GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research

Migration and Economic Development in Nigeria

Christopher N. Ekong — 2026-06-01

The study investigated the effect of migration on economic development in Nigeria from 1981 to 2023. The study used human development index (HDI) to proxy economic development as the dependent variable while net migration rate (NETMIG), poverty (POV), foreign direct investment (FDI) and unemployment (UNEM) were used as the explanatory variables. Descriptive statistics, unit root test, bound cointegration test, as well as Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) were employed to analyze the data. The study reveals that both in the short run and long run, net migration (NETMIG) had a negatively insignificant impact on economic development; in the short run and long run unemployment (UNEM) had a positive and significant impact on economic development. Also, in the short run, foreign direct investment (FDI) had a positive and significant impact on economic development in Nigeria while it had a negative and insignificant impact on economic development over the data period. The study thus concluded that migration did not promote economic development in Nigeria within the period under review. The study recommends that the Nigerian government should implement targeted migration policies to address specific needs of the country by improving infrastructural provision such as electricity, good roads, adequate pipe borne water etc. and government should improve on working conditions and wages to reduce the pull factor of better job opportunities.

A Neverending Reading: Metalepsis, the Act of Reading, and Adolescent Growth in Contemporary Young Adult Fantasy

Zha Xiangyi — 2026-05-31

Metalepsis the transgression of ontological boundaries between narrative levels has attracted considerable scholarly attention, yet its particular uses within Young Adult (YA) fantasy fiction remain largely unexamined. This article argues that when metalepsis is realised through the diegetic act of reading, it enables YA novels to do something conventional literary criticism has long asserted but rarely demonstrated: to show, in the structure of the narrative itself, how reading assists adolescent growth. Working across three canonical YA fantasies Michael Ende's The Neverending Story (1983), Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (2003), and John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things (2006) and drawing on Klimek's tripartite distinction between descending, ascending, and complex metalepsis, the article develops a model in which the metaleptic transgression of narrative boundaries serves as a structural externalisation of the adolescent protagonist's internal developmental process. Each novel's child protagonist enters the act of reading carrying a specific unresolved confusion concerning identity, power, and emotional loss respectively and the metaleptic mechanism literalises that confusion within an alternative diegetic world, compelling the protagonist to confront and work through it. A further argument concerns the recursive, Möbius-strip structure shared across all three metaleptic forms: this structure mirrors adolescence as a developmental condition transitional, boundary-dissolving, and constitutively unfinished. Taken together, the three analyses suggest that metalepsis, reading, and growing up are not simply thematically aligned in these texts but structurally unified, and that this unity gives narrative form to what reader-response theory has long claimed but left largely abstract.

Federalism, National Integration and the Nationality Question in Nigeria

Njoku, Benedict Nnamdi — 2026-06-14

This study examines the relationship between federalism, national integration, and the nationality question in Nigeria. The paper argues that Nigeria’s persistent crisis of national cohesion is deeply rooted in unresolved identity-based grievances relating to constitutional arrangements, intergovernmental fiscal relations, and the marginalisation of minority ethnic groups. Adopting a qualitative research design based on a systematic review of secondary data, the study draws from scholarly literature, policy documents, and historical materials to interrogate the structural and sociopolitical foundations of Nigeria’s federal crisis. Guided by Group Theory, the study contends that the Nigerian state has been shaped largely by unequal power relations and intense competition among ethnic and regional groups for political influence and access to national resources. Findings reveal that constitutional centralisation, inequitable fiscal arrangements, and exclusionary governance practices have weakened national identity, intensified ethnic suspicion, and fuelled separatist agitations across the federation. The study concludes that genuine federalism and sustainable national integration in Nigeria require inclusive constitutional reforms, equitable fiscal federalism, protection of minority rights, and the promotion of a stronger national culture rooted in justice, fairness, and shared citizenship

Toward an AI-Mediated Musical Creativity Framework for Resource-Constrained Contexts: Generative Artificial Intelligence, Creative Labour, and Digital Music Futures in Nigeria

D. I. Okunbor — 2026-06-23

All over the world, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the process of music creation, production, performance and dissemination. Most prior research on AI creativity, however, is based on a technologically advanced context, and there is little in the literature that deals directly with the adoption and use of AI in the context of resource poor settings. The AI-Mediated Musical Creativity Framework for Resource-Constrained Environments (AIMCF-RCE) has been created to elucidate the dynamics of AI-supported music creation in Nigeria. The study suggests a framework for Human-AI Co-Creation by combining infrastructure theory, postcolonial digital theory, creative labour theory, AI generative capabilities, and human creative agency, drawing on the theories of Computational Creativity. The framework posits that musical creativity powered by AI is influenced by adaptive innovation practices, cultural context and infrastructural realities as well as by the technological capabilities available for musical creation. Musicians in Nigeria are working in an environment where electricity is unstable, internet access is not widely available, affordability is a concern, and platforms are dependent, which calls for innovative approaches to AI adoption. Additionally, the study argues that human creativity and intuition are essential in AI-assisted music creation, as cultural understanding, integration of local sounds, and artistic decisions cannot be completely automated. The authors bring a uniquely Global South perspective to the study, resulting in a new conceptual model that helps move the understanding of AI mediated creativity forward in developing economies.

Displacement, Divine Protection, and Forced Migration: Re-reading Matthew 2:13–23 in Conversation with Nigeria’s Internally Displaced Persons Crisis

Egwuanikwu, Mary Ifechukwude — 2026-06-25

The displacement of people is an acute humanitarian concern and the Nigerian situation is highly complex with wide-spread internal displacement driven by insurgency, banditry, communal violence and environmental conditions. Although there has been a great deal of research and interest in the political and humanitarian aspects of displacement, little work has been done on the theological implications of the biblical texts. This paper reconsiders the Matthew 2:13-23 text focusing on forced migration and its relevance in the context of the internally displaced persons, (IDP) crisis in Nigeria. Using historical-critical and African contextual hermeneutics, the study proposes that Matthew's description of the flight to Egypt depicts displacement as a theological experience characterized by vulnerability, God's protection, resilience, and hope. The story depicts Jesus and his family as victims of political violence forced to seek refuge, thereby offering a biblical lens to the issues of displacement today. The article uses Nigerian IDP experiences to engage Matthew's narrative, highlighting themes of divine presence, communal suffering and restoration. It also argues that the church's response must go beyond the provision of humanitarian aid to incorporate advocacy, psychological and social support and social change. The study is a contribution to migration theology in the sense that it is an attempt to provide a contextual biblical framework for the Christian response to displacement in Nigeria.