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THE NEXUS OF PHILOSOPHY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: 

IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA’S DEMOCRATIC EXPERIENCE 

  

Victor Ogheneochuko JEKO., Ph.D 

Department of Philosophy, 

Faculty of Arts, 

University of Benin, Benin City, 

Edo State, Nigeria 

Email: victor.jeko@uniben.edu 

 

ABSTRACT 

Nigeria is bedevilled by the problem of ineffective leadership and this has resulted in political 

irresponsibility, looting of national treasury, godfatherism, tribal sentiment, terror and 

terrorism, bribery and corruption, elitist regime, social vices and other kleptocratic practices. 

Philosophy plays a critical role in galvanizing any country’s quest for national development. 

Philosophy serves as a catalyst to national development. Philosophy has moral implications for 

advancing any country’s quest for national development. Philosophy as an academic discipline 

is critical and it has a broader spectrum in addressing the socio-political, educational and 

economic challenges of a country. National development reflects aims at human improvement. 

This paper adopts the analytical framework and the hermeneutical methodology in discussing 

the nexus of philosophy and national development; and its implications for Nigeria. National 

development is fundamental in measuring the indices of good governance in a country. 

Findings, however, show that philosophy is instrumental and it serves as a vital force in 

ensuring national development and an ideological direction for a country. Nigerian political 

leadership must be backed by the instrumentality of philosophic contemplation. This paper 

concludes that philosophy and national development are necessary ingredients for human 

improvement. This paper recommends that Nigeria should holistically address its national 

development strategy to pave the way for human capital development. Nigeria as a country 

should ensure effective national security policy that could galvanize national development. 

Nigerian political leadership should ensure even distribution of natural and human resources 

in order to guarantee equality of opportunity of Nigerians.   

Keywords: National Development, Development, Nigeria, Philosophy, Society 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Nigeria is constrained by lack of effective political leadership and environmental sustainability. 

Nigeria’s inability for ensuring the philosophy of national development is actually due to 

political irresponsibility, bribery and corruption, social, educational, economic and political 

insecurity. Nigeria as a country amazes the world by some kleptocratic practices such as 

electoral fraud, looting of the national treasury, godfatherism, monetized politics, tribal 

sentiment, Islamic fundamentalism, and loss of cultural values and heritage. However, 

philosophy plays a critical role in galvanizing any country’s quest for national development. 

National development reflects on the overall improvement of human beings in all spheres of 

life. This paper adopts the analytical framework and the hermeneutical methodology in 

discussing the interface between philosophy and national development. National development 

is fundamental in measuring the indices of good governance and leadership structure. This 

paper, however, argues that philosophy is instrumental and it serves as a vital force in ensuring  

mailto:victor.jeko@uniben.edu


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social change and it serves as an ideological direction for countries of the world. Nigerian 

Political leadership requires the instrumentality and the power of philosophic wisdom in 

piloting the affairs of the Nigerian nation.  

This paper is divided into five sections. Section one is the introduction. Section two focuses on 

the conceptual clarification of philosophy. Section three is anchored on the conceptual 

clarification of national development. Section four reflects on the nexus between philosophy, 

national development and their implications for Nigeria. Section five focuses on the conclusion 

and recommendations. 

 

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION  

Philosophy  

Every country needs a philosophy for the sake of an ideological direction. Philosophy serves 

as an instrument in piloting the affairs of the state. A deconstructive approach to philosophy 

showcases that it is both theoretical and practical. Jeremy Wisnewski (2007, 92-93), argues 

that philosophy has a practicality function. Nigeria’s political scene and development vis-à-vis 

leadership structure is bedeviled by lack of philosophic wisdom. This is caused by political 

irresponsibility, bribery and corruption, social vices and other corrupt practices. Philosophy 

plays a critical role in ensuring the sustainable development of a country. Philosophy and 

national development are interrelated because they both centre around human betterment. 

Philosophy is a catalyst for national development. According to Nnaemedo Bartholomew 

(2023, 350), philosophy serves as a catalyst to national development.  Accordingly, Paulinus 

Ejeh (2021, 197), argues that philosophy enables the human person to change some 

fundamental beliefs as well as articulate a new direction towards enhancing the quality of 

human condition. Philosophy has moral implications for advancing any country’s quest for 

national development. For Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 350), philosophy provides a moral 

lens for national development.  

