Àgídìgbo: ABUAD Journal of the Humanities

Nollywood as a Repository of Yoruba Historical and Cultural Identity: A Study of Tunde Kelani’s Ti Oluwa Ni Ile

2026-01-21T03:53:28+00:00

This paper examined the intricate relationship between historical culture, Nollywood (with specific reference to the Yoruba movie industry), and Yoruba identity. It explored how Yoruba films serve as repositories of Yoruba cultural heritage, language, and traditions. Specifically, this study analyses Tunde Kelani’s 1991 movie Ti Oluwa Ni Ile to provide insight into Yoruba life and worldviews as reflected through cinema. The research discusses the film’s portrayal of Yoruba customs, traditions, language, and elements of mythology, while also addressing the criticisms and challenges surrounding cultural representation in Nollywood. Using a qualitative approach anchored in historical analysis, the study interpreted how Ti Oluwa Ni Ile functions as an archive of Yoruba values such as respect for elders, integrity, and the virtue of hard work—principles that define Yoruba identity. The paper concluded by emphasizing the film’s significance to younger generations in an increasingly globalized world. For many, it offers a lens through which to reconnect with their cultural past and better understand the moral and communal values that underpin Yoruba life.

The Status of Women: Social and Religious Roles of Women in the Pre-Colonial Igbo Society

2026-01-25T21:53:24+00:00

Igbo women at every historical juncture have played crucial roles, especially in the social and religious aspects of their various families, localities or communities. While they may not have held formal political titles in pre-colonial times, their influence reached far beyond the family space. They were caregivers, healers, matchmakers, and custodians of spiritual order. Indeed, they stood at the centre of rituals, ceremonies, and the moral life of the community. Karin Barber’s studies on African women, especially her work on Yoruba cultural practices, show how women often carry artistic and religious traditions. This study draws inspiration from her insights. However, it moves the discussion into the Igbo world, focusing on how artistic, social, and religious practices in Igbo society rested heavily on women both before and after colonial contact. Nevertheless, many practices survived, adapted, or merged with new realities. This study examines those changes. It explores how women maintained influence through religious duties, social alliances, and communal leadership even when formal authority structures changed. The goal is to highlight how their skills, traditions, and networks shaped Igbo society across different periods. The paper adopts qualitative historical methodology in conducting in-depth oral interviews, Focus Group Discussions, as well as content analysis based on data extracted from relevant literature. The findings demonstrate that revisiting women’s historical roles is crucial for shaping contemporary policies on gender, rights, and social development in Nigeria.

Chinua Achebe: The Novelist as Critic and Editor

2026-01-25T22:44:16+00:00

Chinua Achebe is widely acknowledged as a foundational figure in the development of modern African literature, particularly for his novels that explore the complexities of both pre-colonial and post-colonial African experiences. However, in addition to his fiction, Achebe’s contributions as a critic and editor have profoundly influenced literary criticism and shaped global understanding of African literature. His efforts to amplify African voices through his critical essays, his role as the founding editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series, and his editorship of the literary journal Okike have been pivotal in asserting the significance of African perspectives thereby highlighting his multifaceted impact on the literary world. While scholarly studies focus predominantly on his fiction, Achebe's critical essays and editorial work merit further scholarly attention due to their lasting influence on world literature. Employing postcolonial theory as theoretical framework and methodology, this paper integrates textual analysis, critical discourse analysis, and paratextual examination to investigate Achebe’s essays in Morning Yet on Creation Day and Hopes and Impediments, as well as his editorial interventions. Through this methodological approach, the study explores how Achebe’s work addresses the challenges encountered by African writers, interrogates the role of literature in postcolonial societies, and elucidates the potential of literature to foster cultural reclamation and social transformation.

