ROBERT NOZICK’S ENTITLEMENT THEORY OF JUSTICE: A CALL FOR PEACE AND TRANQUILITY IN THE LIVES OF NIGERIA RETIREES

Abstract

Justice has been defined as equity and fairness in ways people are treated. It is the legal duty of giving to others, what is due to them. The essence of justice is for a peaceful and harmonious co-existence of human being in the society of men, since people demand for justice especially in respect to their rights and the dignity of their labours. Robert Nozick conceives justice majorly as equity in distributive entitlement of holding, with property people owe when viewed from the principle of acquisition, principle of transfer and the principle of rectification of injustice. For Nozick, a person who acquires a holding in accordance with the principle of justice in acquisition is entitled to its ownership, as also a person who acquires in accordance with the principle of justice in transfer, from someone else who is entitled to holding of such property. Thus, entitlement theory implies a distribution of a due equity to each person entitled to such. Nozick therefore opines that, if the world were to be wholly just, only the first two principles would be needed, but given the lack of the two first principles, the third is evoked. This paper therefore examines Nozick’s postulation in line with the deficiency in the Nigerian pension system. It is pertinent to note that these pension funds are part of the earned salaries of the pensioners deducted monthly at source before paying them the residue, which by implication, means that the fund in question is legally theirs. The pension administration of the Nigerian society has defiled and fallen short of these principles. Consequently, this paper would explore the setbacks in Nigerian pension scheme and proffer recommendations on the way to follow so as to operate optimally and bring about a peaceful retirement life for retirees.