Employment Discrimination against Indigenous People with Tribal Marks in Nigeria: The Painful face of Stigma

Drawing from in-depth qualitative interviews (N=32), this article examines the impact of indigenous tribal marks on employment chances in southwest Nigeria. It employs indigenous standpoint theory to frame the argument around what constitutes stigma and in what context. The results of our thematic analysis indicate that tribally marked job applicants and employees face significant social rejection, stigmatization, and discrimination, and can suffer from severe mental illnesses and even suicidal ideation. We explain how these tribally marked individuals navigate the changing contours of tradition and modernity in Nigeria. Tribal marks, although once largely perceived as signals of beauty and high social status, are now increasingly viewed as a significant liability in the labor market. This paper makes a unique and original contribution to the study of stigma and employment discrimination by eschewing the prevailing Western ethnocentrism in the extant research and instead placing the indigenous standpoint at center stage

Exploring the implications of the influence of organisational culture on work-life balance practices: evidence from Nigerian medical doctors

Purpose - Whilst significant evidence of western work-life balance (WLB) challenges exists, studies that explore Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce. This article explores how organisational culture in Nigerian medical organisations influences doctors’ WLB and examines the implications of supportive and unsupportive cultures on doctors’ WLB. Methodology - The paper uses qualitative data gleaned from semi-structured interviews of 60 medical doctors across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria in order to elicit WLB challenges within the context of organisational culture. Findings - The findings show that organisational culture strongly influences employees’ abilities to use WLB policies. Unsupportive culture resulting from a lack of support from managers, supervisors, and colleagues together with long working hours influenced by shift-work patterns, a required physical presence in the workplace, and organisational time expectations exacerbate the challenges that Nigerian medical doctors face in coping with work demands and non-work related responsibilities. Our findings emphasise how ICT and institutions also influence WLB. Originality/value – The paper addresses the under-researched SSA context of WLB and emphasises how human resource management policies and practices are influenced by the complex interaction of organisational, cultural, and institutional settings

Freedom and Flexibility: The Work-Family Balance of Single Female Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Purpose – Work-family research has mainly focused on nuclear families, neglecting other types of families, such as single self-employed parents. To what extent does the freedom and flexibility attached to being single and self-employed hinder or enhance single parents’ work family balance? Using role theory as a theoretical lens, this study examines single self-employed parents’ work-family balance. Methodology – Drawing on the accounts of 25 single self-employed parents in Nigeria, the article uses semi-structured interviews to examine how this group achieves work-family balance. Findings – We found that the freedom and flexibility associated with being single and self-employed form a double-edged sword that increases the spate of singlehood and intensifies commitments to work, altogether preventing the participants in the study from achieving work-family balance. The findings also indicate that singlehood and a lack of spousal support cause and exacerbate work-family imbalance for this group. The findings further indicate that the reconstruction of functions, and the recreation of the traditional masculine gender role overwhelm single self-employed women in their entrepreneurial activities, thereby causing a lack of time and the energy required to function well in a family role, thus creating imbalance between the different spheres of life. Research limitations – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited sample and scope of the research. Practical implications – While literature espouses freedom and flexibility as important ingredients needed to achieve work-family balance, this study shows that they enhance inter-role role conflict. The study suggests creation of private or family time, devoid of work or entrepreneurial engagements, for single female entrepreneurs. This will ensure quality time and energy for the family and for fresh relationship – all of which will impact business positively. Originality/value – Rather than enhancing work-family balance, the freedom and flexibility attached to being single and self-employed remain the main source of work-family imbalance for Nigerian single self-employed parents

The challenges of employee resourcing: the perceptions of managers in Nigeria

Purpose – The existing literature on the recruitment and selection process in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) context has not sufficiently revealed inherent challenges. This article examines managers’ perceptions of employee resourcing in Nigeria. Methodology – This article uses qualitative data which was generated from the semi-structured interviews of 61 managers across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Findings – The article finds that in addition to the Federal Character Principle and the Quota System Policy, favouritism, ethnicity, age and gender discrimination, as well as corruption significantly inhibit the recruitment and selection process in Nigeria. Consequently, the ability to hire the best workers to improve competitiveness is also inadvertently hampered. Originality/value – The paper shows that the institutional and cultural variations in SSA require a nuanced approach in the recruitment and selection process in order to enhance organisational competitiveness

