Skillnaija All courses →

Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria

The philosophy Nigeria produced — Ifá and Orí, chi and Ọ̀fọ̀ na Ogù, the Sokoto scholars, the great debate over African philosophy, and the living schools at Calabar, Ibadan, Nsukka and Lagos.

Start learning free More Civic & Life Skills courses

Free account required to open the lessons. No card, no fees.

About this course

Nigeria has produced philosophers, arguments and whole schools of thought, and almost no Nigerian is taught them. This course is an honest introduction: what philosophy is and how it differs from religion and proverb, the indigenous systems of thought behind Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa-Fulani and other Nigerian traditions, the Ifá corpus read as argument rather than divination, the Islamic scholarship of the Sokoto Caliphate, the arrival of academic philosophy in Nigerian universities and the fierce debate over whether African philosophy exists at all, the answers Nigerian philosophers gave, and the systems built here since: complementary reflection, harmonious monism, consolationism, conversational philosophy and African logic. It covers the political philosophy of the independence generation, Nigerian feminist philosophy and its challenge to Western gender categories, and the practical questions Nigerian thought is now being turned on, from corruption and federalism to technology. You will finish able to read a philosophical argument, tell an argument from an assertion, place the main Nigerian thinkers and schools, and write a short, disciplined philosophical essay of your own.

At a family meeting in Abẹ́òkúta the argument runs for two hours. Should the compound be sold or kept? Cousins give reasons about school fees, about the new market road, about what the late father intended. Then an uncle stands and says, I am the eldest here, and the meeting ends. Something happened in that room that this course is about: reasons were being offered, and then they were not, and nobody present could say where the line was crossed. This lesson draws that line. It says what philosophy is, what its four big questions are, why proverbs and religion are neither automatically philosophy nor automatically shut out of it, and what this course will and will not claim about Nigeria.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 14 lessons

  1. What philosophy is, and why Nigeria's own is unknown to most Nigerians: argument versus assertion, the four questions, and what this course will and will not claim14 min
  2. How to read an argument: premises and conclusion, validity against truth, the fallacies of Nigerian public argument, and charitable reconstruction14 min
  3. Yoruba thought I, the person: orí, ẹ̀mí and ẹ̀dá, àyànmọ́ against choice, and the free-will problem14 min
  4. Yoruba thought II, ethics and Ifá: ìwà, ìwàpẹ̀lẹ́, the Ọmọlúàbí ethic, àṣẹ, and the argument over the odù14 min
  5. Igbo thought: chi and destiny, uwa, ndụ, Ọ̀fọ̀ na Ogù, and whether a person is born or made17 min
  6. Northern Nigeria and Islamic philosophy: ilm, the Sokoto argument about legitimate rule, Nana Asma'u's schools, and the Fulani virtues25 min
  7. The great debate: does African philosophy exist? Ethnophilosophy, the professional school, sage philosophy, and what was really at stake24 min
  8. The Nigerian answers: what the departments at Ibadan, Nsukka, Lagos, Ife and Calabar actually did18 min
  9. Complementary reflection: Asouzu's ibuanyidanda, missing links, and Ijiomah's harmonious monism18 min
  10. Conversational philosophy and African logic: structured disagreement and the challenge to true-or-false18 min
  11. Consolationism and system-building: mood, yearning, and what makes a philosophy more than an opinion18 min
  12. Political philosophy from independence to now: nation, federation, corruption and what a citizen owes20 min
  13. Nigerian feminist philosophy: did gender organise pre-colonial Yoruba society?18 min
  14. Doing philosophy yourself: from a question to a finished essay19 min

Your project

Your Philosophical Essay

One document of 1,200 to 1,600 words (Google Doc, PDF or Word, shared with view access) containing all six parts, clearly headed.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria free?

Yes. Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria take to complete?

6 weeks · ~4 hrs/week. There are 14 lessons, about 4 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria?

Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria?

You will build practical skills in Reading and reconstructing a philosophical argument, Telling an argument from an assertion or an appeal to authority, Yoruba thought: Orí, ìwà, àṣẹ and the Ọmọlúàbí ethic, Igbo thought: chi, uwa, Ọ̀fọ̀ na Ogù and communal personhood, Islamic philosophy and scholarship in northern Nigeria, The ethnophilosophy debate and the professional response, The Calabar school: complementary reflection, harmonious monism, conversationalism, Consolationism and contemporary Nigerian system-building, African logic and the challenge to bivalence, Nigerian political philosophy of the independence generation, Nigerian feminist philosophy and the critique of gender categories, Applying philosophical method to Nigerian public questions, Writing a disciplined philosophical essay. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your Philosophical Essay and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

Related Civic & Life Skills courses

Ready to start Introduction to Nigerian Philosophy: Thinkers, Schools and Ideas from Nigeria?

It's free, it's self-paced, and it ends with something you can show an employer.

Start learning free