NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION AND NIGERIA’S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT: AN ASSESSMENT OF JAMA’ATUL IZALATUL BIDI’A WA’IKAMATUS SUNNAH (JIBWIS)

Abstract

In modern societies, non-governmental organizations are an important instrument of political development. This is particularly more pronounced in both developed and emerging democracies. These institutions influence state’s decisions and policies. They also shape public opinion on a wide range of political, economic, and socio-cultural issues. The objectives of NGOs, often serve as the driving force for their engagement with the state and society, which in some ways influence the political development of their societies. In Nigeria, there are numerous and religious, which are very active in the country’s political process. Religious NGOs are, however, seen as the platform that contributes to tensions rather than dialogue and stability in Nigeria’s political development. This paper interrogates this assumption with a particular reference to the Jamátul Izalatul Bida’a Waikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS). Methodologically, qualitative method was used in data collection and analysis.