EXPANDING THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR: THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL NORMS ON CONDOM USE AMONGST YOUNG PEOPLE IN GHANA

¹Dinah Baah-Odoom and ²Gerard A. Riley

¹School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

²School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom

Email: d.baahodoom@yahoo.com, G.A.Riley@bham.ac.uk

ABSTRACT

Personal norms are standards and values (e.g. moral values) that the individual uses to evaluate the worth of behaviours.  Research suggests that people are inclined to behave in ways that are in accordance with these norms, and to avoid behaviours that are discordant.  This study investigated the role of personal norms in explaining intended condom use in a sample of 460 young people in Ghana, aged 15-28.  Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed the subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and attitudes (i.e. the standard components of the theory of planned behaviour).  It also assessed personal norms, intended condom use, and previous actual condom use.  Intended condom use was significantly correlated with actual condom use; and personal norms explained a significant amount of the variance in intended condom use over and above that explained by the standard components of the TPB.  Programmes that seek to promote the use of condoms amongst young people should address the issue of the norms that young people use to evaluate condom-related behaviours. 

Key words: HIV/AIDS, condoms, personal values, sexual risk taking, theory of planned behaviour

THE PROBLEM OF SOMALIAN PIRACY: THE NEXUS BETWEEN STATE FAILURE AND PIRACY ON WATERS OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA

¹ Odoh, S.I.; ² Ejikeme Jombo Nwagwu and ³Chilaka, Francis Chigozie

¹Department of Political Science, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki

² Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

³ Center for American Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

E-mail: Odoh_ituma@yahoo.com; chigozielaski@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Piracy has acquired a more dangerous character and undermines maritime business on waters off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. Ships and fishing vessels are being attacked by pirates who are essentially but not exclusively from Somalia. The study anchors its analysis on the fragile State thesis and argues that piracy on waters off the coast off Somalia has to deal with the fact that the underlying reason for the piracy problem is the lack of a functional internal administration that has the monopoly of legitimate use of force in Somalia, which has become a failed state. It is the view of this paper that measures to deal with piracy in Somalia cannot have a fundamental solution without the establishment of a stable internal order inside Somalia.

Keywords: Somalia, Piracy, Failed state, fragile state,

AMNESTY AS A METHOD OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION: A TACTICAL DENIAL OFNIGER DELTA RIGHTFUL STRUGGLE

Raji Rafiu Boye

  Department of Political Science

Yobe State University, Damaturu-Nigeria

Email:  brajirafiu@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Conflict  resolution  is  a  variety  of  approach  aimed  at  terminating  conflict Through the constructive solving of problems; as distinct from management and transformation. Amnesty as a means of conflict resolution is more or less like scratching the problems on the surface. This study explores the Amnesty approach to the Niger Delta and analysed it suitability for solving the Niger Delta crisis and problems. Since Amnesty is seen more as a parole rather than constructive problems solving method.  However,  the  study  intended  to  suggest  more appropriate  approach  to  actualize  the  Amnesty  approach  as  chosen  by  the Federal  Government  of  Nigeria  in  order  to  achieve  its  objective  of  bringing lasting peace to the Niger Delta area.

Keywords: conflict, conflict resolution, Amnesty, Niger Delta, militant

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT AND ITS SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS IN NIGERIA

Ezie Obumneke

Department of Economics

Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

E-mail: eobumneke@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the socio-economic implications of youth unemployment in Nigeria as well as its causes and implications. Youths are very important stakeholder in any society. They are not only the future of Nigeria, but also a major stakeholder and useful resource in nation building. However, available data show that youth unemployment is very prevalent in Nigeria with far reaching implications for stability of the economy. Unemployment has a negative multiplier effect not only on the individual involved but on the society as a whole. This paper identifies the main causes of youth unemployment in Nigeria which are; adoption of untimely economic policy measures, wrong impression about technical and vocational studies, the neglect of the agricultural sector, poor educational Planning and poor enabling environment, anchoring the explanation of the causes of these youth unemployment on neo-liberalism that created economic and social dislocations. The paper argues that many anti-social activities such as political thuggry, militancy, restiveness and other social vices evident among the unemployed and jobless youths are real dangers to the stability of the country. Youth unemployment has been identified as one of the core causes of the rising level of social disorder and insecurity permeating the entire country of Nigeria .The paper concludes that addressing the problem of youth unemployment must involve all the stakeholders. Suggestive from the analysis therefore are that effective policy measures such as Re – prioritization of the Agricultural Sector, reformation of educational system and Provision of Enabling Environment that will drastically reduce unemployment and poverty should be adopted to eradicate the menace of youth unemployment.

