




































 

1 

NIGERIA ON THE WHEEL OF DECAY: THE BOOK OF  

AMOS AND QUEST FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE  

Yusuf DOGARA 

Abstract 

Nigeria is grossly on the wheel of decay, looking at tribalism, nepotism, corruption, 

discrimination and as signalling the level of unhappiness amongst the people. And the 

original message of prophet Amos stresses the divine demand for social justice and 

concern for the oppressed in 8th century Israel. A lot of Israel's wealthy people of the 

society at the time of Amos chose to be unfair and to treat the poor as they wished. Amos 

connects the injustice he sees around him to a society bent on wealth and prosperity 

while being forgetful of the true worship of God. As justice was denied in Amos' time, so 

also it is being denied in contemporary Nigerian society. The paper set to examine some 

of the social injustices that are pulling the country (Nigeria) down such as socio-

economic injustice, socio-political injustice, socio-religious injustice and socio-judicial 

injustice. It is the conclusion of this paper that for a meaningful way forward in Nigerian 

society to regain her stature, Nigerians should learn to apply social justice as exactly in 

the book of Amos.  

Key Words: Justice, Injustice, Social Injustice, and Social Justice 

INTRODUCTION  

The level of social injustice currently prevalent in Nigeria is reaching alarming 

proportion, The overwhelming upsurge of resistant groups in Nigeria these days such as 

the tribalism, nepotism, corruption, discrimination and other similar movements are 

commonly interpreted as demonstrations against the State resulting from the strains of 

injustice in the system and showing the level of discontent amongst the people. A 

distinctive feature of Israelite religion was the interconnection between the relationships 

to one's neighbour and to God as established by the covenant. The quality of one's 

relationship to God depended to some extent on how one related to fellow members of 

the covenant community. At the time of prophet Amos, many among Israel's powerful 

people had chosen to ignore this aspect of Israelite religion and to treat the 

disadvantaged as they wished. Wealthy landowners oppressed the less fortunate, taking 

over the land holdings of many impoverished Israelites. Ivory places were built, and 

businessmen became impatient with Sabbath restrictions. The rich were oppressive and 

corrupt; the courts were unjust; the righteous services were either a sham or consisted 

of idolatry. Superstition and immorality were the order of the day. Amos saw that such 



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dreadful conditions could not bring God's blessings rather than judgement and 

punishment. The prophet expresses Gods distress at the maltreatment of the less 

privileged people (Amos 2:7; 4:1; 5:7, 11, 24;  

8:4-6). Just like the society of northern Israel to which Amos delivered his message, in 

the contemporary Nigerian society, social injustice has been the order of the day.  

Social justice which was the subject matter of Amos' message is one major thing which 

Nigerians are lacking. This could be practical from various forms of social injustice 

taking place in contemporary Nigerian society. This ugly trend brought so many 

challenges in all sectors of Nigerian society. In view of the high level of religiosity in 

the country, instead of development, Nigeria as a religious society is fast decaying of 

injustices. 

Many Nigerians pretend to be religious while virtually a lot of injustice and immorality 

are being committed by the same people. Some of the Nigerian religious activities and 

prayers are like those of the Israelites of Amos' time. They are yet to make impact on 

our society. In the light of this one wonders the essence of religion in Nigeria.  

This research surfaces from Amos' Theology of social justice to point of looking at 

various forms of social injustices in Nigerian society today. The justices in the present 

day Nigeria are viewed in the context of the injustices that existed in the Northern Israel 

to which Amos delivered his message.  

CLARIFICATION OF TERMS  

Justice:  The word justice is a good quality that has been defined as rights and duties of 

people to each other. Tugwa (2020:32) says Justice implies giving a person what he 

deserves, the equitable and fair judgment and punishment to the offenders, in the light 

of existing laws morals and customs. According to Iwe cited by Ikenna define “Justice 

as an ethical concept with immense social significance that implies the notion of 

fairness, fair deal, moral integrity and righteousness in the dealings of men with one 

another and in the affairs and transaction of social life” ( Ikena2018:235).  

Injustice: Is the opposite of justice which comprises Man's inhumanity to man, unfair 

distribution of natural gifts and breach of fundamental human rights. These prompted 

the radical teaching of Prophet Amos in Israel (Ikenna 2018: 62). 

