University of Nigeria Journal of Political Economy

Volume 14 number 1, 2024 Table of Contents — 2024-07-07

Volume 14 number 1, 2024

Media Influence on Beliefs about Family Planning In Cross River State, Nigeria

Blessing Chinweobo-Onuoha — 2024-07-07

Despite the numerous media messages on contraceptives, women still face little or low access to contraceptives health care, resulting to unwanted/teenage pregnancy, couples giving birth to children that they cannot provide for or even death of either mother or child. Hence, this study aims at evaluating the sociological and political influence of the mass media on beliefs about family planning among Cross River state residents, through a comprehensive analysis of media exposure, media Content, audience perceptions and socio-cultural factors inhibiting family planning practices and its implications on reproductive health programs. This study was anchored on Agenda-Setting theory of the press. The projected population for this study is 15,657,887 according to 2006 National Population Commission census. The survey research design was adopted for this study, using questionnaire as the instrument for data collection, a total number of 385 respondents were sampled using the Australian calculator. The multi-stage sampling technique was employed. The research questions were analyzed using mean score while the hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics. Findings from this study shows that there is inadequate exposure to family planning media message by respondents. The study recommends that government, non-governmental organizations, medical institutions and other agencies should take advantage of the platform which the media provides to disseminate important information that will make the audience aware and enhance their knowledge about family planning in order to encourage them to practice it especially in Cross River state where this study was conducted.

Curbing Election-Related Conflict

Olanrewaju O. Ogunnubi — 2024-07-07

By drawing parallels between the failure of preventive diplomacy in the 2010/2011 election crisis in Côte d'Ivoire and its success in the 2016 election crisis in The Gambia, this comparative study examines how international actors can prevent election-related conflict when dealing with an election crisis. The article identifies conflicting interests, support for military intervention and historical context as explanatory factors in understanding the success of preventive diplomacy in The Gambia and its failure in Côte d'Ivoire. It demonstrates the importance of coordination among international actors and concludes by advocating for a subsidiarity-based framework in implementing preventive diplomacy by international actors.

Institutionalization of party primary elections and intra-party conflicts in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria

Emmanuel O Ezeani — 2024-07-07

The institutionalization of party primaries and candidate selection has elicited a robust discussion among scholars. Party primaries have been marred by various degrees of internal conflicts, squabbles and crisis with the implication that the internal structure of the parties are often mired in endless contestations. This paper interrogates the conduct of party primary elections by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the resultant intra-party conflicts. Specifically, the study investigated if the imposition of candidates by party stalwarts accounts for unusual defection of party members from PDP to other political parties in 2014. It also examined if the disagreements over zoning arrangements in the 2022 presidential primary election account for the emergence of G5 governors within PDP. The study adopted qualitative documentary method of data collection while content analysis was used in analysing the data. The findings from the study revealed that, the imposition of candidate by party stalwarts led to party loyaltys’ defecting from the party to other political parties. It also found that the disagreement over zoning arrangement led to emergence of G5 Governors. Hence, the study recommended that since PDP is not an elite party, it is necessary that the rank and files of the party is determined by collective action who flies the party flag in a general election.

Economic Development and Peacebuilding in the USA

Evans Oluwagbamila Ayeni — 2024-07-07

The objective of achieving economic development is because of its capacity to improve living conditions and address the challenges of unemployment and poverty that have been the root cause of violent conflict. The inability of many developing countries to follow the process of economic development that addresses unemployment and poverty is the rationale for this study. The objective of this study is to analyse the role of economic development in peacebuilding in the USA, with the view to drawing lessons for Nigeria. The research method adopted for this paper is, the documentary method. The finding of this study is that the presence of strong institutions that promote access to education and technology advancement to create equal opportunity for everybody to succeed is the magic wand in achieving economic development in the U.S, while the absence of strong institutions in Nigeria produce strong leaders that war against education and technological advancement to create unfavourable environment for people to succeed. The study recommends that the civil society organisation should persuade the general public and the ruling elite to build strong institutions that will promote access to education, technological advancement and create equal opportunity for everybody to succeed in respective of individuals’ background. The suggested solution will produce an educated population to favour the voice of citizens for government effectiveness, innovative and creative minds that will effectively allocate resources into productive investment for economic development in Nigeria.