Redefining Power: The Role of Women in Governance and Cultural Influence in Ondo, Nigeria – A Comparative Analysis of Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives

2026-01-19T06:00:50+00:00

This paper explores the cultural construction of power among women in Ondo, a prominent Yoruba kingdom in Southwestern Nigeria, highlighting the dynamics between traditional and modern influences. Despite the pervasive patriarchal structures that often limit women's rights and opportunities, Ondo's cultural heritage reveals an interplay of power where women, particularly through figures like the Lobun and historical rulers such as Oba Pupupu, have played significant roles in governance and community leadership. The study employs a qualitative research design, utilising in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to gather rich, contextual data from women across various age groups and socio-economic backgrounds in Ondo. Participants were selected using purposive sampling to ensure a diverse representation of experiences. Additionally, archival research was conducted to explore historical documents and records that shed light on women's roles in governance throughout Ondo's history. This study critically examines how traditional norms shape women's perceptions and expressions of power, while also addressing the impact of modernity on these constructs. By investigating the strategies women employ to negotiate and assert power within their cultural context, this research aims to deepen the understanding of women's agency and illuminate the intersections between traditional and contemporary dynamics. Ultimately, this work contributes to the broader discourse on women's empowerment, offering insights that can inform policies and interventions aimed at fostering equality and enhancing the status of women in Nigeria and beyond.

The Compounding Pain of Familial Betrayal and Institutional Failure in Nigerian Rape Narratives

2026-01-25T21:34:16+00:00

This article examines the representation of rape in Nigerian literature, a topic often shrouded in cultural silence and stigma. It argues that selected Nigerian novels provide a crucial platform for exposing the compounded pain of sexual violence, a pain intensified by familial betrayal and institutional failure. Drawing on transactional reader-response theory, this qualitative study analyses Yejide Kilanko’s Daughters Who Walk This Path and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death to explore how cultural norms perpetuate the suffering of rape victims. Using close reading as an analytical tool, the study examines how characterisation, plot, and literary devices depict the psychological aftermath of rape. The transactional reader-response theory is applied to understand the dynamic interaction between the text and the reader's interpretation of these traumatic experiences. The findings reveal that victims often endure self-blame, isolation, and a lack of institutional, with priorities like family honour aggravating their trauma. This research emphasises literature’s critical role in challenging harmful norms and fostering empathy, recommending awareness campaigns, policy reforms and community based initiatives to protect survivors and prevent further harm.

Heritage, Memory, and the Manifestation of Tradition: The Olufon Festival in the Historical Narrative of Yorubaland

2026-01-25T22:25:07+00:00

Olufon is featured in the history of Ile-Ife as one of its cultural heroes. This includes both as an offspring of Orisa, also known as Obatala, one of the renowned kings of the city, and as a ruler of Ile-Ifon, one of the ancient cities in Yorubaland, perhaps known today as Ifon Orolu. However, despite being associated with a status of prominence in the historical traditions of both cities, the prefatory narratives associated with Olufon in Ile-Ife before his emergence as a ruler in Ile-Ifon remain a gap in existing literature. The consequence of this has been that the narratives preceding the emergence of Olufon as a ruler in Ile-Ifon have not been textually documented and ultimately remain a missing part of a broader historical narrative among the Yoruba. Therefore, this study examines the Olufon festival within the framework of the historical narratives that underpin it in Ile-Ife, ultimately offering the missing pieces of the history of Olufon in Yorubaland. By doing this, this study seeks to bridge the gap between the narratives associated with Olufon in the histories of the two cities, thereby setting the stage for a possible reconciliation of the traditions of both cities, which will aid in reconstructing the history of Olufon and certain sections of the historical timelines of Ile-Ife and Ile-Ifon. This study employs a combination of historical and ethnographic research methods, and for analysis, it adopts a thematic approach. This study relies on oral interviews, participant observations, archival documents, newspapers, and secondary sources.

Childhood Trauma and the Burden of Prophecy in Chigozie Obioma's The Fishermen

2026-01-25T23:46:08+00:00

Childhood trauma has emerged as a critical subject in contemporary literary and psychological discourse, reflecting the enduring scars left by early adverse experiences. In Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen (2015), trauma is not merely an outcome of physical violence but is triggered by a prophecy that destabilises the Agwu brothers’ lives. The madman’s utterance functions as a psychic intrusion, dismantling familial unity and transforming youthful innocence into suspicion, paranoia, and eventual fratricide. This paper analyses the representation of childhood trauma in the novel through the lens of psychoanalytic theory, drawing on Sigmund Freud’s concepts of repression, id, ego and super-ego. The study argues that the prophecy embodies trauma’s ungraspable quality, a linguistic event whose meaning overwhelms the child’s interpretive faculties and reemerges in destructive repetitions. By foregrounding the psychic burden carried by children, the paper reveals how Obioma explores the shattering of innocence as both a personal tragedy and an allegory of Nigeria’s fractured postcolonial state. Ultimately, the paper contends that The Fishermen situates childhood trauma at the intersection of the individual and the familial, offering insight into how prophecy, fear, and violence scar not only individual lives but also the collective consciousness of a nation.

