Published by Most Nigerians believe that there is an unseen supernatural kingdom , apart from the natural world we see around us. This other world is inhabited by beings who are the source of our knowledge of good and evil. They watch and judge us, and if we offend them they may have to be please with sacrifices and prayers.
Some individuals in the natural world , priest,prophets,and diviners, are believed to be endowed with special powers to make contact with the others world. they lay down ceremonies or rituals which must be observed if due homour is to be paid to the unseen beings.
The religious beliefs and practise of the Nigerians can be classified under three main headings: Christianity, Islam, and traditional religion. In this writing our attention will focus on the traditional or indigenous religion continues to exert a strong influence in many people’s minds, partly because of its association with their places of birth and family background. Each ethnic group has its own religious tradition and these are often linked to some several spot or sports in the ethics homelands (e.g Dutsen dala).yet the very many traditional religions have much in common: a remote but benevolent high god: under him a number of lesser gods who interact with mankind ; and below them various spirits who inhabits natural object (trees ,streams, rocks, etc); below them again, and closet to a living men and women, the spirit of the ancestors.
In Hausa religion,for example,there were more than 400 lesser deties presided over by the high god the Tsumburbura. Because he was remote from mankind ,shrines were not built to him and worship was not offered to him directly. The lesser gods on the other hand,were the subject of special cults, each with own priest and devotees. Giji, the messenger of the gods;Dodo, the god of divination;Tallatsa, the god of thunder, and so on. Traditional religion was strong in other parts of Nigeria, too. In Igbo traditional, religion there were fewer lesser gods.Although the4re was a remote high god , the most important figure was Ala or Ani the goddess of the earth. In Yorubaland traditional religion has largely gone underground, owing to the influence of Islam and Christianity, but belief in the existance of Olorun-the higher god and his subordinate like Ifa, Shango etc is strong in some areas .Each spirit is associated with a certain type of behaviours, which is manifested by the possessed individuals.
Divination-that is the discovery of what is unknown or is yet to happen by the supernatural or magical means-is an important element of traditional religion. It is often one of the functions of medicine-men or herbalists. In Igboland , there Also used to several oracles which people consulted in order to seek answers to their problems. With the coming of Christianity , then the influence has waned.
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