An appraisal of Multinational Joint Task Force and Counterinsurgency in the Lake Chad Basin

Saleh Dauda — 2024-07-07

On 29 January 2015, the African Union Peace and Security Council authorized the deployment of a Multinational Joint Task Force as a counterinsurgency force against the Boko Haram insurgents and allied terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin under the political leadership of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. The mandate was to rid the region of Boko Haram insurgency and create a safe and secure environment in the Boko Haram-affected areas. This effort resulted in a protracted conflict between the MNJTF and Boko Haram that has lingered for over a decade with attendant fatalities and humanitarian consequences. Given this background, the study appraised the counterinsurgency operations of the MNJTF within their subsisting mandate. Dwelling largely on secondary sources of data and the use of content analysis, the study found that the MNJTF has succeeded in attaining the first phase of its mandate using a military offensive to secure the Boko Haram-affected areas, and has moved into the second phase which is the stabilization of the Boko Haram affected areas. It also found out that despite the progress so far towards realizing this mandate, certain fundamental operational constraints and challenges are hindering the mission’s efforts. These include inadequate funding, lack of appropriate equipment and Operational Materials, interoperability challenges and lack of policing capability. The study therefore recommended improved funding, effective cooperation and collaboration among the TCCs and adequate provision of appropriate equipment and operational materials amongst others as the way forward for the Mission towards attaining its mandate in the region.

Nigeria’s Macroeconomic Growth And Sectoral Foreign Direct Investment Sensitivity

Ikechukwu A Mobosi — 2024-07-07

The role of Foreign direct investment in economic growth’s prospects in an economy cannot be overemphasised . An ownership stake in a foreign company or project is known as a foreign direct investment (FDI) and is made by a foreign investor, business, or government. FDI promotse and maintains economic growth in both the investing nation and the recipient nation. It stimulates economic growth through investment in the critical sectors of the economy direct the economy to the path of growth.This work adopted accelerator theory of investment.Our findings show that a unit rise in Gross domestic product (GDP) over the long run results in a 0.883638 decline in foreign direct investment to Nigeria's mining and quarrying industry which is not in consonance with apriori expectation.The coefficient of LPOP(Log of population) is 11.30166, demonstrating that, when all other factors are held constant, a unit increase in population over time results in an increase of 11.30166 units in foreign direct investment into Nigeria's mining and quarrying industries. The coefficient of INFR(Inflation rate) is -0.004723, with all other factors kept constant, a unit increase in the inflation rate results in a long-term drop of 0.004723 units in foreign direct investment to Nigeria's mining and quarrying sector.A unit increase in the exchange rate causes a 0.007461 unit drop in foreign direct investment to the mining and quarrying industry in Nigeria, according to the coefficient of EXR,(Exchange rate) which is -0.007461 when all other factors are held constant. In the long run, a unit rise in the unemployment rate causes a 0.042331 unit increase in foreign direct investment to the mining and quarrying sector in Nigeria, according to the coefficient of UR,(Unemployment rate) which is 0.042331.

Effects of Insecurity on the Socio-Political and Economic Development of Nigeria's Rural Environment

Christopher Nnabuike Anikwudike — 2024-07-07

The study presents the effects of insecurity on the socio-political and economic development of Nigeria's rural environment. Through its catalogue of security breaches in various rural settings, it showcased the heavy impact of insecurity in rural areas earlier characterised by peace, tranquillity and peaceful coexistence among residents of diverse religious, and cultural backgrounds, as well as political affiliations before the rampant cases of attacks on innocent residents. Sadly, insecurity has hindered food production and crippled socio-economic activities, thus increasing the rate of unemployment in the country as a whole. The article argues that if insecurity is not urgently addressed in our rural setting, it could result in massive starvation which could lead to citizens revolt, resulting in a monumental impact. Through its presentations of various attacks, it succeeded in showcasing the volume of damage caused by insecurity in the lives, and economy of rural dwellers as well as the negative impact on governance. In achieving this, the paper adopted a secondary method of data collection as its methodology. It also relied on human needs and frustration-aggression theories to explain the reasons for the causes of insecurity and its effect on rural socio political and economic development. As part of the discoveries, the farmers can no longer go to their farms to cultivate crops for fear of possible attacks while cultivating their farmlands; neither are they emotionally stable to participate in political affairs. Finally, the paper recommended among others, use of locals as security agents, an inter-agency collaboration, setting up of a hub for information gathering and multi-level policing as ways to deal with cases of insecurity in rural areas.

A Re-interpretation of the Trafficking of Women and Girls in South-eastern Nigeria

Perpetual Nneka Onuigbo — 2024-07-07

The issues bordering on human trafficking have, over time, attracted much attention from academics, human rights organisations, and law enforcement agencies. Overall, human trafficking has consistently grown and proliferated across national borders of nations. Unfortunately, because it has remained nearly unchecked, especially in Africa, human trafficking has taken form through an illegal network of syndicates that deceive and force vulnerable people into forced labour, prostitution and rampaging criminal activity commonly known as a baby factory. Consequently, human trafficking have always been viewed from an outside-in perspective, forgetting that internal trafficking is equally existent and even more dangerous. This research seeks to re-interpret human trafficking from an inside-out perspective. The research explores the nature, causes and consequences of the trafficking of women and girls in South-eastern Nigeria. It adopts Abraham Maslow's Theory of the Hierarchy of Needs to explain why women and girls in South-eastern Nigeria the worst victims of trafficking are often. Through an ethnography informed by personal and in-depth experience and knowledge of South-eastern Nigeria, coupled with physical interviews of thirty (30) participants, newspaper reports, NAPTIP and NGO reports, we collected relevant evidence that aided the production of this qualitative study. The research finds that ignorance, poverty, unemployment, greed, and lack of parental care are the primary factors that aid the trafficking of women and young girls in South-eastern Nigeria. It calls on the region's people, communities, governments, and stakeholders to collaborate and work together to ensure the curbing of the menace.