The Role of Digital Literacy in Information Discernment and Misinformation Resilience: A Dual-Outcome Analysis in the Nigerian Social Media Context

2026-01-22T08:05:38+00:00

This study investigates the relationship between digital literacy and misinformation resistance among Nigerian social media users, examining both information discernment capability and misinformation resilience behaviour as distinct outcomes. Through a quantitative survey of 306 active social media users in Nigeria, the research employs PLS-SEM to analyse the direct and mediated relationships between these variables. The study demonstrates strong positive relationships between digital literacy and fact-checking behaviour (β = 0.681, p < 0.001), and between fact-checking behaviour and both information discernment capability (β = 0.609, p < 0.001) and misinformation resilience behaviour (β = 0.428, p < 0.001). These results suggest that the development of practical verification skills, rather than general digital competencies alone, is crucial for effective misinformation resistance. The findings contribute to our understanding of how digital literacy influences misinformation resistance in developing nations and provide practical implications for digital literacy education programs and social media platform policies.

From Neoliberalism to Economic Nationalism: Implications of Deglobalisation for African Security and Development

2026-01-25T22:04:16+00:00

The erosion of neoliberal orthodoxy alongside accelerating deglobalization and the resurgence of economic nationalism signals a profound reconfiguration of the global economic order. While these dynamics are well documented in advanced economies, their implications for Africa remain insufficiently explored. This study examines how shifts in the global political economy shape African state capacity, developmental trajectories and vulnerability to emerging economic and security risks. Drawing on dependency theory and critical political economy, the analysis employs a qualitative comparative methodology, combining case studies of Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya with discourse analysis of policy documents and scholarly literature. The findings reveal that the retreat of neoliberal globalization presents both constraints and opportunities: economic nationalism opens space for industrial policy, regional value chain development and technological upgrading, yet protectionism in the Global North intensifies Africa’s marginalization in global trade and investment. These opportunities are further constrained by weak regional coordination and limited institutional capacity, heightening exposure to external shocks, inequality and insecurity. The study argues that navigating the post-neoliberal global order requires a strategic recalibration of Africa’s development agenda through deeper regional integration, investment in domestic technological capabilities and enhanced collective bargaining in multilateral economic forums.

Blocking the Loopholes: Nigeria’s Post-war Import Control through expansion of Industries, 1945-1954

2026-01-25T22:51:33+00:00

The end of the Second World War in 1945 ushered in an important epoch in Nigeria’s economic history and this has attracted the interrogation of various historical developments of her post war experience by scholars. This became imperative because the end of the war opened a new chapter in the history of the country. The period marked the beginning of socio-economic and political transformation of colonial Nigeria. To this end, scholars from various disciplines such as economics, sociology, political science and history have paid adequate attention to the country’s post-war events. These include, the decolonisation of the country’s economy through the prism of economics as a discipline, political decolonisation, agitations against discriminatory practices against Nigeria’s investors and transfer of power from the British to Nigeria’s political elite. Similarly, scholars have looked at the contributory roles of Nigerians both military and civilians to the success of British prosecution of the Second World War. However, most of these works did not directly examine how the country regulated her imports through the expansion of industries after the Second World War in 1945 up to 1954 when the colonial government granted the three regions greater autonomy to take certain economic decisions with the limited inputs of the colonial regime. This neglect limits our understanding of Nigeria’s post-war economic history. The paper argues that import control through the expansion of industries was deployed as one of the strategies of the decolonisation process which began in the country after 1945.

Book Review: A Journey in Service By Ibrahim B. Babangida

2026-01-19T06:13:13+00:00

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s A Journey in Service is a landmark autobiographical account that offers a deeply reflective and historically grounded narration of his personal evolution from a humble upbringing in Minna to the zenith of Nigeria’s political leadership. Published in 2025, the work is structured with meticulous care, segmenting Babangida’s life into five major thematic parts: early years, military career, governance, retirement, and reflective epilogue. The author represents a significant contribution to the autobiographical and political literature of post-independence Nigeria. As Nigeria’s former military president (1985–1993), Babangida remains a pivotal, albeit polarising, figure in the country’s modern history. His memoir offers insight into the motivations, dilemmas, and philosophies that underpinned his leadership during a particularly volatile era. The work serves not only as a record of events but also as a rhetorical attempt to reshape public perception of his controversial policies and decisions.

