Damilola Peter Olatade

Music has always played an important role in shaping people’s beliefs, attitudes and way of life. In recent years, contemporary Nigerian popular music, particularly hip-hop, has become a dominant influence among young people. Beyond entertainment, many songs communicate ideas about success, wealth, relationships and social status, making musicians important role models for many youths. This study examined the relationship between contemporary popular music and the moral values of undergraduates at Lagos State University, Ojo. Specifically, it investigated students’ understanding of hip-hop lyrics, examined whether such lyrics encourage the desire for quick wealth, explored their influence on students’ moral values, and identified measures that universities can adopt to strengthen moral development among students. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Data were collected from seventy-two undergraduate students through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean scores and standard deviation. The findings showed that most respondents understood the messages contained in contemporary Nigerian hip-hop songs and believed that some of these songs encourage the pursuit of wealth without emphasizing hard work or education. Many respondents also agreed that some lyrics and music videos promote extravagant lifestyles, substance abuse and other behaviours that do not reflect acceptable societal values. At the same time, respondents expressed strong support for programmes that promote good character, responsible living and value-based education within the university community. The study concludes that contemporary popular music is a powerful means of communication that can influence the attitudes and behaviour of young people, either positively or negatively. It recommends greater collaboration among universities, parents, government agencies, student organisations and stakeholders in the music industry to promote positive values and encourage responsible content that supports the moral development of Nigerian youths.

This article examines the relationship between democracy and peace in Nigeria through the theoretical framework of David Miller’s remedial responsibility theory. Despite the entrenchment of democratic governance, Nigeria continues to experience persistent insecurity, political violence, ethno-religious tensions, and deep socio-economic inequalities, raising fundamental questions about the peace-building capacity of its democratic institutions. Through the method of critical analysis, the study seeks to apply Miller’s criteria of remedial responsibility which are moral responsibility, causal contribution, benefit, capacity, and special relationship, to the Nigerian context. Findings reveal that democratic deficits in Nigeria are driven less by the absence of electoral processes than by a failure of political actors and institutions to accept responsibility for structural injustices, exclusionary governance practices, elite capture of state resources, and institutional weakness. These failures have generated widespread public distrust and grievances that continually undermine social peace. The study further finds that democracy in Nigeria remains largely procedural and ethically hollow, lacking a responsibility-oriented commitment to justice and inclusion. On this basis, the paper recommends a responsibility-based democratic reform agenda that emphasizes accountable leadership, inclusive political participation, strengthened institutional mechanisms, and targeted socio-economic redress for historically marginalized groups. It also underscores the importance of civic education and ethical political culture in fostering national cohesion. The paper concludes that embedding remedial responsibility within democratic practice is essential for transforming democracy into a viable foundation for sustainable peace in Nigeria.

The age long but irresolvable mind-body problem since it has been properly formulated by the French scholar, Renes Descartes, continues to be elusive as it pertains to where they interact. Various proposals have been put forward to surmount this intellectual gridlock but without success. It is from this background that in recent times, Thomas Nagel enters the discourse in order to ferment a viable solution as he seeks to resolve the quandary through an exploration of the nature of human consciousness from a materialistic and Neo-Darwinist shade. In spite of the depth and critical insights of his analysis, this research levels some flaws against Nagel to affirm that the mind-body problem, being a metaphysical issue continues as a persistent issue that may not receive finality.

Apparently, the global north’s long-held environmental invulnerability is being called into question as climate-related calamities like flooding, sea level rise, wildfires, and heatwaves worsen and result in increased migratory pressures. These climate-related hazards have multiple implications that often lead to the migration of people from areas that are already at risk, particularly from the global south, where environmental deterioration is displacing people. This problem in particular informed this study into examining the growing tension between climate vulnerabilities and the ethical duties of powerful states. In addressing the above problem, this paper adopts Miller’s theory of remedial responsibility. In a system of global interdependence, his theory serves as a normative framework that strikes a balance between the rights and obligations of sovereign states. He argues that states that have caused the most damage, and in this case, environmental damage, have a moral obligation to help and make accommodations for those affected. By adopting the method of critical analysis, this paper uses Miller’s ideas on cooperative activities and like-minded groups to support immigration policy based on reciprocity, fairness, and solidarity. It contends that while states have the presumption right to exclude, they are also obligated by justice principles to acknowledge the validity of environmental displacement and incorporate moral concerns into official policy. Accordingly, this requires Global North states to revise restrictive migration systems in light of climate-related harms. It proposes that Global North migration policy has to change in order to take into account both national interests and international justice, supporting frameworks that address climatic realities and safeguard the rights and dignity of displaced people. This paper concludes that integrating Miller’s framework strengthens both the ethical justification and practical direction for future climate-responsive migration policies.

