Theorising the Role of African Philosophy in Repositioning Teacher Education for Social Justice in Nigeria

This study theorises the potential of African philosophical traditions, particularly Ubuntu, Omenani, and Omoluwabi, as conceptual resources for repositioning Nigerian teacher education toward a social justice orientation that responds authentically to the nation's cultural, historical, and educational context. The dominance of Western liberal and technocratic frameworks in Nigerian teacher education policy has generated critique, but sustained theoretical work that systematically connects African philosophical resources to teacher education reform remains a significant gap in the scholarly literature. The study employs a critical theoretical design combining systematic philosophical analysis, critical hermeneutic review of colonial and post-colonial teacher education policy documents in Nigeria, and participatory philosophical dialogue with 36 teacher educators, traditional knowledge holders, and education policy scholars across six geopolitical zones. The analytical framework draws on Wiredu's African Philosophy, Metz's Ubuntu Ethics, Freire's Critical Pedagogy, and Fraser's Social Justice Theorisation. Findings are anticipated to generate a philosophically grounded, critically validated reconceptualisation of teacher education aims and curriculum principles that centres relational, communal, and equity-oriented values derived from African thought. The study produces original theoretical contributions including a Social Justice Teacher Education Model for Nigerian Contexts with six foundational principles. Recommendations address the NCCE, Federal Ministry of Education, and teacher education scholarship community on repositioning teacher preparation philosophy toward an authentically African social justice praxis. Keywords: African philosophy, social justice, teacher education, Ubuntu, Nigeria