THE DEVELOPMENT OF LABOR MOVEMENTS AND STATE INTERFERENCE: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

Labor movements are known to exist for the primary purpose of protecting the interests of labor in the society. They ensure members’ welfare and interests are given priority attention by employers and government. However, in Nigeria, labor movements have emerged as champions of causes that exist outside the walls of corporate employment. They have become the voice of the voiceless, platform for the unheard and downtrodden, and the hope of the masses. Situated within the context of a belligerent climate of repression, exploitation, and subjugation by the political and economic managers of the state, labor movements have turned around to push for reforms and transformation of the Nigerian society in different spheres. This study therefore examines the dynamic and phasic evolution of labor movements in Nigeria, and how they have transformed from being a strictly industrial relations actor to a dynamic force for social change in the face of an unwilling, repressive, and indifferent state

LEADERSHIP CRISIS AND CORRUPTION IN THE NIGERIAN PUBLIC SECTOR: AN ALBATROSS OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The public sector of every nation is critical to its national development. Through its ministries, departments and agencies, government puts in place policies, programmes and services that help galvanise development at all levels, engender economic progress and increase trust and connection between the managers of the state and the people. In Nigeria, the public sector has become an epitome of all that is corrupt, mediocre and fraudulent. Self-preservation is preferred to national interest and the leadership crisis prevalent at all levels of decision-making has further deepened the imbroglio. Thus, Nigeria has lost traction in its attempt to achieve national development because of the invidious climate of “chop-I-chop” politics, ethnicity, mediocrity, partisanship, cronyism, corrupted process of recruitment of leaders, among other factors. This study has identified the albatross to national development in Nigeria as a spin-off of the leadership crisis and corruption prevalent in its public sector and made valuable recommendation

Operationalising Financing Windows for Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria: An Appraisal

Entrepreneurship has been seen as a linchpin for economic development, employment generation, citizen empowerment and wealth creation all over the world. More importantly, entrepreneurship development has been conceived as an instrument to suppress major avatars of poverty and socioeconomic deprivations among Nigerian citizens and for engendering social cohesion. However, harnessing the foregoing benefits has been hamstrung by lack of access to or inadequate supply of entrepreneurial finance. In addition to blistering ecological forces such as spotty power supply, an inept and unorganised political leadership that is irresponsible and irresponsive to the plight of the people, polygonal political corruption, putrefied or inadequate basic infrastructure like roads, among others, lack of SME finance has remained a minatory albatross to entrepreneurship development in the country. This paper, therefore, examined extant SME funding windows in Nigeria, identified their challenges and proffered solutions, while generally suggesting ways to operationalise both existing and neoteric funding options to enable entrepreneurship development happen in Nigeria. Keywords: Operationalising; Entrepreneurship Development; Entrepreneurial Finance; SMEs; Ecological Forces

A SOCIOLOGICAL DISCOURSE ON PERSONAL AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Achieving development at the personal or national level is an innate quest which is a result of the dynamic evolutionary process in society. However, personal and national development in Nigeria has remained a mirage because of the internal contradictions which paralyze the efforts of individuals and the programs of government to have any meaningful impact on the people and the growth of the polity. Hence, frequent policy changes, policy somersaults and back-flips are usually experienced as each government that comes into power cancels the existing policies of the previous government and replaces them with fresh programs. This has combined with other factors to frustrate genuine efforts made towards development ad infinitum. This paper has considered related sociological paradigms to explain the Nigerian situation and has made recommendations that can enable Nigeria experience development at the personal and national levels, which can lead to the fulfillment of the dreams and aspirations of its peoples

Collective Behaviour and Social Movements:a Conceptual Review

Abstract Collective behaviour and social movements have been instrumental in engendering social change, including regime change, and impacting the policy space in many societies. In fact, in the past 200 years, they have become a part of the popular and global expression of dissent. The political class, supported by elite groups and state institutions, most times, does not concede to popular demands until some form of public agitation and ruckus is witnessed. Therefore, social researchers have contemplated the rationale behind social change or social statics. This is because a decipherment of what social change drivers are will help social researchers better understand these "forces", know how to manage or regulate them and how or when to predict social change or otherwise. In Nigeria, an instance of social dynamics was the role Organised Labour and Civil Society groups played in vociferously demanding the return to democratic rule after many years under statocratic hegemony. This was achieved through the expression of different organised collective actions which forced the military overlords in power to acquiesce and capitulate to democratic governance. Akin to this, the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill by the legislature in Nigeria was an upshot of years of agitation by the intelligentsia, members of the fourth estate of the realm and the civil society sector. The FOI bill was conceived with the aim to hold the political and economic managers of the state more accountable to the people. This paper seeks to carry out a conceptual review of collective behaviour and social movements with some reflections on the Nigerian experience

Dehexing women entrepreneurship in Nigeria: turning possibilities into realities

If women make up half the population of Nigeria, harnessing the potentials of this huge community, especially with regards to promoting entrepreneurship among them, promises numerous benefits at multiple levels including at the individual, family and national levels. As more women take the centre-stage in the global economy with many of them running successful enterprises, Nigerian women with education, management training, access to funding and the right environment can also excel. Dehexing women entrepreneurship in Nigeria will necessitate the expunction of existing obstacles and the conversion of possibilities to realities. Doing this will make women become greater contributors to the economic development of the country and engender the much anticipated social change. This paper asserts that women entrepreneurs in Nigeria can succeed if given the opportunity like their male counterparts.Keywords: Women, Women Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, Nigeria, Global Econom

ICTs and sustainable development of higher education in Nigeria: Rewriting the ugly narrative

Abstract The world has increasingly become a global clan through the instrumentality of ICT tools. The behemoth influence of ICTs can be felt in their dominance of all areas of human endeavours where they seem to define and refine interactions, social relations, work processes and standards. ICTs have recorded much success in many sectors and it is the contention in this paper that they can transmogrify the educational sector positively, particularly higher education. However, there are political and economic forces which have conflated to hamstring higher education of the much anticipated role it can play in the Nigerian society. In the presence of these albatrosses, even the integration of ICTs in higher education may not change the ugly narrative. However, ICTs have been identified as having the potential to change the complexion and content of higher education if the tools are put to work. It is expected that government will provide the required political and economic wherewithal needed for the easy adoption of ICT tools in driving higher education processes and objectives in Nigeria