Religious and Ethno-regional Identity in the Context of Human Right Protection in Nigeria

Abstract

The religious and ethno-regional consciousness of Nigerian citizens has generated a lot of human right issues in contemporary times. The different faith-based and socio-cultural organizations in Nigeria have continued to protest human rights violations on the basis of religious and ethno-regional identity. Therefore, this essay aimed at exploring the religious and ethno-regional consciousness of Nigerian citizens in public life and its implications for human right protection in the Nigerian state. Data for the study which was essentially generated from existing literature and careful observation of the state of the nation was subjected to historical, critical and constructive analysis. The paper reveals that the deep religious and ethno-regional consciousness and fears generated by the existing structures that promote unequal access to power and resources are being exploited by some unpatriotic individuals for sectarian and egocentric goals. This condition has indeed led to cases of unprecedented human right violations and protest in the Nigerian public sphere. The authors therefore, recommend that Nigerians should learn to accommodate the multiple identities of religion and ethnicity in the country and respect the right of their fellow citizens on issues of faith and ethnic origin. The government should be religiously and ethnically neutral in the implementation of state policies and also take proactive measures in promoting and protecting the fundamental human right objectives of the state.

Keywords: Religious and Ethno-regional consciousness, Identity, Human Right Protection, Citizens, Nigeria