TRANSNATIONAL CRIME, HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA’S OILRICH NIGER DELTA

Despite its immense endowment in human and natural resources, Nigeria’s Niger Delta has been socially and ecologically degraded for centuries by international crime and human rights violations. External perpetrators were involved in unequal trade, trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, and imperialism/neoliberalism. Some evidences of the perpetuation of these crimes in Nigeria during the post-independent period include the emasculation of the Niger Delta region through marginalistic-discriminatory government policies complemented by indigenous misrule/spoliation characterized by elite criminal stealing large portions of public funds (at an average earnings of US$20billion from the 1970s to the time of this study) to stash away in foreign bank accounts. The latter combines with series of historical violations of human rights, international crime and the Delta’s cultural violation of women-girls’ rights to own/inherit property (embedded in the region’s traditional ruling institutions) to engender chronic poverty of masses of Niger Deltans/Nigerians. Overwhelming poverty compels Delta girls/women to resort/succumb to human traffickers for sex work, among other modern slavery methods. Reduction/elimination of human rights violations and human trafficking require implementation of good governance capable of reforming cultural practices/beliefs and modern government invasive practices

Venture Capital Financing and The Growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Calaber Metroplis, Cross River State, Nigeria

The major thrust of this work was to investigate the impact of venture capital financing on the growth Calabar metropolisnbspnbsp Cross River State. The rationale for this study was to determinenbspnbsp whether the use of venture capital finance, as one of the new sources of financing options by SMEs in Cross River State could create a significant impact on the growth of SMEs. In carrying out this work, a hypothesis was formulated. The financial contracting theory was adopted by the study. The exploratory research design was utilized. In the study, a non probability sampling method (purposive) was used. Using the Yamane formula, a sample of forty (40) SMEs from among the SMEs in Calabar metropolis was selected. The manager, accountant or account officer and secretary were purposively selected and included in the sample. Information were gathered with the utilization of organized solid and approved polls. An aggregate of 120 polls were directed, however 80 recovered. The information was examined with the utilization of various relapse investigation introduced in tables. The discoveries of this examination uncovered that there was a critical effect of investment back on the general development of SMEs in terms of record keeping, volume of business, access to other sources of funding, sales value, and net Assets.nbsp etc.nbsp Accordingly, the study recommended that awareness be created among SMEs on the existence and operations of venture capital as this could be one of the potent ways of boosting sustainable growth and stability of SMEs in particular and socio economic growth and development of the economy in general

EXCHANGE RATE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN NIGERIA

The study examined exchange rate on the performance of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. The specific objectives were to; examine the impact of exchange rate and money supply on the performance of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. Secondary data was extracted from Central Statistical Bulletin, 2021. Ordinary least square of multiple regression technique was employed to examine the impact of independent on dependent variables. Based on the results, the findings revealed that exchange rate had negative and significant impact on performance of manufacturing sector, while money supply had a positive and significant effect on the performance of the manufacturing sector. The study recommended thatthere is need for local sourcing of raw materials and input through agriculture and technological policy. By so doing, it will lead to expansion of export base which would attract more foreign exchange into the country. Also, the monetary authority should introduce direct policies of regulating price stability in the economy via regulating money supply in order to decelerate the rising inflationary trend in the economy