Democracy and Development: A Case of the Obasanjo's Administration (1999-2007)

The essence of democratic government is for the political and social development of the state. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of democracy on national development during Obasanjo's administration, as well as investigates whether democracy has actually impacted on the development of the Nigerian state during the civilian rule of the retired General Olusegun Obasanjo. We shall make use of secondary data and the descriptive method shall be the approach data analysis

Millennium Development Goals and the Universal Primary Education in Nigeria (A Case Study oflbadan North Local Government, Oyo State)

Tile irqlortance and linkage of education to the development of any society is well kno"vn It is in recognition of this irqlortance that the international comm.nUty and goveftlil'Ents all over tre world have rmde corrmitrrents :fur citizens to have access to education while also irqlroving on the quality of education Hence, this study :fucuses on education, part:icularly achieving Universal Primary Education under the auspices of the Millennium De-v-eloprrent Goals in Nigeria with Oyo State as the case study. Tile data requi-ed for this study were gathered through the use of iru;trumerts of questionnaires. 1be study revealed :fuctors affecting qualitativ-e education which include inadequate funding, inexperienced and lackluster teachers coupled with norrrrentally stinulating teaching trethods. Based on the findings, the study recomrrended the following (a) thorough trainings of teachers through workshops and seminars (b) the state government should :involve IIDre privileged individuals through its 'Adopt a Schoof program(c) the syllabus shouJd be rmdified to acconn:rndate the developtrent and the acquisition of relevant skills (d) schools should be effectively and frequently rmnitored by the necessary body (e) rreasu-es should be taken to discourage students from ha\>vking on the streets after schools hours. this however should be replaced by taking after school lessons. 1bese recornnendations are expected to irqlrove the decaying educational standards in Nigeria

Market of Transport Services and Millenium Development Coals; The Case of Keke Napep Initiatives in Lagos, Nigeria

This study examined the role of marketing of transport services in the realization of a millennium development goal; poverty alleviation. KEKE-NAPEP initiative was one of the poverty eradication programmes in Lagos state, Nigeria. The study examined the significance of the relationship between the initiative and (1) poverty level (2) standard of living and (3) level of unemployment The study employed survey research and purposive sampling technique was used to identify users of KEKE-NAPEP in Lagos State . The findings of the study revealed that although the initiative improves the standard of living of people and has negative relationship with level of unemployment, the initiative is not significantly related with the poverty level of the people of Lagos state. Based on these findings, conclusion was drawn and relevant recommendations were made. If the initiative must be successful in !;educing fi>pover!Y_, it is recommended that marketing techniques and strategies be employed and engage

Nigeria's Foreign Relations under Olusegun Obasanjo's Civilian Administration

Foreign policy is essentially about the projection, protection. realization and advancement of the national interest ala state. But has that been the case with Nigeria? This paper examines Nigeria 'sforeign policy under Olusegun Obsanjo 's administration (1999-2007). It focuses on the strength ofNigeria 'sforeign policy and what the country was able to gain in the period under review. Primary and secondary datu, scoopedfrom interviews, books, journals, newspapers, magazines, and internet materials were used. Descriptive-analytical method was engaged in the discourse. Findings show that the administration of Obasanjo used Nigeria's external relations as a pla(/orm to cancel Nigeria 's external debt, encourage foreign investment, improve the telecommunication sector, and also mediate in conflict areas in Africa. But it is also noted that there was no ideal structure for foreign policy making and implementation. Therefore, it is recommended that for Nigeria to be able to use f oreign policy for her benefit, the structures and institutions responsible for foreign policy making and implementation must be strengthened and fertilized to grow, which is largely made possible when structures and institutions are manned by skilled or knowledgeable personnel

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OLUSEGUN OBASANJO’S FOREIGN POLICY UNDER MILITARY AND CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATION

The study examines Nigeria’s foreign policy under Olusegun Obasanjo’s military and civilian administration. The work focuses on a single person under different political templates namely, military and civil rule. Olusegun Obasanjo happened to have governed Nigeria both as a military Head of State and a civilian President. Therefore, this work interrogates in comparative terms, how Obasanjo’s regimes formulated and implemented Nigeria’s foreign policy as well as the internal and external environments of Nigeria’s foreign policy during these periods. Furthermore, it assesses the impact of Obasanjo’s personality on policy- making, during both his military and democratic tenures. To successfully accomplish this task, both primary and secondary data were collected. Interviews conducted with principal actors and secondary data obtained from books, journals, magazines, bulletins, newspapers and government records were analysed to achieve the objectives of the study. Among other findings, the study observed that there were totally different structures put in place for Nigeria’s foreign policy processes under Obasanjo’s military and civilian rule. It is important to note also, that the actual foreign policies formulated were dictated primarily by Obasanjo’s personality and executive leadership decisions. The internal environment also played little role in Obasanjo’s foreign policy making and implementation. However, the external environment played a significant role in the sense that Nigeria expended her resources on African causes during Obasanjo’s regimes. Obasanjo exhibited the same overbearing personality both as military and civilian leader. The study therefore recommends, among others, that strong institutions should be put in place to facilitate foreign policy making and execution, the demands of the internal environment should form the basis of foreign policy pursuit by foreign policy makers and not the other way around and that while the personality of a leader will have an impact on the nation’s external relations, there should be standard operational procedures in foreign policy making and execution that would strengthen institutions and limit personalities

