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HUMAN NATURE: Between Reason, Morality and Conflict-Inuwa Waya

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8 months ago

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Inuwa Waya
Inuwa Waya

 

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Inuwa Waya

In its general sense, nature refers to the physical world and everything in it that is not made or caused by humans. Rainfall, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and climatic conditions are all part of what is often called Mother Nature. Scientifically, nature includes both living and nonliving things. Philosophically, nature may be defined as the inherent or essential quality of something — that which truly represents its being. In the case of human beings, human nature refers to what mankind is capable of doing or becoming in any given situation.

Definition of Human Nature

In simple terms, human nature refers to the fundamental traits, qualities, and behaviors inherent in human beings. It is a set of inborn tendencies and capacities — mental, moral, and emotional — that shape how people think, feel, and act. Over centuries, philosophers have examined and debated the true meaning of human nature from different perspectives.

Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives

Aristotle emphasized reason as the distinguishing feature of humanity and the key to achieving a flourishing and virtuous life. Thomas Hobbes, on the other hand, believed that human beings are driven primarily by self-interest, fear, and the desire for survival. He concluded that human nature is fundamentally selfish, competitive, and security-seeking.

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis viewed human nature as a conflict between three forces — the Id (instinctual desires), the Ego (rational self), and the Superego (moral conscience). Similarly, evolutionary theorists explain human behavior in terms of genetically inherited traits and the struggle for survival. Modern science has since recognized that human nature is complex, flexible, and adaptive.

Karl Marx, from a materialist standpoint, argued that human nature is best understood through practical and material conditions of life, which are revealed in the progression of history. For Marx, the economic and social structures in which people live fundamentally shape their consciousness and behavior.

Human Nature and the State of Nature

From these analyses, it is evident that human nature encompasses both good and evil, since human beings are born with the potential for either. Which of these dominates depends largely on human behavior and choices, particularly after emerging from the so-called state of nature.

The contrasting theories of Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) are significant in understanding human nature within and beyond the state of nature. In his famous work Leviathan (1651), Hobbes argued that life in the state of nature was a “war of every man against every man,” where existence was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” To escape this chaos, human beings entered into a social contract, surrendering some of their liberties to a powerful sovereign in exchange for peace and security.

Rousseau, in contrast, believed that human beings were naturally good, gentle, and compassionate. He saw the state of nature as peaceful and guided by pity and empathy. For Rousseau, it was the rise of society, the acquisition of property, and the emergence of inequality that corrupted and enslaved mankind by replacing natural compassion with jealousy and ambition.

Religion and the Moral Dimension

Long before philosophical debates about the state of nature, religion had already offered guidance on human behavior. Despite differences in belief systems, all the major world religions provide moral codes and ethical principles for harmonious living. They call upon humanity to avoid corruption, evil, selfishness, deceit, and violence, and to embrace righteousness, justice, compassion, honesty, and respect.

It is not in the true nature of mankind for the powerful to oppress the weak or for the rich to exploit the poor. In the modern world, humanity celebrates constitutional democracy, freedom, and human rights, including the right to acquire property. Yet these must be exercised with responsibility and moral restraint.

It appears, however, that human beings have not learned enough from the first human transgression in the Garden of Eden, as described in both Islamic and Judeo-Christian traditions. Selfishness, lies, greed, deceit, and the lust for power and wealth continue to shape the character of humanity in the 21st century.

Human Nature in History

The craving for domination and control has led human beings to destroy one another purely for selfish or parochial reasons. Militarism, imperialism, and the desire for conquest led to the death of almost 100 million people during the First and Second World Wars.
In 2003, false claims about Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction led to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In the United Kingdom, journalist Andrew Gilligan resigned from the BBC, and government scientist Dr. David Kelly died by suicide amid the controversy surrounding the war.

