egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is the belief that people deserve equal rights, treatment and opportunity, whatever their wealth, background or last name.
In plain English
At every Nigerian wedding, there is that moment when the aso ebi groups get seated first, closest to the food, closest to the front, while everyone else waits by the door watching the caterers walk past with the good stew.
Nobody planned it as an insult. It is just how things are arranged, and most people accept it without a second thought, because rank has always decided who eats first.
Egalitarianism is the idea that pokes at that arrangement and asks an honest question. Why should where you sit, what school your children attend, or whether a bank manager takes your call depend on how much money sits in your account rather than on your worth as a person.
It does not mean everyone earns the same salary or that a surgeon and a security guard should be paid identically. It means the rules of the game, access to good schools, fair courts, healthcare, a vote that actually counts, should not tilt in favour of the person with the fatter wallet.
In the United Kingdom, this shows up in the argument over the National Health Service. Whether you clean offices in Peckham or run a hedge fund in Mayfair, you queue for the same GP appointment, at least in theory, because healthcare there is not meant to be a luxury item.
In Nigeria, you see the opposite tension constantly. A ₦2,000,000 hospital deposit for emergency surgery is not a policy failure to some people, it is simply how things work, and that is exactly the gap egalitarian thinkers spend their lives arguing against.
Two Nigerian graduates apply for the same government scholarship. One has a senator uncle who can call the right office, the other has excellent grades and nothing else. An egalitarian system judges both applications on the same sheet, blind to the uncle, blind to the surname, deciding purely on merit and need.
Questions people ask
Is egalitarianism the same as communism?
No. Communism is a specific economic system about who owns property and production. Egalitarianism is a broader belief about fairness and equal treatment, and you can find egalitarian ideas inside capitalist, socialist and mixed economies alike.
Does egalitarianism mean everyone should earn the same amount of money?
Not at all. Most egalitarian thinkers accept that people will earn differently based on skill, effort or risk. What they insist on is equal rights, equal dignity before the law and a fair shot at opportunity, not identical pay packets.
Why does this matter for someone just trying to build wealth in Nigeria?
Because understanding whether a system is fair or rigged helps you decide where to place your effort. If you know certain doors open only through connections rather than merit, you plan around that reality instead of being surprised by it later.
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