Social Justice in Tiv Thought System

Abstract

It is a given that every human society demands justice, which reflects not only in its laws and institutions but in its social systems as well. It is expected that the major social institutions should distribute fundamental rights and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation. This expresses the conviction that social justice is the highest value in society and imperative in the ordering of societal priorities. This paper appraised the concept of social justice as understood in the Tiv traditional thought system. The paper employed qualitative research, where data were derived from books, journal articles, and the internet. Historical, expository, and critical methods were adopted for this paper. The historical method presented the views of various philosophers on the concept of justice as well as the history of the Tiv people. The expository method relayed the concept of justice in the Tiv traditional thought system, while the critical method focused on the appraisal of the Tiv notion of social justice. The paper found that a lack of social justice has bedevilled the Tiv nation. This is evidenced in jealousy, envy, land disputes, poverty, politics of bitterness, a decline in value orientation, individualism, sectionalism, etc. These indices have thwarted development in Tivland, retarded growth, and bred suspicion and scorn. The paper therefore concluded that if Tiv people revive their traditional value system of social justice encapsulated in Gbaaondo, Swem, as well as ya na angbian, the much-needed cohesion, integration, unity, growth, and development that have eluded Tiv people and Tivland for so long would be realised.