ABSTRACT

Nigeria is plagued by numerous forms of ethnic and political conflicts. The British government's colonial occupation of the country is the cause of this. As a result, the country is divided along ethnic lines and people today live in inequity. These discrepancies cause crises because national resources are allocated in an unequal manner. Ethnic relations are further strained as a result of Nigeria's many ethnic groups. However, in a welfare state, overlapping consensus- as Rawls put it—can become a national consensus when the constitution protects underprivileged ethnic groups through mutual understanding and a readiness to change one's mind to suit the needs of others. A just and equitable welfare society must provide interethnic cooperation, peaceful coexistence, and constructive connections in a multiethnic state like Nigeria, where there is division, antagonism, unhealthy rivalry, and evident imbalances between the ethnic groups.