PRESIDENCY: DANJUMA, AFENIFERERE, MIDDLE BELT, IJAW YOUTH CONGRESS AND JUSTICE.

I am not sure whether what I am having is a Central Auditory Processing Disorder or some level of Astigmatism with distorted blurred vision that makes it difficult for me to read written words correctly because I just cannot understand where to place the statement coming from Danjuma et al in respect of justice, equity and religious tolerance in Nigeria.



I do not believe in any of the so called religions be it polytheistic or monotheistic doctrine. Therefore, it is for me a bygone non-existent discussion. However, my concern is about the phrase (ensuring justice for all Nigerians) aspect of the discussion spearheaded by Danjuma within the purview of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, I cannot figure out where Danjuma is coming from looking at his antecedence as one of the beneficiaries of an unjust Nigerian clientelist system either in the Military, Business of Oil well allocation or influence merchandising.

This article is not about Danjuma per se or any of those who attended the meeting rather it is more of an inquiry into considering fundamental questions bordering on justice. Who is in need of justice. When and Where is justice needed. Who is clamouring for justice and What is Justice.

Justice is a fundamental legal, ethical and philosophical imperative both in praxis and in theoretical terms that it would be difficult for humans to have a fair socio-contractual arrangement without justice because it is the superstructure on which equality in an egalitarian commune is administered.

Conceptually speaking, justice is a relativistic slideshows and this is very evident in Danjuma et al arguments on appointments and resource allocation given the fact that those now spearheading justice and fairness are themselves beneficiaries of an unjust clientelist system; this is where the questions who is clamouring for justice, When and Where is justice needed are significant.
According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; "Relativism, roughly put, is the view that truth and falsity, right and wrong, standards of reasoning, and procedures of justification are products of differing conventions and frameworks of assessment and that their authority is confined to the context giving rise to them."
Therefore, the authority of those speaking out about justice and fairness within the Nigerian context or political architecture should be looked at on the pedestal of their individual antecedence.

Where is the nexus between the agitation of Ijaw Youth Congress for resource control and empty grandstanding of Danjuma et al who are mostly profiteers via influence merchandising in the business of Oil allocations or appointment racketeering for their wards in a clientelist system.
I cannot see the nexus vividly unless the Ijaw Youth Congress members are under the spell of Stockholm syndrome whereby they have developed a special psychological feelings for their oppressors profiting from the Oil wealth under their land while they lived in poverty.

The foregoing is a reflection of how agitations for justice and fairness can be hijacked, manipulated by bourgeoisie and transformed into an agenda that advances their self preservation on the long run. This is an evidence of the relativism slideshow interpretation-wise in the assessment frameworks of what justice is.

In their statement they said "The failure of this administration to consciously strive for balance and equity in appointments, patronage and resources allocation has fuelled suspicion and distrust in our national life. "
This is zenith of backstabbing and hypocrisy. Where is Danjuma et al during Obasanjo, Yar adu and Goodluck's administration. He Danjuma was part of various military juntas in Nigeria with proclivity for marginalization and insensitivity to equitable resource allocation yet he has the audacity to rewrite history in an attempt at justifying relativism of justice.



The problem of justice in Nigeria according to Danjuma et al is about allocation but they failed to tell us the methodology or principles to be used in addressing this imbalance, that is not surprising though because it is easier to talk of injustice but difficult to be just.
I will at this juncture set out a methodology of distributive justice that would take wealth, power, respect out of social status into a universalistic need of all citizens wherein influence merchandising shall be abrogated using Niger Delta as a case study.

How do we go about this would be your next enquiry. Do not worry we shall ask Danjuma et al to forgo their wealth, power, respect for the betterment of Nigerians and for justice.  SAPETRO and all other Oil related businesses would be given to Ijaw Youth Congress for onward transfer to IJaw people engendering wealth, power, respect for the people of Niger Delta who deserve the merit because they have been denied justice and the sacrifice that Danjuma makes is lesser than the larger benefit that most Ijaws will now enjoy because they now have what is legitimately inviolable theirs.

Here we are emphasizing meritocracy based on natural resources endowment of the people and fairness as an essentiality going by John Rawls in his treatise A theory of Justice with its notion of impartiality in the distribution of goods wherein everyone is under a veil of ignorance and our personality, wealth and social status are irrelevant to the effect that social economic and political arrangement would be to the benefit of the least advantaged, that is the methodology of distributive justice we need.

We do not need bourgeoisie fanning the ember of religious-ethnic bigotry. Nigerian youths must resist any attempt by groups in whatever nomenclature they approbate to create confusion in order to hijack our democracy. Tell them to give up their wealth for justice and let us see if they are willing to do so.

OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE IS A PHILOSOPHER.
TWITTER: @PEARL2PRINCE