John Rawls’ Maximin Principle:Implications for Distributive Justice in the Niger Delta Region

The thrust of the study is premised on the need to examine John Rawls’ Maximin principle and distributive justice with a view to establishing its implication for Niger Delta. The primary objective is to ascertain which basic social structure can best provide a harmonious society within the Nigerian state. The Maximin principle hypothetically requires that the basic structure of a society be organized so that all social and economic inequalities are maximized in favour of the least advantaged members in the society through a procedure guiding the decisions of a social contract negotiator in the original position. The study contends that the perceived disequilibrium coupled with the constant disquiet engulfing the Niger Delta region might perhaps be equilibrated and stilled if Rawls’ approach to social justice is innovatively adopted. Accordingly, the study subscribed to the view that the Modus operandi for reaching the kind of social consensus advocated by Rawls may not be achieved in Nigeria by  an abstract adherence to democratic majoritarian principle; hence, this study argues that the  perceived injustice and disequilibrium in the Nigerian state which seems to adversely affect the Niger delta region could be resolved if a national consensus as to the basic structure of the Nigerian state is arrived at through the notion of the ontological primacy of minority using ethnic representation  as a fulcrum for achieving the said national consensus.