



































EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, Number 1,  May, 2020


EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 117 

 

RESTORING HARMONY IN THE DISARRAYED NATION OF 

NIGERIA: PHILOSOPHICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, A VERITABLE 

ARBITER 

 

Chukwuemeka Iloanya,  Samuel Ifeanyi Mmoneke and Kenechukwu 

Makwudo 

 

Department of Philosophy, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, 

Igbariam Campus 

E-mail: cp.iloanya@coou.edu.ng; si.mmoneke@coou.edu.ng 

 

Abstract 

It is only in a few countries in the world that there is no major unrest. 

Nonetheless, the disarray in some countries is much tense and far ravaging 

than in the others. Nigeria happens to be one of such deeply disarrayed 

countries. This lack of harmony in Nigeria has led to brokenness in almost 

every facet of its national existence. It has also been observed for a very long 

time that the three major reasons among many others for the turmoil in the 

country: violation of freedom, inequality and insecurity worsen as the day 

goes by.  Based on the said observation, this paper seeks to proffer a solution 

with Philosophical Anthropology – a fundamental science of the essence and 

essential organization of man, of his metaphysical essential origin, as well as 

his physical, mental and spiritual element in the world. It Places the value of 

man above every other value and places him as an end in itself instead of a 

means to an end. This paper believes that when this awareness is created, 

Nigerians will see insurmountable reasons for the need to respect the value of 

human life, hence addressing the major issues causing the persistent disarray 

in the nation. There will be an expose of some incidences that will aid in the 

understanding of the work.  

 

Key words: harmony, disarray, Nigeria, philosophical anthropology and 

arbiter 

 

Introduction 

Harmony is what makes a nation great. It is a binding force that unites a 

people. According to Landauer & Rowlands (2001), … harmony… brings 

men together in peaceful cooperation to benefit their lives. It is the bedrock of 

society. It is why people choose to live in a society. Unfortunately it is 

nowhere to be found in Nigeria. Ever since her independence in 1960, Nigeria 

has being moving from one crisis to another which culminated in the civil war 

of 1967 to 1970 where millions of lives were lost and properties worth billions 

of naira destroyed. The thinking was that the civil war will put an end to those 

things that led to the crisis and harmony restored, but little did Nigerians know 

that it will rather serve as a catalyst that will aggravate the disarray that will 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 118 

 

consume the little harmony left in the country. Immediately after the civil war 

the state of nation became worst.. Every string that binds the nation together 

became shattered and there came high level of disunity. 

 

The people are made to be frustrated due to the fact that the basic things that 

are needed for harmonious coexistence of the constituent groups that made up 

the society were being toiled with, with impunity. The fundamental right and 

privileges that ought to be enjoyed by every citizen of the country are made to 

be the exclusive of the few that belongs to a particular tribe and religion in the 

country—rule of law are not respected. The government always fail their own 

part of the social contract that they willingly entered with the people and when 

the people do the needful as stipulated by the law by taking to the street 

through civil disobedience as can be seen in the write ups of many 

philosophers such as John Locke, Thomas Aquinas, etc. the government 

always tries to stop them with all the forces that one can imagine of, hence, 

disarray in the country. 

 

The disarray always deepens as the day goes by without the government taken 

any correction in the sense that they repeat the same thing they always do with 

the hope of achieving harmony but to no avail. It is as a result of this that this 

paper seeks to introduce Philosophical anthropology as an arbiter in order to 

restore the harmony that has for long eluded Nigeria as a nation. In the sense 

that it will help in fixing the  major three among the vital issues-absence of 

freedom, insecurity and inequality that led to brokenness and disarray being 

experienced in the nation today. 

 

Clarification of Concepts 

 

Harmony: Harmony/harmonization among many meanings it possesses could 

be said to mean an effective way to optimally coordinate differences and 

productively and positively transform reality. In present context, it could be 

said to mean ability of people whether of homogenous or heterogeneous 

background to live together in unity without partiality or marginalization 

against a group(s) that are existing within the society or community.   For 

Chenyang (2008) h a r m o n y  i s  b e s t  u n d e r s t o o d  a s  a  

comprehens ive  p rocess  o f  ha r mon izat ion .  I t  enc ompass es  

spa t i a l  a s  we l l  as  t empor al  dimensions, metaphysical as well as moral 

and aesthetical dimensions. It is a fundamentally open notion in the sense 

that it does not aim to conform to any pre-set order. Harmony could 

simply said to mean orderliness. 