Philosophy has a definitional difficulty because there is no universally acceptable definition of 

philosophy. Philosophy is derived from two Greek words, “philo” and “sophia”. Philo means 

love while sophia means wisdom. Etymologically speaking, when put together, it means “the 

love of wisdom”. For BonaChristus Umeogu (2012, 10), wisdom, in this context, is the active 

use of intelligence, not something passive. Generally speaking, philosophy is analytical, 

rational, logical, systematic and abstract in nature. For Innocent Asouzu (2004, 7), philosophy 

is the act of critical self-awareness concerning the nature of reality in its most authentic and 

real constitution and in consideration of the ambivalent character of all human existential 

situations. However, philosophy is defined in the context of being the mother of all disciplines. 

According to Godfrey Ozumba (1996, 1), philosophy by its very nature and scope is a very 

great discipline. It is an all-embracing, all encompassing, and all comprehensive discipline. 

Being the very root of all human knowledge, we never can conceive any area of knowledge 

whether in the sciences, arts, social sciences etc that did not remotely or even at close quarters 

draw its inspiration from philosophy. For William Lawhead (2002, xxii), a number of strange 

ideas about philosophy float around our culture. Many people think of philosophy as an 

optional enterprise—just a detached, erudite hobby for the intellectually elite or the so-called 

disabled. Bertrand Russell (1998, 90) in consonance with William Lawhead (2002), argues that 

the study of philosophy is not a waste of time; philosophy like other studies aims at knowledge. 

According to Bertrand Russell (1998, 91), the man who has no tincture of philosophy goes  



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through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs 

of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without the co-

operation or consent of his deliberate reason. Based on this theoretical subscription, Bertrand 

Russell (1998, 93), further heightened his theoretical position by asserting that philosophic 

contemplation consists man’s freedom and his liberation from the thralldom of narrow hopes 

and fears. For Izu Onyeocha (2020, 1), philosophy is not a luxury, indeed it becomes a necessity 

just as soon as people are able and willing to think freely about their beliefs. Accordingly, 

Celestine Mbaegbu (2009, 2) argues that wonder is at the base of all philosophy or 

philosophies. Thus, the first step in the philosophical activity is this wonder that accompanies 

man’s experiential contact with himself or the world around him. This wonder gives rise to 

some fundamental questions, and this is the second step. The third step is taken when man 

begins to reflect on those fundamental questions, in search of answers.  

Philosophy has four major branches such as metaphysics, logic, axiology and epistemology. 

For a systematic analysis, vivid elucidation and expositional simplicity, it is germane to explain 

these various branches of philosophy. For instance, metaphysics is derived from two Greek 

words, “meta”and “physika”. “Meta” means the beyond while “physika” means the physical. 

Metaphysics is the ultimate search for the fundamental truth or reality of things such as the 

existence of God, Soul, freedom and free will, angels and mind. Metaphysics gives meaning to 

reality. According to Pantaleon Iroegbu (1995, 24), metaphysics gives the deepest meaning to 

all reality. It is thus an indispensable aspect of the human enterprise. It sets out to provide a 

fundamentally needed rational and existential explanation of reality as it affects us especially 

in its totality and ultimacy. On one hand, logic means the science of reasoning. It deals with 

the accurate way of reasoning. Logic reflects on the inductive and deductive way of reasoning. 

Inductive reasoning is the way of reasoning from the particular to the general while deductive 

reasoning deals with the way of reasoning from the general to the particular. Logic also 

revolves around symbolic reasoning. Accordingly, Maduabuchi Dukor (2008, 1) argues that 

logic is an instrument or organ for appraising the correctness of reasoning. The principles of 

logic or the notions relevant to it are called philosophical logic. The instrument for appraising 

the validity of reasoning is called formal logic. For Maduabuchi Dukor (2008, 2), logic studies 

meaning in general. It studies words like ‘all’, ‘and’, etc as well as sentences. It is the study of 

language in general and how it corresponds to the world of facts and ideas. On the other hand, 

axiology is another branch of philosophy that revolves around ethics and aesthetics. Ethics is 

the study that deals with the rightness and wrongness of human behavior while aesthetics is the 

philosophy of arts or beauty. Ethics deals with the motive of human goodness. For Pantaleon 