Social Injustice: "Social Injustice" and "Social justice" are unstructured terms that have 

no codified meaning in the law. Social injustice is any point at which society at large is 

letting any kind of oppression go by unlocked, they are things that desperately need to 

be dealt with for human rights purpose. As offered by Babalola, James Adeyemi  

Oluwatoyin, Social injustice is a concept relating to the denied unfairness or injustice 

of a society in its divisions of rewards and burdens and other incidental inequalities. The 

concept is distinct from those of justice in Law, which may or may not be regarded 



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moral in practice, or from the concept of justice within a coherent ideological system, 

which focuses on just process rather than on incidental inequalities. Social injustice 

arises when the distribution of advantages and disadvantages in society are not equal. 

"Social injustice is moral unfairness or inequality in the division of a society's reward 

or burdens. Differing perceptions of the presence and inevitability of social injustice lie 

at the root of many of the world's political conflicts (Babalola and Adeyemi, 2015: 

87).It is not wrong for the researcher to affirmed that, Social injustice is the unfair 

distribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities, oppression of any form and 

anything that prevents people from exercising self-determination and realizing their full 

potential, 

Social Justice: Refers to more equitable distribution of the social resources and more 

equitable access to the various social institutions by all members of the society” 

(Obiajulu1996:18). To Iwe “Social justice has its direct object as the common good of 

the members of the society. Social Justice recognizes and assumes the fact that we are 

all members of the same human family (Iwe 1985:24).  

Ikenna L. Umeanolue cited in Ojiakor and Unachukwu added that: Social justice means 

above all working to build a society that is intrinsically balanced, a society in which the 

structures are fair to everybody without exception. For instance, constructing a society 

in which the minorities, the homeless, women and the poor are not discriminated against 

either in law or in practice (Umeanolue 2018:174).  

Furthermore, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action treat social justice as a 

purpose of the human rights education.' The term and modem concept of "social justice" 

was coined by the Jesuit Luigi Taparelli in 1840 based on the teachings of St. Thomas 

Aquinas and given further exposure in 1848 by Antonio Rosmini -Serbati. The word has 

taken on a very controversial and variable meaning, depending on who is using it. The 

idea was elaborated by the moral theologian John A. Ryan, who initiated the concept of 

a living wage. Father Coughlin also used the term in his publications in the 1930s and 

the 1940s. It is a part of Catholic social teaching, the Protestants' Social Gospel, and is 

one of the Four Pillars of the Green Party upheld by green parties worldwide. Social 

justice as a secular concept, distinct from religious teachings, emerged mainly in the late 

twentieth century influenced primarily by philosopher John Rawls. Some tenets of social 

justice have been adopted by those on the left of the political spectrum. 'Concurring with 

these clarities, Social Justice can then be said to be a process, not an outcome, which 

seeks fair redistribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities; challenges the 

roots of oppression and injustice; empowers all people to exercise self-determination 

and realize their full potential; and builds social solidarity and community capacity for 

working together. 

On the basis of the above clarities, social justice demands that each member and each 

sector of the society should contribute its own part for the attainment of the common 

good of the whole. Social justice in this context is based on human rights and equality 

which social injustice does not guarantee.  



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4 

BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF AMOS 

The book of Amos is one of the twelve shorter prophetic works of the Old Testament 

gathered into a collection known as the Book of the Twelve or the Minor Prophets. The 

book contains nine chapters and is divided as follows: Oracle against the nations (1-2); 

oracles against Israel (3-6); collection of visions about the end of Israel (7:1-9:10); 

promise of restoration (9:11-15). All that is known about Amos (the author) is found in 

the book which bears his name. Amos had lived at Tekoa, a small town in Judah near 

Bethlehem (Amos 1:1, 7:12). He introduces himself as neither a prophet nor a prophet's 

son, but a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees called by God to prophesy to the 

people of Israel. Amos came from his farming work to be a prophet to the people of 

Israel (MacDonald 1990:113). 

According to MacDonald “Amos ministered during the reigns of Uzziah in Judah 

(790739 B.C.) and Jeroboam II in Israel (739- 753 B.C), an age of affluence, luxury, 

and moral laxity, especially in the Northern kingdom” (1113). Because Amos came from 

the countryside, where everyone had to work had for a living, he was shocked to see the 

wealth, the laziness and the unjust behaviour of some of the town dwellers in the 

Northern Kingdom of Israel. The subject matter of his message was social justice. He 

was a stern prophet of righteousness and uncompromising justice(1990:134). 

