Democracy and Academic Freedom in Nigeria: a Philosophical Perspective

Abstract

The paper attempts at exploring the meaning of democracy and academic freedom, and the role of education in cultivating the right attitudes, through some sorts of processes, aimed at making citizens effective members of their society.  The application of academic freedom in a democractic Nigeria was further examined.  A way forward was proffered and the paper finally looked at academic freedom as an extension of individual freedom in a democractic society, adding that it is only when a society learns to uphold the tradition of encouraging the holding of diverse and differing views on any issue that academic freedom can lay a solid foundation for both democracy and freedom in a given society.