Iroegbu (2005, 22), the motif in ethics is goodness. The good is symbolized as well as expressed 

in words and actions. The philosophy of the works of art is surrounded by aesthetic appreciation 

and judgment. However, epistemology is another branch of philosophy that deals with the 

science of knowledge acquisition. Epistemology is derived from two Greek words, “episteme” 

and “logos”. “Episteme” means knowledge while “logos” means science. Etymologically 

speaking, when put together, it means the study or science of knowledge. Based on this 

theoretical subscription on the epistemological stance of philosophy, Ben Eboh (1995, 2) 

asserts that epistemology is that branch of philosophy that examines the validity or truth of 

human knowledge.  

Nevertheless, apart from the four major branches of philosophy, philosophy as a discipline 

touches on other fields of studies such as history, mathematics, astronomy, classics, 

management studies, economics, biology, science, law, sociology, sports, literature, education, 

psychology, political science, anthropology, ethnology, religion, language and communication 

studies. Worthy of note is that the interrelationship between philosophy and other fields of  



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studies is what we may refer to as the second order discipline. For Maduabuchi Dukor (2004, 

vii), philosophy as a second order discipline, illuminates the concepts of law and justice as well 

as other substantive subjects. Philosophy as a discipline has a broader spectrum in terms of its 

rational and ultimate search for reality such as God, man and nature. Philosophy is broader in 

scope than just the ultimate search for truth concerning God, man and nature. Accordingly, 

Paulinus Ejeh (2021, 186) argues that philosophy is a search, a continuous search for meaning, 

for intelligibility and for answers.  

National Development  

Development, just like philosophy has a definitional difficulty. Scholars are quick to define 

development from the viewpoint of economic growth but it goes beyond the premise of 

economic transformation. Development is one of the crucial elements of democratic 

sustainability of every country. According to Paulinus Ejeh(2021, 183), development is very 

essential and highly necessary to growth and sustenance of any country. For Godwin Okaneme 

(2016, 31), development is all about human activity which comes out when the resources of 

the state are judiciously used for infrastructural and human development. According to Andrew 

Efemini (2010, 59-60), development is inextricably linked with human rights. The notion of 

politics in the state revolves around the need for the promotion of fundamental human rights 

through the possibility of development strategy. For Andrew Efemini (2010, 60-61), 

development cannot strive in an atmosphere of rancor and ethnic sentiments. For Anikpe Mbah 

(2016, 21), the term development could be used interchangeably with evolution depending on 

the contexts in which it is being used, either positively or negatively to refer to situations, 

trends, or issues. It is clear that development and improvement are synonymous. However, 

development revolves around the improvement of human welfare, needs and aspirations. 

Nnedum Tony and Ezeokana Jude (2009, 214), argued that development stands for 

improvement in the provision of good roads and transport system, electric power supply, 

healthy housing, portable water supply, food security, qualitative/functional education, good 

health care delivery, impartial justice system, industrialization, environmental sustainability, 

and general reduction of poverty.  

Anikpe Mbah (2016, 21-22) argues that development in a wider context that deals with socio-

economic and political life of society; it connotes the fulfillment, realization or actualization of 

goals and objectives, hopes and aspirations of that society; and human development is about 

giving people more freedom, rights and opportunities to live lives they value. According to 

Paulinus Ejeh(2021, 190), development equally implies improvement in the material well-

being of all citizens in society. Development demands that poverty and inequality to access the 

good things of life be removed or drastically reduced. Development in all its ramifications 

revolves around human development. Development is deeply rooted in human-centeredness or 

the people. For Pantaleon Iroegbu (1994, 83) development is described as humanocentricism. 

In this vision of the world (Weltanschauung), even the gods are at the service of the human 

person. In other words, development is people oriented. Accordingly, Anikpe Mbah (2016, 22) 

asserts that the human development approach focuses on improving the lives people lead rather 

than assuming that economic growth will lead, automatically to greater opportunities for all. 