The Srebrenica massacre of July 1995, where over 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed, and the wider Bosnian War that claimed around 100,000 lives, revealed how ethnic hatred can override humanity’s moral compass. The perpetrators, including Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić, were later convicted for genocide and war crimes by the International Tribunal.
Similarly, ethnic conflict in Rwanda in 1994 led to the genocide of over one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus at the hands of Hutu extremists.

The Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) claimed an estimated two million lives, mainly due to famine and conflict. At its conclusion, the Nigerian government adopted the policy of “No victor, no vanquished” and introduced programs of Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Reintegration to rebuild national unity.

On September 11, 2001, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks were launched against the United States by 19 al-Qaeda members involving four hijacked aircraft. Nearly 3,000 people were killed. In response, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, overthrew the Taliban regime, and began a war that lasted twenty years, costing around 200,000 lives.

The Korean War (1950–1953), fueled by ideological and imperial rivalry resulted in over two million deaths, both military and civilian.

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The Gaza conflict represents another contemporary manifestation of human selfishness and struggle for dominance. Rooted in territorial occupation, political control, and ethnic-religious tensions, the conflict has caused immense suffering, displacement, and loss of lives for decades. Civilians, particularly women and children, often bear the heaviest toll, highlighting the enduring capacity of human ambition and aggression to override compassion and justice. This modern conflict underscores how disputes over land, power, and ideology continue to produce cycles of violence reminiscent of humanity’s long history of selfishness and moral failings.

These examples illustrate that war and violence are enduring manifestations of the darker side of human nature. They remind us that human progress in knowledge and technology does not always translate into moral advancement, — evidence that the struggle between virtue and vice continues.

The Modern Face of Human Selfishness

The selfish tendencies of humankind have not only expressed themselves through wars and political domination but have also taken subtler, more sophisticated forms in the modern age. Today, the pursuit of profit and power often overrides compassion and moral responsibility even in fields meant to preserve life and promote well-being.

The defense industry, for example, has grown into one of the world’s most profitable enterprises. Nations invest billions of dollars annually in weapons research, arms production, and military technology, often at the expense of healthcare, education, and social welfare. Conflicts that could be resolved through diplomacy are prolonged because warfare sustains economic interests. In many cases, peace becomes less profitable than war.

Similarly, the pharmaceutical industry, which should exist primarily to protect and improve human health, has been increasingly driven by the logic of profit rather than compassion. Many pharmaceutical companies have been accused of exploiting human suffering by setting exorbitant prices for life-saving drugs and producing medications that encourage dependency. Instead of focusing on preventive healthcare and affordable cures, they prioritize products that ensure continuous consumption and sustained revenue. Human health, rather than being a moral duty, has become a lucrative commodity.

The medical profession, once regarded as a noble calling, guided by ethics and empathy, has also been affected by commercialization. The rapid privatization of healthcare has created a system where access to quality medical care is often determined by wealth rather than need. In many parts of the world, hospitals and clinics operate more like profit-oriented corporations than humanitarian institutions. The spirit of compassion that once defined medicine is steadily being replaced by economic calculation and institutional bureaucracy.

Nowhere is the selfish dimension of human nature more visible than in the political sphere. In Europe and the United States, for example, politicians and governments often struggle to separate national interest from self-interest, especially in the realm of foreign policy. The situation in Africa is particularly concerning. In many countries, independence and the adoption of democratic governance have been overshadowed by the rise of self-serving political elites, whose personal ambitions and appetite for power outweigh their commitment to public welfare. For such leaders, governance becomes not a sacred trust but an avenue for personal enrichment and control. Resources intended for education, healthcare, and infrastructure are diverted into private hands, while the wider population continues to endure poverty, inequality, and social decline. Elections, instead of being genuine expressions of the people’s will, frequently become arenas of manipulation, intimidation, and violence. In such environments, individuals who lack integrity, competence, and vision are elevated to positions of power, not because they reflect the hopes of the people, but because they serve the interests of those who control the machinery of the state.

