Abstract

Prior to the emergence or rather introduction of Islam in Nigeria and the Danfodio’s   Jihad of 1804 that conquered almost all the Hausa state oligarchy system. The political economy was more communal, slavery and the feudalistic system. The development led to a more reformed in the political system through Islamic theology. The development of Islam in the contemporary Nigeria led to the emphasis on the Shari’ah legal system in the twelve (12) Northern states. Scholars from different quarters viewed the development as a political mission by some gargantuan elites to control the power and theory which hinges on the trust that public policy is by and at large the mirror image of the elites’ interest was employed to guide the analysis of this work.  Content analysis was equally used as a source of data collection and it revealed that, Islam had played a vital role in the political economy of Nigeria due to it fair doctrine such as good leadership, just sharing of resources among individuals of a given society. This role played by Islam brought about sustainable development. However, the lack of sincere application of the Islamic doctrine between the ruled and the rulers (i.e. the political economy approach), which equally affects sustainable development.  The paper critically reviewed the existing literature both conceptually and thematically relied on secondary source of data and examination of official documents as its methodology. The paper is structured into five interrelated components and recommends that Islam should not be used as a tool instruments or rather a conduit pipe for primitive accumulation of wealth by some religious leaders. The paper concludes that good governance is a wheal for sustainable development, to include effective poverty alleviation through Zakah and other means of Sadaqah to the needy ones as lasting solution to the bitter political economy using Islam as a means to an end.