“The Need For Reform On Social Justice In Nigeria -By Innocent Markus

Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal, economic, political and social rights and opportunities. It is also the fair and equitable distribution of power, resources and obligations in society to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, status, sexual orientation or religious or spiritual background. Inclusion, collaboration, equal access and equal opportunities are fundamental principles underlying social justice.

Social justice exists because of social injustices that are prominent across key developmental areas including gender, education, health, and access to resources and opportunities. Nigeria ranks low in social justice. This reflects the state of the Nigerian social justice system, with many social injustices and inequalities such as widowhood practices, girl child marriage, female gentile mutilation and more.

I recommend that some courses on social justice should be added to the social work curriculum to improve on existing ones. Also, the term “social justice” should be part of course titles and educators must always inculcate aspects of social justice in their courses.

There is also need for continual curriculum update and review to incorporate problems specific to Nigeria and Nigerians so that our domestic issues can be adequately addressed. Most importantly, the professionalization of social work in Nigeria is vital as it will give practitioners the legal backing to practice effectively and tackle issues on social injustices and inequalities.

Innocent Markus from mass communication department of Abubakar Tatari Polytechnic Bauchi. And can be reach via innocentmarkus2016@gmail.com