 

Disarray: Disarray could be said to be the opposite of harmony. It is the state 

of disorganization, whereby things or events are not following the rightful or 

duly order/process that it ought to follow in the course of movement towards 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 119 

 

achieving desired result(s). It can also said to mean the state of crisis or total 

breakdown of law and order in both physical and spiritual realms. Itcould also 

mean the state of conflict that leads to underdevelopment and backwardness. 

 

Nigeria: Nigeria is a country in the continent of Africa. It is located in the 

sub-Saharan part of West Africa. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of 

Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital 

Territory, where the capital, Abuja is located. Nigeria is officially a 

democratic secular country (Nigerian Law, 2015).With 186 million 

inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh 

most populous country in the world (The CIA World Fact Book, 2014). 

Nigeria has the third-largest youth population in the world, after India and 

China, with more than 90 million of its population under age 18(The CIA 

World Fact Book, 2014). The country is viewed as a multinational state as it is 

inhabited by over 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, 

Igbo and Yoruba; these ethnic groups speak over 500 different languages and 

are identified with a wide variety of cultures (Otite:2015).Official language is 

English. Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live 

mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims, who live mostly in 

the north. A minority of the population practice religions indigenous to 

Nigeria, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities. She is said to 

be the largest black nation in the world.  

 

Philosophical anthropology: Philosophical Anthropology according to 

Crystalink.com, is the discipline that seeks to unify the 

several…investigations of human nature in an effort to understand individuals 

as both creatures of their environment and creators of their own values.  It is 

the field of philosophy that seeks to interpret philosophically the facts that has 

been discovered concerning the nature of man and of the human condition. It 

presupposes a developed body of… thought, and accordingly, in its program it 

aspires to a new, scientifically grounded metaphysics. It seeks to elucidate the 

basic qualities that make man what he is and distinguish him from other 

beings. (iresearchnet.com). Philosophical anthropology is the study that places 

the value of man above every other value; the study that sees man as an end 

instead of a means to an end.  

 

Consideration of the three Major causes of disarray in Nigeria 

There are many factors that cause disarray in Nigeria but due to want of time 

and space this paper will be restricted to just the three that were depicted in 

the abstract of this work--- absence of freedom, inequality and insecurity.  

 

Absence of freedom: 

One of the rarest commodities in Nigeria today is freedom, irrespective of the 

fact that it is among the fundamental human right which is said to be the 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 120 

 

“inalienable rights of people”--- the legal entitlements which every citizen 

should enjoy without fear of the government or other fellow citizens. They are 

said to be the rights which cannot be given to man by man but are earned by 

man for being a human because they are necessary for his continuous happy 

existence with himself, his fellow man and for participation in a complex 

society. Unfortunately, these rights of freedom are lacking in Nigeria. Even if 

they exist at all it is the exclusive of the leaders or the ruling class; akin to 

Thrasymacus saying that justice is an advantage of the stronger (Harlap, 347-

370: 1979). In Nigeria today freedom is indeed the advantage of the stronger 

(the ruling party, the Fulani, the northerners, etc).   

 

According 1999 Nigerian constitution (as amended), the citizens of Nigeria 

are entitled to some freedom such as: Right to Freedom of Thought, 

Conscience and Religion, Right to Freedom of Expression at the Press, Right 

to Freedom of Movement, Right to Freedom from Discrimination, etc. All 

these rights and freedom enumerated above have been consistently violated in 

Nigeria from time immemorial but it seems to be at its peak now. 

 

For instance the right to freedom of Thought, conscience and Religion imply 

secularity in Nigeria---- guaranteeing the peoples entitlement to religious 

freedom including freedom to change religion or belief and manifest and 

propagate one’s religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and 

observance. 

The law also provides: 

1. No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive 

religious instruction or to take part in any religious ceremony relating 

to a religion not his own. 

2. No religious community or denomination shall be prevented from 

providing religious instruction for pupils of that community or 

denomination in any place of education maintained wholly by that 

community or denomination. 

