Nigeria’s persistent social welfare backwardness remains a major obstacle to achieving socially engineered development despite the country’s vast natural and human resources. This review paper examines how policy failures, implementation inconsistencies, and institutional discontinuities have undermined access to basic services such as energy, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities, particularly in rural communities. Anchored on the principle of “going back to the basics,” the study argues that sustainable development in Nigeria depends on prioritizing fundamental social services through coordinated, transparent, and community-focused interventions. Using recent empirical evidence and policy reports published after 2019, the paper demonstrates that energy poverty, weak health systems, poor educational outcomes, and high unemployment are mutually reinforcing challenges rooted in governance deficits. The findings highlight the consequences of policy somersaults, corruption, and weak inter-agency coordination on social welfare delivery. The paper concludes that a return to basic, accountable, and inclusive policy frameworks—supported by renewable energy expansion, strengthened primary healthcare, quality basic education, and youth-oriented economic empowerment—is essential for reversing Nigeria’s social welfare backwardness and advancing socially engineered development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Security challenges in Nigeria have intensified in recent years, ranging from terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence, raising questions about the effectiveness of the centralized police system. Advocates for state policing argue that decentralizing law enforcement would improve efficiency, accountability, and local responsiveness. However, Nigeria’s political realities—particularly governors’ manipulation of local government finances, State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), and chronic salary arrears—cast doubt on the viability of state police. This paper examines the issues, challenges, and prospects of establishing state police in Nigeria using a desk-based qualitative approach. Empirical evidence from secondary sources shows that most states cannot even pay their workers’ salaries and pensions, and governors frequently manipulate local elections for political advantage. Comparative analysis with other federal systems (United States, Canada, India) demonstrates that decentralized policing can work in contexts with robust institutional frameworks, legal safeguards, and financial capacity—conditions largely absent in Nigeria. Findings indicate that establishing state police under the current political and fiscal climate may heighten politicization, create role conflicts with federal police, and exacerbate ethnic and religious tensions. The study recommends strengthening existing federal security institutions, improving funding, training, and equipment, expanding community policing, and transferring local government elections from SIECs to INEC. Overall, while decentralization of policing is theoretically attractive, in Nigeria it risks undermining political stability and national security.

In a world increasingly challenged by various forms of violence, the search for a sustainable alternative has become a central academic preoccupation. This paper posits that the life and teachings of Jesus Christ offer a historically profound and ethically compelling framework for non-violent practice. Through a critical analysis, the study clarifies key concepts of violence and peace, distinguishing between negative peace and positive peace and defining core principles such as agape and redemptive suffering. The paper's theoretical framework leverages the ethical tension between Christian pacifism and Just War Theory, while utilizing Conflict Transformation Theory to bridge theological concepts with real-world applications. The findings show that Christ's model, as demonstrated by the Civil Rights Movement and modern peacebuilding, provides a pragmatic approach for resisting oppression and achieving reconciliation. The paper acknowledges common critiques regarding the model's realism in state-level conflicts but argues that it fundamentally reorients the practice of security from militarism to a peacebuilding framework. Ultimately, the research concludes that Christ's example is an enduring and effective model for fostering a just and peaceful society.

The study examined the healing activities of the Aladura churches in the aquatic and onshore environments, and their effects on aquatic organisms and human environmental health. The Aladura is a brand of Christianity that emerged in the south-west of Nigeria, within the background of the Yoruba religio-cultural matrix. Water and other liquids dominate the healing practice of the Aladura healing practice. The hydrotherapy is carried out inside and outside the church premises and at the river and stream sides. Members of Aladura churches believe that there are challenges that confront humans and the society that defy physical solution. What are the consequences of this healing practice on ‘the patients’ and the living organisms in the hydrospheric environment? The study used qualitative method to generate data from sampled Aladura churches in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. The study revealed the integrated faith tradition of Aladura churches, and how they carry this cultural baggage to everywhere they currently exist. It revealed that poor well-being of Nigerian citizens influences the patronage of Aladura spiritualists and the sustenance of their hydrotherapy. The study also revealed how the Aladura hydrotherapy serves as one of the sources of aquatic and onshore environmental pollutions. The organic and inorganic objects and liquids that are used in the ritual cleansing in the river and its bank pose threat to the lives of aquatic organisms and human environmental health. The study concluded that weak regulatory policies of institutions responsible for protecting marine and human physical environments need to be reviewed and strengthened for strict implementation.

