The increasing involvement of adolescents and youths in various forms of social vices has become a major social concern in Nigeria today. Rising cases of cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime, armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry, examination malpractices, hooliganism and other anti-social behaviours have continued to threaten national peace, development and social stability. There is a disconnection between parenting, social peace building and national development in Nigeria. Scholars have increasingly advocated the use of sports as an effective strategy for youth engagement, character formation, crime prevention and social peace reconstruction. Sports provide opportunities for positive social interaction, discipline, teamwork, leadership development and constructive utilisation of leisure time. However, the effectiveness of sports as a preventive mechanism largely depends on the support structures surrounding young people, particularly the parents. Parents play critical roles in connecting children to sports, providing emotional and financial support, monitoring peer relationships, reinforcing positive values and modelling socially acceptable behaviors for societal development. This paper examined sports as a viable tool for curbing social vices among adolescents and youths in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on the critical role of parents. This paper concluded that, sports when supported by responsible parenting can be used as a strong tool for combating social vices and restlessness among the youths from the formative years. This paper recommended that parents, educational institutions, sports organisations and policymakers must collaborate to maximise the socialisation process and character building potential of sport for sustainable youth development in Nigeria.
Publication Date: 2025-12-19