A REVIEW OF ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN THE SOCIAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE

The challenges humans face all over the world necessitate the need for scientific research to solving the problems. Meanwhile, the process of conducting research in the social sciences may results in harm to the study participants; thus, the need for and adherence to ethical considerations to guide social scientific studies. This theoretical paper, therefore, is an attempt to review ethical challenges in the Social Sciences. The paper, which utilized the functionalist theory, identified the important role research ethics play in quality research output in the social sciences. The paper also examined the areas where ethical considerations are needed in social research, including among others: research methods, subject matter, data analysis and reporting, and utilization of research findings. Major ethical principles in social science research were highlighted in this paper. Furthermore, common ethical challenges in social research were also addressed. The paper concludes that, strict adherence to ethical standards in social research would go a long way to ensure credibility in any research enterprise, and by extension, lead to sustainable national development. An enduring strategy is therefore, needed to enhance ethical practices in the social science research. We, therefore, recommend, among others that, universities and other higher institutions of learning should establish Research and Ethics Committees that would ensure that both students and researchers always obtain ethical clearance before embarking on any research involving human beings, especially. Also, the professional bodies in the Social Science Faculty should, as a matter of urgency establish ethical codes for its members regarding the conduct of social research

THE PLACE OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN THE ADOPTION OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IN NIGERIA

The world has metamorphosed to a higher realm due to current technological innovations and advancements in computer science by introducing blockchain technology. Hence, this paper reviews the place of industrial policy in the adoption of blockchain technology in the modern Nigerian society. The objectives of the paper included highlighting the application, the benefits as well as the challenges in the adoption of blockchain technology in Nigeria. By utilizing the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the paper revealed energy sector, fintech, trading business and media etc as areas where blockchain technology is applicable in Nigeria. It also revealed security problem, lack of data protection, technological know-how and lack of constant power supply among others as the challenges facing the adoption of blockchain technology in Nigeria. The paper equally highlighted job creation, increased efficiency, improved transparency and accountability and decentralised mode of transactions among others as the benefits. These benefits and challenges suggest the need for government and industries to regulate blockchain technology by drafting an adoption framework and policies that is consumer based and providing guidelines for service providers. The paper concluded that blockchain technology has come to stay with us and therefore recommended capacity building, public-private partnerships, incentives for blockchain businesses, monitoring and evaluation be put in place to enhance the adoption of blockchain technology amidst industrial policies in Nigeria

FACTORS DETERMINING THE HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF RURAL DWELLERS IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

In Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, the study looked at factors influencing how rural residents sought out health care. The study's specific goals included identifying the most prevalent diseases afflicting rural residents in Dekina L.G.A, investigating the general health-seeking behaviour of rural dwellers, studying the factors that influence this behaviour, and examining the obstacles that patients in this area face. The study's framework was based on rational choice theory. The study used a survey research design, and a sample of 399 people was chosen from the 142, 112 study participants using a cluster sampling strategy combined with systematic simple sampling. Multiple regression was used to assess the hypothesis formulated. The study's conclusions showed that typhoid fever and malaria were the most frequent illnesses experienced by rural residents. The majority of rural residents in Dekina L.G.A. sought healthcare from nearby facilities for symptoms diagnosis and treatment, but even while taking medications, they supplemented modern drugs with herbal remedies. Cost of drugs/medical services, location of healthcare facilities, level of education, and income were found to be the main determinants of rural residents' health seeking behaviour in the study area. The rural dwellers exercise and get checks at doctors to stay fit. It was recommended among others that rural dwellers should make use of treated mosquito nets, avoid drinking dirty waters and foods, the cost of medical services should be regulated through the establishment of State and Community Health Insurance Scheme.  Keywords: Health, Illness, Health Seeking Behaviour, Rural Dwellers, Determining Factors

THE LINK BETWEEN ACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES AND INFANT MORTALITY IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KOGI STATE

This study investigated the nexus between access to primary healthcare services and infant mortality in Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State. The specific objectives of the study include to ascertain the state of primary healthcare services, examining the accessibility of primary healthcare services, examining the challenges associated with access to primary healthcare services and the link between access to primary healthcare services and infant mortality in Dekina Local Government Area. Health Belief Model was used as a framework to buttress this study. Survey research design was employed and multi-stage sampling technique was adopted in which the study participants were purposively and systematically selected from the sample of 609 out of 49,234 of the study population of women of child bearing age. Out of the 609 copies of questionnaire administered, 576 were retrieved and analyzed. The reliability and validity of the study was conducted on different measures related to health care services and the questionnaire using cronbach’s alpha with the help of SPSS. Hypotheses formulated were tested using Chi-square and regression. As a result of the state of healthcare centers and their effects on infant mortality in Dekina L.G.A, the findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between access to primary healthcare system and infant mortality in Dekina LGA. Despite the availability of primary healthcare services in Dekina LGA, the service was very poor due to dilapidated nature of PHC centers and non-availability of health professionals at the centers. The findings also revealed that challenges such as transportation, distance, health workers attitude and non-availability of drugs had significant effects on access to primary healthcare services in the study area. The study recommended among others that there is need for a developed, functional and far reaching primary healthcare system in all the rural communities. The available healthcare centers should be given priority by providing high quality health equipment so as to improve or bring quality of service closer to the people for easy access, to save lives and increase life expectancy. In view of the difficulties faced in accessing primary healthcare services as a result of dilapidated nature of the few available ones, there is urgent need for the government to increase budgetary allocation to healthcare system and astate of emergency be declared on all the healthcare centers