Music in African society transcends mere entertainment; it is a vital instrument for the dissemination of morals, education, cultural preservation, and political expression. This paper explores the philosophical and cultural contents of King Sunny Ade’s juju music, demonstrating how rhythm, lyrics, and performance function as tools for social transformation. Drawing from African humanism and communitarian ethics, the paper argues that music in the Yoruba tradition operates as a medium of dialogue between the artist and society, shaping collective consciousness and moral values. King Sunny Ade’s compositions, rooted in themes of peace, hard work, respect, and communal solidarity, illustrate how music can address issues such as corruption, moral decay, and social disunity. By fusing indigenous African rhythms with modern instrumentation, his juju music becomes a link between tradition and modernity, embodying the resilience and adaptability of African philosophy. The paper finds that King Sunny Ade’s music has played a significant role in shaping social consciousness and promoting cultural pride among listeners. This paper employs the hermeneutic and cultural analytical method that seeks to interpret the lyrical and aesthetic contents of selected songs, highlighting their ethical implications and sociopolitical relevance. The paper concludes that African music, exemplified by King Sunny Ade’s oeuvre, should be recognised not merely as art but as a philosophical medium of moral persuasion and social renewal. Hence, music becomes a veritable tool for addressing social problems, promoting harmony, and reawakening collective responsibility in the society.

Climate change has been found to disproportionately affect rural communities across Africa, which, as a result, deepens existing socio-economic and environmental inequalities. As global efforts shift towards Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven solutions to enhance climate resilience and adaptation, recent scholarship highlights their potential, such as predictive modeling, resource management, and disaster response. However, applying these solutions in African rural contexts, characterized by limited access to technology, infrastructure, and resources, remains a challenge. his challenge becomes more alarming when considering the human and social dimensions of climate vulnerability, where current AI-driven approaches often fail to engage with the lived realities, traditional knowledge systems, and unique challenges of rural populations. To address these gaps, this paper adopts a Complementary Framework that views AI and Indigenous Knowledge Systems not as opposing forces, but rather, as mutual which could coexist for productive outcomes. It does these shortcomings by critically evaluating the integration of AI-driven solutions into rural African settings. It emphasises the need for inclusivity and the recognition of indigenous knowledge and approaches through the use of machine learning. Hence, by identifying systemic barriers; technological, social, and cultural, that hinder effective implementation, the paper calls for a shift away from a purely techno-centric paradigm, arguing for a more inclusive and participatory model that considers the voices, needs, expertise, and overall reality of Africa’s vulnerable rural communities.

This paper explores the powerlessness of political power in Nigeria through four interrelated dimensions. First, it examines the role of political parties in shaping Nigeria’s democracy, showing how corruption and elite capture have undermined the promise of representative government. Second, it analyzes the powerlessness of political parties and legislatures, institutions that should act as bulwarks of democracy but often serve as vehicles for rent-seeking and elite enrichment. Third, it introduces David Miller’s theory of remedial responsibility as a normative framework for redistributing accountability among political actors, citizens, and institutions in Nigeria’s democracy. Finally, the paper concludes with recommendations for reconstructing political power as an instrument of justice rather than exploitation, while reflecting on how emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, can enhance accountability, citizen participation, and transparency in Nigeria’s democracy. Since Nigeria’s transition to civilian rule in 1999, democracy has been celebrated as a turning point in the country’s political trajectory. Yet, beneath the surface of electoral transitions lies a paradox; political power in Nigeria appears strong in capturing state resources but weak in delivering justice, development, and security to citizens. Through the method of critical analysis, this paper argues that Nigeria’s democracy is at a crossroads; unless institutions are reformed and political responsibility is reimagined, the country will remain trapped in a cycle of power without purpose, authority without accountability, and politics without progress. Responsible use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies can serve as supportive tools for accountability and effective political participation in governance.

