Implications For National Development Research Articles

Rising global, regional and national levels burden of cancer: the case of Benin and implications for national development

Background: Although cancer mortality rates in Africa are higher than in high-income countries, the disease has received little attention in the region. We aimed to highlight the rising cancer burden in the Republic of Benin, trends, characteristics, controversies, and their implications for national development. Methodology: A review of published studies and documents was conducted using keywords including cancer, incidence, mortality, Africa, The Republic of Benin, risk factors, behavioral issues, cultural disparity, psychosocial and ethnic background in Medline, Scopus, Pubmed, and Google. Some of the incidence and mortality figures retrieved from published papers and the GLOBOCAN website were subjected to graphical and frequency analyses. Findings: Breast cancer and lung cancer accounted for approximately 12% and 18% of all new cancer cases and deaths worldwide, respectively. Africa currently has the fourth highest age-standardized cancer mortality rate globally, with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest incidence rates. Certain factors, such as westernized diet, urbanization, and possibly increased awareness, had been implicated, though their precise contributions had yet to be determined. Conclusion: Cancer will compound The Republic of Benin’s disease burden, increase poverty and gender inequality, and reverse global gains in maternal and neonatal mortality unless urgent action is taken.

Link between education and culture and its implications for national development

Link between education and culture and its implications for national development

CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM: A WORLD SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE

A trajectory view of the world system perspective reveals a fundamental engagement of protest against the ways we have thought or come to know the world around us. This realization only serves as an expression of the real protest concerning the deep inequalities of world system which have become politically central in our current times. This paper draws theoretical resources from the world system perspective and capping it with the terminal current unitary world and the place of terrorism in such system. Peripheral analysis of the world system was undertaken to expose the place and roles of nations globally and domestically in the development of contemporary terrorism. Lopsided economic structure, injustice, poverty and deprivation were identified as major factors facilitating the use of terrorist’s strategies by poor nations (referred to as semi-periphery nations) and individuals in drawing attention to their plights. A review of the western economic mechanism (Globalisation) and how it engenders terrorism in the present world was undertaken. An excursion was also undertaken to explore the various instances of global terrorism and the Nigerian situation as well as the analysis of the fundamental reasons behind terrorism and the modern-day tools for terrorists with a view to advancing some antidotes towards addressing global and domestic terrorism and its implications for national development. The paper concludes by advocating that irrespective of the divide we find ourselves we must all return to the pristine foundation of rational humanism and the reinstatement of mutually beneficial relations between the human world and the natural world.

Using Affective Domain Components in Tackling Insecurity in Nigeria: Implications for National Development

Cognitive, Psychomotor and Affective domain are the three domains of learning. The paper identified that there is zero implementation of Affective Domain in Nigeria schools. The study discussed the inability of administrators and teachers to include affective domain ratings of students in schools as part of their overall performance. And that this is part of the reasons for increased violence and crime in the country. The study therefore recommends that policy makers and administrators should ensure that ratings and assessment of students in the Affective Domain should constitute part of their overall performance for better performance, reduction in crime wave, and for national development. Keywords: Affective Domain, Tackling, Insecurity DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/68-04 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Coverage and Framing of Emerging STI and STEM by Four Major Nigerian Newspapers and Implications for National Development

In Nigeria, there is a gross deficit of empirical research on emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) content in the media. This paper focuses on investigating four prominent newspapers in Nigeria to ascertain the extent to which Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and emerging STI are covered and framed. We posed research questions covering reportage, sourcing, framing, and implications. The methodology involved content/framing analysis of Daily Trust, Leadership, The Guardian, and The Punch newspapers. A census sampling of 728 newspaper issues was conducted covering a period of six months spanning between December 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021. The results indicate a near zero coverage of emerging STI in the four dailies. Other results show that of the eight areas of STEM examined, medical/health sciences (48%), agricultural sciences (24%), and ICTs/engineering (19%) received more coverage. Earth/environmental sciences, physical and chemical sciences, marine, space, and mathematical sciences were accorded near zero coverage. On sourcing of STEM stories in the four dailies, 54% was sourced in-house by the journalists, 33% came from national STI institutions, while 13% was obtained from foreign and internet sources. On framing, 42% STEM stories were framed in terms of health, risk, and safety; 39% in economic and political frame; while academic, environmental, ethical and “other” frames scored between 7% and below. The conclusion of the study is that newspaper coverage of emerging STI was near zero reflecting and projecting the dismal status of emerging STI in Nigeria while the coverage and framing of STEM depicted the media agenda of concentration on medical, agricultural, and ICT endeavours to the neglect of others. Deeper coverage and broader framing of emerging STI are germane to national development.

