The Implications of Religious Marketization on Nigeria's Democratic Politics: Katsina State Jama'atu Izalatil Bid'a Wa'iqamatis-sunnah in Perspective

This paper is an attempt to proffer a solution to the problems associated to the phenomenon of the marketization of religion in the Nigeria’s democratic politics with special reference to Izala religious civic association Katsina State chapter. By way of a case study qualitative research inquiry, the study questioned eighteen key informants through a semi-structured interview approach which was analysed using NVivo 12. The paper is grounded on the religious market theory as a model of explanation of the phenomenon. It, however, revealed that religious marketization is disastrous to both the religious group and the effective workings of the democratization process of the country as well. The paper further adds that the prevailing material and existential conditions arising from the Nigerian political economy tend to promote the consciousness and practice of religious marketisation of the other Islamic religious civil society. The paper recommends that the activities of religious civil societies in Nigeria should be regulated by the government to allow the nascent democratic politics to thrive.