Book Review: Book Title: They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Everyday Survival in Urban Nigeria. Author: Daniel E. Agbiboa, Publisher: Oxford University Press. Year of Publication: 2022. Number of Chapters: 6 Number of Pages: 266

2026-01-25T21:44:52+00:00

How do the tendrils of corruption insidiously operate in the quotidian experiences of informal urban transport workers and in what ways do the multiform nature of corruption blur the line between normalcy and aberration? How do these workers spatially comply, resist, and reclaim their right to the city? This book explores the musky line between survival and corruption in the context of Lagos informal transport sector, where corruption is not a far elite phenomenon but a subtle naturalised societal norm recognisable in its banal forms in the informal settings. The informal transport workers in urban Lagos driven by the exigency of economic hardship are caught in the corrupt nexus of formal and informal paratransit regulators, where they are cornered to comply and avoid “time wastage, unnecessary fine, detention, vehicle impoundment, and tire deflation” (p.105). The author, through urban ethnography, semiotic interpretation, and cross-national comparison, meticulously mines oral accounts, court cases, and ephemeral texts to profoundly aver that the informal transport sector spatially functions as a fertile ground for culprit-victim corruption where exploitative exchanges are normalised.

Prayers at Dawn, Fuji at Noon: Music, Spirituality and Everyday Wellbeing among Urban Informal Workers in Ibadan

2026-01-25T22:35:06+00:00

This study examines how music and spirituality shape everyday wellbeing among urban informal workers in Ibadan, Nigeria. In a context where market traders and motor park drivers navigate long and unpredictable workdays, auditory practices play a crucial role in regulating mood, fostering resilience, and facilitating social interaction. Despite the centrality of music and spiritual engagement in daily life, little is known about how these practices are structured and experienced across time, creating a gap in scholarship on the intersection between musicology and African urban soundscapes. Using qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews with 20 participants and non-participant observation in selected markets and motor parks, the study traces a temporal shift in sonic environments. On one hand, mornings are dominated by gospel songs, communal prayers, and exhortations with repetitive melodic and rhythmic structures that provide moral grounding, optimism, and group cohesion. On the other hand, afternoons shift to secular genres such as fuji, highlife, and afrobeats, whose polyrhythms, call-and-response motifs, and cyclical grooves sustain energy, encourage social interaction, and support coping with the demands of urban labour. Findings reveal that workers deliberately curate sacred and secular sounds to navigate both economic and social pressures, promoting personal and collective wellbeing. By situating music at the intersection of spirituality, work, and resilience, the study highlights how auditory practices function as both social and affective resources. This research contributes to African urban ethnomusicology by demonstrating the structural and emotional dimensions of music in everyday life, and its quotidian role in shaping individual and communal resilience.

Navigating Turnitin’s Limitations: Ph.D. Students’ Perceptions and Departmental Strategies for Academic Integrity at the University of Ibadan

2026-01-25T23:55:38+00:00

This study examines Ph.D. students’ perceptions of Turnitin’s effectiveness in detecting plagiarism and the departmental strategies used to address its limitations at the University of Ibadan. The focus is on disciplines that face technical writing challenges, namely English, History, Law, Cultural and Media Studies, and Gender Studies. Anchored in Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), the study employed semi-structured interviews with fifteen Ph.D. students drawn from the Faculty of Arts (five from English and five from History), the Faculty of Law (two students), and the Institute of African Studies (two from Cultural and Media Studies and one from Gender Studies). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal two major themes: students’ perceptions of Turnitin’s utility and limitations, and departmental adaptive strategies. While participants acknowledged Turnitin’s usefulness in promoting academic integrity, they expressed concerns about its high rate of false positives, particularly in legal citations, and its limited capacity to detect non-English and archival sources. These challenges contributed to low response efficacy and high response costs, including extensive citation reformatting. In response, departments adopted adaptive measures such as post-field seminars, pre-submission Turnitin checks, paraphrasing guidance, and supervisory support. These strategies reflect high response efficacy and self-efficacy within the PMT framework. However, their largely informal implementation highlights the absence of institutional standardisation. The study recommends the development of formal, discipline-sensitive plagiarism policies, including the establishment of a departmental or university-wide plagiarism review committee and customised Turnitin settings for specific disciplines. Training for supervisors and postgraduate students on interpreting similarity reports is also advised. Such measures would strengthen academic integrity, reduce inequities in thesis evaluation, and improve the effectiveness of plagiarism detection across diverse academic fields.