Much of the prophecy of Amos is directed at the heartlessness of wealthy merchants 

who ignore the predicament of the poor, the lack of justice for the righteous, and the 

emptiness of religious ritual apart from true faith. In the words of Boad, “The basic 

message of Amos stresses God's moral rule over the entire world and the divine demands 

for justice and concern for the outcast or oppressed” (1990:316). He is a classical 

prophet concerned with the well-being of the people and the purity of the faith. 

The Message of Amos  

According to Harper, 2003:313 notes that the message of Amos was against social 

injustice such as, corruption, greed and false worship, which prevailed in surrounding 

nations especially in Israel. This is expressed in Amos 5:24 where Amos cautions the 

people to let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. 

This particular verse in the book of Amos captures the core message of this great writing 

prophet who truly believes that life-giving worship of God and social justice are 

inseparable. 

The significance of the book of Amos lies in the fact that Amos has been universally 

commended as the prophet of social justice. For him covenant loyalty to God can be 

shown only by being fair to the members of the covenant, who are considered as brothers 

and sisters. No wonder has become the source of inspiration for liberation theology and 

for anyone who is working to defend the rights of the poor and the marginalized against 

any sort of oppressors (Ceresko, 1992:22,  Menezes, 2003:44). Amos exposes the utter 



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5 

meaninglessness of a cult that is formalistic. God is not a tribal or a national God who 

can be placated by sacrifice and incense. He condemns social injustices and demands 

moral uprightness of an individual, and concern for the rights of the neighbour. He 

brings to book anyone who tramples upon the rights of another whether it is a powerful 

nation or an individual. 

God had promised to care for the Israelites and save them from their enemies if they 

would follow the way of life which he laid down for them. Thorogood says “This special 

relationship with God had given the people of Israel special opportunities for 

understanding what God is like and how people ought to serve him” (1992:12). 

But when Amos looked at his fellow Israelites, he saw the Israelites breaking their 

promise to God, and behaving as though the law which he had laid down for them did 

not exist (Amos 2.4). Prophet Amos urge them in his message that if they continued to 

behave in this way, then they would not expect to receive the great blessings which God 

had promised in his covenant with them (Exodus 34). Amos saw that the Kingdom of 

Israel was in no condition to resist attack by Assyria, and would be destroyed; yet he 

pleaded for a change of heart. He ends his message with a proclamation and restoration 

of hope for the people of Israel if they mend their ways (Amos 9:13-15 NIV).  

THE SITUATION IN AMOS' TIME AND NIGERIAN SOCIETY  

The situation of Amos' time in Israel is very much like that of Nigeria today. Comparing 

Nigeria with Israel in the time of Amos, one would observe that Nigeria has become a 

place where the land, money and wealth are shared among the nobles at the detriment 

of the poor. The poor suffer in the hands of the rich. Oppression has become the food of 

the populace.  

Ikenna L. Umeanolue also noted that, Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, 

tribalism, nepotism, corruption, discrimination, rigging of elections and gross injustice 

has dominated the economic, political, judicial, cultural, religious and ethnic lives and 

minds of many Nigerians. So, that speaks the volume of various forms of social injustice 

like (i) socio-economic injustice, (ii) socio-political injustices, (iii) socio-religious 

injustice, and (iv) socio-judicial injustice. As justice was denied at the time of Amos, so 

it is also being denied in the contemporary Nigerian today. This is clear as talk about 

below.  

a. Socio-Economic Injustice: The socio-economic situation of Amos time in Israel 

is very much like that of Nigeria today. Just like in Amos' time, the signs of 

economic prosperity in Nigeria could be seen in so many things. Nigeria is 

naturally blessed with a lot of mineral resources. In Amos' time, the people had 

winter and summer houses, houses of ivory and hewn stone houses. In Nigeria, 

some people have houses in almost every part of the country. While some of 

these houses are built with ordinary block cement, some are built with baked 

clay while others are made also of hewn stone. The fleet of cars being paraded 



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6 

in Nigeria is also a sign of this economic prosperity. The interior decoration of 

these houses and cars simply denote extravagance (Umeanolue 2018: 32). 

