DEREGULATION OF DOWNSTREAM OIL SECTOR IN NIGERIA: ITS PROSPECT

Ovaga, Okey H.

Department of Public Administration and Local Government

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

E-mail: revovaga@yahoo.ca

ABSTRACT

The oil industry has been a major contributor to Nigeria’s economy and that is why over 80 percent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings come from this sector. Since the discovery of oil in commercial quantity, Nigeria has been experiencing consistent increase in revenue earning. But this increase notwithstanding, Nigerians are yet to enjoy certain basic necessities of life. It has been strikes and protests against inadequate supplies and   incessant increases in the pump price of refined products. In order to reduce the burden on the citizenry, the federal government introduced the policy of subsidy, which was to make the prices of fuel in the country cheaper for consumers to buy. But, in spite of the whooping amount of money spent on subsidy, the prices of the refined products continued to rise astronomically. It is against this background that this paper seeks to examine the issue of deregulation in the downstream oil sector and to find out if the crisis being generated can be resolved. During the course of this paper, it was discovered that a group of dissidents and saboteurs have been working against the functionality of the existing refineries and equally engage in fuel importation for the purpose of satisfying their selfish interests. In order to ameliorate the ugly situation, introduction of deregulation in the downstream oil sector becomes imperative. The paper believes that the policy, if properly implemented, will go a long way in eliminating market distortions, promotes free market competition, and encourages private ownership of refineries in the downstream petroleum sector.     

NATIONAL SECURITY AND PRESIDENT YAR’ADUA’S AMNESTY PROGRAMME IN THE NIGER DELTA: A POLITICAL ECONOMY OF PEACE MAKING PROCESS

Ezeibe Christian and Nnamani Desmond Okechukwu

Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Department of Public Administration and Local Government, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

 E-mail: titikris2003@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The nature of production and distribution in post- colonial Nigeria have given rise to severe inter and intra eth no-regional conflicts in Nigeria.Since the end of cold war, conflict between the oil producing communities and petro-dollar businesses became intensive such that Nigerian state is listed among the most unsafe environment for business in Africa as the Niger Delta region metamorphosized into a deadly war zone. This paper examines how President Yar’adua’s Amnesty programme in Niger Delta contributed in the peace making process in the region. We employed intractable conflict theory as our framework of analysis. We argued that the administration of President Umar Musa Yar’adua appears to appreciate the huge lost to Nigeria arising from such black listing and consequently announced the Amnesty Programme for militants in the region on 24th June 2009. We read meaning from second hand information obtained from books, journals, newspapers, magazines and conference paper dealing on national security and amnesty programme in the Niger Delta.

Keywords: National Security, Amnesty, Peacemaking, Peacekeeping and intractable           

GOVERNANCE AND GENDER IN NIGERIA: WOMEN ON THE EDGE

¹Beetseh Kwaghga and ²Gaavson Terkula

¹Library Department, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi  

²Department of Political Science, Benue State University, Makurdi

E-mail: beetsekwaghga@yahoo.com and gaavsonterkula@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Ordinarily, discussing gender issues should not be equated with discussing women and their placement in the governance process of the society. However, in developing countries such as Nigeria, the rates of skewness of traditional, social and cultural attitude against women have made gender issues become synonymous with attempts to understanding the place, role, problems and importance of women in men dominated society. This discourse essentially examines the involvements of women in Nigeria’s democratic process in the Fourth Republic. The paper argues that, women have not been given equal roles in this process as a result of socio-cultural and traditional limits placed on them by society. This has    interrogate this disempowerment and recommends among other strategic options the need for strict compliance and practical implementation of the United Nation’s Convention on the elimination of all discriminations against women (CEDAW), and other relevant laws as well as participatory democracy that will ensure gender balancing in Nigeria’s governance process

POLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN NIGERIAN GOVERNANCE: IMPLICATIONS FOR LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT

Uganden, Iveren Adoo

Department of Political   Science, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria

E-mail: iuganden@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The plethora of maladies plaguing the Nigerian political landscape derives considerably from the poor disposition of political leadership to the cardinal democratic requirement of accountability. This stems primarily from a faulty electoral body that is also not accountable to the people. Products of this system are not conscious of public accountability, as they owe allegiance to powerful political godfathers and not the electorate. This cycle of unaccountability has conspired to frustrate long-term development in the country. Issues of misappropriation and embezzlement that have subsisted as cankerworms to the development process are products of a political orientation that disdains public accountability. In order to ensure development in the present and guarantee it in the long-term there must be a committed compliance to the tenets of accountability by political leadership and a proactive demand for accountability by the people.  