Yet, despite this bleak reality, hope remains. Across the continent, there are leaders who embody the nobler side of human nature — leaders who view power not as entitlement but as responsibility. They pursue policies based on justice, accountability, national development, and the renewal of civic trust. Their example demonstrates that while selfishness is undeniably part of human nature, so too is the capacity for empathy, wisdom, and moral leadership. The struggle between these two tendencies continues to shape the political destiny of nations.
The media, which should serve as the guardian of truth and the voice of the people, has also become entangled in the web of human selfishness. In many societies, media institutions no longer act as neutral observers or platforms for balanced discourse. Instead, they are often influenced by political agendas, economic interests, and ideological alliances. Information is selectively reported, exaggerated, suppressed, or distorted to shape public opinion in ways that serve particular interests. As a result, the media has become a powerful tool for both enlightenment and manipulation. Rather than fostering critical thinking and unity, it can inflame divisions, reinforce prejudice, and distract societies from genuine moral and social challenges. When truth becomes negotiable and reality becomes a matter of narrative, the moral compass of society becomes blurred, and the cycle of selfishness persists under the guise of information. In his scientific and moral judgement, Stephen Hawking ( 1942 – 2018) warned about the consequences of mankind’s selfishness and the moral failure. In his” Brief Answers to the Big Questions (2018), the late physicist argued that if human beings continue to be driven by greed, aggression, and the reckless pursuit of power, the earth my eventually become uninhabitable for humans.

Conclusion

From the first human transgression in the Garden of Eden, as described in both Islamic and Judeo-Christian traditions, to the complexities of the twenty-first century, the journey of humankind has been marked by the constant struggle between virtue and vice. We are beings capable of wisdom, compassion, courage, and sacrifice — yet we are also capable of greed, aggression, and the pursuit of power at the expense of others.

The same intellect that made scientific discoveries, heal diseases, and creates works of beauty, can also build systems of domination and exploit mankind for personal or political gain. Human progress in knowledge and technology does not automatically lead to moral progress. A society may construct great cities and powerful nations and yet still fail to construct justice, fairness, or respect for the dignity of life.

For human beings to live in peace, the development of society must be accompanied by the cultivation of values. Material advancement must coincide with the creation of social conditions that nurture empathy, restraint, and moral responsibility. Without empathy, there can be no genuine harmony; without justice, there can be no lasting peace.

Ultimately, the fate of humanity depends on a choice renewed in every age: whether we allow selfishness to rule our actions, or whether we elevate conscience above desire. Human nature will remain an unfinished story until mankind turns sincerely toward the values that God has commanded — mercy, justice, humility, and truth. Only then shall we rise from what we are to what we are meant to become.

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Opinion

Kano Governor Yusuf Shortlisted for Africa’s SANKOFA Award of Excellence in Infrastructural Development

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6 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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By Abba Anwar

Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf makes a list of potential Awardees across West African sub-region, observed and screened by an African association named Réseau des Jeunes du Sahel pour le Progrès, le Développement et la Démocratie (Network of Sahel Youth for Progress, Development and Democracy), on infrastructural development in their respective states.

The top most Award from the association, called Sankofa Award of Excellence across various sectors, is given to people or leaders who excel in their respective areas of work or responsibilities.

With the recent disclosure made by the Commissioner of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Nura Ma’aji Sumaila, on the state of infrastructural development and payments of contracts in the state, the association included Kano to be part of the states across Nigeria and West African countries, screened for an Award of Excellence.

Source close to the association reveals that, Governor Yusuf’s achievements in the area of infrastructural development, could not be neglected and the Governor stands a better position to be seen and amplified across the globe. As a result of his commitment and service to humanity.

Parts of the major reasons that informed the association’s decision to include Governor Yusuf for Sankofa Award of Excellence for Infrastructural Development in West Africa is his genuine inclusion of infrastructures that are human centred, modern, location specified and standardization process and procedures.

