Religion: Panacea to Human Capital Development in the Contemporary Nigerian Society

Abstract

Nigeria as a nation over the years has continued to crave for Human Capital Development. This is because the Development of Human Capital is critical for the Economic Growth and Sustainable Development of any nation. Since it is the Human person who spearheads any developmental strive of any nation, the need for the Development of Human Capital is indispensable, using the tools of analysis, the paper submitted that religion could serve as a tool for Human capital development in the Contemporary Nigerian Society, because as an institution, it has the potential train and equip the Human person as the agent of Development. It further analyses the possible ways Religion can be harnessed to promote Human Capital Development to include moral instructions, sermons, ethical teachings, training of clergy and religious functionaries, establishment of schools, and through healthcare delivery. The paper concludes that if Religion is given its proper place, it would fulfill this sublime role of developing the Human Capital. It proffers some practical suggestions that would help Nigeria as a nation achieve the target of Human Capital Development. These suggestions are taken as recommendations. Religion for the purpose of this study refers to Christianity, Islam and African traditional Religion.