Political Economy of Pastoral Transhumance and Rural Insecurity in Benue State, North Central, Nigeria, 2010-2022

Abraham Mark Omakoji — 2024-07-07

There is an ongoing grass root war between pastoral community and host community over land for grazing and farming in Benue State. Existing works focused on how climate change, desertification, resource scarcity and population explosion as factors aggravating rural insecurity in Benue State. However, there is knowledge gap on how activities of Fulani pastoralists lead to insecurity in the State. This conflict occur when herdsmen migrate into farm lands for grazing, usually farmers becomes apprehensive any time herdsman decided to move their cattle for grazing. This is because the process of grazing has often been preceded by crop destruction, when crops are destroyed farmers become aggressive and decide to attack cattle in retaliation for their destroyed farms because herdsmen has often refused to take responsibility for crop destruction and most often, Fulani herdsmen embark on reprisal attacks for their cattle and this lead to violent killings and displacement. We appropriated the basic propositions emanating from the blended theories of relative deprivation and frustration aggression and argued that Fulani herdsmen inability to access grazing field due to farming activities lead to frustration and aggression because they lay claim to land as natural resource whereas no one should retrain them from accessing it thereby forced cattle into people’s farms. We collected data through primary and secondary sources we employed questionnaire and interview for primary data collection and review of documents such as books, newspapers, official government documents for secondary data collection, primary data were analyzed using tables and graph while secondary data were analyzed using content analysis. We recommended that laws that encourages modern methods of livestock rearing that emphasized on confinement of livestock be formulated to reduce regular contact and conflict between herdsmen and farmers.

Are Civil Society Organizations Doing enough?

Daniel Ikechukwu Nnaji — 2024-07-07

Criminal justice administration is fundamental to the harmonious functioning of society and the regulation of deviant behaviour. The failure of the system of criminal justice administration in Nigeria has led to increase in crime rate, loss of confidence in the criminal justice system, and a general resort to arbitrary and extra-judicial actions by government agents and the general public. Despite the volume of work by Civil Society Organizations in the criminal justice sector, scholarly examination has largely focused on internal policy actions of government institutions within the criminal justice system, legislative actions by the national assembly, and other state-based responses. This study examines the role of CSOs in criminal justice administration in Nigeria. The study is anchored on Resource Mobilization Theory. Data from the study was collected from documentary sources and content analysis was relied on to make inference on the data.

Nigeria - Chad Diplomatic Relations and Economic Development in Nigeria, 2010-2023

Jeremiah Akaha Gbenda — 2024-07-07

Contemporarily, the world is such that nations can hardly do without one another. Nigeria and Chad over the years are connected by historical, social, economic, cultural and other forms of fundamental interests. The relations between Nigeria and Chad predates the coming of the colonial masters; at the end of colonial rule, both states engaged in a form of multi-dimensional bilateral relations. This research adopts qualitative method and is premised on Nigeria-Chad diplomatic relations and economic development from 2010-2023. The study argues that cross-border clashes in the Nigeria and Chad borders impedes economic development as it affects the security of the region. The research adopts the Social Exchange theory postulated by George Homans (1958) which asserts that human behaviors and social interaction is driven by exchange process to pilot the study. Our data was generated using the primary and secondary sources with content analysis as our method of analysis. The study recommends securitization of the borders and good infrastructural development such as accessible roads that would link border communities in the region to pave way for viable trade and interventions by organizations and respective member nations. The study shall be useful in advancing the ethos of diplomatic relations not only between Nigeria and Chad but also with other neighbors in the sub-region.

Russia-Ukraine Armed Conflict and Global Food Security

Onyeanwula Pius Orunwa — 2024-07-07

Recent studies reveal that the rest of the world is suffering greatly from conflict induced food shortages. Most affected are countries of Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) that depend significantly on food imports. Commodities like wheat, sunflower oil, vegetable oil, maize, rapeseed, and fertilizer are experiencing a sharp increase in inflation. This study examined the impact of military conflict between Russia and Ukraine on global food security. Special focus is on how the crisis has affected food production and distribution, as well as how the global food scarcity was caused by the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Russia and Ukraine. The study relied on realism theory as framework of analysis. Among other recommendations made, countries should invest more in food security measures in order to solve the more general problem of global food scarcity. This entails encouraging agricultural innovation and research, enhancing the infrastructure for the delivery and storage of food, and putting sustainable farming methods into practice. Improving food security on a global scale can act as a buffer against disturbances brought on by trade tensions and regional conflicts.