The economic prosperity could also be seen in the extravagant way some 

Nigerians eat and dress, just like in Amos' time. Amos called only the women of Samaria 

cows of Bashan (Amos 3:4) because of their extra size, gained through excessive eating 

and drinking, but here in Nigeria both men and women have this extra size, gained 

through corruption or ill-gotten wealth. Many Nigerians display a lot of wealth in the 

way they dress. They usually put on expensive clothes. The expensive jewelleries and 

perfumes they wear speak of affluence. The pair of shoes and wristwatches cannot be 

left out for they are very costly too. This sign of affluence could also be seen in the way 

wealthy Nigerians display money during social functions such as wedding, traditional 

marriage, funeral ceremonies, birthday parties and so on. In the full glare of the public 

these wealthy ones spray money like water on the celebrants. Sometimes bundles of 

money are sprayed one after the other to the excitement of the masses. 

Most unluckily, the prosperity or wealth of the Nigerian nation, which is confined to 

few groups of people, has brought with it all kinds of economic hardship, social 

disintegration and moral decay in Nigeria. In Nigeria, money is the measure for all 

things because of the inestimable value attached to it; everyone itches to get it through 

hook or crook. At Amos? time, Amos relates how the businessmen of his time get 

impatient for the termination of the holy and work free periods of new moon and Sabbath 

so that they can engage in their corrupt business practices. The same situation is 

applicable to Nigeria.  

According to Ugwueye Nigerians who are engaged in what may be called the real 

business of buying, selling and supplying of goods and services for money are the real 

deceits. They, of course, make the shekel and the ephaph small as Amos said. The cups, 

tins and bags used in measuring grains are below their sizes and still the grains measured 

with them are sold at the same price as the ones measured with full sized measures 

(2001:54). 

The above situations show that traders in Nigeria do not have the interest of the buyers 

at heart and therefore, they cheat the buyers in order to enrich their own purse. Amos 

pointed out that the business of his time also sold the refuse of wheat to the people. This 

is equivalent to the rampant adulteration of goods in Nigeria just to make money. In 

fact, the rate at which adulterated drugs, fake and poor quality products are produced in 

Nigerian is very serious worry to the good citizens because these have sent many to their 

grave. Despite these difficult situations, Nigerian government has not been serious in 

alleviating the problem of injustice in the economic sector of the country.  

b. Socio-Political Injustice: Just like in Amos' time, the situations of the time of 

Amos and that of the contemporary Nigerian society are similar politically; in 

the sense that the oppression of the poor and the righteous, corruption, and 



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idolatry are the order of the day. Leadership at all levels are characterized by 

lack of integrity and dishonesty (Oladotun 2019:5).  

In view of this, the researcher now sees the nation Nigeria as a direct recipient 

of the prophets' message. The prosperity or wealth of the Nigerian nation, which is 

confined to some few group of people, has brought with it all kinds of political decay in 

Nigeria. The quickest way of amassing wealth in Nigeria today is to occupy a political 

office or position. During elections people who win are not the real winners, but the 

cleverest riggers. Unemployed youths are paid and used as thugs to manipulate 

elections. Human life is valued less than political goals just as the poor were equated 

with a pair of shoes in Amos? time. 

Embezzlement of public funds by those in authority has been given the appearance of 

legality in Nigeria. Schools, roads, hospitals and other social facilities are poorly 

maintained. The poor masses bear the direct brunt for they are the ones to be hospitalized 

in the public hospitals where there are no adequate drugs. Their children are the ones to 

attend the public schools where the teachers are not devoted to their work because of 

the epileptic payment of salaries. The wealthy ones can afford to pay for the bills in 

private hospitals and schools. Most times their children attend schools in overseas 

countries. The poor parents who spend their fortunes to train their children in school 

cannot reap the benefit of their effort because government cannot provide jobs. It is no 

longer graduate unemployment, but post-graduate unemployment. Many Masters and 

PhD degree holders are jobless. Nigeria as a nation is rich but those in authority 

embezzle and mismanage the wealth to the detriment of the poor masses (Ikenna 2018: 

66).  

Clearly, the prevalence of injustice in Nigeria is largely traceable to the type of 

leadership we have been experiencing since independence. Many Nigerian leaders have 

not been able to rise above the situation they met on the ground, because they came into 

office without just vision or with corrupt vision. Many past Nigerian leaders since 

independence often thought there was no corruptions in Nigerian politics while some 

others who acknowledged it, for one reason or the other failed to muster adequate forces 

against it. This is the reason why Achebe (1983) earlier said: The trouble with Nigeria 

is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the 

Nigerian climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the 

unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to challenge personal 

example which are the hall marks of true leadership (4). It does appear that injustice in 

Nigeria is part of what are handed over from one government to the other. This is why 

corruption seems to be institutionalized in Nigeria.  

c. Socio-Religious Injustice:  The overwhelming Socio-Religious injustice 

situation captured that Prophets Amos were corruption, immorality, rejection of 

divine messages, pretentious religiosity in the 8th century Israel. The situation 

where the righteous will be declared wanted and the guilty discharged and 

acquainted.  The poor are becoming poorer and the rich richer, in that the race is 



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8 

not for the swift but for those who know who to pay their way in (Oladotun 

2019:6).  