PREDICTING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING USING STUDY HABIT AND ATTITUDE SCORES

Adetayo, Janet Oyebola

Department of Curriculum Studies and Instructional Technology

Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye

E-mail: bolafemitayo@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This study investigated relationship between students’ study habit, attitude and academic achievement in financial accounting.  A sample of four hundred students randomly selected from the senior secondary school two classes in eight secondary schools in Ijebu-North area of Ogun State, Nigeria was used for the study.  Three instruments were administered to collect data.  They are students’ attitude scale (SAS), Study Habit Questionnaire (SHQ) and the Accounting Performance Test (APT).  Data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment correlation and multiple regression analyses.  The findings from the study revealed that there was significant positive correlation between students’ study habit and attitude.  A significant relationship was recorded between students’ study habit, attitude and achievement in financial accounting.  Study habit and attitude jointly accounted for 79.5% of the total variance observed in the students’ achievement in Financial Accounting.  It is evident from the findings that there is need for concerted effort by teachers, counselors and parents to advice the students’ on the need to have positive attitude towards school subjects and also to encourage their wards to study hard in other to be successful in their educational pursuit.

LESSONS FOR 2011 ELECTIONS

Nzekwe, Ifeoma Florence and Eme Okechukwu Innocent

Department of Public Administration and Local Government

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

E-mail: nzekwe_ify@yahoo.com; okechukwunncnt@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

It is axiomatic to posit that international election monitoring and observation have become common place in modern democracy. Monitors are sent to far off locations to sanitize the electoral processes and determine whether or not they have met the free and fair standards as established by their mandates. The term free and fair however, has become a catch phrase amongst many of those involved in the election monitoring and democracy development field. The phrase is often interpreted loosely and is rarely clearly defined. Despite the recognition of the concept’s often differing interpretations, it remains a commonly used standard. The 2007 Nigerian Elections demonstrates that free and fair, when interpreted differently by international electoral observers, can have consequential results. This paper provides a political analysis of the local and international election monitoring final reports of the 2007 Nigerian elections. Following the 2007 Nigerian election the electoral observers report became highly politicized. In the post election epoch, the local and international observers came to the same conclusion in regards to the validity of the electoral process. This paper is significant because it asks significant questions about the consequences of differing understandings of free and fair. The paper seeks to provide in sight into international monitoring and provide recommendations to improve the process.

Key words: Election, Election Observation and Monitoring, Free and Fair election, Democracy

THE OPERATION OF MICROECONOMIC CHOICE IN COMPETITIVE MARKET FOR UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Satope, Bola Funmilayo

Department of Human Resource Development,

Osun State University, Osogbo, Okuku Campus

E- mail: satopetito@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

In recent time in Nigeria, there has been continuous expansion of the University and a change in market structure from monopolistic control by federal government to a competitive one involving private individuals and religious organisations as well as state government. This provides a wide range of choices for the students. The study therefore looks at the factors determining choice of consumers in university options and the importance of such choice in a competitive market for education which is one of the basic rights of the students. It uses a model comprising the various components of microeconomic choice namely: consumer (parent), producer (government and firms) and the market place (students) and was based on the bounded rationality theory.

The study shows that consumer’s choice of university is based on availability of suitable course in the area of interest, employment rates of graduates from the particular university, parents’ education and income, physical appearance of the campus buildings and the impression they have of the university. Other important factors in most university advertisement like: quality of teaching, use of information technology etc do not have meaning to applicants due to inadequate information for applicants. It is however recommended that consumers should give recognition to class size, skill outcome, career possibilities etc among others. The paper also identified the importance of choice as: reducing waste, enhancing efficiency in decision making, ensuring failure of the weak and success of the strong and finally, bringing about innovation. Recommendations are therefore given for efficient choice making.

