African Traditional Religion Oath Taking and Resource Management in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper critically assesses African Traditional Religion Oath Taking and resource control and management in Nigeria. An oath is taken to ensure that the parties of an agreement fulfil their assigned roles. In traditional oath taking, deities and ancestors are called to be witnesses to the agreement. The oath is a fearful ritual, and during rituals; words connoting calamity and death are used to make a pledge, stating that a person will keep to one’s part of agreement. The aim of this paper is for the government to introduce traditional oath taking into the mainstream of the system to act as a watch dog or check and balances so that those who are keen in corrupt practices of our resources will pay for it. This work adopts a phenomenological approach. In Nigeria today our resources are in the hands of few elites. These corrupt elites have brought untold hardship to the people of the Niger Delta whereby most of our communities are lacking behind in development. As a result of lack of trust on the part of the
elites and some of our wealthy citizens, the introduction of traditional oath taking by the chiefs and other traditional practitioners will help to forestall the deviation of our rich resources. This paper recommends that the government should introduce the system of traditional oath taking so that our elites and some of our elders in our respective communities will respect our God given resources and play the game in the manner that will bring lasting development to our respective communities.

Key Words: African Traditional Religion, Oath Taking, Resource Control