Gender Equality and Women Political Participation for Sustainable Development in Nigerian Forth Republic: Issues and Challenges

Political participation is a voluntary act which encompasses wide range of political activities, including voting at election, contesting for political and party offices, attending political rallies, joining political parties and many more. Although, these political activities are considered to be "free zone" to all qualified citizens, especially in liberal democracies irrespective of disparities in wealth, education and gender.  In Nigeria, Women represent about 50% of the population, in spite of this, their level of political participation and their representation is very low.  Their political participation is much being largely noticed only at the level of voting and latent support.  Men are found to have dominated the political arena to the point of almost excluding women, yet all groups (women inclusive) seek to influence dispensation of power and influence decision making in the society.  The study used qualitative method that is secondary source; books, Journal, Newspapers and internet material to examine the place of Nigerian women in politics, the reasons for their marginalization and low level of political participation. It concludes that the force of discrimination against women notwithstanding, the future is bright for women to participate in politics for sustainable development in Nigeria

Media Narratives and Sustainable Development: Newspaper Framing of Recurrent Building Collapses in Lagos, Nigeria

Nigeria’s pursuit of sustainable cities, as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, is severely undermined by recurrent building collapses, which have resulted in significant loss of lives, economic setbacks, and displacement of families. This study examines how select Nigerian newspapers. The Guardian and Punch framed building collapse incidents in 2021, a year marked by notable disasters, including the collapse of a 21-story skyscraper in Lagos. The study adopted content analysis as a method and analyzed 252 editions of the newspapers, focusing on journalistic genres, framing patterns, and sources of reporting. Findings revealed that straight news stories dominated coverage (58%), whileinvestigative and editorial pieces were minimal. Six frames were identified, with the "death frame" being the most prevalent (32%), followed by the "economic frame" (20%). Reporters' analysis served as the primary source (53%), with limited reliance on interviews or stakeholder perspectives. The study highlights a critical gap in solution-oriented reporting, as newspapers predominantly emphasised the tragic outcomes rather than preventive measures or policy recommendations. To foster public awareness and proactive responses, the study recommends that Nigerian media adopt a more balanced approach, incorporating solution-based and rescue frames. This shift could better align media reporting with the broader goal of achieving sustainable urban development and reducing building collapse incidents in Nigeria

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is globally recognised as a strategic tool for economic revitalisation, youth empowerment, and sustainable development. This study explores the role of TVET in advancing sustainable development in Nigeria, drawing from secondary data including institutional reports, policy documents, and international literature. The findings reveal that TVET, when effectively structured and adequately supported, can significantly address Nigeria's economic, social, and environmental challenges. However, systemic issues such as funding gaps, institutional fragmentation, and societal stigma continue to undermine its impact. The study concludes with policy recommendations aimed at repositioning TVET as a key driver of sustainable development in Nigeria.                              &nbsp

Climate Litigation and Multi-level Governance Systems Dynamics in Nigeria and South Africa

As courts in Africa play an increasingly important role in resolving cases related to climate change and environmental protection, their rulings have significant impact on the power dynamics in multi-level governance systems. This paper focuses on climate litigation and explores how judicial decisions influence federal-state relations within multilevel governance systems in Nigeria and South Africa. Climate Litigation is an emerging field of environmental law which refers to legal actions taken to address issues related to climate change. The paper embraces interpretivism, and recognise that although legal frameworks possess objective realities, subjective interpretations and social contexts shape our understanding. To examine climate litigation in these African countries, the study adopts a mixed-method approach-doctrinal and socio-legal approach. Doctrinal is used to uncover legal principles and precedents, while a socio-legal approach explores the impact of judicial decisions on federal-regional dynamics and climate governance. The paper underscores the importance of judicial decisions in managing complex federal dynamics amidst global environmental changes. The research findings conclude that judicial decisions have significantly impacted federal-state relations by enforcing policy alignment with environmental protection goals. Key findings indicate that, despite the existing tensions between the national government and its regions, the judiciary plays a crucial role in shaping climate policies and reconciling national and regional interests. Nevertheless, the primary challenge confronting these judicial rulings is the lack of enforcement

