Human Dignity, Relational Ontology, and the Crisis of Life in Nigeria: Toward a Complementary Philosophical Framework

Abstract

This article examined Nigeria’s numerous human rights violations and the challenge of reconciling legal commitments to human rights with the harsh realities of human existence, particularly when confronted with moral dilemmas. The article makes a two-fold contribution. First, it identifies the causes of the normative discord between legal guarantees and ethical values. Second, it provides an alternative interdisciplinary framework of human dignity and examines its logical and legal implications. The study employed philosophical analysis and synthesis of selected Western and African philosophies, with particular emphasis on African communitarianism. It also drew on excerpts from recently published human rights reports to demonstrate the lack of conformity between established human rights standards and existing practices. The article argues for the logical and legal recognition and protection of human dignity by demonstrating that dignity is prior, both logically and ontologically, to humanity. It recommends greater efforts to integrate universal human rights with locally acceptable moral and legal frameworks grounded in human dignity and to foster a stronger sense of responsibility.