Development represents the increase in the economic growth and the per capita income of a 

people. For Anikpe Mbah (2016, 22-23), income growth is an important means to development, 

rather than an end in itself.  

 

 



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PHILOSOPHY AND DEVELOPMENT: THE NEXUS 

Philosophy is aimed at solving practical problems. For Gillian Howie (2009, 16), this 

increasing tendency to define practical problems in such an instrumental way is what Habermas 

would describe as “technocratic consciousness”. However, philosophy is deeply rooted in 

cognitive reflection. Accordingly, Gillian Howie (2009, 17) argues that without such political 

autonomy, as Isaiah Berlin and Bertrand Russell warned, cognitive reflection is assimilated 

into political function. As Jeremy Wisnewski (2007) and Gillian Howie (2009) rightly 

observed, philosophy does not only have a “practicality function” but “a political function”. 

Philosophy has an apriori commitment to the distinction between transcendental and empirical 

subjectivity. According to Andrea Kenkmann (2009, 2) philosophy does not exist in a vacuum, 

but is embedded in society, it always has political and ethical implications, implications for the 

future of our society as a whole. Philosophy provides us with the tools of critical thinking. A 

tool that in our consumer society is not only vital to avoid total brainwash and uncritical 

acceptance of the status quo, but also to create and sustain meaningful communities that shape 

our future.  For Andrea Kenkmann (2009, 2), philosophy is described as a holistic activity that 

allows us not only to understand ourselves better but that also informs our relations with the 

world around us. Philosophy has creative and transformative power. Teaching philosophy thus 

cannot be separated from ethics and politics; it reveals how and where we stand. Philosophy is 

embedded in praxis. For Finn Thorbjorn Hansen(2009, 208), philosophical praxis helps human 

beings to deal with their spiritual and self- transformative moments. Philosophy is all about 

human betterment and the comprehensive conception of the good life.  

Accordingly, Iain Mackenzie (2009, 3), argues that philosophy is alive and grappling with new 

ways of thinking about classical problems with a range of newly identified problems and with 

innovative theoretical paradigm as well. For Maduabuchi Dukor (2009, xii), philosophy 

criticizes the mode and the terrain of thought of a people; it is a conscious exercise, reflection, 

revisionism, and self- criticism resulting in the laws of thought: the laws of identity, excluded 

middle and contradiction. According to Ike Odimegwu (2008, 25), philosophy in itself is 

important and desirable; it approaches the realm of the fundamental. For Ike Odimegwu (2008, 

28) philosophy is: 

Traditionally defined from the etymological perspective as “the love of wisdom” 

derived from the Greek word “philosophia”, said to have been invented by Pythagoras, 

the term philosophy does not obtain much clarity from its etymological definition. 

Wisdom, or rather its meaning, has been evolving as the philosophy it defines, 

collecting and dropping shades of signification in the process. The Greek word ‘Sophia’ 

had a much wider range of application than the modern English word wisdom.  

Furthermore, Ike Odimegwu (2008, 35), however, argues that philosophy is rather a ‘philia’ an 

appreciation, a yearning for, characterized by freedom, dialogue, fluidity, encounter, presence, 

uniqueness, of company, and continuous freshness of being, and relations. Philosophy is deeply 

rooted in argumentation or critical thinking. Accordingly, Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 

345-346), argues that philosophy is enmeshed in the web of arguments and counter-arguments, 

with one system appearing to oppose, refute and annihilate the other. For Ike Odimegwu (2008, 

41-42), philosophy is an activity, a process of critical thought which can only continue in being 

by being self- critical. This activity is an instrument whose range of application is not easily 

delineable. Ike Odimegwu (2008, 43) further heightened his theoretical position by arguing 

that philosophy denotes the many largely unconscious intellectual assumptions and habits by 

which humans live in their different times and climes, their fundamental beliefs and convictions 

concerning the nature of reality, of human personhood and of society which gives meaning and  



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impetus to thought and action. Philosophy attempts to address the justification of human 

beliefs. Based on this theoretical subscription, Ike Odimegwu (2008, 38) further argues that 

human beings live by beliefs or system of belief. For Godwin Okaneme (2016, 28), the question 

what is philosophy has been a recurring one among most of the philosophical epochs. The 

question itself makes the subject matter of philosophy more challenging, interesting as well as 

illuminating. However, in my considered and settled opinion, philosophy is the critical 

reflection about all aspects of reality.  

