Honorific Conception of Philosophy and Exclusionism in Nigeria

Abstract

It is still debatable whether Nigeria (Africa) is the sole cause of its democratic and developmental challenges. While some argue that Europeans are Africa’s problem, others argue that Africans are their own problems. One of such developmental problems facing Africa and Nigeria particularly is exclusionism (simply, exclusion from rights or privileges or even both). Recently, Nigeria conducted its presidential election on February 25, 2023. The election witnessed lots of exclusion on the basis of party affiliation, ethnicity, location, and religion. It becomes pertinent to examine the basis for exclusionism and the role of the Enlightenment Era in the practice of exclusionism globally but in Nigeria particularly. This paper aims to identify the origin of [some form of] exclusionism in Africa through the lens of Nigeria. Critical thinking and analysis are applied as a method in arguing that exclusionism was scientifically and philosophically enshrined by the Enlightenment philosophers but had existed among Europeans and among traditional Africans (Africa before the colonization era). A recurrent factor in critical thinking and analysis is that exclusionism is part of human nature and this arises in the quest for power and control, to identify oneself as superior and the ‘other’ human being as inferior.