Coverage and Framing of Emerging STI and STEM by Four Major Nigerian Newspapers and Implications for National Development

In Nigeria, there is a gross deficit of empirical research on emerging STI content in the media. This study investigated four prominent newspapers in Nigeria to ascertain the extent to which STEM and emerging STI are covered and framed. We posed the following research questions covering reportage, sourcing, framing, and implications. The methodology involved a content/framing analyses of Daily Trust, Leadership, The Guardian and The Punch. A census sampling of 728 newspaper issues was conducted covering a period of six months spanning between December 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021. The results indicate a near zero coverage of emerging STI in the four dailies. Other results show that of the eight areas of STEM examined, medical/health sciences (48%), agricultural sciences (24%) and ICTs/engineering (19%) received more coverage. Earth/environmental sciences, physical and chemical sciences, marine, space, and mathematical sciences were accorded near zero coverage. On sourcing of STEM stories in the four dailies, 54% was sourced in-house by the journalists, 33% came from national STI institutions, while 13% was obtained from foreign and internet sources. On framing, 42% of STEM stories were framed in terms of health, risk, and safety; 39% in economic and political frame, while academic, environmental, ethical and “other frames scored between 7% and below. The conclusion of the study is that newspaper coverage of emerging STI was near zero reflecting and projecting the dismal status of emerging STI in Nigeria while the coverage and framing of STEM depicted the media agenda of concentration on medical, agricultural, and ICT endeavours to the neglect of others.

Out of School Girls in Nigeria: Implications for National Development

Education is a right for all children. Discriminating against either the boys or the girls has serious consequences for future national development. In Nigeria, there are alarming figures showing a large percentage of boys and girls of school age not attending formal education. The focus for this paper therefore is on the girl child bearing in mind the serious implications of not education them on the society. In 2019, 10.19 million children were found to be out of school and 38% of them were girls. Some of the factors attributed to this ugly situation in Nigeria are early marriage, early pregnancy, violence at schools, funding is targeted at boys, child/domestic labour, dangerous journeys to schools, kidnapping, poor sanitation in schools, dilapidated desks/chairs, few female teachers to encourage them to attend school, religious and traditional practices etc. The implications of not addressing these factors as identified in the paper will lead to slower economic growth and reduced income, gender disparity, child mortality rates in communities will soar, she cannot be a policy maker who influences national decisions and women will be less likely to have access to social protection. Finally, recommendations like adequate funding to the education sector, provision of enabling environment, create more awareness among rural dwellers on the need to enroll, retain and encourage the girl child to complete school, Girls4Girls and SHE4HE programmes of UNICEF be sustained, provision of adequate security for all children in and out of school were proffered.

The role of migration and demographic change in small island futures

Low-lying atoll islands are especially threatened by anticipated sea-level rise, and migration is often mentioned as a potential response of these island societies. Further, small island states are developing population, economic and adaptation policies to plan the future. Policies, such as raising of islands or land reclamation, require a long-term vision on populations and migration. However, population and migration systems in small island settings are poorly understood. To address this deficiency requires an approach that considers changing environmental and socio-economic factors and individual migration decision-making. This article introduces the conceptual model of migration and explores migration within one small island nation, the Maldives, as an example. Agent-based simulations of internal migration from 1985–2014 are used as a basis to explore a range of potential demographic futures up to 2050. The simulations consider a set of consistent demographic, environmental, policy and international migration narratives, which describe a range of key uncertainties. The capital island Malé has experienced significant population growth over the last decades, growing from around 67,000 to 153,000 inhabitants from 2000 to 2014, and comprising about 38 percent of the national population in 2014. In all future narratives, which consider possible demographic, governance, environmental and globalization changes, the growth of Malé continues while many other islands are effectively abandoned. The analysis suggests that migration in the Maldives has a strong inertia, and radical change to the environmental and/or socio-economic drivers would be needed for existing trends to change. Findings from this study may have implications for national development and planning for climate change more widely in island nations.

