Socialscientia: Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

The Domestic Environment and Nigeria’s Foreign Policy (1960-2025)

Sunny Mene PIATE — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The nexus between a nation’s internal health and its external behaviour is rarely as visible or as volatile as it is in Nigeria. Since Independence, Nigeria’s posture on the world stage has been fundamentally tethered to the shifting sands of its domestic landscape. While the nation has often been described as a Giant of Africa, the stride of that giant has historically been dictated by the stability of its home soil and the evolving definition of its national interest. The study sought to appraised thematically the extent to which political stability and pursuit of domestic national interest have been reflected in Nigeria’s external engagement of the various administration in Nigeria from 1960 to 2025. The theoretical framework adopted for the study was the linkage theory. The utility of the theory to the discourse, is that, it highlights or reveal how domestic pressures have consistently dictated the country’s external posture. The findings from the study reveal among other things that when domestic politics are stable, Nigeria acts as a “Big brother” in Africa, when internal stability falters, the nation’s external engagement becomes a search for “life support”, seeking loans, weapons and international validation. The study recommended that for Nigeria to regain its status as a pivotal global actor, its eternal engagements must be rooted in a recalibrated domestic foundation, since foreign policy is no longer a tool for prestige but an instrument for solving internal instabilities, economic and social that have historically hindered its global reach.

Breaking the Silence

Chinwe Mariaceline EZE — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study ‘breaking the silence: women’s grassroots engagement in sustaining peace in fragile communities’ explores the unnoticed yet transformative and encouraging role those grassroots women play in promoting peace in communities that are vulnerable to conflict. Despite their frontline presence in settling local disputes, meditative role, fostering healing, and repairing damaged societies, their contributions to peace initiatives are still mostly ignored in official peace procedures. Through a qualitative approach, the study draws secondary data from scholarly publications, international organization reports, and documented materials while thematic content analysis was used to examine the data. The study observed the effectiveness and efficiency employed by the grassroots women in settling conflicts through various means which are usually not noticed by the formal institutions, the data shows that grassroots women play a crucial role in fostering reconciliation and fostering resilience in those conflict-ridden communities. But patriarchal conventions, a lack of institutional backing, inadequate money, and exclusion from official peace talks limit their activity. The study then recommended among others that acknowledging and formalizing the contributions of women at the grassroots level is crucial to maintaining peace in vulnerable areas and the formal institution should create gender-inclusive peace policies, providing local women peace builders with specialized resources and training, protecting female activists legally, and purposefully incorporating their work into national and international peace building plans.

Assessing the Role of E-Governance in Enhancing Citizens’ Participation in Rice Farm Development in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

Terrence Richard EJA, Bassey Albert EKPENYONG — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The study examines the relationship between E-governance and citizens participation in Rice farm development in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Specific area such as how e-governance relate with citizens access to government distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizer distribution initiative and modern farming equipment support programme were all covered. The study adopted the survey research design. The population of the study comprised of the entire rice farmers in Abi Local Government Area. Stratified, quota and accidental sampling techniques were used to extract a simple size of three hundred and fifty (350) respondents across the ten political wards of the local government. Data generated for the study was analyzed using the Pearson product correlation technique. The findings of the study revealed that e-governance has significantly enhanced farmers access to information on government rice farming development programmes such as distribution of improved rice seedlings, access to fertilizer and modern rice farming equipment support programme which has improved rice production in the area. It was therefore recommended that government should prioritize the development of users-friendly digital interfaces to ensure easy accessibility and inclusivity of rural dwellers that may be facing challenges of strong, internet access. Government should create e-platform for farmers registration where electronic identification number will be issued to all farmers to access the various agricultural development support programme to eliminate diversion by public officials. Rigorous bureaucratic process in accessing the agriculture e-wallet and mechanization should be minimized to accommodate illiterate farmers that will want to access them.