3. Nothing in the provision of the Constitution shall entitle any person to 

form, take part in the activity or be a member of secret society. 

 

Despite these constitutional provisions, however, there have been frequent 

reports of human rights abuses among cleric fundamentalists. Nigeria has 

witnessed many clashes between Christian and Muslim adherents over the 

years (naijalegaltalkng.com).In some states of the federation, the way the 

government are behaving or approaching the issue especially in this current 

dispensation makes it seems as if they are partners in violating this particular 

right and freedom in the country. The case of Kaduna State is one among the 

numerous examples where the state Governor Nasir El-rufai is making laws 

that are against Christians and confiscation of their properties, withdrawal of 

their C of O and suspension of Easter holiday in the state. This act goes a long 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 121 

 

way to show that what is contained in the Nigerian constitution is a mere 

paper work for confusing the rest of the world or to be used when the tide is 

against the ruling class but  truncated when they have advantage over others, 

hence the disarray in Nigeria. 

 

Freedom of expression is one of the costliest freedoms in Nigeria currently. 

One is expected to observe but not to talk. Once one says anything against the 

government in power he will be tracked by the Directorate of Secret Services 

(DSS), Nigerian Police Force (NPF) or Economic Financial Crime 

Commission (EFCC). These are the three major agencies used in intimidating 

people from expressing their views in Nigeria today. Many elderly statesmen, 

opinion leaders, opposition members, journalists, religious leaders that 

expressed their views against the ruling government have visited these 

agencies all in the bid to shun and cow them into silence. Some are still in 

their custody till date. 

 

It was on a Tuesday  September 4, 2018 that the house of Chief Edwin Clark 

one of the most vocal and elderly statesman and one time minister of 

information in Nigeria was searched by members of Nigerian Police Force 

because he and some elders condemned the evil they discovered in the present 

administration. All these acts are in a bid to cow him into silence but rather 

making him to become quiet it triggered disharmony in the country, which led 

to the dismissal of the officers that went on that mission after the denial of 

Inspector General of Nigerian Police that he is unaware of their illegal sojourn 

in the house of Chief Edwin Clark in search of ammunition. And Niger Deltas 

seeing it as an affront and insult to one of their patriarchs threatened to go 

back to the creek to start bombing of pipelines and kidnapping of expatriates. 

Vanguard Newspaper Reported it thus: “A coalition of Niger Delta militants 

said yesterday they were returning to the creeks to disrupt oil production in 

the Niger Delta, following last Tuesday’s raid on the Abuja house of elder 

statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, by policemen over alleged illegal possession of 

arms and ammunition”. One can see that more disarray is achieved because of 

looking for harmony the wrong way.  

 

Inequality 

One among the major causes of disarray in Nigeria today is inequality. There 

is inequality everywhere in Nigeria irrespective of the fact that equality is 

stated in our national policy on education--- that our education is geared 

towards the attainment of egalitarian society. And article 17 section 1 of 1999 

constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended maintains that the 

State social order is founded on ideals of Freedom, Equality and Justice. Sub 

section 2 (a) of the same constitution maintains that every citizen shall have 

equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law. (Constitution 

of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999).  Unfortunately the issue as regards to 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 122 

 

equality is nothing but a mere paper work. It will be said that theoretically 

equality exists in Nigeria but practically what we have is inequality in every 

sphere of our existence as a nation. 

 

There is no equality before the law. For in Nigeria today, some people are 

above the law and have no respect for rule of law or decision of the court 

which in theory was said that everyone should be equal before. The current 

President of Nigeria Gen. Mohammadu Buhari and his government are typical 

example of people that are not equal with others; they are above the law and 

violate the rule of law at will. His penchant for violation of the law made him 

to say that rule of law should be subjected to national interest during the 2018 

annual law conference. Here is his exact word: 

Rule of Law must be subject to the supremacy 

of the nation’s security and national interest. 

Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position 

on this issue in this regard and it is now a matter 

of judicial recognition that; where national 

security and public interest are threatened or 

there is a likelihood of their being threatened, 

the individual rights of those allegedly 

responsible must take second place, in favour of 

the greater good of society. (Oyenigbehin, 

2018). 