It is in the light of the aforehighlighted, then, that we understand the link between philosophy 

and development. Philosophy from antiquity has championed the cause of human development. 

Based on this this theoretical subscription, Anikpe Mbah (2016, 24) further heightened his 

theoretical position by arguing that philosophy considers critical thinking very vital to the 

development of the cognitive aspect of man. However, man looks forward towards the moral, 

political, psychological, cognitive, cultural, educational, scientific, technological, historical 

and linguistic development of his being. According to Philip Isanbor and Anthony Bature 

(2018, 64), the quest for development, more ultimately for the realization of integral human 

development is the presupposition for the acceptance of change and it takes great trust of moral 

evaluation to monitor the wave of any possible change. Philosophy becomes instrumental in 

addressing socio-political, educational and economic challenges of any country.  

Accordingly, Anikpe Mbah (2016, 25), further argues that philosophy delves into the study of 

the social and political nature of man and his relationship with others. In recognition of the 

dynamism of humanity and for an organized and stable society, philosophy, in its prescriptive 

nature, multiplies political options for feasible and reliable governance. In other words, 

philosophy, governance and development are concepts that are inextricably linked. For Godwin 

Okaneme (2016, 31-32), development over the years has become a very crucial factor in 

international politics and diplomacy as well as in the social sciences and philosophy as well. 

Governance, on the other hand, is also a human activity whose overall aim is to administer men 

in states from a humane and humanistic disposition. Development presupposes the fact that 

man’s daily activities on earth, he brings his intellectual endowment to bear towards making 

the world better and friendlier place to live in. Development and good governance are 

interwoven concepts.  

According to Godwin Okaneme (2016, 31), philosophy ensures intellectual development of a 

people while freeing such people from intellectual prejudices and outright ignorance; and 

governance especially good governance ensures that the rights of citizens are protected and not 

trampled upon or truncated. Accordingly, Godwin Okaneme (2016, 31-32) further heightened 

his theoretical position by arguing that development itself is also a human activity that ensures 

that nations are not stagnated but make steady and verifiable progress in all facets of human 

endeavours. For Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 345), development means translating from 

potentiality to actuality, manifesting and bringing out from hiddenness to perceptibility. Izu 

Onyeocha (2020, 2) in agreement with Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023), argues that 

development can mean at least three things, 1) a process by which an inner principle that is at 

first hidden comes to light; 2) it may be a slow, step by step transformation; 3) it may be a 

transformation that is guided in a definite direction; 4) it can be a transformation that leads 

from the unformed and less determined to the formed and fully determined. Development in 

Nigeria is bedeviled by kleptocratic practices or ill-gotten wealth. Based on this theoretical 

subscription, Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 349), however, argues that unfinished or poorly 

constructed roads, poor health and educational facilities, and half-baked graduates are all 

indices of unnecessary outgrowth in our national development. Godwin Okaneme (2016, 34)  



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in agreement with Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023) further argues that one of the major 

challenges of Nigerian political leadership is the inability of many Nigerian politicians to 

differentiate between politics as service and politics as the shortest avenue and route to 

amassing cheap and ill-gotten wealth in the country. Development is all about human progress. 

For Chuka Enuka (2006, 76), development is seen as that which involves the progress of a 

people in the society. Unfortunately, the socio-political and economic progress of the Nigerian 

people has been truncated by the evils of godfatherism, eliocentric politics, looting of national 

treasury, political irresponsibility, terror and terrorism or Islamic fundamentalism (religious 

bigotry), lack of electoral reforms, election rigging, electoral fraud, ethnic sentiment, farmers-

herdsmen clashes, inter/intra tribal conflicts, political thuggery, political assassination and 

other kleptocratic practices or social crises.     