Traditional rulers have historically played a vital role in governance, conflict resolution, and the maintenance of peace and security in Nigeria. In Kogi East Senatorial District, these leaders act as intermediaries between the government and local communities, leveraging their influence to foster stability. However, increasing security challenges such as communal clashes, herder-farmer conflicts, and armed banditry raise concerns about their effectiveness. This study assesses the role of traditional rulers in maintaining peace and security in Kogi East by examining their contributions, identifying challenges, and exploring prospects for enhancing their roles. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to community members, government officials, and security personnel, alongside in-depth interviews with selected traditional rulers. Secondary data from government reports and scholarly literature were also analyzed. The study is anchored on Conflict Resolution Theory, which highlights the role of traditional institutions in mediating disputes, and Social Capital Theory, which explains how trust and relationships built by traditional rulers contribute to peace and security. Findings reveal that traditional rulers play a significant role in conflict mediation, intelligence gathering, and fostering communal harmony. However, their effectiveness is hindered by political interference, lack of legal authority, and inadequate resources. Despite these challenges, many communities still rely on them for dispute resolution. Additionally, weak collaboration between traditional institutions and government security agencies further limits their impact. The study recommends strengthening the legal framework to empower traditional rulers, enhancing collaboration between traditional institutions and security agencies, providing financial and logistical support, and promoting community-driven security initiatives. These measures will enhance the effectiveness of traditional rulers in maintaining peace and security in Kogi East.

Nigeria's criminal justice system faces challenges, including prison overcrowding and most importantly is the issue of recidivism. Recidivism means a relapse into crime and criminal lifestyle or activities by an offender who had once or more times had gone through the criminal justices system for reoffending. Restorative justice (RJ) is an approach that emphasizes repairing harm caused by crime and reintegrating offenders into society. The traditional system often focuses on punishment for offenders. This article examined the concept and application of restorative justice. The research further adopted Reintegrative Shaming Theory which believes that societies have lower crime rates if they communicate shame about crime effectively. They will have a lot of violence if violent behaviour is not shameful, high rates of rape if rape is something men can brag about, endemic white-collar crime if business people think law-breaking is clever rather than shameful. Furthermore, the seminar adopted Social Learning Theory to explain the cause of recidivism. Some of the benefits of restorative Justice includes making the offender take responsibility for their actions and the harm they caused, rebuilding relationships with the victim and help rebuild relationships within the community and foster a sense of support for the offender's rehabilitation. Some of the benefits of Restorative Justice highlighted include Reduced Recidivism, Victim Satisfaction and Empowerment, Increased community safety, Reduction in Correctional Centres Overcrowding and Reduction of caseloads in Court. Finally it was recommended that the Criminal Justice system should begin and expand Pilot Programs Public Awareness, Provide training and resources for law enforcement and court personnel and Encourage collaboration between law enforcement, courts and the Psychologists.

Language users, in our contemporary world, fail to put into cognisance the distinctive linguistic features that characterise each communicative event, often blurring the lines between situational contexts. This is partly owing to exposure to diverse language varieties and the prevalence of digital communication such as texting, and social media. This study undertakes a comparative register analysis of language use on social media platforms and in academic writing, with a view to examining the idiosyncratic features of each of these genres of writings which will enable language users adapt linguistic features to suit these disparate contexts. Using Biber and Conrad’s (2009) analytical framework, the study focuses on aspects such as vocabulary, syntax, and tone, seeking to identify patterns of language use that are unique to each register or shared across contexts. Findings reveal that while the distributions of prepositions and conjunctions are almost similar in both the registers of academic writing and social media messages, the register of social media messages makes use of linguistic features such as pronouns, verbs and adverbs more than the register of academic writing, thereby disclosing that the conversational properties of informal tone, personalisation, action-dependence and emphasis are more prominent in social media language. By exploring the intersections and divergences between social media language and academic writing, this research aims to inform strategies for adapting language to context, ultimately enhancing clarity, coherence, and overall effectiveness of communication.