungle law of the survival of the shrewdest, but not the Utopian idea
Of an absolutely classless state. Liberation theology appreciates Karl Marx’s
concern about human selfishness, and the necessity to confront wicked
persons, but not his unreserved condemnation of religion. It appears
unrealistic for any Christian to swallow hook-line-and sinker the entire ideas
of Karl Marx. Thus, the fear that is expressed in some ; remote cause in
conservatism rather than in the tendency of liberation theologians to
adopt some Marxist principles. It seems that some of the philosophy of Karl
Marx coincides with that of Jesus Christ, with particular reference to
concern for the downtrodden and hatred for wicked exploitation of human
beings who are created in the imago Dei. No wonder Haight noted that:
On the one hand, some liberation theologians know
very little of Marx or Marxism and have merited the
connection simply because they described the
situation of the poor and respond to it. On the other
hand, others have studies Marxist thought and use it
as a vehicle to analyze society in much the same
way as in any department of social science in
European and North American Universities.
Encouraged by Vatican II to dialogue with Marxists
(G. S. 3 21.43,92), some liberation theologians use
Marxist language, but no liberation theologian has
incorporated an integral Marxist vision of reality,
which would be incompatible with Christian faith.16
Even though liberation theology is said to benefit a lot from the insights
provided by the Second Vatican Council the official Catholic Church
hashardly embraced it.
The basic preoccupation of liberation theologians, such as Juan
Luis Segundo, Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, and John Sobrino, is:
"Urging all Christians to take seriously the obligation to work for a better
political and social order."17 The socio-political and economic situation of the
poor in Nigeria indicate that the Church in the country is seriously
challenged to work for human liberation through what liberation theologians
call "praxis". In the words of Dennis Sweetland:
Praxis refers to those human activities which are
capable of transforming reality and society, and thus
making the world more human. It is the action that is
directed to changing economic and social
relationships. Liberation theologians argue that
Christians must not accept an oppressive situation."'
Many Christians may be scared of a revolution in the violent sense
of it, but words alone are seldom effective. Hence not only did Jesus Christ
call Herod a fox (Luke 13:31-32). He also used the whip against those who
turned God's house into a "robbers' den" (Mt. 21:2; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk 19:4546 and Jn. 2"1'3-15). There should be no confusion about the mention of
"God's house", since what matters is the lesson that Jesus was angry
against what He perceived to be a vexatious occurrence. Thus, even
though Christians may not desire a violent revolution, they are expected to
protect unjust situations that dehumanize homo sapiens. They should
initiate protests, encourage protests, and join in protests, alone) with
preaching love, brotherhood, compassion, mercy and dialogue. The Lord,
Jesus Christ, appears to be a very balanced person, as He is quoted as
saying that a person should be "cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as
doves" (Mt. 10:16). Richard Shaull observed that:
Our advanced technological society is rapidly
making objects of most of us and subtly
programming us into conformity to the logic of its
system. To the degree that this happens, we are also
becoming submerged in a new ‘culture of silence’.19
That programming of people into a culture of silence may explain why the
oppressed class in Nigeria cannot be seen to give adequate support to
human rights activists. Olisa Agbakoba, a human rights lawyer, noted that
exploited Nigerians had not reached the point where they would rise up as
in Chile, Cuba and in the Philippines.20 Gani Fawehinmi explained the
difficulty involved here, saying:
The problem with Nigerians is that they worship
authority too much; they worship official-dom too
much; they worship people in power too much and
that is why the people in power cheat them and that is
why they lord things over them ... Those who are in
position of power should be made to be servants of
the people, and if they don't serve, people should
be on the streets to chase them out, through mass
demonstrations ... I mean we should begin the
culture of resistance against the misuse of power.21
Beyond mass demonstration, MCK Ajuluchukwu has predicated a
violent revolution. His point was that:
We are having an enthronement of corruption like
Sodom and Gomorra... One day the youths of this
country will rise, let there be no mistake. Every year
you throw into the job market thousands of university
graduates and you don't provide jobs for them. And
some of them go into armed robbery, others hired to
become political assassins, assassinating political
opponents. I foresee, may be after my life time, a
'great revolution, arising from the youths, a violent
revolution, not a peaceful one, where all the tyrants,
all the thieves of public funds will be slaughtered like
in the Russian Revolution of 1917.22
In that wise, the Church should beware of supporting social injustice, so
that if revolution should come, she may not suffer as happened in the
French revolution of the 1770s.
Recommendations
It may be necessary to note, ab inito, that any word or action that is
emanating from the Church or nay of her agents that promotes human
liberation fulfils the purposes of liberation theology. Such words include
those of a sermon that condemns corruption in government, in the civil
service, and in society at large. Christian pulpits address thousands upon
thousands of Nigerians, particularly on Sundays. The pulpit can thus
become an instrument for conscientization towards socio-political and
economic progress. A pastor's private or public interaction can also be
calculated to engender justice and fairplay in society, such as happened in
the interaction of Jesus Christ with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). Such
interactions can contribute to moving Nigeria forward, if devoid of
selfishness and hypocrisy. Beyond these points:
1.
The Church should take a tough stand against corruption,
which is said to be the bane of Nigeria's development, by discriminating
against corrupt persons, as done against polygamists. Many interviewees
believed that it is not always difficult to know, somehow public office holders
who are culpable, if there is moral will to investigate.
