| Abstrakt: |
The idea of innatism projects the fact that humans have certain intrinsic characteristics, either good or bad; hence, some social behavior can be attributed to acquired traits. While the religious adherents (Christians and Muslims) will advance the argument that the ‘being’ has been corrupted before birth based on biological intercourse and the inherited nature of sin, the existentialist holds a contrary opinion to this. They are of the view that our choices transform who we are. Abubakar Gimba’s letter to the unborn child projects an ontological deficiency in the Nigerian ‘being’, hence his epistle to the unborn child to prepare him not to be baptized into what is called the ‘Nigerian character’. This work examines the description of what Gimba portrays to be an ontological deficiency and advances that Gimba’s position is only a masquerading of existential choices resting upon key existential concepts. The work advances that existential conditions built over the years have suddenly seemed to appear as human nature. The work asserts that existential choice resting on responsibility remains the only path out of Nigeria’s conditioning, which Gimba refers to as nature. The work concludes that, if Gimba’s position of an ontological deficiency of the Nigerian ‘being’ is true, then not even his epistle to the unborn child could change the Nigerian fate, but since it is mere existential conditioning, then people’s choices could birth the needed change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