Amos made us know that the people meticulously observed their religion. The same is 

true of Nigerians. Despite all the corruption and immorality in Nigerian society, people 

are pretending to be religious, observing their religious duties as a matter of life and 

death. This is observable from the life of many Christians and Moslems.  

Obiora (1998:23) rightly observes that religion in Nigeria today is being used for selfish 

ends. He sees religion as a fast business that people are embarking on. Looking at 

Christianity in Nigeria, the numerous churches in Nigeria today are not born out for pure 

motive of serving God but for self-aggrandizement. With a close study and interaction, 

most Christians do not know what they believe in, whether money or God. Because they 

have more concern for their business than God, they always strive after the way to 

accumulate more wealth for themselves, forgetting the demands of their relationship 

with God who is the foundation of all beings. They do not even have time for studying 

God's word. Today, we can hardly distinguish between a Christian and a non-Christian, 

because of the craved for wealth and pleasure. 

This culminates the above fact to mean that, Nigeria Christians make regular visits to 

worship centres. The regularity with which these centres are visited by Christians is 

alarming. Apart from this, the Christians organize religious crusades everywhere and 

every time in this country. There was constant performance of rituals at the sanctuaries 

during Amos' time. Nigerians as well show diligently these external forms of religion 

without any spiritual commitment. Various sacrifices and tithes, of stolen money, are 

offered daily in the church. Bribes are offered before one goes on a pilgrimage to 

Jerusalem. This is committing sin under the cloak of religion. 

Religious feasts, which are very many in Christianity, are observed meticulously by 

Nigerian Christians. Offerings, especially thanksgiving offerings, by those who succeed 

in their improper business are regularly given in the churches. Amos was talking of the 

noise of songs and the melody of harps during his own time, today in Nigeria, it is the 

noise of the musical equipment that is heard in religious centres. Both the offering and 

the music are all religious formalism and external rites unrelated to interior morality.  

d. Socio-Judicial Injustice: The central socio-judicial injustice that calls for Amos 

in the 8th century Israel is the continues inequity which is so apt and direct. Justice 

and righteousness are perverted (Amos 5:7). The truthful men are despised and 

scorned but those who are full of lies are praised.  Kolawole Oladotun Paul 

2019:6 affirmed that traditionally, the city gate was a seat of justice not only the 

judicial place for process but was also the legal hall of the society. The poor were 

exploited by the rich who take away the meager food that they love. This is done 

in form of task, rents and interests on loans. This appears to be the case in the 

Nigerian experience. Justice appears in most cases to have been perverted. 

Corruption has stigmatized the national judicial disciplined nine judges for 



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9 

indiscriminate granting of ex-parte motion.  This action taken by the national 

judicial council is sequel to the campaign by the judiciary to sanitize the judicial 

system which is already bedevilled within all for a sharp practice both at the 

bench and the bar. 

No wander The rape on justice in Nigeria even by the judiciary which is the last 

hope for the common man is an open secret. The judiciary is the branch of government 

invested with judicial powers to interpret, construct and apply the law so as to produce 

justice by discovering the truth. The whole process of adjudication is thus a human 

attempt at the discovering of truth. It is the end which ought to be reached in a case by 

the administration of the principles of the law involved as applied to the facts. The court 

should therefore be a temple of justice. “It is a common knowledge that the courts are 

infested by the virus of bribery and corruption”(Oputa1996:6). This has made justice in 

our courts a marketable commodity with the hammer falling for the highest bidder.  

Ugwueye Adrian rightly says: Venal judges and all other people that settle disputes at 

all levels of the society deny poor people justice, because of bribe from the rich. The 

rich are constantly claiming poor people's acres of land, yet the court always rules in 

favour of the rich, because of bribery (Ugwueye2002:56).  

It is very unfortunate that Nigerian courts have turned into war zones by greed, avarice, 

selfishness, and various unspeakable deeds of judges who prepare two contradictory 

verdicts (judgements), one for the plaintiff and the other for defendant; these judges wait 

anxiously to sell the verdict to the highest bidder (Muojekwu 2002:55).  

