The Philosophy of Personhood in African Thought and Its Implications for Constitutional Rights Theory in Nigeria: An Original Comparative Analysis

This dissertation develops an original comparative analysis of African philosophical theories of personhood and their implications for the design of constitutional rights frameworks in Nigeria, engaging all six geopolitical zones through systematic comparison of Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa-Fulani, Efik, Tiv, and Kanuri philosophical anthropologies. The philosophy of personhood addresses what constitutes genuine human identity, what attributes ground moral status, and what forms of recognition are required for full membership in the moral and political community. The standard liberal rights framework embedded in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution rests on an individualist philosophy of personhood that is philosophically alien to the communitarian personhood conceptions of the communities it governs. A three-phase methodology is employed: systematic philosophical reconstruction of personhood theories from six Nigerian traditions using ethnophilosophical and analytical methods; comparative philosophical analysis identifying convergent and divergent personhood criteria; and philosophical engagement with liberal, communitarian, and capabilities-based rights theories to develop an original constitutional rights framework grounded in African personhood philosophy. Primary data from 90 interviews with traditional philosophers, constitutional scholars, and rights theorists across all six zones supplement systematic secondary source analysis. The dissertation proposes the Communitarian Rights Constitution Model as an original contribution, specifying how group-sensitive rights, relational dignity protections, and restorative justice provisions can be constitutionalised on African philosophical personhood foundations. Keywords: African philosophy of personhood, constitutional rights, communitarian theory, Nigerian constitution, moral status.