In recent times, the concept of ecocentrism has, to a large extent, influenced environmental ethics and conservation discourse by attributing intrinsic value to nature at the expense of human interests. However, while this framework has empowered several ecological approaches and enriched various forms of ecological consciousness, it has, by implication, produced what we identify as an ecocentric bias. By ecocentric bias, we refer to a conceptual imbalance that tends to isolate the human being from the environment, or rather, attempts to subordinate human welfare to environmental preservation, which we consider a problem. From this perspective, this paper critically engages with the imbalance in ecocentricism by arguing that the human person is not an external entity to the ecosystem, but an integral part of it. By extension, highlighting various lived realities of the people, including poverty, inequality, and survival-based environmental degradation, our paper contends that any environmental philosophy or conservation policy that does not consider or disregard human socio-economic conditions risks becoming ethically and practically biased. Through the methods of conceptual clarification and critical analysis, this paper interrogates the prevailing ecocentric paradigm, focusing on how it has marginalized human needs in conservation science. In doing so, our paper advocates for a mediatory framework that focuses on harmonizing environmental integrity with human flourishing, rather than placing them against each other. This paper concludes by arguing that sustainable environmental stewardship is only possible when both the human and ecological dimensions are held in balanced ethical regard, thereby providing a just and inclusive model for global conservation efforts.

Poverty, a multidimensional deprivation in well-being, remains a pervasive global issue affecting both developed and developing nations. David Miller’s work on National Responsibility and Global Justice introduces the theory of remedial responsibility, emphasizing our duty to relieve suffering when capable. Central to Miller’s approach is the connection theory, which identifies six equally weighted factors linking nations to those in need. This study interrogates Miller’s framework and submits that capacity- a nation’s ability to act- plays a determinative role in the consideration of remedial responsibility. The research argues that Global Remedial Contract Theory (GRCT) addresses inherent shortcomings in Miller’s framework. The theory merges global justice theory and social contract theory to develop a broader social contract defined by capacity, consent, reciprocity, and obligation. The study proposes a robust and holistic conceptual framework for addressing global poverty, particularly in the global South, grounded in normative philosophical reasoning and the synthesis of major traditions in political thought. Rather than providing empirical analysis, this paper offers a theoretical model that enriches discourse in global justice and informs policy imagination. It further lays the groundwork for future interdisciplinary studies on institutional responsibility and ethical redistribution. Keywords: Global Justice, Capacity, Poverty, Remedial Responsibility, Political Philosophy, Social Contract

The increasing prevalence of climate change and its multifaceted effects on global ecosystems and human livelihoods have sparked widespread concern in recent decades. Recent studies reveal a disproportionately severe impact of climate change on developing nations, where environmental crises such as flooding, droughts, and deforestation exacerbate poverty and social instability. These studies also expose the ethical dimensions of global environmental responsibility, particularly the role of industrialized nations in contributing to and addressing the climate crisis. Thispaper explores the intersection of climate change and internal displacement, focusing on Nigeria as a case study to highlight the vulnerabilities faced by developing nations. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the ethical responsibility of Western nations in mitigating the environmental crises that lead to displacement and social suffering in vulnerable regions. It argues that the West has a remedial responsibility, as conceptualized by David Miller, to address these issues due to its historical and ongoing contributions to global environmental degradation. Using the method of critical analysis to investigate the link between climate change, internal displacement, and global justice, this paper contends that equitable solutions to climate change must integrate principles of justice, global cooperation, and sustainable development to alleviate the burdens faced by vulnerable populations.

Addressing poverty and its devastating impact on humans is a pressing concern that has been a topic of discussion in both political and economic spheres for decades. Scholars from a variety of disciplines have proposed a variety of strategic ideas to ensure that poverty is mitigated, particularly as it concerns the global South. Clearly, poverty is still a serious problem in contemporary civilizations, particularly in Nigeria. Numerous efforts have been applied to reduce the poverty rate. However, it appears that these efforts have been in futility. David Miller’s effort towards the eradication of poverty is explicitly spelt out in his Remedial responsibility theory. Miller highlighted six factors in his connection theory of remedial responsibility. He argued that the six factors weigh equally and no one factor weighs above the other. Through the method of critical analysis, this research submits that capacity weighs more than other factors; this is because if a nation lacks sufficient capacity, then it cannot be held remedially responsible. This research argues further that institutional capacity and willingness is capable of filling the gap that is inherent in Miller’s idea of remedial responsibility, thereby helping us to holistically address the problem of poverty in the global South. Although it is true that individuals play a significant role in reducing poverty in the context of global poverty, institutional capacity also plays a larger role than individuals because poverty is a worldwide problem. When issues of greed, corruption, inaction, or lack of drive are raised during the poverty alleviation process, willingness arises.

