POVERTY AS AN OBSTRUCTION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE IN AFRICA IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL INJUSTICE IN JAMES 2:6-7; 5:1-6

Abstract

African society has always been characterized by the gulf between the majority who are poor and the handful that are rich. The African continent is ravaged with financial problems. Poverty is endemic. As some parts of the world are progressing, getting richer and enjoying a better standard of living, Africa is deteriorating rapidly. Countries are consumed by war and ravaged by diseases like Cancer, HIV/AIDS, and COVID 19 and so on, and the number of widows and orphans increases daily. Yet amid this suffering, a few individuals accumulate immense wealth and exert pressure on the poor. This situation raises questions about why there are so many impoverished people and few are so rich. This paper focuses on the Nigerian situations in the light of James? teaching in James 2:6-7; 5:1-6 about the rich exploiting the poor, dragging the poor to curt, hoarding wealth and the refusal to pay wages to the labourers with the aim of curbing if not to eradicate, such unfaithful antics of public leaders. The methodologies employed in this paper are Historical, Expository, Analytical, and Phenomenological towards arriving at a logical conclusion.