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF KIDNAPPING IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KOGI STATE

Kidnapping of all manner of persons has gained ascendency among communities in Nigeria and has instilled fear which has affected communal living and functionality. More so, the police who are mandated to provide security for the people are often unprepared for the task at hand. This has made the populace to lose confidence in criminal justice systems and other law enforcement agents’ ability to secure their lives and properties. Based on the above, this study examined the public perception of kidnapping in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to examine the prevalence of kidnapping; an evaluation of the public perception on the causes of kidnapping; an examination on the effects of kidnapping on socio-political and economic activities and then bringing to light the strategies for mitigating the prevalence of kidnapping in Dekina Local Government Area. The study used cross sectional survey research design and was anchored on structural strain theoretical framework. Multi-stage sampling technique was utilized to randomly select participants from the sample size of 511 in their respective communities. The study found that there was a high prevalence of kidnapping in the study area arising from the causative factors such as attractive ransom payment, non-cooperation with the police, insufficient model with strong moral standard, and too much emphasis on material gains, poverty, greed and unemployment among others. Arising from the findings, it was recommended among others that religious organisations and parents should strongly inculcate morals in their children as people perceived to be involved in kidnapping are affiliates of varying religion; It also recommended that government should engage unemployed youth in jobs and empowerment programmes

SOCIAL EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN NIGERIA: A SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

To bolster the Nigerian economy's industrialization efforts, successive governments have devised and enacted various industrial policies for sustainable economic development. Therefore, using structural functionalist approach and secondary sources of data, the paper examined the social effects of industrial policies in Nigeria, with a focus on their socio-economic implications. The paper revealed that recent industrial policies in Nigeria includes fuel subsidy removal, national blockchain initiatives, exchange rate unification, Structural Adjustment Programme, economic recovery plans, and COVID-19 stimulus packages among others. The paper also revealed that industrial policies however yield both positive and negative effects on citizens' livelihoods, as well-executed industrial policies have the potential to generate employment opportunities, increase productivity, and foster overall economic development. The paper identified obstacles to policy implementation in Nigeria to include corruption, political inertia, political instability, privatization challenges, technological limitations, and inadequate infrastructure among others. The paper therefore recommended among others that combating corruption is very important for effective policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria. It also advocates for policies that promote trade and economic integration on the international stage, emphasizing the necessity of collaboration with developed nations to maximize the societal benefits of industrial policy formulation. &nbsp

JOB STRESS AND EMPLOYEES' PERSONAL FULFILLMENTS IN NIGERIAN BANKING ORGANISATIONS

In this modern world, stress has become a global phenomenon that occurs in a variety of ways in every organization, irrespective of the profession. In today’s work life, employees are generally working longer hours as the rising levels of responsibilities require them to exert themselves even more strenuously to meet targets and raise expectations about their work performance. Banking is an inherently stressful profession characterized by long working hours, serious competition, ethical dilemmas, regulatory bottlenecks, and dealing with a diverse customer base.Hence, the thrust of this paper is to examine the effects of job stress on employees' personal fulfilments in Nigerian banking organizations, with the objectives of identifying the drivers of job stress and examining the coping strategies to managing job stress to enhance employees’ personal fulfilments. While adopting Two-Factor Theory of Job Satisfaction and the Person-Environment Fit Theory, a secondary method of data collection was utilized, in which books, journals, and internet-based articles were reviewed and their content analyzed. Based on the literature reviewed, the paper showed that inadequate resources to do the job, high demands, workload, time pressures, lack of job security, understaffing, technological revolution, role ambiguity, and role conflict, among others, were the major causes of job stress affecting bank employees. The paper also showed that headaches, eating disorders, sleep disturbances, fatigue, muscle aches and pains, anxiety, irritability, low morale, depression, alcohol and drug use, feeling powerless and isolation from family, friends, and co-workers, among others, were the major effects of job stress on the employees personal fulfilments in the Nigerian banking organizations. Based on these findings, it was concluded and recommended that managers should invite employees who think that they are being given jobs that are in contradiction with their skills and clarify their roles. They should facilitate an employee skill audit that will help to place employees that feel underutilized. Management should introduce stress management techniques into banking organizations. An Employee Assistance Program should be introduced for early identification and intervention of problems capable of causing stress e.t.c

CRIMINAL PROFILING AND THE CHALLENGES OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN NIGERIA POLICE FORCE KOGI STATE COMMAND