Climate change has been found to disproportionately affect rural communities across Africa, which, as a result, deepens existing socio-economic and environmental inequalities. As global efforts shift towards Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven solutions to enhance climate resilience and adaptation, recent scholarship highlights their potential, such as predictive modeling, resource management, and disaster response. However, applying these solutions in African rural contexts, characterized by limited access to technology, infrastructure, and resources, remains a challenge. his challenge becomes more alarming when considering the human and social dimensions of climate vulnerability, where current AI-driven approaches often fail to engage with the lived realities, traditional knowledge systems, and unique challenges of rural populations. To address these gaps, this paper adopts a Complementary Framework that views AI and Indigenous Knowledge Systems not as opposing forces, but rather, as mutual which could coexist for productive outcomes. It does these shortcomings by critically evaluating the integration of AI-driven solutions into rural African settings. It emphasises the need for inclusivity and the recognition of indigenous knowledge and approaches through the use of machine learning. Hence, by identifying systemic barriers; technological, social, and cultural, that hinder effective implementation, the paper calls for a shift away from a purely techno-centric paradigm, arguing for a more inclusive and participatory model that considers the voices, needs, expertise, a​n​d​

There has been the subtle admission that democracy is the best form of governance. It is based on this conviction that attempts have been made to bringing an end to regimes that have an orientation towards dictatorship and militarism, especially in Africa. As a result, Nigeria soon embraced democracy and exposes itself to the democratisation process in order to express and practice a better democracy where the rights, properties and lives of its citizens can be guaranteed and safeguarded. A critical look at Nigeria’s democracy since the commencement of the Fourth Republic shows that rather than progressing, Nigeria’s democracy has been retrogressing. As a way of making this evident, this research focuses on the political events in the past five years as clear instances of how the gap between the country’s quest for a democratic state and the process of entrenching democracy for governance are miles apart with a view to revealing the inherent challenges of democracy in Nigeria and proffering solutions to same. There are cases of election rigging and malpractices, police brutality and extrajudicial killings of citizens that ought to be protected, including unprosecuted cases of indicted corrupt officials which had served as hindrances for a formidable process or authentic democracy in Nigeria

It is a norm among the social science disciplines to admit unto themselves, the methodological approaches of the natural sciences. Much as the focus of each of them differs, it is worrisome to attempt to study, via observation and experimentation human values and feelings for the sake of regularity and prediction by the social science. Through the method of critical analysis, this research employs the approach of economics to demonstrate how the techniques and objectives of the natural sciences is used in their assessments of the economic relationships among people in society. The present study uses idea of 'technicism' as it presents itself in the writings of Claude Ake as a tool for Western hegemonization of Africa by offering data of imperialist social sciences mediated by natural science methodology for Africa's development. Consequently, the journey toward the use of the method of the natural sciences for the social science disciplines will not yield universal results that are pliable in other climes. This is precisely why the development question has remained elusive for Africa. The excessive reliance on the method of the natural sciences by the social sciences has led to the use of needless and fruitless economic theories emerging from the global north but which has not been able to mediate the much-sought development in the global south. Keywords: African Development, Methodology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Values

There is a high sense of religiosity in contemporary Africa to the extent that there is almost a synonymy between spirituality and religiosity. Spirituality, the underlying canon of religion seems to have been neglected, as the surge in the demand for miraculous deeds continue to surface among contemporary Africans. The need to check and revisit the narratives on miracles and its detrimental effect on society is the onus of this research. Via the method of critical analysis, this paper argues, using the proposal of David Hume, as its framework that excessive reliance on miracles portends a grim scientific future for Africans. The claims to the miraculous are not empirically verifiable yet it has generated a wide followership in African churches and mosques. The position and the arguments of the Scottish scholar David Hume will be used to examine whether or not, claims to the miraculous are at best circumspect. Since the sciences have been conceived strictly as disciplines that engage in physical assessment, the responsibility therefore falls on the humanities to disclose how the quest for miracles can prove detrimental not only to religion and spirituality itself, but to social well-being and harmony of people in Africa