From Competition to Market Diversification and Business Sales Growth: Insights from Nigeria

2026-01-19T05:51:25+00:00

This research examines the impact of diversification capability on the growth of selected consumer goods companies, offering insights from Sub-Saharan Africa. The study employed a survey design, focusing on a population of 22,466 individuals, a sample size of 491 respondents was determined using the Research Advisor Table, Data was collected via a questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 97.76%, and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including regression analysis. The results revealed that diversification capability positively influenced business growth, with innovation capacity having a significant and positive impact on profitability (β = 0.842, t = 29.782, p<0.05). The ability to diversify was found to positively affect business sales growth. The study is limited to consumer goods companies listed in Nigeria, and the findings may not generalise to other industries or regions. Future research could explore the impact of diversification capability in other sectors or African countries. The study suggests that companies in the consumer goods sector should develop diversification capabilities to gain a competitive edge and enhance their sustainable competitive advantage. The novel insights provide valuable on how diversification capability contributes to business growth in the consumer goods sector, particularly in a developing economy like Nigeria, highlighting the strategic importance of diversification in achieving profitability and market growth.

Divine Algorithms? Artificial Intelligence and the Reconfiguration of Organized Religion in the Digital Age

2026-01-22T08:16:55+00:00

This article argues that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a threat to organised religion, but a transformative partner capable of reshaping religious practice, theology, and organisational structure. Drawing from interdisciplinary and African humanistic scholarship, the study, asks how can AI improve church administration, facilitate evangelisation, help with theological reflection, foster inter-religious dialogue, and how does it pose ethical and doctrinal challenges? The main point is that the ethical use of AI could be a technology and God. That is, the technology and God together enhance religion’s ability to interpret, communicate and humanise in the digital age. The study is conceptual and interpretive in its methodology and is based on critically synthesising literature across theology, media studies, and ethics. Drawing primarily from African perspectives, we present a decolonised framework for the ethics of AI based on communitarian responsibility and spiritual integrity. The analysis shows how AI can be viewed as a medium for the negotiation of moral, cultural, and theological meaning through the contribution to a technological theology. It sees divine agency and digital systems as mutually formed, not at odds with each other. Accordingly, this research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by formulating an ethical-theological framework that positions faith institutions to leverage AI within a construct of pastoral care, inclusive dialogue, and global solidarity, thereby transmuting technological innovation into a moral-spiritual enterprise.

Politeness in Banker-Customer Interactions of Selected Banks in Nigeria’s Yenagoa Metropolis

2026-01-25T22:15:45+00:00

This study investigates politeness expressions in banker–customer interactions within selected Nigerian banks, contributing to research in interactional pragmatics and politeness studies. It aims to explicate the nature of politeness behaviour in the banking domain, the factors motivating such behaviour, how co-interactants interpret these behaviours, and the extent to which context shapes politeness practices. The data comprise sixty purposively selected interactions between bankers and customers. Using a complementarist adaptation of Lim and Bowers’ Face Theory and Locher and Watts’ Relational Work Theory, the study adopts a descriptive analytical approach. Findings reveal that politeness constitutes a central component of banker–customer interactions, with bankers bearing a greater burden of conflict management and redirecting talk towards the polite end of the relational scale. Customers, in contrast, frequently display impoliteness, while retaliatory responses from bankers remain rare. Although politeness behaviour is cyclical, communication breakdown is uncommon, as the need to achieve interactional goals motivates participants to mitigate potential rifts induced by impoliteness. The study recommends expanded inquiry into the influence of familiarity among bank staff on politeness choices.

Exploring the Collaboration in Capacity Building between the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) and the Nigerian Military, 2003–2023

2026-01-25T23:03:19+00:00

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), from 2003 to 2023, enjoyed collaborations in manpower development and capacity building trainings from various national and international institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, such as the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) and the Nigerian Military. The organisation started in Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War as a volunteer organisation, and has over the years metamorphosed into a full-fledged paramilitary organisation. It works in collaboration with other security outfits to keep national peace and to secure the lives and properties of citizens. Despite the good works of the NSCDC, there is a dearth of scholarly works carried out in the area of its collaborations, training and capacity building. This paper examines some of these collaborations, capacity building cum trainings in man-power development and their importance to the organisation. It examines the sustainability, stability and continuity of these trainings and how to cascade it down to the officers. The findings in this study reveal that there is a generation of officers who got a lot of training and another that does not even know that such opportunities for training exist, a knowledge gap which this paper intends to fill. This study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches through primary and secondary sources for data collection. The findings in this study reveal the role which training plays in the development of capacity in officers, its challenges and the way forward for the NSCDC.

