Abstract

The reality of evil and human suffering in the world has long been a puzzle to human mind. Though, over the ages, the various philosophical schools and religious traditions have formulated myriads of explanations to human predicaments; however, the problem of evil and human suffering remains a perennial issue in philosophy and religious discourse. It is against this background that this study is aimed to re-interpret the problem  of evil and human suffering beyond the conventional narratives. The paper focuses on the origin, causes and purpose of evil and human suffering, as well as its practical solutions as practiced in the Ogoni traditional religious philosophy. In analyzing the subject matter, the study adopts the ethnographic method, using the historical and philosophical approach. Through this research effort, it was established that unlike the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions in Ogoni who trace the sources and causes of evil and human suffering to a ‘mono-demonic factor,’ the Ogoni indigenous people trace the sources and causes of evil and human suffering to a 'multi-causal factors.’ More significantly is the fact that the Ogoni do not necessarily perceived evil and human suffering as the end in themselves. Goodness  and evilness are dialectical and not diametrically opposed to each other. Hence, the Ogoni traditional philosophy does not give room for the problem of evil and human suffering, as its advantages in maintaining virtues and moral uprightness still holdsway.