Four (4) years after COVID-19 pandemic: reviewing the experiences of the Anglican Church of Nigeria in the light of Church-State relations

Abstract

Conversations on church-state relations in Nigeria have mainly been negotiated around the disposition of Nigeria as a secular state, the doctrine of subordination of the church to state laws and mutual understanding and cooperation. Adopting qualitative approach and descriptive narrative the study specifically assessed how the disposition of the leadership of the church coordinated the experience and enhanced compliance of its members to government directives during COVID-19 pandemic. Data for the study were collected using participant observation and key informant interview (KII). Data were generated from; (i) letters from the Primates, (ii) websites of church of Nigeria (CON) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), (iii) interview of Key Informants in dioceses south-East of Nigeria and (iv) participant observations. The findings reveal that church leaders influenced the extent their members responded to state directives, and thereby complemented government’s efforts in reducing the spread of the disease. However, state’s use of security forces to enforce compliance signaled mistrust. This suggests that co-operation of the church with state was helpful in handling the outbreak of the disease. Essentially, greater collaboration and cooperation between the church and the state in dealing with issues of public concern in the future cannot be overemphasized.