The Impacts of Urbanisation on a Child's Moral Development in Nsukka, Nigeria.

Abstract

The rate at which people move from place to place has led to deleterious effects on childhood moral formation among Nsukka people of Enugu State. The assessment of the influence of urbanisation on the childhood moral formation in Nsukka therefore; become needful, that is the problem this work is poised to tackle. The major purpose of this study is to specifically ascertain the decline of childhood moral formation in Nsukka. The specific objectives included to examine the causes of the decline of childhood moral formation and to find out the nature of the decline of childhood moral formation in Nsukka. This work adopted a qualitative research design.  As such, the method of data collection was oral interview. The work illustrates how urbanisation has disrupted traditional values and customs, bringing about both beneficial and harmful effects. On the positive side, urbanisation offers individuals the opportunity to interact with people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. This exposure fosters a spirit of tolerance and learning, enabling people to coexist peacefully in shared spaces. It also broadens their understanding of various social norms and behaviors. On the negative side, however, urbanization has contributed to a decline in children's moral upbringing, The emergence of Western centered perspectives and the erosion of indigenous Igbo cultural practices. Corruption which is inherent in these forces has unleashed unparalleled wave in secularism, materialism, greed which have engulfed the moral life of children in Nsukka. The study suggests that the government and other relevant bodies should oversee and control the content shared through print, electronic media, and other morally questionable materials in circulation today, in order to protect the younger generation from moral deterioration, based on the study's findings.