Keywords: Socio-economic, Youth, Unemployment

CHALLENGES OF REFORMS IN THE NIGERIAN PRISON SYSTEM: LESSONS FROM U.S.A AND SOUTH AFRICA

Florence Chukwudi

Department of Psychology

Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The aim of establishing the prison institution in all parts of the world including Nigeria is to provide a rehabilitation and correctional facility for people who have violated the rules and regulations of their society. The extent to which this is true in practice has been a subject of discussion. An observation of the population that goes in and out of the prisons in Nigeria shows that there are some problems in the system, hence the prison system has not been able to live up to its expected role in Nigeria. Base on this, the paper stresses on why reform is necessary in the Nigerian prisons. Some of the reasons include reforming the prisoners to be better than what they were before they were imprisoned, rehabilitating the prisoners in order to equip them with new skills or improve on their old ones, and seclude criminals from the rest of the society, pending when they have changed. Theories of the prison as a social system, are used in this paper, such as the structural-functionalist approach of the system theory for the study of human society and culture as proposed by Radcliff-Brown of the British school of social anthropology and later developed by Meyer Fortes and Max Gluckman is used in explaining prison environment etc. The researcher looked at the problems of Nigerian prison system, challenges and Rationale for reform of the Nigerian prison, various reform attempted, then lessons Nigerian prison should learn from other countries that have a successful running of prisons system in their countries and how to realize a sustainable prisons system in Nigerian. The conclusion is drawn based on the findings.     

Key word: Prisons, reforms, congestion, overcrowding, policy.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF SEIGNIORAGE IN NIGERIA

Aina Abiola Lydia

Department of Economics

 AjayiCrowther University, Oyo, Oyo State

E-mail:calloresjo1@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Seigniorage is a source of revenue for governments in developing countries especially if such countries are politically unstable. Nigeria as an oil export dependent has been faced with fluctuating revenues over the years. This short-fall at times was funded by seigniorage apart from other sources such as taxes and external debts. This has posed problems to the macroeconomic management of the economy. The sole objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of political and economic determinants of seigniorage in Nigeria. The study covers the period from 1970 to 2007. Variables of interest to the study include seigniorage, per capita income, agriculture GDP ratio, trade GDP ratio and a set of proxies for political stability. Agriculture GDP ratio and trade GDP ratio were used to proxy the economic structure while political stability was proxied by three measures namely political rights, political stability and political stability dummy. Both determinants were evaluated within the context of the multiple regression analysis. Results show that per capita income and political instability were a major determinant of seigniorage, while, the economic structure was insignificant in explaining seigniorage. This study is of the view that political stability matters for managing the level of seigniorage in Nigeria. Hence, there is need for commitment by political leaders to manage resources efficiently so as not to resort to printing money.

Keywords: Seigniorage, Political Stability and Development

WEALTH CREATION AND SOCIO-RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: A STUDY OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS BETWEEN PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS IN CALABAR, NIGERIA

Bassey Antigha Okon, Ojua, T. A. and Attah, Frank

Department of Sociology

University of Calabar, Cross River State

E-mail: antigha2k4@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out to determine the effect of socio-religious affiliation on wealth creation as a major factor in entrepreneurial success. The study was a comparative analysis of Catholics and Protestants to ascertain Max Weber’s paradigm that Protestants are more entrepreneurially successful than Catholics. Sample of 400 subjects, purposively chosen, were accidentally selected proportionally between Catholics and Protestants. Simple percentage analysis was utilized to test two null hypotheses guiding the investigation. The findings reveal that: socio-religious affiliation influence creation of incremental wealth and that Protestants are more entrepreneurially successful than Catholics. The study corroborated Max Weber’s position. It was recommended that Protestant evangelization should continue in order to increase the number of people with high level of entrepreneurial spirit who will engage in creation of incremental wealth to foster capital formation and industrial development.

Keywords: Wealth creation, Religious affiliation, entrepreneurial success, Protestants and Catholic.

PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AN OVERVIEW

Mohammed I.Y.

Building Programme, School of Environmental Technology

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Ojo Sunday Stephen and Yaro Obadiah Otso

¹Department of Social Development

²Department of Pre-ND

Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia, Nasarawa State

ABSTRACT

The hidden and obvious roles which women have been playing in the area of food production in the world have been highlighted in this paper. Statistics have shown that in many countries of the world, women provide 33% of the workforce, 70% of the agricultural labour. But very disturbing is the fact that, in doing this, women face a lot of constraint and as a result their potentials were fully tapped. Although there were conferences, workshops, seminars and publication with recommendations that have contributed to a greater recognition of women’s key participation in rural and other domains of development nationally and globally, this paper posits that much remains to be done. Thus, it is in the recommendation of this paper that if Nigeria really want to improve food production for the household and the economy as a whole, greater priority should be given to increasing women’s participation in market production and other income generating ventures.

Key words: food, security, women, empowerment.