Assessing the Role of Jingle, Movie, and Crusade Strategies in Mitigating Adolescent Restiveness and Social Vices in Nigeria: Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

Adolescent restiveness threatens security in Nigeria. Non‑formal education strategies such as jingles, movies, and crusades are widely used, but evidence on their effectiveness and implementation challenges is limited.  Mixed design (asurvey + pretest‑posttest experiment) was employed with 1,200 out‑of‑school adolescents across six geopolitical zones. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t‑tests, Pearson correlation, ANCOVA, and Bonferroni post‑hoc tests (α = 0.05).  Major challenges included low awareness (73.0%), corruption (69.0%), and ethnic/religious biases (69.0%). Challenges significantly reduced effectiveness (r = -0.62, p < 0.001). Jingles were most effective (adjusted mean = 64.75 for social vices curbing), followed by movies (55.00) and crusades (24.67). Location differences in perceived challenges were significant (F(5,1194) = 8.47, p < 0.001).  Jingles, movies, and crusades are effective, but their impact is severely undermined by systemic challenges.  This study confirms that jingles most effectively reduce adolescent social vices in Nigeria, though their impact is severely undermined by low awareness (73.0%), corruption (69.0%), and ethnic/religious biases (69.0%) (r = -0.62, p < 0.001).  Jingles most effectively reduce adolescent social vices, but their impact is undermined by low awareness, corruption, and ethnic/religious biases. Mandate free daily airing of anti-vice jingles nationwide; establish anti-corruption monitoring for youth budgets; tailor interventions to geopolitical zones; create vocational training and collateral-free loan schemes for out-of-school adolescents