2.
The Church should constitute a socio-political and economic.
awareness commission to study, analyse, and advise on
developments in the nation. Such a commission should be
authorized to speak on behalf of the Church whenever the
need arises. The commission can also organize protest
marches and press conferences, whenever there is need to
register the churches opposition to inhuman govornmental
policies and actions. The members of such a commission
should be intelligent, objective, unpartisan, altruistic and
incorruptible, so to say.
3.
Writing in support of and in opposition to issues, in dailies,
weeklies, magazines and journals, can make some liberative
and progressive impact.
4.
The Church should organize monitoring teams to he .it
polling stations to ensure that election rigging becomes a
thing of the past.
5.
Lack of immediate and automatic success should not he .1
deterrent to working for human liberation
6.
On a final note, the Church in Nigeria should move along with
Sunday Mbang the former Chairman of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, who contended that
I cannot stand to look at Christians not
being able to send their children to
school, unable to afford good meals,
living under sorry conditions and
government expects me to keep quiet.33
In that context defending the interest of Christians means
defending the interest of all the impoverished in Nigeria and that is
what liberation theology is asking Christians to be up for on daily
basis.
Conclusion
This study discovers that the Church in Nigeria has a long way
to go in promoting love and justice in the country. The gospel will be
the real Good News when it makes a real difference in people's lives,
morally, socially, politically, economically and spiritually. But, it is also
discovered that liberation theology is not popular in the land because
Church officials are not patronizing it, on the excuse, in many
quarters, that it has a Marxist orientation. One's encouraging finding is
that liberation theology is not inextricably bound up with Marxism, and
all that one needs is the determination to set captives free, and give
sight to the blind, it is considered not to be beyond a Christian's
responsibility to organize protest marches and press conferences, to
speak out on issues of national interest. One should also conscientize
and sensitize the people as the prophets of old did.
NOTES
UdeajaA. Nebechuku, Liberation Theology and the Poor in Nigeria
(Enugu: SNAPP Press, 1992), p.33.
1
2
William M. Ramsay, Four Modern Prophets: Walter Rauschenbusch,
Martin Luther King, Jr., Gustavo Gutierrez and Rosemary Radford
Ruether (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1986). P.65.
3
Dennis Sweetland, "Liberation Theologies", in Michael Glazier and
Monka K. Hellwig, eds.,
The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia
(Minnesota:The Liturgical Press, 1994), pp. 505 & 507.
4Mercy
Amba Oduyoye, "Doing Theology in Nigeria: An Agenda", in
Mercy Oduyoye, ed., The State of Christian Theology in Nigeria: 198081 (Ibadan: DayStar Press, 1986), p.8
5
Cfr. W. M. Clow, ed., The Bible Reader's Encyclopedia and
Concordance (London: Collins Press, 1977), p.284
6 Wanab
Gbadamosi, "WTO: Why Foreigners Are Dijmping Goods", in
The Comet (Lagos: Tues. Dec. 2,2003), p.13.
7 lyobosa
Uwugiaren, "Playing Peekaboo", In Insider (Mo. H.April 8,
2002), front page and p. 18
8 Senan
John Murray, "Sacrifice Jet Money for Agric. Rep Tells
Obasanjo" In The Punch (Lagos: Tues., Jan. 27,2004), p.6
9 Joseph
Stiglitz, Globalization and its Discontents (New Delhi:
Penguin Books, 2002), p.37
10The
quotation is found in an article written by Mohammed Suleiman,
titled: "Our Debts Threaten Stability says Minister", in Advocate (Vol
:V, no 209, Jan. 22-28), 2004, p. 1f. p.8
12H.
M. Conn, "Liberation Theology", in Sinclair B. Ferguson, David I.
Wright and J. I. Packet (Eds), New Dictionary of Theology (Leicester:
Inter Varsity Press, 1988), p.387.
13G.
Gustierrex, A Theology of Liberation, trans. & ed. by Carida Inda
and John Eagleson (New York: Orbis Books, 1973), p.35
14Roger
Haight, "Liberation Theology", in Joseph A. Komonchak, Mary
Collins and DermotA. Lane, The New Dictionary of Theology
(Bangalore: Theoretical Publications in India, 1996), p. 572.
15G.
Gutierrez, 1973, p. 15
16Roger
Haight, in J. A. Komonchak, et al, 1996, p. 573
17Dennis
18 p.
19
Sweetland, "Liberation Theologies", 1994, p. 507
507
Richard Shaull, "Foreword", in Paulo Freire, Paulo Freire, Pedagogy
of the Oppressed (New York: Continuum, 1993), p. 15
20Olisa
Agbakoba spoke in an interview with Alphonuss Nweze, in
Sunday Champion (Lagos: July 27, 2003), p.23.
21Gani
Fawehimi, “Gov’s Wives Are Not Excellencies”,in an interview
with Esther Omame, in The Monitor on Sunday (Lagos: Aug. 11,
2002), p.16.
22Chidi
Nnadi, “I Foresee A revolution When I’m Dead: Excerpts from
Ajuluchukwu’s Last Interview”, In Saturday Sun (Laggos: Oct. 11:
2003), p.5.
23Sunny
Igboanugo, “Mbang Defends Clergymen’s Political
Comments”, in The Guardian, (Lagos: Sunday, Oct. 25, 1997), p.32.