 

The above is an instance of a country where inequality reigns supreme when it 

has to do with the law. Not adhering to court orders as it affects the releasing 

of some people like El-Zakzaky the leader of Shia Moslem in Nigeria and 

Colonel Dasuki Sambo the former Defence Minister (which he later released 

late 2019 after so much pressure from International bodies) are some of the 

instances of Inequality before the law in Nigeria. 

 

Apart from inequality before the law in Nigeria; there are many other spheres 

where inequality exist in Nigeria like was said earlier but due to want of time 

and space they will just be mentioned. The areas include: power sharing, 

education, government appointments, employment, state creation, 

infrastructures, scholarships, loans and grants, forces, etc. In Nigeria, these 

mentioned sectors do not operate as demanded by federal character, but are 

normally structured or designed in a way that it will favour the people of a 

particular tribe, sex, religion and class; hence, manifestation of disarray and 

disharmony experienced in the country today. 

 

Insecurity 

Insecurity is one among the major challenges faced in Nigeria presently. 

Neither people’s lives nor their properties are protected irrespective of the fact 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 123 

 

that the constitution made it clear that; “Every person has a right to life, and 

no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the 

sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been 

found guilty in Nigeria” (Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999). 

Like all other things that have to do with the masses that are contained in the 

constitution this is also a paper work. Every day people lose their lives and 

properties in Nigeria with little or no effort made to protect them. From East 

to West, North to South of Nigeria, the news of killing and maiming of people 

abound. The most unfortunate thing is that this killing and maiming is done by 

both Nigerians and foreigners with the government making flimsy excuses to 

justify the killing and their inability to protect the people. The Punch News 

paper corroborates: 

President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrated his 

cluelessness afresh on Sunday when he blamed 

herders’ act of horrific violence on the shrinking 

Lake Chad and alleged biased media reports. 

His narrow narrative seeks vainly to explain 

away the campaign of terror and mayhem by 

bandits on the displacement of herdsmen from 

the lake area and hang the seeming helplessness 

of his administration in curbing the rampage on 

the mass media. This is ghastly. (Editorial 

Board, Punch News paper September 4, 2018). 

 

The above is just an instance of the way the government reacts to the 

insecurity going on in Nigeria, especially in this present regime.  

 

By September 2018 Punch News paper quoting Coalition for Conflict 

Resolution and Human Rights reported that Fulani terrorists killed over 2,000 

persons across the country that year, in Nigeria.  A tally by Saturday Punch 

attributed 3,094 persons killed by Boko Haram terrorists and Fulani herdsmen 

between May 29, 2015 and  May 2016;  Amnesty International counted 168 

killed in January alone, while the Benue State Government said Fulani 

marauders killed over 1,500 persons, including soldiers and policemen, in 47 

different attacks in the three years to February this year. At least, 14 persons 

were again brutally murdered in Plateau State yesterday (Punch News paper 

September 4, 2018). 

 

The above instance is just a tip of an ice berg on the cases of insecurity 

currently existing in Nigeria with little or no effort made to stop them. Hence, 

the disarray experienced everywhere in the country.  

 

 

 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 124 

 

The effect of disarray in Nigeria 

There are hundreds of effects resulting from disharmony and disarray in 

Nigeria which will be too much for this paper to document. Be that as it may, 

we are going to consider the effects in the area of poverty level, governance, 

fear and mistrust. 

 

Poverty level:  

Due to the disarray and disharmony in Nigeria, her poverty level has increased 

greatly. There has never been any time in the history of Nigeria she was tag 

the headquarters of poverty except this period.  Theresa May the British Prime 

Minister observed during her August, 2018 visit to Nigeria that, “…. 87 

million Nigerians live on less than $1.90 a day - making it home to more very 

poor people than any other nation in the world.”(Pulse.ng). 

 

This is in line with, June, 2018 release of Poverty Clock, where it was stated 

that the current estimate of poor people living in Nigeria is 44.2% considering 

its current estimated 196 million populations living on less than $1.25 a day 

(Kharas & Hamel, 2018). Kharas & Hamel (2018) opine …. Nigeria has 

already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme 

poverty in early 2018…. At the end of May 2018, our trajectories suggest that 

Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with 

India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by 

six people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall.  