Implication of Gender-Based Violence on Public Discourse in Akwa Ibom State

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has been widely seen as one of the major challenges in today’s society causing public disorder generally and in Akwa Ibom State, specifically. Several cases of GBV have been reported in the state which has raise alarm. Despite the efforts by the government, NGOs and civil society to curb the menace, GBV keeps increasing and manifesting in different ways. This study was therefore conducted to assess the implications of GBV on public disorder in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. To achieve this objective, descriptive research design was adopted and data was obtained from secondary source. It was revealed that the Akwa Ibom State is handling GBV cases through the Ministry of Justice using the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, passed on 10th June, 2019 and assented to on 19th June, 2020 by Governor Udom Emmanuel. It was found that key stakeholders are not adequately equipped; the VAPP Law is still not comprehensive to cover some critical areas of GBV; there is still lack of free protective and legal aid for GBV survivors; Many citizens, especially those at the rural areas still lack knowledge of the existence of laws on GBV related issues; the economic opportunities provided for women are not enough to make them independent. These posed great challenges in handling GBV cases in Akwa Ibom State. It was concluded that twisted traditional practices or beliefs that encourage GBV need to be overhauled by creating a purpose driven framework. Thus, it was recommended among other things that for the efforts of the government in combating GBV in the state to be sustained, key stakeholders such as the police especially, including traditional rulers, youth and women leaders, religious leaders, community health workers, men and boys, community health workers, faith-based groups and NGOs that are playing significant roles in GBV prevention should be adequately equipped.&nbsp

Navigating NATO Framework of Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Policy in Modern Warfare

Since its inception in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been a cornerstone in the architecture of international security, playing a crucial role in shaping the global agenda on non-proliferation and arms control. This paper critically examines the evolution of NATO's strategies and policies in these domains, assessing their significant impact on international peace and security. The study employs qualitative analysis, utilizing secondary data sources.  Through a comprehensive analysis of NATO documents, scholarly research, and policy critiques, the study delineates the alliance's pivotal contributions to the reinforcement of international norms and treaties, such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). It also explores NATO's engagements with non-member states and international organizations, highlighting its instrumental role in fostering global cooperation against the backdrop of diverse geopolitical interests among member states and the dynamic nature of security threats. Despite notable successes, the research identifies challenges that hinder NATO's effectiveness, including internal divergences and evolving global security landscapes. The conclusion presents strategic recommendations to enhance NATO's impact in nonproliferation and arms control, advocating for policy recalibrations and strengthened international collaborations to navigate contemporary and future security dilemmas effectively

Harnessing Digital Advocacy for Climate Action: Millennials’ Engagement with Online Environmental Campaigns in Advancing SDGs

Like most African nations, Nigeria is experiencing dire social and economic effects from climate change. These challenges are however, manageable provided climate advocacy NGOs engage in effective communication, especially with millennials. Objective: This study assesses the communication strategies of the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) and examines the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of its millennial audience towards climate action. The empirical investigation employs the theory of reasoned action and planned behaviour. This study is in consonance with SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) in that it looks at ways leading digital advocacy extends climate awareness and sustainable urban development in Nigeria. Methods: The study employed a mixed research design, supplemented by qualitative analysis of ICCDI’s communication methods with a cross-sectional survey of 399 purposively sampled millennials. Findings:Findings established that ICCDI mainly employs Twitter in interaction and also in awareness campaigns, advocacy, and interpersonal communication. Notably, of the three platforms identified to be popular among millennials, Facebook was ranked highest in providing climate change information. 61.4% claimed they did not know even basic issues, and many of them could not identify that over-flooding could have anything to do with climate change. Additionally, while 66.9% said they were willing to look for methods on how to reduce their impact on climate, a majority of them continued with negative activities, 53.9% left appliances on overnight, 52% left generators running for long periods, and many charged gadgets smartphones, laptops, and tablets. even when fully charged. When it comes to social pressure, friends were ranked as the most influential people within millennials’ social circle, concerning offering directions on climate change preventive actions