Whereas previous studies have been able to detail how John Olubi Sodipo’s causal explanation has explained the differences between the Western and African causal explanation, this study takes the discourse further by interrogating the views of Abiodun Balogun on the African and Western causal explanations. Balogun is of the view that there is no clear-cut distinction between the Western and African causal explanation. Balogun agrees with Godwin Sogolo that the causal explanation is usually divided into the non-conflicting categories of primary and secondary causes. The causal explanations in the West are “Event causation” as they are out to tackle the question “how”. However, the traditional Africans make an easy recourse to “gods” in their causal explanations which makes the question ‘how’ relegates to the question ‘why’. This paper submits that there is the fundamental wrong assumption that the Western model is strictly scientific and the African model paranormal. This paper finds that both western and African societies are permeated with the scientific and transcendental models. The scientific aspect of causal explanation which represents the secondary cause is implicit in the African conception of causal explanation while the primary cause which has to do with the transcendental models is explicit in the African conception of causal explanation while the scientific aspect of causal explanation which represents the secondary cause is explicit in the western conception of causal explanation while the primary cause which has to do with the transcendental models is implicit in the western conception of causal explanation.

Critics have passed Hegel’s discussion of God and Its relationship with the world as pantheistic. Even when there have been attempts by Hegelians, in recent times, to defend Hegel against the charge of pantheism, such attempts have not only become futile but also assist in making Heidegger’s ontotheological critique of Hegel lucid. The present inquiry, then seeks to reconstruct Hegel’s God as a distinct personality from the Absolute Spirit. Such an effort is made intelligible when Hegel is revised from the prism of Whitehead’s ‘philosophy of organism.’ If this reconstruction effort is successful, Hegel’s God will become panentheistic and not pantheistic. More so, the revision will also excuse Hegel from the onto-theological warrant initiated against him by Heidegger.

The question of African identity is necessarily tied to the issue of originality. It is on this premise that Eurocentric and Western ethnographic comments developed the pattern of denigrating the Black Intellect as a justification for colonization and civilization. The unfair comments that may be traced to these minds concerning Africans as a whole, and Nigerians, in particular has served as a basic catalyst for how Africans both see themselves and the world around them thereby fueling the need for excessive reliance or dependence on other peoples of the world. This is one of the motivations or reasons for the lack of originality and uniqueness that is pertinent for the contemporary African intellect. Granted that there have been arrays of rejoinders to the discourse on the originality and question of African identity and intellect, this research explores the discourse from the lens of ethno-medicine. This study shows instances of Black genius as we foray into the culture of medicine in the medical cultures of pre-modern Nigeria as a way of refuting the misleading assertion that traditional Africans lack the capacity for critical and rational thought. This research submits that these practices have the capacity to be regurgitated for contemporary use. The method employed is the method of philosophical analysis.

When civilizations clash or encounter one another, it is a general expectation that one of them will necessarily influence or even dominate the other. This has been the principal character of the advent of Euro-Western civilizations across regions of the world such as Africa, Asia and Latin America. Whereas previous studies have been able to detail how this influence has affected the regions economically, socially, environmentally and politically, this study takes the discourse further to understand how the contact of civilizations can be useful for comprehending contemporary relations in the international community. This study uses the ideas of Samuel P. Huntington as a theoretical framework for showing how civilizations have shaped and influenced global politics in contemporary times. When the proposal of Huntington is assessed from the perspective of how Western civilization has influenced Africa and Latin America especially, three crucial theses are noticeable. First, is the point that Western civilization seeks to dominate or exterminate and then replace non-Western civilizationsin the latter’s domain. Second, non-Western cultures are usually drained of their economic resources and minerals in the name of civilization and colonization. Third, the influence of the West in contemporary international relations is waning, and this is one of the reasons why the place of countries like China in contemporary global politics is colossal and really influential in places where Western civilizations used to have unparalleled influence. Followingthese three theses, this research claims that when one considers the interplay among the civilizations of the world, Huntington’s analysis is penetrative and helpful in making sense of how they reflect in contemporary world politics.