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Language in Contemporary Religious Expressions in Nigeria is an important contribution to the enduring debate in most African countries on the roles and importance of language, particularly African languages, in the religious expressions of African people. It is a collection of critical essays and research reports on the essential and diverse roles of language within the discourse, practice, literature and study of religion in Nigeria.
The potency of the federal constitutional republic of Nigeria is not the huge population or the production of crude oil but its diversity. With a population of about 160 million representing more than 250 ethnic groups and speaking nearly 500 distinct languages, Nigeria is arguably Africa’s most renowned melting pot. In addition, there are various religious traditions with loyal devotees across the country intensifying the existing linguistic and ethnic miscellany. The popular wisdom is that Nigeria is dominated by Islam to the North, Christianity to the South and a pervasive system of indigenous religious practices across the nation. The colonial history and the post-independence developments in the country have also brought in residents from other parts of the World. These groups have enhanced the multi-cultural society and added their own faith systems to the religious hodgepodge that is Nigeria. The multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious constitution has greatly enriched the Nigerian identity but it has also been challenging. Christianity and Islam are multifaceted and dominated by denominations and sects. Traditional religious beliefs and practices are also multifaceted across the different ethnic groups.