Worthy of note is that Nigeria’s quest for national development has always been threatened by 

poor democratic governance, political irresponsibility, lack of democratic accountability, 

corruption and other kleptocractic practices. Philosophy is critical in the national development 

programmes of any country. According to Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 345), one of the 

issues in philosophy is its relevance to national development. Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 

348) further heightened his theoretical position by asserting that every sphere of national 

development has a specific philosophy behind it. National development is an integral aspect or 

component of any country and it revolves around every segment of society. Accordingly, 

Paulinus Ejeh (2021, 192), argues that national development is described as the overall 

development or a collective socio-economic, political as well as religious advancement of a 

country. National development is holistic in nature and revolves around the cultural, social, 

political, economic, scientific, technological, and educational development of every society. 

National development reflects on humanistic concerns and the holistic principle of ensuring 

the welfare, improvement and the betterment of all individuals in society. However, national 

development is feasible and indispensable in a society if it is being driven by effective and 

visionary leadership. Unfortunately, responsible governance is lacking in some countries of the 

world most especially in some African countries. In other words, good democratic governance 

remains an indispensable ingredient for national development.  

Moreover, national development cannot and will not strive in a country that is characterized by 

kleptocratic practices such as looting of the national treasury, electoral fraud, election rigging, 

godfatherism, eliocentric politics, tribal sentiments, farmers-herdsmen clashes, lack of due 

process, weak institutions of government, poor legal framework and lack of environmental 

sustainability and other social vices such as religious bigotry, terror and terrorism, internet 

fraud, inter/intra tribal conflicts and armed robbery. National development envisages the total, 

holistic and the comprehensive conception of the good life. 

Nonetheless, national development, just like philosophy is concerned with the comprehensive 

conception of the good life. National development in any country is guaranteed by good ethical 

considerations and democratic principles. However, politics is a public process that is aimed at 

enhancing a country’s national development. For Alan Thomas (2006, 279), politics is a 

cognitive matter. The comprehensive conception of the good life as a matter of cognition 

reflects on human betterment and the idea of the common good. For Iain Mackenzie (2009, 5), 

politics is best thought of as the pursuit of the common good. Good political setting gives room 

for national development programmes in a country. The basic structure of society solely 

depends on the moral restraints of political leaders and the ruled. National development is 

indispensable for guaranteeing the common good of all and the indispensability of national 

development is made possible through what Alan Thomas (2006, 283) calls the fair value of  



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political liberty, fair equality of opportunity and the maximum criterion of distributive equality 

which emerged as implicit in our initial assumptions and are brought out by conducting a 

reflective enquiry into our initial assumptions. National development is judged by the 

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Based on this theoretical subscription, Wangari 

Maathai (2009, 239) asserts that the MDGs offer a useful heuristic device not only as a tool to 

analyze development in general, but as measures against which the commitment of leaders in 

both the rich industrialized countries and the developing world to progress in human welfare 

and sustainable development can and should be judged.  

 

EVALUATING THE CONCEPTS OF PHILOSOPHY AND NATIONAL 

DEVELOPMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA 

Every national development programme must have a solid moral footing. Philosophy is deeper 

and wider in scope as an academic discipline. It has a broad range in its attempt to addressing 

the socio-political, educational, cultural, psychological, scientific, technological and economic 

challenges of human societies in a changing world. Philosophy and national development are 

inextricably linked and they both aimed at the overall improvement of human societies. Based 

on this theoretical subscription, Nnaemedo Bartholomew (2023, 348) argues that philosophy 

links national development to other substructures as it constitutes their base. Development in 

Nigeria is in a sorry state. For Paulinus Ejeh (2021, 180-181), philosophy could play a critical 

role in redirecting the affairs of the country. Nigerian leaders require philosophic wisdom in 

piloting the affairs of Nigeria. Philosophy and national development have critical importance 

in directing the socio-political, educational and economic challenges of Nigeria. Unfortunately, 

the socio-political and economic development of Nigeria is in a pitiable condition. For Paulinus 