According to the source, the Screening Committee saddled with the responsibility of selecting qualified personalities across West Africa are in their final stage of releasing the result. Assuring that, under infrastructural development, Kano excels. Though not officially announced.

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When Governor Yusuf gets this Award, he will be the second person from Nigeria who bags the Award. Last year the Deputy Senate President Barau I Jibrin, PhD, CFR, got the SANKOFA Award for Legislative Excellence in Africa. Coincidentally, Governor Yusuf who is also from Kano state, would be the second Nigerian in this category.

The President of the association Mr Fassoko Doumbia, from Mali, confirmed to my source that, from all indication, “Kano State Governor, from Nigeria, Mr Abba Kabir Yusuf is in the forefront of those screened for the Award.”

With this recognition of excellence, the Award places Governor Yusuf to be one of the best Nigerian governors. And the best across West Africa on infrastructural development. One good thing about the Award is, it will as well serve as an engine oil for state commitment and unwavering service delivery.

Mr Doumbia reveals further that “… it is amazing looking at the unmatched number of completed and ongoing projects as Kano has 799 completed projects and 709 projects at various stages of completion. It is encouraging to see that Governor Yusuf is executing over 1,508 developmental projects across all 44 LGAs.”

What keeps hope and commitment alive are the transparent monitoring, evaluation and effective payment to contractors. Of which out of N928 Billion of the total contract sum, the state has already paid over N600 Billion, that’s 64.7% payment rate.
Unlike in many states in Nigeria and West Africa. The association believes that Kano institutionalized transparency through the Ministry of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation.

The screening committee appreciated Kano’s strategic and balanced infrastructure spread, between urban and rural areas plus improved security. For urban renewal it has the sum of N169 Billion. While there are 5km roads in 38 LGAs with the sum of N118 Billion. They appreciated the rural infrastructure across 44 LGAs with the sum of N397 Billion for roads, education, healthcare, and social services.

While under security infrastructure the total sum of N6.863 Billion for Neighborhood Security Watch offices in 36 LGAs. This assured deliberate, balanced development with value for money, quality delivery, and measurable impact on the lives of the people. All courtesy Governor Yusuf.

It serves also as indices of how Governor Yusuf makes the list for such Award, that his infrastructures are signals for the delivery of landmark, human-centered projects as Kano completed tangible projects that directly improve lives of the citizenry, with 40 metropolitan roads, 44 PHCs, 120 schools, 5 water plants, with the ongoing Dan Agundi and Tal’udu flyovers at over 80% completion.

It has also been discovered that, Kano enjoys proven technical leadership and political will. Which glaringly displays the political will and technical competence required to drive massive infrastructure without corruption or delays. This is part of the major engagements being identified, which eventually resulted into the popular Sankofa Award of Excellence.

Anwar writes from Kano
Saturday, 25th July, 2026

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Opinion

Beyond the Numbers: What the Ekiti 2026 Governorship Results Reveal About Coalition Politics and Path to 2027

Published

5 days ago

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July 20, 2026

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By Abass Sherifat Taiwo

Returning Officer Adenike Oladiji, a professor and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, announced the results in the early hours of Sunday, at roughly 3:13 a.m. Incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC won comfortably, polling 319,224 votes across the state’s 16 local government areas. His closest challenger, the PDP’s Oluwole Oluyede, trailed far behind with 40,543 votes, while the ADC’s Dare Bejide came in third with 12,872 votes.

Of the 384,940 voters accredited for the election, 375,777 cast valid votes, a validity rate of about 97.6%, suggesting relatively few spoiled or rejected ballots.

Oyebanji’s win carries added weight as the first consecutive re-election in Ekiti’s history, a state known for unseating incumbents since 1999. His dominance was also total: he won all sixteen LGAs, and even his closest contest, in Ikere, was still a comfortable margin. His five strongest councils alone delivered nearly half his statewide votes, showing concentrated rather than thin support.

