Theorising Structural Social Work in Post-Colonial Nigeria: Reconstructing Practice Frameworks for the North West Geopolitical Zone

Conventional social work theoretical frameworks originating in the Global North are frequently inadequate for addressing the post-colonial structural conditions that produce poverty, inequality, and social exclusion in Nigeria. This doctoral study develops an original theoretical framework for structural social work practice contextualised to the North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria, integrating post-colonial theory, African philosophy of Ubuntu, and Mullaly's structural social work model. An interpretive constructivist paradigm underpins the research, employing a multi-site qualitative design including 45 in-depth interviews with social work educators, senior practitioners, and policy actors across Kano, Sokoto, and Zamfara States, supplemented by critical document analysis of social welfare policy instruments. Data analysis employs critical discourse analysis and constructivist grounded theory procedures. The study argues that existing practice frameworks inadequately theorise the role of colonial governance legacies, Islamic jurisprudence, and emirate social structures in shaping welfare needs and service responses in the North West zone. An original theoretical contribution is offered through the Contextualised Structural Practice Model, which integrates structural analysis with culturally grounded community organising and advocacy. Epistemologically, the study challenges the dominance of Eurocentric social work knowledge production in Nigerian academic settings and argues for indigenous theory generation as a scientific imperative. Implications for curriculum reform, research methodology, and professional regulation are elaborated. Keywords: structural social work, post-colonial theory, North West Nigeria, indigenisation, theoretical framework