The Problem of Evil: Evaluating its Theological and Philosophical Implications for the Attributes of the “Good God”

2026-01-17T18:39:29+00:00

The problem of evil remains a profound challenge in theology and philosophy, particularly concerning the coherence of the attributes of a “Good God” in a world marred by suffering, injustice and moral evil. The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the theological and philosophical implications of evil on the traditional attributes of God: goodness, omniscience and omnipotence. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, the study engages classical theodicies such as the Augustinian and Irenaean models, alongside philosophical arguments including the free will defense and process theology. Textual analysis and comparative evaluation of historical and contemporary sources guide the methodology. The findings reveal that while atheistic perspectives often present evil as incompatible with divine goodness, many theistic responses offer reasoned frameworks that preserve belief in a benevolent God. The study also uncovers existential dilemmas faced by individuals, particularly in reconciling faith with persistent natural and moral evils. The analysis shows that evil does not conclusively negate God's goodness but rather invites deeper theological reflection and ethical responsibility. Conclusively, the research affirms that a nuanced understanding of divine attributes, in light of suffering, can sustain faith and inspire moral resilience. The contribution to knowledge lies in bridging classical theodicies with contemporary existential concerns, offering insights that support both academic discourse and lived religious experience.

Innovative Financing Strategies for Urban Transport Infrastructure: Evidence from Lagos, Nigeria

2026-01-17T17:06:18+00:00

This study investigates the impact of innovative financing strategies on urban transport infrastructure development in Lagos, Nigeria. The research specifically examined four financing dimensions: Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), Infrastructure Bonds, Land Value Capture (LVC), and Multilateral/Development Bank Financing. Guided by Public Finance Theory, Institutional Theory, and Accessibility Theory, the study employed a quantitative approach using multiple regression analysis. A structured questionnaire was administered to a stratified sample of 220 respondents drawn from a population of 5,200 stakeholders, including officials from transport agencies, private investors, and transport professionals. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed with a Cronbach's alpha value above 0.7. Findings revealed that Infrastructure Bonds and Multilateral/Development Bank Financing significantly and positively influence urban transport development, particularly in improving accessibility and mobility. However, PPPs and LVC mechanisms showed no statistically significant effect, reflecting institutional and implementation challenges. The model summary indicated an R² of 0.327, suggesting that the four financing strategies jointly explain 32.7% of the variance in urban transport infrastructure outcomes. The study contributes to empirical knowledge by quantifying the relationship between financing strategies and urban transport outcomes, filling gaps in Nigerian transport finance literature which has remained largely descriptive. Recommendations include strengthening PPP frameworks, expanding the bond market, institutionalizing LVC mechanisms, and enhancing multilateral coordination. Limitations include reliance on stakeholder perceptions and a focus on a single state. Future studies should adopt longitudinal designs and explore other Nigerian cities to generalise findings. The research offers practical insights for policy-makers, investors, and urban planners.

Tradition and Transition in Nigeria: Historical evolution and Contemporary Challenges of the Chieftaincy Institution

2026-01-17T19:43:28+00:00

This paper examines tradition and transition in Nigeria with emphasis on historical evolution and contemporary challenges of the chieftaincy institution. Utilising historical documents, anthropological research, and current policy discussions, the study investigates how the colonial policy of indirect rule reshaped indigenous leadership systems and incorporated them into the framework of state governance. Despite the growing pressures of democratisation, urbanisation, and legal reforms, the chieftaincy institution has endured in the post-independence age as a site of cultural validity, political power, and communal identity. The politicisation and commercialisation of chieftaincy titles, as well as conflicts between traditional authority and constitutional frameworks, are highlighted in the paper. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge on the role of traditional institutions in post-colonial African states by situating the chieftaincy system within larger narratives of continuity and change. The paper concludes that any sustainable integration of traditional institutions into modern governance must address issues of accountability, equity, and cultural representation.