Ejeh (2021, 183), national development can only be possible when the leadership of the country 

is driven or piloted by leadership imbued with philosophic wisdom. Sadly, on the scale of the 

world standard indices, African nations, particularly Nigeria is on the baseline or bottom line 

in development, politically, socio-economically, educationally, and technologically. Poverty, 

unemployment, hunger, starvation, crime, violence, and terrorism now ravage the nation 

instead of meaningful and sustainable national development. Nigeria as a country is bedeviled 

by infrastructural deficits, lawlessness, social disorderliness, godfatherism, elite politics, 

bribery and corruption, poor economic policies, lack of people-oriented programmes, weak 

institutions of government, religious bigotry, terror and terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism, 

poor road network, lack of due process, poor educational system, political irresponsibility, poor 

democratic governance, political assassination, lack of electoral reforms, election rigging, 

electoral fraud, farmers-herdsmen clashes, inter/intra tribal conflicts, moral, educational, 

social, economic and political insecurity. Accordingly, Gbari Sylvester and Anselm Odo (2021, 

202) argued that political insecurity has resulted in violent and desperate politickings among 

political parties, electoral fraud, election rigging, thuggery, and money politics. Electoral fraud 

poses a major challenge to democracy in Nigeria and by implication, a threat to the security of 

the nation. Accordingly, Gbari Sylvester and Anselm Odo (2021, 203) argued that ethno-

religious crisis has led to Christian and Muslims and inter-tribal conflicts. According to 

Emmanuel Ebo (2009, 557), conflicts have always been associated with man, since the 

emergence of human society. Emmanuel Ebo (2009, 559) argues that Nigeria’s democracy has 

been over buffeted by conflicts of various magnitudes. Emmanuel Ebo (2009, 568) however, 

asserts that Nigerian representatives must address the issues that may lead to crisis of poverty, 

political inequality of the regions, infrastructural facilities etc to ensure an equitable 

distribution of same. There is no gain saying that the Nigerian democracy is bedeviled by 

conflicts and crisis of various imports. For Gbari Sylvester and Anselm Odo (2021, 203), intra- 



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tribal conflicts have been estimated that this alone has wasted over 10, 000 lives since 1999. 

Every little event triggers off suspicion, hatred and killing between the Muslims and Christians 

in the Northern part of the country and among the various ethnic nationalities. According to 

the National Bureau of Statistics cited by Gbari Sylvester and Anselm Odo(2021, 203-204), 

there are about 35 million unemployed youths in the country who are forced to resort to 

anything that can serve as a means of livelihood. Unfortunately, the middle Belt region of 

Nigeria has faced prolonged violent clashes between the predominantly Christian farmers and 

the mostly Muslims cattle herders. However, apart from political insecurity and ethno-religious 

crises, Nigeria is also bedeviled by serious economic insecurity. Accordingly, Gbari Sylvester 

and Anselm Odo(2021, 204) further assert that economic insecurity has resulted to the resource 

control, hunger, shortage of food, land degradation, destruction of livestocks, fishes and marine 

life. All these socio-political and economic challenges serve as major hindrances to Nigeria’s 

quest for national development. Worthy of note is that Nigeria’s quest for national development 

is also bedeviled by lack of environmental sustainability.  

Furthermore, environmental degradation has ravaged Nigeria’s quest for economic 

sustainability. Development in Nigeria is nothing to write good report of. Based on this 

theoretical subscription, Paulinus Ejeh (2021, 180), argues that the pride of any government 

has been and will continue to be the attainment of higher level of development such that its 

citizens would derive natural attachment to leadership and governance. For Godwin Okaneme 

(2018, 4-5), leadership and governance require political will. Nigerian political leadership lacks 

the political will; the goodwill that will turn around the fortunes of the generality of all in 

Nigerian society. For Innocent Asouzu (2003, 159), only the man of goodwill can submit 

himself to a higher form of legitimization. Accordingly, Innocent Asouzu (2003, 163) argues 

that it is as men of goodwill that we can be truly human and compassionate. Based on this 

Asouzuian tradition, Nigerian political leaders ought to be humane and compassionate in their 

attempt to control the state of affairs of the country. Unfortunately, Nigerian political leaders 

are corrupt, dictatorial, heartless, inhumane and they are deeply rooted in various forms of 

kleptocratic practices.  