Social Studies Education as A Tool for Rebranding Nigerians: Implications for National Development

Nigeria holds a strategic place in the African continent and the global community. This is not unconnected with the fact that Nigeria is a diplomatic force in West Africa and a major player in African politics. Nigeria is home to one-fifth of the population of sub-saharan Africa and the most populous black nation in the world. Nigeria surpassed South Africa at the continent’s largest economy in 2014. Bellying tremendous resources, with a maximum crude oil production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day, Nigeria however presents an interesting but paradoxical case study in the comity of nations. To all intents and purpose, the Nigerian state remains privatized, unpopular, and unhegenomic without discipline, strong working ethnics, integrity and good citizenship at the individual and corporate levels. Because of this, Nigeria has been branded with negative names and attributes which include corruption, drug, and human trafficking, insecurity, land of darkness, God-forgotten country, a country where nothing works amongst others. For this reason, Social Studies is assigned the responsibility to develop in Nigerian youth an understanding of their societal values, knowledge, values, and skills that would enable them to deal with and manage the forces of the world in which they live, and learn how to live harmoniously in the society. This study examines the philosophy and objectives of social studies education in Nigeria. the contents and purposes of the social studies education with consideration to its ability to instil high-quality moral values and good character in students and provide them with the necessary skills, abilities, and competencies, which individual students require to participate in the development of the nation. Social Studies Education with its robust aims, objectives and philosophy is recommended as a veritable tool to rebrand Nigerian and by implication for national development.

Understanding the motivations and roles of national development experts in Ghana: ‘We do all the donkey work and they take the glory’

National development experts (NDEs) play unique roles as knowledge brokers, translators and gatekeepers between governments, intended beneficiaries and donors on various development policies and practices. Due to their local contextual knowledge, they influence development activities at national levels by engaging in formulation and implementation of development policies. However, discussion of their motivations and roles has been particularly limited in the existing development literature. Drawing on 25 semi-structured interviews with the local staff of donor agencies and non-governmental organisations, independent consultants, civil servants and academics in Ghana, this article presents findings on their motivations and roles within Ghana’s development landscape. We argue that while the motivations and roles of NDEs are similar in many ways to those of Western development experts, except their contextual understanding of national development issues, their contributions to development are so far excluded within the development literature. This article contributes to the emerging aid ethnography literature by providing a more comprehensive perspective on NDEs and deepens the scholarship by asking whether the exclusion of this group is a deliberate choice or unintended mistake. The article further highlights the perspectives of NDEs on their engagement with foreign experts and its implications for national development and future research.

Politics and Management of Primary Schools in Uyo Educational Zone: Implications for National Development

Politics and Management of Primary Schools in Uyo Educational Zone: Implications for National Development

Religious influences on politics in Nigeria: Implications for national development

The phenomenon of religious politics in Nigerian is an obvious one. In political aspects such as style of governance, policy formulations and the electoral process in Nigeria, religion has been a strong determining factor. However, the influence of religion on politics in Nigeria could be both positive and negative. In other words, as religion enhances national development, so also it could be counterproductive. This paper critically discusses the influence of religion on Nigerian politics especially in the post-independence Nigeria, with emphasis on the implications for national development. This study recommends ways of ensuring the sustenance of the positive influence, as well as tackling the challenges of the negative influences. In practising politics in Nigeria, adherence to religious moral values and observance of Nigerian constitution which makes provision for freedom of religion are necessary for achieving national development. The paper concludes that if the recommendations are practically observed, religion will cease to be an agent of disunity and backwardness in Nigerian nation

Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches and the Provision of Social Services in Ghana

The provision of social services by Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in Ghana is discussed in this article. Focusing on four selected Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in Ghana, it is argued that Pentecostal/Charismatic churches are not only concerned with the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ but are also actively engaged in the provision of social and welfare services aimed at transforming the lives of their constituents. This development, in the author’s view, points to a paradigm shift from the well-known otherworldly nature of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements and projects a rather new movement whose growing social sensitivity has implications for national development.

Academic Staff Perception of the Extent of Politicizing Administration of Universities: Implications for National Development

The aim of this study was to examine academic staff perception of the extent of politicizing administration of universities: Implications for National Development. The study adopted survey research design. The study was guided by two research questions and two research hypotheses. The population of the study was made up of all academic staff in the University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology, all in Cross River State, Nigeria. Out of the sample size of 430 academic staff used for the study, 250 were males while 180 were females. The instrument for data collection was entitled: “Academic Staff Perception of the Extent of Politicizing Administration of Universities Questionnaire (ASPEPAUQ).” Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions. While independent t-test was used to test the two hypotheses formulated for the study. From the result of the study, academic staff members were positive in their perception of the extent of politicizing administration of universities. Male and female academic staff did not differ significantly in their rating of the extent of politicizing administration of universities. It was also found that provision of adequate funds, provision of adequate facilities, proper management of available resources, discouragement of ethnicity and improvement in staff physical/social environment were rated as the vital roles of universities administrators in the administration of universities for national development. It was concluded that due process in practice should be maintained and improved upon by the respective universities administrators to ensure equity and for national development to abound.

