Public Etiquette and Societal Sanity: Rethinking Youth Appearance and the Role of Early Childhood Education in Nigeria

Nigeria stands at a cultural crossroads where youth fashion, freedom of expression, and public etiquette intersect. The widespread normalisation of dreadlocks, tattoos, sagging trousers, and indecent dressing among Nigerian youths has transformed cultural symbols into contested expressions of defiance and deviance. This study, anchored in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Blumer’s Symbolic Interactionism, explored the influence of youthful appearance on public etiquette and societal sanity and examined how early childhood education (ECE) can serve as a moral reorientation tool. Using a qualitative descriptive design involving observation and survey methods, 100 youths across five states—Imo, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, and Enugu—were studied. Data revealed that 36% of youths engaged in sagging, 27% wore dreadlocks, and 22% had multiple piercings. Behavioural observations indicated confidence (67%) but confrontational tone (24%), often in public spaces where 57% of interactions occurred near children. Findings suggest a blurring of moral boundaries and the replication of deviant visual culture among impressionable minors. The study concludes that moral education must begin early, integrating etiquette, modesty, and civic values in the ECE curriculum. Recommendations include national dress codes for institutions, parental reorientation, ethical policing, and regulatory oversight of youth-targeted media. These interventions, if implemented systematically, can re-align public conduct with moral integrity and restore Nigeria’s cultural equilibrium.

Public etiquette, youth appearance, early childhood education, moral development

1. Adebayo, K. (2022). Pop culture, fashion and the redefinition of youth identity in Nigeria. Journal of African Youth Studies, 9(2), 55–69. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Adebisi, O., & Ozoemena, F. (2021). Moral reasoning and civic ethics in early childhood education. Journal of Early Learning and Development, 5(1), 23–34. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Adewusi, O. E., et al. (2023). Assessment and evaluation in adaptive early childhood education in Nigeria. Journal of Early Learning and Development. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Adeyemi, S., & Adebiyi, T. (2021). Cultural symbols and identity among African youths. African Journal of Cultural Studies, 11(4), 102–118. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Adeyemi, L., & Odu, B. (2020). Dress, morality, and employability among Nigerian youths. International Journal of Social and Behavioural Research, 4(3), 67–82. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Akinbote, R., & Adedokun, J. (2019). Parenting styles and moral orientation in Nigerian families. Journal of Family and Educational Research, 6(2), 45–60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Akinyele, T. (2019). Western pop culture and the transformation of African youth fashion. Lagos Journal of Arts and Humanities, 12(1), 77–89. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Ajayi, A., & Omole, K. (2020). Dress codes and institutional integrity in Nigerian universities. Journal of African Educational Policy, 8(1), 45–62. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Ajayi, A., & Ogunyemi, M. (2023). Appearance profiling and moral perception in youth policing. Nigerian Journal of Security Studies, 7(1), 89–106. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. University of California Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Briciu, V. A., & Briciu, A. (2020). Cultural semiotics and the changing meanings of fashion symbols. International Review of Communication and Culture, 16(3), 33–47. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Chevannes, B. (1994). Rastafari: Roots and ideology. Syracuse University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Dash, S. (2022). Public manners and civic discipline: The ethics of behaviour in communal life. Journal of Moral and Civic Studies, 10(2), 12–27. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Eze, U. (2022). Tattoo symbolism and generational identity among Nigerian youths. Contemporary African Cultures, 5(4), 50–63. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Eze, U. N., & Omeje, J. C. (2018). Cultural models in child socialisation and moral development in Nigeria. African Journal of Early Education, 4(2), 88–102. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Eni-Olorunda, J. T. (2023). Indigenous values and moral education in Nigeria. Lagos Journal of Education and Society, 14(2), 101–115. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Kayode, F. (2024). Societal sanity and the moral compass: Reclaiming ethics in Nigeria’s public space. Nigerian Journal of Social Renewal, 11(1), 1–17. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on moral development: Vol. I. The philosophy of moral development. Harper & Row. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Nwankwo, A., & Okafor, P. (2021). Hip-hop culture and the decline of modesty among African youths. Journal of Modern African Society, 8(3), 92–108. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Nwosu, I. (2019). Western media and fashion adoption among Nigerian adolescents. Journal of Global Communication Studies, 6(2), 35–49. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Odetola, T. (2021). Rebellion and identity in the aesthetics of Nigerian youths. Journal of African Sociology, 5(1), 61–75. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Ogundele, B. (2022). Storytelling as pedagogy for moral restoration in early childhood classrooms. Nigerian Journal of Early Childhood Pedagogy, 3(1), 20–34. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Ogundiran, A. (2020). Material culture and meaning: Cowries in West African history. Journal of African Archaeology, 18(1), 27–42. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Ogu, C., & Ajah, E. (2021). Youth fashion and identity in post-colonial Nigeria. African Journal of Cultural Sociology, 9(2), 45–60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Ojo, B. (2023). The socio-cultural impact of internet fraud and appearance profiling. African Journal of Policing and Ethics, 7(2), 78–89. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Okafor, E. (2020). Deviant fashion and the challenge of public morality in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Behavioural Studies, 5(3), 66–81. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Okeke, C. I. O. (2016). Re-engaging families in moral education. Journal of Nigerian Educational Research, 12(4), 14–27. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Okonkwo, C. (2015). Body art and identity in traditional Igbo society. Nsukka Journal of Humanities, 10(1), 22–38. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Okonkwo, C., & Adeyemi, O. (2023). Preserving cultural symbols in moral education. International Journal of Nigerian Studies, 7(2), 54–69. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Olupona, J. (2014). City of 201 gods: Ilé-Ifẹ̀ in time, space, and the imagination. University of California Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Oluwaseun, T., & Eze, U. (2021). Media influence and moral decline among African youths. Nigerian Journal of Media and Society, 9(2), 71–86. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Olumide, T. (2022). Youth culture and moral decline in contemporary Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Social Research, 12(3), 101–119. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Santrock, J. W. (2018). Child development (15th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Uche, N., & Iroegbu, T. (2020). Youth unemployment and cybercrime in Nigeria. Journal of Applied Social Science, 14(1), 37–56. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Udeh, S., & Eze, P. (2021). Social control and youth deviance in Nigerian society. Journal of Sociology and Human Behaviour, 8(1), 29–44. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Ugwuegbu, M., & Chukwuemeka, S. (2020). Social media and moral degradation among university students. Journal of African Communication, 13(1), 60–73. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Ugwueze, C., & Obi, K. (2019). Youth subcultures and crime affiliation in Nigeria. African Journal of Criminology, 6(3), 115–131. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. UNESCO. (2020). Inclusive early childhood care and education: Addressing equity from the start. UNESCO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. UNICEF. (2021). Seen, counted and included: A rights-based approach to inclusive early childhood education. UNICEF. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study