Plato’s Socio-Political Philosophy: a Veritable Prescription for Achieving the Seven Point Agenda in Nigeria for National Development

Abstract

Philosophy, right from its inception in antiquity, has always been a source of ideas, and inspiration for the transformation of society. In attempt to solve societal problems, philosophers ask critical questions and suggest rational answers to them just like some fundamental theories postulated by great thinkers in the past had been usefully applied to solve contemporary problems. The purpose of this exercise is to determine to what extent Plato's socio-political philosophy could serve as a veritable roadmap in resolving Nigeria’s critical challenges. The idea that runs through the work is Plato's idea of Justice which is anchored on the principle of division of labour is shown to point the way to the achievement of the 7-point agenda of the present administration. The paper concludes that governance should be an art predicated on exact knowledge of the good and that society is a mutual satisfaction of needs by individuals whose capacities supplement one another. It therefore recommends among others the need for specialized training for leaders to bring about purposeful and reliable leadership that breeds responsible followership.

Keywords: Plato, Socio-Political, 7-Point Agenda, National Development.