Keywords: Opportunity Cost, Scarcity, Rationality, Information Overload, Innovation Overload        

THE ROLE OF CAPACITY BUILDING IN MDGs ACTUALIZATION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

¹Osayomwanbor, Philo; ²Edobor, Stanley .O; ³Aigbomian, Sunny .E and ⁴Omoregie, Charles

¹Department of Office Technology and Management; ²Department of Banking and Finance

³Department of Business Administration and ⁴Department of Estate Management

Edo State Institute of Technology and Management, Usen, Benin City

E-mail: djgrandmaster4christ@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that all 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. Implementing the MDGs is proving to be a staggering challenge. While Capacity building is the totality of all the things needed for man to perform. The challenge(s) as regards the Millennium Development Goals is simply human. Every single goal i.e. eight (8) and the targets i.e. eighteen (18) in cannot be achieved if the human capacity is not developed to handle and solve the relevant problem. The question of whether Nigeria can or cannot meet the MDGs is a crucial one.

Keywords: MDGs, Human Capacity building, UN, Targets

THE PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL INITIATIVE ON CASSAVA-STARCH: ITS NATURE, SCOPE, AND PROSPECTS FOR RURAL TRANSFORMATION

Paul Kofi Andoh

Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, Legon

E-mail : pkandoh@gmail.com and furnstyle2@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This paper examines a locally bred state initiative (PSI on Cassava-Starch) and the potential possibilities for transforming rural Ghana with the initiative as a platform. In doing this, it also examines the nature and scope of the initiative. Using both quantitative and qualitative data gathering techniques, primary data was gathered from two major cassava producing districts in Ghana, the analyses of which revealed an inherent potential for the continuous operation of the initiative, in spite of many teething problems associated with the implementation of the initiative. It is this potential that this study suggests could be tapped and channeled into an effective and well coordinated rural development effort. The study concludes that whilst the implementation of the PSI on cassava-starch has been plagued with several problems, the increasing global demand for cassava-starch provides a basis for Ghana to focus attention on the development of a properly coordinated cassava-starch industry. Since peasant farmers in rural farming communities are the main producers of fresh cassava, the development of the industry would provide a guaranteed market for their produce, improve their farm incomes, facilitate the provision of social amenities in the producing communities, and thereby improve their socio-economic livelihoods.  

Keywords: Rural Transformation, Peasant Farmers, Globalization, State Intervention, Depeasantization.

HEALTH WORKER’S PERCEPTION OF THE USE OF STRIKES AS A TOOL FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION IN LAGOS STATE NIGERIA

^*1Adebimpe Wasiu Olalekan, ²Owolade Oladepo Adeniran and ³Adebimpe Mujidat Adebukola

^*1 Department of Community Medicine, Osun State University, Osogbo,Nigeria.

²Corporate Planning, Training and Services Department, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Osogbo

³Ministry of Finance, Osun State Secretariat, Osogbo Nigeria

e-mail: lekanadebimpe@yahoo.com, lekanadebimpe@gmail.com

ABSTRACTS

The use of strikes by health care workers in settling disputes with their employers is a common occurrence in this part of the world. As patients suffer from the aftermath of short or long term interruption of health care services, this study examines the intricacies behind such strategies and ways of strike prevention in future. Descriptive cross sectional study of causes, implications and solution to strike actions among 400 health care workers using multi stage sampling method in sample selection Research instruments were semi structured, self administered questionnaires, and data was analyzed using the SPSS soft wares. Common causes of strikes include demand for better salary and welfare in 372(93.0%), and disagreement on some work related principles 211(52.8%). Three hundred and seventy two (97.0%) believed that it disrupts health care services, discharges of patients from hospital without completeness of care 321(80.3%), limited care to clients 382(95.5%), and high rate of referrals to private hospitals 216 (54.0%).  Ways of averting frequent strikes include both financial and professional motivation of health care staffs 391(97.8%), and strengthening of the health systems 219 (54.8%).Strikes are preventable ways of dispute resolution in the health care system. Health managers should carry employees along in issues that have to do with their welfare and the health systems

Keywords: Strikes, Health Care Workers, Health Systems