Original Research

Interrogating Christian and Muslim responses to COVID-19 in Nigeria

Emmanuel J. Ibuot, Chisom Uchendu, Peter M. Kertyo
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 80, No 1 | a9813 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9813 | © 2024 Emmanuel J. Ibuot, Chisom Uchendu, Peter M. Kertyo | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 23 March 2024 | Published: 30 September 2024

About the author(s)

Emmanuel J. Ibuot, Humanities Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Chisom Uchendu, Department of Fine and Industrial Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Peter M. Kertyo, Department of History and International Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the far-reaching significance of religion in shaping human interaction within social crises. Efforts to slow down the spread of coronavirus prompted different national governments, including the Federal Government of Nigeria to restrict large density gatherings, enforce lockdowns and promote social distancing, which were largely resisted initially. Organised religion may have influenced citizens’ compliance with government directives for curbing the pandemic. Focussing largely on providing economic assistance to people in need, it may have missed out on the reason for recourse to faith. One outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic was the need to understand the application of religious faith in explaining epidemics and health crises. This work predominantly relies on data from secondary sources (library research and internet materials). Just as it critically investigates Christian-Muslim responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seeks also to justify reliance on religion during a health emergency. By the evaluative method of philosophy, we show that although the pandemic triggered dread of annihilation, it brought in its wake a search for ontological meaningfulness. This study therefore argues that Nigerians turned to religion to meet the deep-seated, individual need for meaningfulness (‘survivability’) that is primary to the need of soul and body, which includes material donations by organised religious entities. The primacy of fulfilling this need precedes sociality both ontologically and epistemologically because meaningfulness is an inalienable property of individuality.

Contribution: This work presents religion as a rationally defensible need that is fundamentally rooted in individual human nature, even in a pandemic; religion pertains to meaningfulness, which counters human fear of annihilation and meaninglessness.


Keywords

COVID-19; religious faith; health emergencies; needs; meaningfulness; Islam; Christianity; spirit.

Sustainable Development Goal

Goal 3: Good health and well-being

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