Imperialism and Economic Dependency in the Nigerian Textile Industry

Nnaemeka Joshua NMELI, Frank-Collins N. OKAFOR — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper x-rays the impact of trade liberalization between China and Nigeria in the textile trade industry with the Kantin-kwari Market, Kano, as a case study. It could be recalled that the military regime of Sani Abacha having made Nigeria an international pariah nation as a result of its human right abuse records, got China as the only major country to associate with. This consequentially brought about Nigeria’s dependency on China, which has continued unabated till today and has affected a good number of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political structures. This paper therefore interrogates the economic attractions in Nigeria-China trade relations and how that relation has particularly affected the sustainability of the textile industry in Nigeria. The study employed the instrumentality of qualitative research as data were generated from existing knowledge and analyzed contently. Dependency theory provided the necessary explicatory framework and helped in establishing intellectual linkages between variables. It was discovered that the easy access to loans and other infrastructural aids from China was the major attraction to China. It was also discovered that the closure of textile shops and its concomitant unemployment in the industry have increased due to the fact that the Chinese were having retail shops in the market while the original owners of the trade were currently playing the role of middlemen for the Chinese. The paper therefore recommended that the government should assist indigenous textile producers and dealers financially and logistically. It should also by protective by putting up some protective measures, as seen in Kenya, in the implementation of liberalization policy. Again, adequate infrastructure such as electricity, conducive environment, etc. should be put in place so as to ameliorate and reduce the cost expended by indigenous manufacturers in Nigeria during production.

An Examination of Ethno-Religious Influences on Political Behaviour and Governance in Nigeria

Emmanuel SUNDAY, Raymond ADIBE — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The paper examines the relationship between politics and ethno-religious, highlighting its potential impacts on the Nigerian political system. It reflected on the recurrent incidences of ethno-religious divide within the Nigerian body politics. The study is anchored on the Social Identity Theory to explain how individuals or groups derive part of the identity from the irreligious affiliation, leading them to favour political actors and policies that align with their religious group’s interests. Voting behaviour, recruitment processes, placements, and political appointments into sensitive positions are often influenced and determined by ethno-religious factors in Nigeria. Data for the paper were drawn from secondary sources. Investigations conducted revealed that measures such as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Peace Accord by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were put in place to enhance peace and encourage unity in a religiously and culturally diverse country. However, these efforts have been largely undermined by the neo-patrimonialism behaviour of patron-client’s actions and policies that have failed to promote social mobilization and national unity in Nigeria. The study asserts that religious leaders have significantly failed to positively influence government decisions for the benefit of the entire Nigerians. It is here by recommended that religious leaders must not engage in the unsavory attitude of endorsement of political candidates and also imposing such candidates on their members to vote, rather they should deal with in internal divisions within their own communities through speaking out against injustice and promoting peace in their domain. The religious leaders should divorce themselves from unnecessary relationship with government and politicians which normally will lead to unfair compromise. To achieve a peaceful and sustainable democratic society, the government must desist from all forms of patronage, covert or overt, that create avenues for a privileged few to manipulate the polity for their personal interests.

Accessing the Risk Factors Associated with Suicide in Anambra State Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The impact of covid-19 has heightened the cases of depression among the people as a result of the loss of sources of livelihood and loved ones, among other factors. The situation is further worsened with the increasing cost of livelihood and limited options for the people therefore it is important to examine the associated risk factors of suicide including the gender more vulnerable to suicide and the way to minimize the occurrence of suicide in Anambra state within the COVID-19 Pandemic. 625 respondents were selected using Yamani (1967) formula equation and multistage sampling procedure was used to select the study population. Data were collected with the use of questionnaire instrument and in-depth interview guide. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 27.0) was employed to perform analysis of quantitative data while data obtained was presented, described and interpreted using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data generated from the in-depth interviews were manually analyzed. The result revealed that poverty, loneliness, loss of job/business, and hike in food price were the major risk factors associated with suicide during Covid-19 with poverty taking the lead; more so, males are more vulnerable to suicide and suicidal ideation than female in Anambra State, among others. A suicide prevention program tailored to the specific needs of the Anambra population should be developed and implemented by stakeholders. Promoting resilience and coping skills should be at the forefront of suicide prevention programs in addition to raising awareness, providing support, and dealing with mental health disorders. (a) The covid 19 measures such as total lock down, compulsory test, isolation, social distancing etc. increased the risk factors of suicide in the state. (b) Poverty is the major risk factor associated with suicide therefore the government need to tackle anything that increases the rate of poverty in the state. (c) In as much both genders commit suicide, men are more vulnerable and should be paid more attention to. They should also be allowed to speak up and express themselves, not hiding under the umbrella of “men don’t cry.