Journal of Christian Religious Studies

The relationship between personhood and community remains a central concern in African philosophy and Christian ethics. While African communitarian thought has received considerable scholarly attention, relatively little research has examined the indigenous ethical traditions of the Nikyob people of Southern Kaduna and their contribution to biblical ethics. This study rethinks Nikyob communal ethics through the conceptual lens of Sweb (Social Web), understood as the interconnected network of moral relationships, communal responsibilities, and shared values that sustain personhood and social cohesion within Nikyob society. The study employs the historical method by critically examining documentary sources on African philosophy, Christian ethics, and Nikyob communal traditions. It is theoretically anchored in African Communitarian Theory and Christian Social Ethics, which provide the philosophical and theological frameworks for interpreting the relationship between indigenous ethics and biblical teaching. The study finds that Sweb promotes respect for personhood, communal labour, hospitality, mutual care, solidarity, and collective responsibility, values that resonate strongly with the biblical doctrines of the Imago Dei, covenant community, and the Body of Christ. However, the study also argues that indigenous ethical traditions require continual evaluation under the authority of Scripture so that cultural values are affirmed, transformed, or corrected in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the study observes that urbanization, modernization, and growing individualism have weakened communal structures that traditionally preserved social harmony among the Nikyob people. The study concludes that Nikyob communal ethics constitutes a valuable indigenous ethical resource capable of enriching Christian social ethics, contextual theology, and community development in Southern Kaduna. The study recommends that churches, traditional institutions, theological institutions, and policymakers intentionally preserve and integrate the constructive values of Sweb into discipleship, moral formation, peacebuilding, and community development initiatives.

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