 

This extreme poverty experienced in Nigeria as has been said before is due to 

disarray because most bread winners in the course of the disarray were 

displaced or killed and businesses destroyed, hence their source of livelihood 

and survival put to shambles and this invariably affected the GDP of the 

nation. 

 

Governance: 

There is no time it seems tough to govern a state than in her period of 

disarray; when there is no harmony. Nigeria though not officially in a war 

situation is facing and experiencing a very big challenge more than some 

countries that have situation of full blown war. This is as a result of 

insurgency and pockets of terrorism going on in almost every part of the 

country. And this has made governance very difficult in the country as it 

stands. This also has made the execution of government policies difficult 

especially in those areas where disharmony is on the high side. The funds that 

are meant for the running of the government are spent in restoring peace and 

harmony. The funds that are meant for other developmental projects are being 

diverted into security in the quest to restore the country to a stable situation. 

 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 125 

 

Pertinent to mention here is that disarray has led to absence of fundamental 

human rights which are very good ingredients for good and democratic 

governance. As it is well known, for there to be good government there should 

be room for expression of certain fundamental human rights most especially 

that of speech but absence of such rights and privileges have led to the 

exclusion of many from meaningful participation in the nation building and 

from other opportunities to better their own circumstances and advance their 

personal liberty in a country in which they are members and they are supposed 

to contribute to its governance. 

 

Fear and mistrust 

There is high level of fear due to disharmony and disarray in Nigeria today. 

People are afraid of everything, even afraid of the unknown. Even the high 

and mighty is afraid; nobody is left out of this fear bedeviling Nigeria. This 

fear is not farfetched. It could be ascertained to emanate from lack of peace, 

and this lack of harmony has made everyone to be a suspect to everyone. 

There is no trust any longer even when there is genuine reason for carrying 

out an action or doing anything due to fear and lack of trust it will be given a 

negative and bad interpretations and this has taken too much toll on the 

nation’s development. 

 

This fear is glaring among the government of the day hence, their intimidation 

and incarceration of anybody that tries to challenge them. And due to the high 

level of intimidation going on in the country recently many people are no 

longer willing and ready to talk. When one goes  to various security offices in 

Nigeria, so many people are in their custody just for the fact that they did what 

is expected of them but the government fearing that they will be exposed by 

them want to silence them by keeping them there. Some are even silenced 

forever by killing them. 

 

The ordinary people on the street are also afraid. The fear of uncertainty 

possesses everyone because the nation is not secured in all spheres. Nigerians 

fear for lost of lives and properties as could be seen in most regions of the 

country, people fear for the lost of job as could be seen in the recent release 

that Nigeria has lost over 10 million jobs. Mr. Peter Obi the former governor 

of Anambra State in one of the Channels Television breakfast show in August 

2018, maintained that, “unemployment is worsening. In 2017 our employment 

ratio moved from 14.8 to 18.8% this year 2018. This means that more people 

have lost their jobs” and many more are still losing their jobs. One tribe is 

afraid of the other, one religion afraid of the other, employer afraid of the 

employee, politician afraid of the governed and the ruled afraid of the 

government etc. there seems to be the fear of all by all. All these fear and 

mistrust is as a result of disarray and disharmony being experienced in 

Nigeria.    



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 126 

 

 

Nigeria should not be allowed to continue on this path of trepidation. 

Therefore, there is the need to find the solution to the unease hence the need 

for application of philosophical anthropology as a harmonious option for the 

stability and restoration of Nigeria. 

 

Philosophical anthropology and harmony restoration in Nigeria 

One cannot claim to be ignorant of the degree of disarray in Nigeria currently. 

The disarray in no small measure has crippled almost everything in the nation. 

And as it stands now, everybody and tribe in Nigeria are ready to be on their 

own, irrespective of various efforts being made to make Nigeria harmonious. 

The implication is that there is something not gotten right by these other 

approaches that have been previously applied. The thing not gotten right is the 

failure of the nation to understand and place properly the human person in its 

appropriate place when it comes to importance and value. It is the absence of 

the above that made this paper to consider philosophical anthropology as an 

avenue to harmony restoration in Nigeria. This is because Philosophical 

anthropology is that aspect of philosophy that studies the human person in its 

entirety together with its relationship with its fellow man and its environment 

most especially as it affects man’s value and worth.  