The study examined criminal profiling and the challenges of criminal investigation in the Nigeria Police Force focusing on Kogi State Command. The specific objectives of the study included examining the mechanisms put in place to aid criminal profiling in the Nigerian criminal justice system, especially in Kogi State Police Command; an evaluation of the effectiveness of the mechanisms; identification of the challenges facing criminal profiling in the Nigerian criminal justice system, especially in Kogi State Police Command; and suggestions on how criminal profiling can be effective in the Nigerian criminal justice system. The Personality Theory of Criminal Behaviour was adopted as a choice of framework to buttress the study. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in which the study participants were purposively and systematically selected from the sample of 382 out of the total population of 9000 personnel of the Nigeria Police Force. To ensure that the research instruments were valid, a pre-test and proper scrutiny were conducted on every question in the questionnaire and the personal interview guides by five experts. The findings of the study revealed that the establishment of a police records management system, a forensic laboratory system where evidence from DNA sources is scientifically examined, and a central database for all Nigerians were the mechanisms put in place to aid criminal profiling in Nigeria. It was also discovered that criminal investigative analysis, behavioural evidence approach, and environmental psychology were approaches to profiling criminals. The study also established that the mechanisms and approaches used for criminal profiling in Nigeria were very relevant to the criminal justice system but appeared to be ineffective, resulting from inherent challenges such as bribery and corruption, computer illiteracy, lack of professionalism, inadequate funding and remuneration of police personnel and uncooperative attitudes of the members of the public, among others. It was recommended that professional psychologists should be recruited and form a separate department in the Nigerian Police Force; the police should be well funded and better remunerated to boost their morale and commitment to profiling, among others

PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDES OF PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TOWARD CAREER IN FASHION DESIGNING

The upsurge in the rate of unemployment in Nigeria has given rise to the need for a shift in attention to the fashion industry. In recent experience, unemployment has pushed people to think entrepreneurship and the creation of one’s own business as the only alternative for survival by people irrespective of their educational background. It is in the light of this, that this study examined the perception and attitudes of students in Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Kogi State Nigeria, towards career in fashion designing and job creation. The study objectives included a cursory look into the perception and attidutes of the students towards fashion designing as a career, ascertaining the socioeconomic benefits of fashion designing as a means of job creation and an identification of the challenges associated with fashion designing as a career. The study adopted survey research design with the sample size of 377 from the total population of  23, 927 students using Krejcie and Morgan statistical table, while Schumpeter’s Innovation theory was used to justify the place of fashion designing as a career. Questionnaire and in-depth interview were used as instruments of primary data collection with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) V. 20 and content analysis as tools of data analysis. Findings from the study revealed amongst others, that a significant number of Prince Abubakar Audu University students had a high level of perceptions towards fashion designing as they showed interest in the career in fashion designing, and that they as well had a positive attitude towards it while some of them reported that they go for training frequently during the holidays. The study also revealed that choosing a career in fashion design can help create jobs and reduce the rate of unemployment in the society and thereby contributing to the growth of the Nation’s economy because fashion designers are job creators and not job seekers. It further identified that there are certain challenges faced by Prince Abubakar Audu University Students who were interested in choosing fashion designing as a career such as lack of capital amongst others, and concluded that "fashionpreneur” as a lucrative business has the capacity to reduce unemployment in Nigeria and Kogi State in particular if it is properly explored into. Therefore, it was recommended amongst others that school authorities should sponsor empowerment programmes in the school and likewise the government at all levels should provide grant and soft loans for students fashionpreneurs and fashion designers to help their innovativeness in the career. Keywords: Perception, Attitudes, Career, Fashion Design, Undergraduates, University

FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL AND POVERTY IN NIGERIA: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Fuel subsidies in Nigeria have been a contentious issue for decades. However, the recent removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration has resulted in a looming fuel shortage crisis and left millions of Nigerians terrified about the knock-on effects on their daily lives. Meanwhile, the removal of the fuel subsidy has led to increased prices for transportation and commodities, adding to economic hardships, businesses struggle as they are forced to spend more money on fuel consumption. Hence, this paper examined fuel subsidy removal and poverty in Nigeria. By utilizing the theory of price elasticity of demand, the paper aimed to examine the rationale behind the fuel subsidy removal, the socio-economic implications of fuel subsidy removal and suggested palliative measures to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria. By utilizing content analysis method, the paper reveals factors such as private sector participation in the importation of petroleum products, availability of petrol at all times for all Nigerians and permanently banishing queues from petrol stations across the nation and free the country from the endless pains and sufferings that come with fuel scarcity, revenue generation, stimulating economic development among others as rationales behind fuel subsidy removal. The paper equally pointed at high cost of living, high rate of crime, and increase in poverty level as people and businesses struggle for survival among other socioeconomic implications of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria. The paper concluded by recommending rural electrification, increase in the minimum wage and food importation/distribution among other feasible palliatives as suggested measures to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria. &nbsp