Philosophy, National Development and the Re-Evaluation of National Values in Nigeria

The challenge of underdevelopment has been a fundamental malady in the African continent, particularly in Nigeria over the years. Development which has to do with social, political, cultural, economic, technological and human progress or advancement in the society has been a basic goal or aspiration of Nigeria and has seemed not only far-fetched but also extremely difficult to attain. Numerous reasons such as corruption, bad leadership, bad followership, ethnicity, injustice, religious extremism, religious violence, militarism, insurgency, colonialism among others have been aptly identified as the core causes of underdevelopment in the Nigerian state. However, in this paper we vehemently argue that the actual bedrock of the problem of development in Nigeria is the possession of wrong/inimical personal and social values which is in turn a product of wrong mind-set or mentality prevalent in the heart of the populace. Hence, we contend that the solution to Nigeria’s current deplorable state necessarily lies in a philosophical or critical re-evaluation of our individual and social values, and that until this is done, the state’s aspiration to attain national development will significantly remain elusive, unattainable and a mere dream. To avoid stopping at the level of positing theoretical solutions, we have further given specific lines of action that should be taken to ensure that this necessary re-evaluation is realised. This substantiates the invaluable importance of philosophy to individual and societal development as opposed to the misconception that philosophy is essentially abstract and as such, has no practical value for the society.