FAITH AND DEVELOPMENT IN FOCUS NIGERIA Supported by the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development May 2018 WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE FOREWORD ABOUT THE WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE “Faith and Development in Focus: Nigeria” was positive and informed engagement has the potential commissioned by GIZ to explore how Nigeria’s to contribute to virtually any development endeavor. The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) is a not-for-profit organization working at the intersection of religion and complex and dynamic religious institutions perceive The fragmented nature of engagement, both among global development. Housed within the Berkley Center in Washington, D.C., WFDD documents the work of faith-inspired the country’s development challenges and are involved religious actors and with the Nigerian government organizations and explores the importance of religious ideas and actors in development contexts. WFDD supports dialogue among across the spectrum of development strategies and its international partners, can undermine their religious and development communities and promotes innovative partnerships, at national and international levels, with the goal of and programs, and vice versa for non-religious potentially positive contributions. Examples of the contributing to positive and inclusive development outcomes. development actors. The report builds on the work of possible consequences of gaps in understanding WFDD and Georgetown University’s Berkley Center include failures to learn from experience, often for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs to analyze through lack of knowledge about what others ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP ON RELIGION AND SUSTAINABLE and document religious engagement in development are doing; missed opportunities due to limited DEVELOPMENT (PARD) in specific countries. Work to prepare this report engagement with communities; and programs that are involved limited original research in Nigeria and counterproductive through failure to appreciate the elsewhere, and thus is primarily based on review of motivations of religious actors and organizations. PaRD brings together governmental and intergovernmental entities with diverse civil society organizations and faith-based available documentation across several disciplines organizations, to engage the social capital and capacities vested in diverse faith communities for sustainable development and Nigeria, like many countries, is grappling with and types of materials. It is designed to serve humanitarian assistance in the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. PaRD aims at greater and institutionalized questions involving the values that underlie its diverse actors interested in Nigeria’s development. communication and coordination between secular and non-secular actors, while fostering collaboration of its members as well as development strategies and policies, as well as a These actors include national authorities and promoting cooperation with existing networks and initiatives. The partnership has three areas of engagement: knowledge exchange, range of urgent social and political tensions that capacity building, and joint advocacy. official and private development partners, especially include the reality of large inequalities, governance civil society; religiously linked organizations; and challenges, social friction, and violence. A host of PaRD is supported by an international secretariat located in Bonn and Berlin in Germany and hosted by Deutsche Gesellschaft für others interested in religious dimensions of various questions around development results (that include Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The secretariat is financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and facets of society and economy. It is especially the ugly spectacle of widespread corruption) are at the Development (BMZ) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). designed to serve the members and partners of the center of development debates. Religious leaders and International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable institutions are deeply involved in many ways in these Development (PaRD). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS questions. They see themselves (and are commonly The report provides an accessible overview of seen) as responsible for defining and upholding This report is prepared by the World Faiths Development Dialogue at the request of and in partnership with GIZ. WFDD hosted a Nigeria’s religious landscape—history, contemporary values that reflect the best in Nigerian society. Others, consultation in October 2017 with scholars and practitioners, who provided valuable feedback on research plans, initial hypotheses, institutions, and the dynamics of change—all in however, view them as a brake to forward momentum, and questions. Participants included Dr. Pauline H. Baker, Ambassador John Campbell, Foluyinka Fakoya, Pastor Nathan Hosler, Dr. relation to major issues for development. It is a an impediment to progress, or a contributor to Marinus Iwuchukwu, Father Ludovic Lado, Amy Lillis, Dr. Omobolaji Olarinmoye, Oge Onubogu, and Dr. Damaris Seleina Parsitau. background document. Thus for operational purposes significant social tensions. Preliminary findings were presented at an International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) meeting at (for example policy discussions and program design) We hope that a solid base of information— Wilton Park, United Kingdom, in November 2017. The Nigeria research program included in-depth interviews, several of which are more detailed analysis is required. We welcome recognizing diversity and the immense cumulative online at https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/themes/nigeria. WFDD works in collaboration with the Berkley Center for Religion, feedback on content, approach, and presentation, impact of religious actors on issues ranging from Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and acknowledges its support for the project. Ulrich Nitschke and Thomas particularly on how to make this and similar education to climate change adaptation—will Lawo provided invaluable guidance. We appreciated comments on drafts of the report from Alan Berg, Rosalind Hackett, Stephen documents more useful. Heyneman, and Paul Isenman. challenge an all-too-common narrative of an inherent Religious involvement in Nigeria’s development is opposition between religion and development. Katherine Marshall, WFDD executive director, managed the report’s development and is its principal author. Lauren Herzog and enormously complex and contentious. In this diverse Wilma Mui oversaw desk and field research. Osuolale Joseph Ayodokun provided research support and conducted fieldwork in Nigeria. Katherine Marshall, Executive Director, World Faiths and dynamic society where religious institutions play Additional research support was provided by Erin Collins, Danielle Gantt Hudgins, Wakaha “Sarah” Sampei, and George Wong. Development Dialogue, and Senior Fellow, Berkley vital roles, religious involvement deserves explicit Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at The wisdom and perspectives of the many colleagues who provided inputs are gratefully acknowledged. attention. Ignoring or minimizing religious factors can detract from development programs, while more Georgetown University Cover Photo Credit: Flickr user/UK DFID World Faiths Development Dialogue — May 2018 | 1 Tables TABLE OF Table 2.1: Nigeria: Some Key Development Facts/ Table 4.1: FIOs Working in Ibadan Region Indicators Table 5.1: Nigeria’s Population Profile Table 2.2: Nigeria: Official Development Aid (ODA) Table 5.2: Nigeria: Global Gender Gap CONTENTS Flows 2014-2016 Foreword .................................................................... 1 Table 2.3: Global Fund Investments in Nigeria Tables ................................................................. 3 Figures and Maps ....................................................... 3 Boxes ................................................................. 3 Acronyms .................................................................... 4 Figures and Maps Figure 2.1: Top Ten Donors of Gross ODA for Nigeria, Map 5.1: Total Fertility Rate by Zone (births per woman) Political Map of Nigeria ........................................................ 7 2015-6 average, US$ million A Timeline: Key Events in Nigerian History ....................................... 8 Executive Summary ........................................................... 11 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................ 19 Chapter 2: Nigeria’s Development Strategies and Partnerships ........................ 24 Boxes Box 1: Increasing Polarization and Conflict: Excerpted from Box 18: Nigerian Interfaith Action Association: A Story Nigeria and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ......................... 25 Harvard Divinity School Religious Literacy Project’s Country and Lessons Current Development Challenges ........................................... 26 Profile, Nigeria (2016) Box 19: Eradicating Polio in Nigeria: Religious Obstacles, Official Development Strategies ............................................ 27 Box 2: University of Birmingham/NISER Research Religious Engagement Development Partnerships ................................................. 28 Program 2005-2009 Box 20: What Do Nigerian Public Figures Say About Box 3: Conclusions from the Nigeria Literature Review: Religion and Family Planning? Development and Religion ...............................................