In the light of the above quotations by Ugwueye and Muojekwu, what happens in 

judicial sector in Nigeria should not surprise any right thinking and honest Nigerian. 

This is to say that in Nigeria, judiciary as an organ of government is no longer the hope 

of the common man, rather the grave of common man. 

The equality before the law seems to be a statement in mass deceit. Our police cells and 

prisons are filled with inmates whose only crime was that they could not pay their way 

through the modern criminal justice system. Human rights are abused daily under 

obnoxious decrees. Political opponents are sometimes clamped into detention centers in 

the name of state security. The Nigerian judiciary is indeed lousy with corrupt institution 

as some alleged miscreants rot in cells and prisons in the name of awaiting trial. Justice 

delayed is justice denied. The biblical assertion that the love of money is the source of 

all evils cannot be over-emphasized. In our world today one is constantly told that there 

is nothing money cannot buy from life. This follows that money can buy justice.  

Importance of Amos' Message to the Growth in Nigeria  

Amos' message of social justice to the Israelites of his time teaches Nigerians a lot of 

lessons, which can positively affect the life of the nation today. Amos emphasizes the 

importance of social justice in human society. Therefore, development cannot be 

achieved without a determined effort at good moral and spiritual human living within 



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10 

the society. It means using the things that God has created to improve the lives of all 

people according to the will of God. Nigerians are known for being religious andbeing 

religious signifies being in a covenant relationship with God which means that we must 

be righteous and our behaviour must reflect the fact that we are God's people.  

Since God is just, righteous and loving, Nigerians should learn to demonstrate these 

virtues in relationship and dealing with our fellow human beings for the sustenance of 

development in the Nigeria. We may ask ourselves if we expect God to share our 

allegiance to him as religious people with some equivalent of „religiosity without 

religion? as the Israelites did. We may worship God in theory, but in practice place our 

selfish priority in money, business, fame, politics, charms, secret cults, etc. If any of 

these things or anything else, replaces God or even is placed more important, then we 

are not better than Israelites of Amos' time. 

Our understanding of Amos' review of social injustice is bound to affect our 

relationships with our fellow human beings. Amos sees justice and ethical conduct as 

the foundation of society. He maintains that worship by a people whose lives are 

characterized by selfishness, greed, immorality and oppression is an abomination to 

God. Many Nigerians practise religion as a matter of life and death without spiritual 

attachment. Prophet Amos was God's messenger who insisted that if the Israelites would 

like to maintain a relationship of love with him they had to make sure that they treated 

their fellow Israelites like covenanted sisters and brothers. For him, injustice and 

oppression in the society is not a mere evil but sin. Accordingly, it is not worship or 

religious matters that occupy an important place and more space but rather social justice, 

love and concern for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalized, and sincerity in 

one's dealings with the neighbour (cf. Exodus 20:22-23:33). In the same manner, 

Nigerians should be just in relating with one another bearing in mind that they are 

members of the same nation. 

This clarion call to social justice by Amos is a challenge to Christianity, Islam and 

African traditional religion, three major religions professed by the Nigerian population. 

The problems and prospects of our socio-religious realities touch on the tenets of these 

religions. The underprivileged and the downtrodden in our villages and city slums are 

Nigerians and adherents of these faiths. At the same time the oppressors who collude 

with trans-national Corporation to exploit Nigerians, the pen-robbers in the banks and 

financial institutions and the fraudulent men and women in our establishments are 

people who claim allegiance to either religion. To combat social injustice and wrong-

doing in our contemporary society is a task to be religiously pursued by Christianity, 

Islam and African traditional religion. Adherents of these religions must come to 

recognize the need for dialogue and collaboration. This move must be practically 

evident in our behaviour for national development (Ikenna 2018:54).  

Conclusion  



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As discussed in this paper, Amos' perspective of social injustice in Israel is equivalent 

to Nigerian society owing to the fact that social injustices that occurred in Israel at Amos' 

period are also observed in Nigeria today and there will be no meaningful development 

in Nigeria when there are injustices in all the sectors of the country. Unless Nigerian 

nation undergoes serious administrative and behavioural changes, the country shall 

remain permanently decayed. Every human person is entitled to justice irrespective of 

any position and social status. Nigerians should internalize the message of Amos on 

social justice by discouraging injustice for where there is justice there is peace. Only in 

this way we can save the nation in this steering wheel of decay.  

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