 

So for harmony to be attained in Nigeria, it should be understood that the 

human person should be placed and considered above every other thing 

irrespective of the tribe, religion and sex of the person. Neglect of these 

factors has been the cause of major disarray in Nigeria today. But with the 

knowledge of Philosophical anthropology the consciousness of the people will 

be equipped with the idea that all men are equal and the same; that some are 

not more equal, important and valuable than the others.  According to 

Aristotle, all human beings are the same in respect to form (that which 

constitutes them as human), and their individual differences are to be 

accounted for by reference to the matter in which this common form is 

variously instantiated (just as the different properties of golf and squash balls 

are derived from the materials of which they are made, while their common 

geometrical properties are related to their similar size and shape 

(Crystalink.com). 

 

In Nigeria just as already mentioned, inequality has held sway for a very long 

time.  Different treatment has been mated for different people, tribe, sex, 

religion, etc. Philosophical anthropology will assist us to bring such practices 

to the bare in the sense that it will make the people to see our actions in the 

light of ‘Categorical Imperative’ which holds that, “one should act always in 

such a way that one could rationally, will the principle on which you act be a 

universal law” (Moore & Bruder, 2002, p. 238). When such is done the people 

will see the need for the equitable sharing of national cake, especially power. 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 127 

 

This will go a long way in assuaging the feeling of domination and 

marginalization by some ethnic group, religion, sex, etc. especially, the ethnic 

minorities (Uduigwomen, 2013, p. 323), which often lead to quagmire and 

disarray in the nation.   

 

Another importance of philosophical anthropology in bringing harmony in 

Nigeria is that, it will help us to understand that the disunity that is 

experienced is not caused by any supernatural forces or God but rather by 

Nigerians themselves. Hence, reducing the rate of prayer that we say when we 

fail to do what we ought to do for ourselves, especially when the 

repercussions of what we fail to do start manifesting. This is because 

Philosophical anthropology is the study of oneself by oneself and study of ‘I’ 

by ‘I’. That is to say in philosophical anthropology, man is both the subject 

and object of study (Iloanya, n.d.). Thus being the case, man is supposed to 

understand himself very well and if a person understands him/herself it will 

have no need of blaming another or divinity for what s/he fails to get right as 

is the case with Nigeria where blame game is order of the day and which has 

drifted the nation from purposeful development but to disarray and 

underdevelopment. So, Philosophical anthropology will enable Nigerians to 

see that the nation is neither threatened by nature nor by the God who made 

nature, but by his own use of nature. That man's enemy is man, manmade 

structures, not the God who made man. When Nigerians understand this they 

will be able to put their house in order for harmony to be restored. 

 

Looking at the three major causes of disarray in Nigeria as said earlier in this 

paper one will see that absence of freedom is one among them. There is no 

freedom in Nigeria today and in Philosophical anthropology one is made to 

understand that the human person is an independent substance of a rational 

nature (Boethius, 1342). In the word of Sartre (2009, p. 409) man is 

condemned to be free. So any activity that stops the human person including 

the Nigerian person from enjoying his/her freedom is reacted against because 

it dehumanizes and decreases ones value. According to Kierkegaard (n.d):  

it is the 'existential value' of freedom which 

determines the worth of individual(italics mine) 

and one's actions, that is to say, an action has 

'existential value', it is the result of a freely 

chosen commitment. Free choice is the mark of 

the 'truly existent individual', which sets him off 

from the 'crowd'. Freedom is not a measure of 

the value of one course of action as opposed to 

another, but it is a measure of the value of a 

person in choosing some course of action (30). 

 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 128 

 

In fact, the central theoretical insights of philosophical anthropology consist in 

an affirmation of the individuality and sociability of man as ultimate values. 

This theory would seem to suggest a social organization that combines an 

optimum of free choice with the minimum encroachment on individual liberty 

that is compatible with a viable social coexistence. This is in fact the 

utilitarian image of man that has prevailed since the early nineteenth century 

in the English-speaking world, where this image of man has been internalized 

to such an extent that the discussion of ultimate metaphysical questions has 

predominantly given way to the discussion of means to assure the accepted 

end of mutual accommodation and individual discretion 

(iresearchnet.com).So, Philosophical anthropology exposes the nation to the 

idea and understanding that people’s freedom constitutes part and parcel of 

their actions, authentic existence and living. Freedom … means the power to 

realize one's authentic self (Bhadra, n.d.).  So, any attempt to deprive them of 

such freedom will lead to nothing but anarchy and disarray which as one can 

see is very glaring in Nigeria.  

