POVERTY AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA: MAJOR CAUSATIVE FACTORS TO THE INTER-DENOMINATIONAL MIGRATION OF CHRISTIANS IN IGBOLAND

Abstract

The research work investigated the pitfalls in Nigeria’s leadership system in the areas of poverty and insecurity. It has been discovered that the high rate of poverty and insecurity in Nigeria have propelled the inter-denominational migration of Christians in Igboland. Findings have proven that this generation of Nigerian leaders have failed both themselves and the nation woefully. It is an obvious fact that the Nigerian problem is embedded in its leadership. With the culture of failed values, flight of the truth, devalued norms, downward slide in basic morals, celebrated poverty and insecurity prevalent in the Nigerian political space, the people have no choice other than to seek solutions in churches; thereby promoting the practice of inter-denominational migration of Christians. This practice is being undertaken mostly by Igbo Christians as a panacea for survival and insatiable quest for prosperous and secured life conditions. As an enduring and surviving strategy, the people have resorted to crisscrossing from one church to the other so as to make ends meet thereby leading to an incessant rise in churches especially the group known as Pentecostals. However, the problem of this study is that moving from one church to the other for whatever reason has increased jealousy, unhealthy competitions, wickedness, and other social vices due to an excessive desire for wealth and materialism. These are the reasons why the researchers think there is a need to x-ray and analyze the leadership structure of Nigerian government so as to address some of the political imbalances that have laid credence to the religious practice . The method of approach is historical and descriptive nature method of research with the primary and secondary sources of data collection.