Impact of Banking Regulation and Supervision on the Financial Performance of Listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

This study aims to provide empirical evidence that reveals how the regulation and supervision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) affect the financial performance of deposit money banks (DMBs). Specifically, the study examines the impact of the capital adequacy ratio (CAR), loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR), and asset quality ratio (AQR) on the financial performance of DMBs in Nigeria. The study obtained data from the annual reports and accounts of ten DMBS purposefully selected, covering a period of 2011 – 2020. The data were analyzed using an estimated generalized least square (EGLS) two-way random-effects panel regression analysis. The results suggest that, to a large extent, the sampled DMBs complied with the CBN requirements on CAR, LDR, and AQR. The study found that LDR positively impacted the financial performance of the DMBs, while the impact of CAR and AQR on the financial performance of the DMBs was insignificant. The study recommends that while DMBs pursue their profitmaking objective, they should comply with the regulatory and supervisory guidelines of the CBN to avoid regulatory fines and penalties

Psychological Resilience as a Catalyst for Effective Youth Leadership in Nigeria

The research focuses on the nature of psychological resilience as a factor that will leads to good youth leadership in Nigeria, with the help of Resilience Theory. Nigeria is home to over 60 percent individuals younger than 25 years of age and thus the potential for change by young people is huge. Nevertheless, challenges that emanate from leadership affect young leaders whereby they lack political stability and willingness to go through economic challenges, and society even complicates leadership. This research employs descriptive research design and has adopted the technique of convenience sampling to sample 100 youth leaders in educational institutions in Nigeria. The study data were gathered using standard questionnaires namely the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Youth Leadership Life Skills Development Scale both yielding high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.78 and 0.744, respectively). The paper analyses personal competence, emotional regulation, and adaptability as factors influencing the status of leadership, as well identify the role of demographic factors as moderators, including age, gender, and educational level. All hypotheses were tested using Multiple regression at a 0.05 significance level. These findings portray a positive and significant association of individual subscales of psychological resilience with leadership effectiveness, especially personal competence (β = 0.268, p < 0.05), emotional regulation (β = 0.423, p < 0.01), and adaptability (β = 0.297, p < 0.05) that have significant potential to raise the young leaders’ levels. On the other hand, demographic factors were found not to have played a role in this relationship which suggests that effectiveness of leadership is not influenced by psychological resilience regardless of demographic factors. It is suggested the area of resilience should be incorporated into youth leadership programmes centred on emotional regulation, personal competencies, flexibility. For example, through Education, Mentoring programmes and Peer support structures. Development of these skills will enable young Nigerian leaders to manage Socio-political issues within the society proactively to champion sustainable leadership

AN INVESTIGATION OF SMS LANGUAGE IN WRITTEN ENGLISH COMPOSITIONS OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS OF FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ABEOKUTA

The popularity of SMS text abbreviations among students from the secondary school level to tertiary institutions has become increasingly evident in what passes as ‘good’ English.  SMS is a major form of communication in today’s day and age that has impacted in various areas especially in that of learning and teaching. The purpose of this study was to determine the non-standard English features in the written English of ESL pre-service teachers. This study also aimed to investigate the non-standard features that could be attributed to ESL pre-service teachers’ frequent use of SMS and its implications on teacher education in Nigeria. The study adopted the expost-facto descriptive survey approach. Two research questions and three hypotheses were raised to guide the study. A total of 81 ESL pre-service teachers and 6 lecturers participated in the study. Three instruments, teachers’ questionnaire, SMS forwarded by the students’ participants and a written composition test were used as the mode of data collection. The results of this study indicated that non-standard English features are present in the written composition of the ESL pre-service teachers. The results also showed a significant relationship between ESL pre-service teachers’ frequent use of SMS and their written composition. It was concluded that frequent usage of SMS language plays a great role in influencing ESL pre-service teachers written composition negatively. The implications for pre-service teacher education were discussed and recommendations were made