THE LAND QUESTION: A PHILOSOPHICAL EXAMINATION OF INDIGENESHIP AND SETTLERSHIP CONCEPTS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

While the issue of land ownership and access in Nigeria has long been recognized as a site of historical, political, and socio-cultural contestation, most existing studies approach the problem from legal, anthropological, or political science perspectives, often emphasizing institutional reforms, state policies, or conflict resolution mechanisms. However, fewer studies have undertaken a sustained philosophical inquiry into the normative assumptions that underlie the indigene-settler dichotomy and its ethical implications for citizenship, justice, and national integration. This research fills that critical gap by offering a rigorous philosophical interrogation of the conceptual foundations of indigeneship and settlership as they relate to the land question in Nigeria. Unlike earlier works that primarily describe the effects of land disputes or recommend administrative solutions, this study focuses on the ontological and epistemological dimensions of land-related identity claims. It asks: What are the deeper philosophical presuppositions embedded in the categorization of individuals as “indigenes” or “settlers”? In what ways do these categorizations obscure or distort the principles of justice and equal moral worth? And what ethical framework can reorient land governance toward greater inclusion and equity? Drawing on analytic and hermeneutic philosophical methods, this study critiques exclusionary narratives by examining legal discourses, historical memory, and contemporary policies through the lenses of theories of justice, identity recognition, and communal rights. Its distinctive contribution lies in reframing the land debate not merely as a conflict management issue but as a philosophical and ethical problem that requires normative rethinking. The findings suggest that the indigene-settler dichotomy, when used to determine access to land and rights, is ethically indefensible in a pluralistic society. The study contributes to the literature by arguing for a paradigmatic shift from origin-based entitlement to residence based citizenship, offering a more just and sustainable framework for coexistence. This normative redirection represents a departure from procedural or policy-based approaches, positioning the study as an important intervention in both the academic discourse and public policy debates surrounding land, identity, and justice in Nigeria.