Exploring the implications of the influence of organisational culture on work-life balance practices Evidence from Nigerian medical doctors

Purpose - Whilst significant evidence of western work-life balance (WLB) challenges exists, studies that explore Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce. This article explores how organisational culture in Nigerian medical organisations influences doctors’ WLB and examines the implications of supportive and unsupportive cultures on doctors’ WLB. Methodology - The paper uses qualitative data gleaned from semi-structured interviews of 60 medical doctors across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria in order to elicit WLB challenges within the context of organisational culture. Findings - The findings show that organisational culture strongly influences employees’ abilities to use WLB policies. Unsupportive culture resulting from a lack of support from managers, supervisors, and colleagues together with long working hours influenced by shift-work patterns, a required physical presence in the workplace, and organisational time expectations exacerbate the challenges that Nigerian medical doctors face in coping with work demands and non-work related responsibilities. Our findings emphasise how ICT and institutions also influence WLB. Originality/value – The paper addresses the under-researched SSA context of WLB and emphasises how human resource management policies and practices are influenced by the complex interaction of organisational, cultural, and institutional settings

Active power control for capacitive divider tapping method

Abstract: Capacitive divider systems for tapping electric power from high voltage transmission lines are known to exhibit certain detrimental problems of stability, sub-resonance harmonic oscillations, and ferroresonance when coupled with non-linear loads. On the other hand, they can improve reactive power flow, power factor and contribute to improved harmonic filtration of the larger power system. This paper, therefore, proposes a controlled power flow conditioner as an essential integral component of a capacitive divider system to control power transfer between the high voltage transmission line, capacitive divider system, and the load. The ultimate objective of this conditioner is to mitigate or minimize the attendant problems associated with coupling the system to the load, and optimize the derivable benefits to the larger network

ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TOWARDS VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OTA,OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Vocational education is a vital tool for economic development. The Federal Government, in 2011, launched the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC) which requires that all senior secondary school students be trained in one vocational subject. This study examines the attitudes of students and teachers towards vocational education in secondary schools in Ado-Odo Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. It aims to highlight the factors that affect and influence the attitudes of students and teachers towards vocational training as well as identify ways through which these attitudes can be improved. The study employs the use of questionnaires distributed to 200 students and 60 teachers in four secondary schools in Adodo-Ota LGA. The results show that students and teachers recognize the importance of vocational education. The study recommends that students be provided with modern day equipment to encourage students’ engagement in vocational subjects. The curriculum for the teaching of vocational subjects should be comprehensive, standardized and enforced in all secondary schools to ensure that students acquire all the skills they need to practice the vocation(s). These will improve vocational education and the attainment of its goals in secondary schools

’In the Grip of Traditionalism? How Nigerian Middle-Class Working Mothers Navigate Normative Ideals of Femininity

Changing socio-economic conditions are enticing more and more Nigerian mothers to work and pursue careers. This article explores how middle-class professional women navigate working mother subjectivities in the context of Nigeria’s strong patriarchal culture, where traditional notions of maternal femininity prevail. We argue that the working mother subjectivity is a key site where the struggle over gendered cultural meanings takes place. Drawing on 32 qualitative interviews, we demonstrate how a small group of women refused traditional feminine subject positions; however, most either embraced or reluctantly acquiesced to them, despite having access to broader cultural repertoires and material resources. By unveiling the complexities of the cultural appeal of traditional femininity and social penalties for breaching it, the article extends our understanding of how patriarchal cultures resist gendered change and the nuances and limits of individual patterns of resistance

ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TOWARDS VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Vocational education is a vital tool for economic development. The Federal Government, in 2011,launched the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC) which requires that all senior secondary school students be trained in one vocational subject. This study examines the attitudes of students and teachers towards vocational education in secondary schools in Ado-Odo Local Government,Ogun State, Nigeria. It aims to highlight the factors that affect and influence the attitudes of students and teachers towards vocational training as well as identify ways through which these attitudes can be improved. The study employs the use of questionnaires distributed to 200 students and 60 teachers in four secondary schools in Adodo-Ota LGA. The results show that students and teachers recognize the importance of vocational education. The study recommends that students be provided with modern day equipment to encourage students’ engagement in vocational subjects. The curriculum for the teaching of vocational subjects should be comprehensive, standardized and enforced in all secondary schools to ensure that students acquire all the skills they need to practice the vocation(s). These will improve vocational education and the attainment of its goals in secondary schools