 

Finally, philosophical anthropology if harkened to and channel properly will 

help in arresting bad governance and high level of insecurity in Nigeria which 

is resultant effect of bad government.  This responsibility philosophical 

anthropology has been able to achieve in Facist Italy, Soviet Union under 

Stalin and Nazi Germany under Hitler. All these governments undermined the 

value of the human person and caused a lot of insecurity in their countries till 

Philosophical anthropology intervened.  Crystalink.com succinctly puts it:  

 

The use of philosophical anthropology … 

emerged in the first half of the 20th century with 

the tendency both in Germany and in France to 

treat the problems of anthropology as the centre 

of all philosophical studies. Its emergence at this 

time may be seen as a reaction to the totalitarian 

systems of the 20th century: Italian Fascism, 

Soviet Communism under Stalin, and German 

Nazism were powerful ideologies calling for the 

annihilation of the individual character of the 

person. The philosophical protests of the 

German phenomenologist Max Scheler, of the 

Russian existentialist Nikolay Berdyayev, of the 

Jewish philosophical theologian Martin Buber, 

and of the French personalist Emmanuel 

Mounier offered answers to this challenge; the 

philosophies of the person and of existence 

present to each individual the means to centre 

himself upon himself. 



EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 129 

 

 

The citizens of these affected countries adhered to the teaching and ideas of 

philosophical anthropologists hence, the relative harmony in those countries. 

Therefore, if Nigeria should like the countries mentioned above adhere to 

ideas and dictates of philosophical anthropology the peace and harmony that 

has eluded us over a long time now will be restored. 

 

Conclusion   

Everywhere in Nigeria today there is strife. Harmony has really eluded us but 

some of the reasons for the absence of harmony in Nigeria this paper has been 

able to point out which are absence of freedom, inequality and insecurity. 

Some of the effects were observed in some areas among which are: poverty 

level, poor governance, fear and mistrust. It is due to the above variables that 

philosophical anthropology has to come in because it has been observed that 

in Nigeria, man has been alienated from his authentic nature through the 

replacement of its intrinsic value by means end relationships which heralded 

the age of crisis as can be seen everywhere in Nigeria currently. So, the 

salvation of Nigeria this paper believes is contained in understanding and 

implementing the ideas of philosophical anthropology as posited and 

suggested in this paper. Once this is done, the peace and harmony that has for 

long missing in the country will found.  

 

 

  References 

 

Aristotle in Crystalink.Com. Anthropology: The spiral of life and 

 consciousness. https://www.crystalinks.com/anthropology.html 

 

Bhadra, M.K. (n.d.) in Shodhganga.  Chapter II-The image of man in 

Kierkegaard’s  

Philosophy.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sou

rce=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeV

BUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk

%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-

Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or. 

 

Boethius, S. (1342). De persona et duabus naturis, ii, iii, in P.L., LXIV. 

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.http://www.nigeria- 

law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm. 

 

Crystalink.Com. Anthropology the spiral of life and consciousness.  

https://www.crystalinks.com/anthropology.html 

 

 

https://www.crystalinks.com/anthropology.html
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
http://www.nigeria-/
https://www.crystalinks.com/anthropology.html


EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 130 

 

Editorial Board. (2018, September 4). Herders’ terrorism: Buhari at it Again. 

Punch News paper. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/herders-

terrorism-buhari-at-it-again/ 

 

Harlap, S. (1979). Thrasymacus’s justice. Political Theory, 3,347-370. 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/190945?seq=1 

 

Iloanya, C.  (n.d.).Introduction to philosophical anthropology PHL. 162. An 

 Unpublished Lecture Note. 

 

Iresearchnet.com. Philosophical anthropology. 

http://anthropology.iresearchnet.com/philosophical-anthropology/ 

 

Johnson, D. (2018, September, 10). Raid on Edwin Clarks home we are back 

 to the creeks: Militants.Vanguard News Paper. 

 https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/raid-   on-edwin-clarks-home-

were-back-to-the-creeks-militants/ 

 

Kharas, H., Hamel, K., & Hofer, M. (2018, June 19). The start of a new 

poverty narrative.Brookings. www.brookings.edu/blog/future-

development/2018/06/19/the-start-of-a-new-poverty-narrative/. 

