AMAMIHE Journal of Applied Philosophy

Nigeria has a long history of both endogenous and exogenous development initiatives directed at addressing the various challenges posed by inadequate infrastructure, poverty, unemployment, diseases and a host of other challenges caused by lack of proper development since her political independence in 1960. For instance, Nigeria has had no less than four major development plans meant to ensure sustainable economic and social progress of her people. There were the first National Development Plan (1962), the second National Development Plan (1970 –1974), the third National Development Plan (1975–1980), and the fourth National Development Plan (1981–1985). These were either short term, medium term or long term development plans meant to tackle especially the indignity of poverty and hunger and ensure enough agricultural yield, good health, quality education, gender equality among others. The National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) otherwise known as the Country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021 – 2023, are among the latest medium term development initiatives in the country, designed as it were, to unlock the country’s potential in all sectors of the economy. However, inspite of these development plans and interventions, Nigeria is still largely underdeveloped, a pointer to something intrinsically wrong with our conception of development and the methods we adopt. On its own, rural (under) development in Nigeria has become so vast and complex, thereby requiring a redefinition of our concept of development. Therefore, philosophy, which is a critical enterprise with systematic and determined methods of investigation aimed at unraveling reality or achieving the truth, is employed here to offer us a new concept of development, while at the same time providing us with models for sustainable rural development in Nigeria. 

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