RECONCILING THE TWO WEST AFRICAS: MANAGING ETHNIC AND LINGUAL DIVERSITY FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION

In international politics, language is core in inter-state trust and relationship, and the West African region (or sub-region), which is multi-ethnic, culturally plural and bi- or multilingual in imported languages, may never evolve an integrated region if the diversity is not converted from source of disconnections to source of connections. At best, West Africans have regarded themselves as precolonial kinsmen but post-colonial strangers as a result of the factor of language barriers created in the years of colonial rule. The Yoruba, Ewe, Ashante, Mende, Temne and many more had similarities of languages and cultures and led a regular life of communal conflict and cooperation until the arrival of the French, English, Portuguese and Germans, who established sharp misunderstandings and divisions along the lines of European lingua franca. From a participation- observation experience and perspective, and having consulted literature and government records on futile integration efforts, the study, adopting a functionalist model for analysis, submits that the differences have led to alienation among West Africans since independence, and ECOWAS, despite its spirited commitment to regional integration by the protocol on free movement across the borders, has faced brick-walls from human and social forces engendered by language barriers. This paper looks beyond the artificial linguistic barriers inherent in the bilingual or multilingual character of West Africa, by exploring the richness of the linguistic diversity to advance the cause of regional integration. The paper strongly advocates that local languages spoken across most of the West African states such as Hausa, Mandingo, Peul and Yoruba be taught in primary and secondary schools, while ECOWAS leaders should agree on making English, French and Portuguese compulsory in all secondary schools and higher institutions in their respective countries. These will help demystify and dismantle the artificial linguistic barriers created by the accident of colonialism and make the formal and informal instruments, including ECOWAS towards integration, more functional

Interrogating Nigeria's International Role Conceptions in an Age of Global Climate Change

Nigeria's foreign policy from independence has been proactively African. This implies that Nigeria imposes on itself the burden of committing its resources to salvaging Africa socioeconomically and politically. While this has come under vigorous scrutiny and sharp criticisms because of its huge cost for national development; Nigeria's African and international roles have tended to be a functionaNst one, which has not really changed and been reviewed to meet new global and African challenges. In the face· of a global climate change with Africa at the receiving end, what would be Nigeria's roles? The traditional roles of Nigeria have been in the area of economic and financial help and combating of regional security issues. However, the current climate 'war' appears io be more destructive than the usual conflict, hunger and diseases: The paper scrutinizes. Nigeria's national environmental policy and the foreign policy role conceptions, to see the content and context of Nigeria's panacea and roles in the struggle to check global warming. Using the National Role Conception methodological, theoretical and conceptual approaches, the paper examines the nation's own peculiar climate problems (from the Delta to Lagos and the Savanmih) and how it takes the local context to the global theater

Youth Crime And The Organized Attributes Of Cyber Fraud In The Modern Technological Age: A Thematic Review

This paper establishes a link between the hitherto known traditional organized crimes and modern cyber fraud. The transnational context of fraud in the e-business environment promotes exclusive anonymity, transactional secrecy and unprecedented vulnerabilities relatively higher in impact and far above any documented assessment of organized crimes that preceded it. Mostly implicated in this emerging trend considered in this criminological discourse are the youths, commonly referred to as the Net Generation. Uniquely, these categories of people are doubly victimized. Just as they suffer acute deprivation socioeconomically, they are also systemically made representable under the criminal justice arrangement of most nations due to their incessant involvements in illicit activities. Finally, the paper made an advocacy for prompt state intervention towards arresting the precarious situations impressing it upon the youths to adopt unconventional means to attain survival

Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria: Which way Nigeria? (2008)

Poverty is an enemy of man, it humiliates and dehumanises its victim. The paper examines poverty alleviation pol icies and programmes of government and came to the conclusion that these policies fa iled to al leviate, instead elevated poverty in the country. The reasons for these include corruption in government and neglect of the target group - the poor, who were never considered during the formulation of these po licies. The paper suggests that government should intensify the war against corruption and carry along the target group - the poor, in formulation of its programmes by making ' pro-poor' policies its focus as a basis for poverty alleviation