St. Thomas Aquinas on Law and Morality: A Reconstructive Adaptation for Nigerian Legal System

Abstract

The problem of how to reconcile law and morality has been a signature issue in the philosophy of law. Law and morality represent two seemingly opposing paradigms which lie at the intersection between philosophy of law and moral philosophy. Put differently, the relationship between law and morality has always provided keen and enduring controversy. This paper examines St Thomas Aquinas conception of law and morality and its implications for the Nigerian legal system. It employs the method of textual analysis. It concludes that legality and morality are complementary. It recommends that the administration and dispensation of justice in contemporary Nigerian body politic be patterned after the Thomistic perspective wherein law is derived from moral norm, based on right reason.