HOPING AGAINST HOPE (ROMANS 4:18-21) AND THE QUEST FOR A SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper explored St Paul’s presentation of Abraham’s unflinching trust in God in the face of ‘hopeless’ situation and daunting challenges as model for Nigerians in their quest for a sustainable democratic governance. Hoping against hope summarizes the situation of Abraham in his quest for a child of his own, seen from human perspective on account of the dysfunctional conditions of his and his wife’s reproductive systems. He surmounted all these on account of his trust on God’s promise rather than on human factors. Similarly, the collusion of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Judiciary and the Legislature in subverting the democratic will of the people makes the emergence of sustainable democratic governance in Nigeria a mirage. Is all hope lost? With critical analysis of the chosen text using historical critical method of exegesis and the application of its fruits to the Nigerian political context using contextual method, this paper argued that as what sustained Abraham and led him to the attainment of his heart’s desire was not material conditions but his hope in God’s promise, so also what will liberate Nigerians from the present political quagmire are not present political institutions but an unflinching trust in God and his promise. Consequently, the paper recommended firm trust in God, active participation in electoral processes and rejection of all forms of electoral malpractices.