 

Kierkegaard, S. (n.d.). in Shodhganga.  Chapter II-The image of man in 

Kierkegaard’s  

Philosophy.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sou

rce=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeV

BUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk

%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-

Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or 

 

Landauer, J. & Rowlands, J. (2001).Harmony of interests. 

http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_HarmonyOfInterests.

html 

 

Li, Chenyang (2014). The confucian philosophy of harmony.  Routledge, 

ISBN 9780415844741. https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/the-confucian-

philosophy-of-harmony/ 

 

Moore, B.N.  & Bruder, K. (2002).Philosophy the power of ideas (5th Ed.). 

 New York: McGraw Hill. 

 

Naija Legal Talk, Fundamental human right in Nigeria.  

www.naijalegaltalkng.com/article/other-important-legal-info/217-

fundamental-human-rights-in-nigeria 

https://punchng.com/herders-terrorism-buhari-at-it-again/
https://punchng.com/herders-terrorism-buhari-at-it-again/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/190945?seq=1
http://anthropology.iresearchnet.com/philosophical-anthropology/
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/raid-
http://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/06/19/the-start-of-a-new-poverty-narrative/
http://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/06/19/the-start-of-a-new-poverty-narrative/
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjpq3a8qHoAhXeVBUIHdeVChUQFjAFegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcore.ac.uk%2Fdownload%2Fpdf%2F20659548.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2owm-Rht8bgaNp_PpZo8or
http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_HarmonyOfInterests.html
http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_HarmonyOfInterests.html
https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/the-confucian-philosophy-of-harmony/
https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/the-confucian-philosophy-of-harmony/
http://www.naijalegaltalkng.com/article/other-important-legal-info/217-fundamental-human-rights-in-nigeria
http://www.naijalegaltalkng.com/article/other-important-legal-info/217-fundamental-human-rights-in-nigeria


EVAIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHICS AND VALUES Volume 1, NO. 1,  July, 2020 

 

Iloanya,  Mmoneke & Makwudo                                                                                                                         Page 131 

 

 

Obi, P.G. (Channels Television Breakfast show, August, 2018). 

 

Otite, O. (1990).  Ethnic pluralism and ethnicity in Nigeria. Ibadan:  

Shaneson. 

 

Oyenigbehin, J.  (2018, August 26). President Buhari’s speech at 2018 NBA 

Annual General Conference. Naija News.Com. 

https://www.naijanews.com/2018/08/26/president-buharis-speech-at-

2018-nba-annual-general-conference/ 

 

Sartre, J.P. (2009). Existentialism is humanism. In Cahn, S.M. & Markie, P.  

(Eds.). Ethics: History, Theory and Contemporary Issues 

(P.409).Oxford University Press. 

 

The CIA World Factbook 2014 (2013). Skyhorse Publishing Inc.  

https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781628734515/the-cia-world-

factbook-2014/ 

 

Toromade, S. (2018, August 28). UK PM says Nigeria houses highest number 

of poor people in the world, just a day before she meets Buhari. 

Pulse.ng.https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/theresa-may-says-nigeria-

houses-highest-number-of-poor-people-id8780837.html 

 

Uduigwomen, A.F. (2013). New strategies for achieving the spirit of unity. In 

A.F. Uduigwomen (Ed.), Contemporary Socio-Ethical Issues and 

Problems: The Biblical/Moral Perspective (pp.331-332). 

 

 

 

https://www.naijanews.com/author/joshua/
https://www.naijanews.com/2018/08/26/president-buharis-speech-at-2018-nba-annual-general-conference/
https://www.naijanews.com/2018/08/26/president-buharis-speech-at-2018-nba-annual-general-conference/
https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781628734515/the-cia-world-factbook-2014/
https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781628734515/the-cia-world-factbook-2014/
https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/theresa-may-says-nigeria-houses-highest-number-of-poor-people-id8780837.html
https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/theresa-may-says-nigeria-houses-highest-number-of-poor-people-id8780837.html

