POTENCY OF THE DISTINCTIVE NATURE OF AFRICAN ETHICS: IMPLICATIONS TO THE CHALLENGE OF DEHUMANIZATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Within the broader spectrum of human existing, the dignity of human life has continually been a global concern. Such agitations are more expressed in a context characterized by violence against human life. The scourge of dehumanization in Nigeria has prompted contributions and approaches from different fields of human endeavors. This paper premised on the potency of the distinctive nature of African ethics as an option to the Challenge of dehumanization in Nigeria. The notion is entrenched in the African religio-cultural experiences which centered on the value of human life. Methodologically, the paper employed a systematic review of African scholars that have unpacked views on the fundamentals of African ethics and its implications to threats that militates against human life. Through this methodological approach, the Nigerian context is highlighted alongside other factors that illegitimatized the dignity of human life. It also captures the various forms of dehumanization. While the paper acknowledges attempts towards curtailing violence to human life, attention is given to the Nigerian government and its relevant institutions that provides legal principles that value and protect human life in the midst of violence. The paper concludes that approaches to responding to threats to human life is not monolithic and that within the African religio-cultural experiences, there can be potent notion that can enhance the dignity of human life.