In addition, corruption is antithetical to Nigeria’s quest for national development. It is against 

humanity and the collective interests of a people. Corruption is counter-productive and 

antihuman and it has served as cog in the wheel of Nigeria’s developmental progress. For N.M 

Eribo and M.A Izibili (2010, 29), corruption reigns supreme in elitist regimes as the allocation 

of state’s resources are for the benefit of the mighty that is the ruling class at the expense of 

the ruled. According to Subrata Murkherjee and Sushila Ramaswamy (2011, 144), corruption 

means the subordination of public values to the private sphere. Corruption is when the public 

sphere was used to furthering private aims and interests. For Chris Okoli (2010, 59), Nigeria’s 

embrace and romance with corruption amazed the world. As Paulinus Ejeh(2021, 181) rightly 

observed, Nigeria and other less developed countries of the world have continuously wallowed 

in the swampy and muddy waters of urban overpopulation, rural stagnation, acute 

unemployment and growing man- made inequalities. For Paulinus Ejeh (2021, 197), thus, a 

dose of philosophy is not only necessary but expedient to enable Nigerian leaders to appreciate 

our political heritage. National development has been stagnated by ineffective leadership in 

Nigeria.  On the other hand, Godwin Okaneme (2018, 4) in his theoretical analysis argues that 

Nigeria has been the way it is developmentally speaking, mainly due to poor and ineffective 

leadership. Leadership responsibility is a very onerous or arduous task that requires 

selflessness, humility, intelligence, moral probity, managerial competence, listening skill, and 

enthusiasm. Nigerian political leadership is characterized by an inordinate ambition. National 

development requires good governance and effective leadership structure. Accordingly, Jack  



       Victor Ogheneochuko .                                        The Nexus Of Philosophy And National Development:…    

181 
 

 

Aigbidion and Idjakpo (2010, 6), argued that the problem of governance in Nigeria is traceable 

to inordinate ambition and unwillingness of political leaders to make necessary sacrifices for 

the unity of the country; crass ignorant and inexperienced leadership, corruption and greed, and 

inability to learn from history and turn a new leaf are some of the ills of the African elites and 

these are responsible for our inability to govern ourselves and by spearheading the need for 

national development in Nigeria. The philosophy of national development cannot be feasible 

in a country or a continent whereby some African leaders are embarrassing the African 

continent. For Denis Venter (2004, 229), as Africa is entering the new millennium, there is a 

profound sense of hope being frustrated, of stereotypes being reaffirmed, once again of some 

African countries like Nigeria whereby some persons are embarrassing the continent. 

Democracy in Africa is primarily focused on political reform. African leaders fear such a 

situation due to the evils of corruption and inordinate ambition. Accordingly, Denis Venter 

(2004, 229-230), argues that: 

The emphasis on ‘governance’ is designed to address the corrupt, capricious and 

arbitrary practices, which seem to afflict Africa’s politicians and bureaucrats. Efforts to 

create an economically enabling environment and build administrative and other 

capacities will be wasted if the political context is not favourable; ultimately, better 

governance requires political renewal and a concerted attack on corruption. This can be 

done by strengthening the transparency and accountability of representative bodies 

(inter alia, by free elections in a multiparty system), by encouraging public debate, by 

nurturing press freedom and civil society organizations, and by maintaining the rule of 

law and an independent judiciary.  

 

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS  

So far, this paper has examined the interface between philosophy, national development and 

their implications for Nigeria. However, national development has always been threatened by 

poor democratic governance, political irresponsibility, lack of democratic accountability, 

environmental sustainability, and corruption. National development is an integral aspect of any 

country. National development is holistic in nature and revolves around the cultural, social, 

political, economic, scientific, technological, and educational development of a people. 

National development reflects on humanistic concerns and the holistic principle of ensuring 

human improvement. This paper, then, recommends that: 

1. Nigeria should holistically address its national development strategy to pave the 

way for the overall human capital development of all.  

2. Nigerian political leadership should be devoid of corruption.  

3. Nigeria as a country should ensure effective national security policy that could 

galvanize the need for national development.  

4. Nigerian political leadership should ensure even distribution of natural and human 

resources in order to guarantee equality of opportunity of all.  

5. Nigeria should create the atmosphere for an economically enabling environment 

through the instrumentality of national philosophy. 

  



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