Nigerian Teacher Education Reform: Implications for National Development

Nigerian Teacher Education Reform: Implications for National Development

Risk Management and Enterprise Risk Management in Nigeria : Implications for National Development and Growth

Risk Management and Enterprise Risk Management in Nigeria : Implications for National Development and Growth

Inequitable access to the knowledge market in Nigeria

In a knowledge market, the knowledge, skills and expertise needed for the economic and sociopolitical transformation of a nation and its citizens are transacted at different prices. Inequitable access to this market poses a serious threat to the economic welfare of the country and its citizens. The authors assess the extent of this threat with reference to university education in Nigeria and its implications for national development. Questionnaires were used to obtain data and, since this is a quantitative research study, the factors serving as the basis for analysis are as follows: the official minimum wage, poverty rates and the prices (fees) charged at the sampled universities. The findings reveal that more than 70% of the total population live on between US$3.70 and US$7.39 per day. In addition, the lowest fees charged at the public and private universities are Nigeria Naira N75,000 (US$477.71) and N400,000 (US$2547.77), respectively. Thus, there is not only a substantial difference in the prices charged, but university fees are also beyond the means of the majority of Nigerians. Identifying these university fees as the main cause of inequitable access to the knowledge market, the authors propose that the prices should be reduced to accommodate the impoverished majority and argue that the government should facilitate access to university education through student loans and public funding.

Corruption in Nigeria’s Public Sector Organizations and Its Implications for National Development

Corruption which ever dimension has tremendous negative implications for the development and growth of any society. Corruption in the public sector involves the looting and embezzlement of public funds for personal use. On the political dimension, it involves the corrupt manner in which political leaders ascend to positions of authority. Economically, corruption involves the investment of public funds on projects that will line individual pockets rather than benefiting the generality of the populace. On the social dimension, corruption destroys the social system and makes the citizens not to have trust on the political system. The quest for self-preservation has superseded national interest and the absence of national interest manifest in lack of national development in Nigeria. The objective of this paper was to establish the correlation between corruption and national development in Nigeria. Findings revealed that corruption is albatross to national development in Nigeria. As a remedial measure, the paper recommended among others that secondary schools and higher institutions of learning should introduce corruption studies into its curriculum in order to inculcate in the students the act of discipline and educate them on the ills of corrupt practices. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p27

Nexus of land conflicts and rural-urban migration in south-west Nigeria: implications for national development in Nigeria

Land is an important resource and a factor of production that is strategic to development. The acquisition of land for agriculture especially in the rural areas has been fraught with conflict resulting in loss of lives and property as well as a push-factor for the migration of people to urban areas for safety and better life. Men and women, especially the youth are commonly in the habit of leaving the rural areas in search of the proverbial golden fleece in the urban areas as a survival strategy. However, contrary to the widespread belief that limitless job opportunities exist in the urban areas, data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicate that youth unemployment is steadily increasing in Nigeria. The unemployed population in Nigeria in 2011 was 64million, in 2015 it was 76.9million and rose to 78.4million as at the second quarter (Q2) of 2016. Youth accounts for 94 percent of the total unemployed persons in Nigeria. The study explored the nexus of land conflicts and rural-urban migration vis-a-vis its implication for national development. It was revealed that conflicts arising from access to land from the rural growing population, failure of successive government neglect of rural infrastructure, apathy to agriculture, desire for white collar jobs are some of the push-pull factors for rural-urban migration. It was recommended that government should institute a land Use Policy that will see to the administration of land allocation in order to reduce the conflict on access to land, quick resolution of land conflicts, as well as taking rural infrastructural development as a priority in its plans. Employment opportunities should also be created in the rural areas, agriculture should be made attractive and profitable for the youths through a conflict-free access to land resource to minimize rural-urban migration.

Audience Participation and Perception of Media Programmes : Implications for National Development

Audience Participation and Perception of Media Programmes : Implications for National Development