Faith and leadership: Catholic social teaching and Nigerian catholic politicians

Nigeria is a religiously diverse country, with Traditional Religions, Christianity and Islam being the dominant faiths. They play important roles in the life of the people. We examined Catholic politicians’ understanding of Catholic social teaching, which is the Church’s position on leadership, human dignity and common good in the society. Between 2022 and 2023, 120 Nigerian Catholic politicians were interviewed. The findings revealed low awareness of Catholic Social Teaching (hereinafter CST) amongst Catholic politicians as well as lack of collaborations amongst the Nigerian Catholic politicians themselves and with the Church’s hierarchy. Understanding these findings is crucial for good governance and common good in Nigeria.