Elite alignment mattered too. For the first time, every living former Ekiti governor backed his re-election, leaving the opposition without any prominent defectors to rally behind. This unified backing functioned as a coordinated endorsement strategy, a visible signal of consensus that opposition parties had no comparable message to counter.

Between the opposition parties, PDP’s showing is more telling than ADC’s. ADC placing third as a newer platform isn’t surprising, but PDP, a long-established national party, barely crossed 3,000 votes in most councils, pointing to weak grassroots structure rather than just a bad cycle. The deeper question is whether this reflects a structural failure or a failure to sustain visibility and message presence at the ward level between election cycles.

Party | Votes | % of Valid Votes
APC | 319,224 | 84.95%
PDP | 40,543 | 10.79%
ADC | 12,872 | 3.43%
ADP | ~1,289 | 0.34%
Accord | 564 | 0.15%
LP | ~263 | 0.07%
AAC | ~188 | 0.05%

When the vote totals of every opposition party are combined, they amount to roughly 55,719 votes, or about 14.83% of all valid votes cast, a stark contrast to the APC’s dominant 84.95% share on its own. Even in a hypothetical scenario where every opposition party ran on a single, fully united ticket, their combined total would still fall short of the APC’s by approximately 263,505 votes. This gap illustrates just how commanding Oyebanji’s victory was: it was not simply a matter of a divided opposition splitting votes among several parties, but a result that would have withstood even total opposition unity.

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Following the Ekiti result, APC framed it as proof of growing national support ahead of 2027, pointing to the rise in its vote totals in the state from about 187,000 in 2022 to roughly 318,000 in 2026, and projecting even higher numbers for Tinubu in 2027. Opposition parties, including the ADC and SDP, pushed back, arguing that Ekiti’s off-cycle, low-turnout nature makes it a poor predictor of a national contest.

Both claims need scrutiny. APC’s growth trend is real, but it happened in a state the party already governs, where incumbency and federal attention worked in its favour, so it says more about consolidating an existing stronghold than expanding into contested territory. The opposition’s caution is fair, but understates that APC’s structural advantages, incumbency and federal resources, aren’t unique to Ekiti and could repeat elsewhere. The more accurate takeaway is that Ekiti confirms APC’s strength where it already holds power, without proving it can replicate that in genuinely competitive states by 2027.

ADC’s third-place finish in Ekiti, just 3.43% of the vote, looks unremarkable on its own, but it only makes sense next to the party’s national story. A year earlier, ADC had positioned itself as the face of a new opposition coalition, pulling in heavyweight names like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi with the promise of a unified front against the APC. That promise hasn’t held: Obi and Kwankwaso have since defected to a rival platform, the NDC, while ADC battles leadership disputes and court cases that put its own 2027 participation in doubt.

That is the real lesson here for coalition politics as a communication problem, not just a structural one. ADC did not fail for lack of big names, it had plenty. What it could not do was hold one coherent message together once multiple egos and regional bases began pulling in different directions. Whether it can still become the platform it promised by 2027 is uncertain, but Ekiti is an early sign of a bigger unraveling.

Beyond Ekiti, the result speaks to a deeper pattern in Nigerian opposition politics: alliances are far easier to announce than to sustain. This suggests APC’s greatest advantage going into the next general election may not be its own performance, but the opposition’s continued inability to stay united. The near-total validity rate and one-sided outcome in Ekiti also raise questions about how genuinely competitive Nigeria’s state elections currently are, and whether low-turnout, off-cycle polls like this one can reliably signal national voter sentiment.

