UTILITARIANISM AND THE PROBLEM OF MINORITY RIGHT IN NIGERIA A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Scores of countries around the world are confronted by challenges of towering number of culturally diverse groups. This may be linguistic, ethnic, tribal or religious groups situated within the defined boundaries of a state. This situation has led to tension and conflicts between the ‘majorities’ and the ‘minorities’. The notion of minorities in Nigeria is a complex one. Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo are considered the majorities. The three accounts for more than half of the population, while hundreds of smaller ethnic groups constitute the rest. The demographic disparity is attributed to historical and socio-political factors and in turns placed the control of power and distribution of common wealth in the hand of the majority. Such control had paved way for domination and subordination of minorities within the context of inter and intra-factional struggles for power. The result has been incessant cries of marginalization by the minority. This paper examined utilitarianism, using philosophical analytic method. It found that the utilitarian principle of greatest happiness to the greatest number if applied to policy-making and social engineering towards social justice will be instrumental to upholding minority rights and ameliorate marginalization of the minority in Nigeria.