NIGERIA’S NATIONAL NARRATIVE IN THE LIGHT OF THE WITTGENSTEINIAN CONCEPT OF MEANING

Author(s)

Abstract
Ludwig Wittgenstein had posited that the problem of philosophy is basically a problem of words – what one means when one says things and what exactly the words are meant to represent. Nigeria after more than six decades of sovereignty is still battling to define and create the meaning of her sovereign existence. The inability to engender a cognitive category that sincerely represents the actualization of the lofty dreams of the founding fathers of the country in the light of her rich endowments has remained the bane of Nigeria. A critical look at the many narratives – historical, religious, cultural, linguistic, socio-economic and political that come out of the country reveal not only a disconnect between the national objectives and the actual situation in context, but also an emptiness in language that can only be the function of meaninglessness in existence. Drawing from conceptual and contextual approaches, the paper concludes that there is need to change the national narrative of Nigeria in order to create some meaning for the country. Changing the national narrative demands reforms. These reforms include restructuring, reviewing the constitution, improving the education system, reviewing political orientations to make them more ideological and value-driven, improving the rule of law and protection of human rights, among others. One would posit here that it is by improving the quality of life in the country in line with her rich human, cultural and material endowments and as such giving the people a meaningful existence that the national narrative would become meaningful. In this way, what is said will represent what the actual situation is and meaning would be found in context as Wittgenstein postulates.

Keywords
Keywords: Progressive Narrative, Nigeria, Wittgenstein, Meaning, Nation-Building

Cite this paper
Philip Chika Omenukwa, NIGERIA’S NATIONAL NARRATIVE IN THE LIGHT OF THE WITTGENSTEINIAN CONCEPT OF MEANING , SCIREA Journal of Sociology. Volume 9, Issue 2, April 2025 | PP. 71-93. 10.54647/sociology841406

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