The Ekiti result is less a story about Oyebanji’s popularity alone than about the opposition’s structural fragility. Even a fully united opposition ticket would not have closed the gap, which means the problem isn’t vote-splitting, it’s organisational weakness, unstable coalitions, and the absence of a party capable of matching APC’s machinery and incumbency advantages. What Nigeria’s opposition needs before 2027 isn’t just structural unity, but a coherent, disciplined communication strategy capable of sustaining one message across factions, something no coalition has yet demonstrated. Until Nigeria’s opposition can build a coalition that survives contact with real electoral pressure, results like Ekiti’s are likely to repeat themselves in APC strongholds heading into 2027.

By Abass Sherifat Taiwo
Department of Development and Strategic communication University of Abuja
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Opinion

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf Has Earned a Vote of Confidence on Education

Published

7 days ago

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July 19, 2026

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By Hon. Muhammad Sanusi S. Kiru, FCIA
(Former Commissioner of Education, Kano State)

There comes a time in public discourse when fairness must prevail over partisanship and facts must take precedence over preconceived opinions. That moment has come in my assessment of the educational reforms being implemented by the administration of His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

As a former Commissioner of Education and someone who has consistently evaluated government performance with candour, I owe the people of Kano State an honest appraisal of the Governor’s performance in the education sector. After objectively reviewing the administration’s interventions from 2024 to 2026, particularly its determined efforts to address the acute shortage of teachers, I have reached an inescapable conclusion: Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf deserves a vote of confidence for his outstanding commitment to the development of education in Kano State.

One of the greatest challenges confronting our educational system has been the persistent shortage of teachers, resulting in unfavourable teacher-pupil and teacher-student ratios across many public schools. This problem has adversely affected the quality of teaching and learning for many years.

The present administration has confronted this challenge with courage and determination. Between 2024 and 2026, the government recruited or absorbed 8,715 permanent teachers and engaged 3,688 temporary BESDA Cohort V teachers, bringing the documented total to 12,403 education personnel. With recruitments by other education agencies, the overall figure is widely estimated at approximately 13,000 teachers.

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This represents one of the largest teacher recruitment exercises in the history of Kano State. More importantly, it is a strategic investment in the future of our children and in the long-term development of the state. By substantially reducing the teacher deficit, the administration has strengthened both the basic and post-basic education subsectors and created a stronger foundation for improved educational outcomes. The new recruitment not only means making our classrooms more vibrant and ensuring that teaching is consistently taking place, but it also signifies a positive shift in the narrative reflected in monitoring reports, the annual school census, and national personnel data.

Looking at the tangible achievements now before us, particularly in education, it is clear that the administration has made significant and commendable progress. Leadership should always be judged by measurable accomplishments, and in this regard, the Governor has acquitted himself admirably.

One area where the administration must, however, improve is public communication. Many of its remarkable achievements have not received the publicity they deserve. A well-coordinated and effective publicity strategy would ensure that citizens fully appreciate the scope and impact of these landmark interventions.

As His Excellency prepares to personally attend the special ceremony for the presentation of appointment letters to the newly employed teachers on Tuesday, 21st July 2026, I consider it appropriate to congratulate him on this historic milestone. The ceremony is more than a presentation of appointment letters; it is a celebration of renewed hope for thousands of families, a reaffirmation of government’s commitment to quality education, and a significant step towards building a stronger educational system for future generations.

I wish His Excellency a successful and hitch-free ceremony and pray that Almighty Allah grants him wisdom, good health, and continued strength to sustain the ongoing transformation of the education sector. May this programme mark the beginning of even greater achievements in the quest to provide every child in Kano State with access to quality education delivered by competent and dedicated teachers.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf deserves sincere commendation for these giant strides. If this policy of continuous recruitment and investment in teachers is sustained, it will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the defining legacies of his administration. Future generations will look back on this period as a turning point in the educational history of Kano State.

I therefore extend my heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency and offer him a well-deserved vote of confidence. I also wish him every success as he formally presents appointment letters to these newly recruited teachers on Tuesday. May the occasion be memorable, successful, and another milestone in the march towards educational excellence in Kano State.

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