ESUT JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

ARMED CONFLICT AS A FATAL THREAT TO CHILD HEALTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

2025-02-09T19:06:09+00:00

Armed conflict is obstacle to good health and peaceful co-existence in many countries. It is an enemy against children. During Nigeria Civil War (1967-1970), millions of children on the defunct Biafra side died from adverse health conditions. In spite of these, the health/social consequences of that war on children have not been adequately addressed. The study therefore assessed disruption of family lives of the children and diseases that affect them during that war. The study utilized in-depth interviews and complemented it with narrative review of literature on the civil war. It was found that there is a strong relationship between armed conflict and adverse health conditions of children before, during and after war. Therefore, war affects children’s health and social development. The study recommends that serious effort should be made to prevent war or where it is impossible, adequate relief support and medical infrastructures should be in place by national and international governments/agencies.

IMPLICATIONS OF CATASTROPHIC RISK FUTURE AS ALTERNATIVE RISKS TRANSFER SOLUTION ON PERFORMANCE OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

2025-02-09T19:06:10+00:00

The manufacturing companies are faced with many risks which includes regular business risks such as credit risks, switch in market taste, human and personnel risks, injury, damage to third party and so on. The industry handles these risks by way of risk transfer through insurance by shifting the financial implication of loss, injury or damage to another party or parties. However, there are risks that are existential to the industry that can be described as catastrophic such as hurricane, earthquake, terror attacks etc. These type of risks cannot be adequately covered by regular insurance. This class of risks can only be covered by non-insurance transfer by way of Alternative Risk Transfer, ART. The study aim to determine impact of Catastrophic Risk futures (CRF) as an alternative risks transfer solutions on the performance of Nigeria manufacturing companies revealed significant correlation between CRF as an ART solution and performance with correlation coefficient (r) of 0.630 with a p-value of 0.000. The ANOVA findings also showed performance of manufacturing enterprises could be strongly be predicted by CRF as well as a positive association between CRF solution and performance of the manufacturing companies. Therefore, we can conclude that there is significant relationship between CRF as an ART solution and the performance of Nigeria manufacturing companies and that CRF do have real impact on the performance of the manufacturing concerns. However, stakeholders such as the Government, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Security and Exchange Commission, SEC needs to work together to create enabling environment for ART to thrive by sensitization of the industry on the concept and benefits of ART. The industry must ensure that all alternative risk transfer solutions comply with local and international regulatory standards to avoid legal complications and ensure growth of the ART solutions in the country..

Research Data Management Services

2025-02-09T19:06:10+00:00

This study investigated Research Data Management (RDM) services among 3 selected University libraries in South-South, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was employed in this research. Due to the fact that the population was small (75 respondents) all of them was used for the study. However, after questionnaire administration and retrieval, 72 of the respondents were used for the study. Frequency count and mean statistics were deployed in analyzing the data. Result of the study revealed that the awareness level of (RDM) services amongst the librarians was high; and so was the extent of implementation of RDM. The research recommended that it is imperative that Nigerian libraries and librarians acquire deeper understanding regarding the extent and scope of research data management services so that they can understand where to improve on.

Perceived Risk, Technology Readiness and Adoption of Online Banking among Undergraduates Students

2025-02-09T19:06:10+00:00

The study investigated the relationships between perceived risk, technology readiness and undergraduates’ adoption of online banking. Participants were 250 undergraduates of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. They included 118 (47.2%) males and 132 (52.8%) females, whose ages ranged between 18 to 36 years, with the mean age of 21.74 and standard deviation of 2.044. The Risk Perception Scale (Featherman & Pavlov, 2003); Technology Readiness Scale (Celik & Kocaman, 2017); and Online Banking Adoption Scale (Pikkarainen et al., 2004) were used for data collection. The design was correlational design, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis was used for data analysis. The result revealed between perceived risk did not significantly relate with adoption online banking (r= -.024, p >.05) while technology acceptance was found to have significant relationship with adoption online banking (r = .233, p<.001). It also further revealed that significant relationship exist between perceived risk and technology acceptance (r= -.176, p<.005). Based on the findings, the researcher recommended amongst financial institutions, educational campaigns and universities so in order to improve the student's experience on the use of online banking.

Daughters, Sons, and Spouses

2025-03-10T19:27:45+00:00

This paper explores the emergence of dynasties in the Nigerian political landscape since the return to democratic governance in 1999. The relatively stable atmosphere that had been achieved in the political scene which no longer felt threatened by the possibility of a military coup, as was the norm in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa and Latin America of the 1950s and 1960s, has made politicians relaxed and self-assured that civilian rule has come to stay. This feeling of assurance, among other factors, has led to the elite political class to want to perpetuate themselves in elective political offices, passing the baton to their sons, daughters, spouses, siblings and/or in-laws. Drawing from open-source materials available in newspapers and the internet, the paper found that it is now the vogue for elected public office holders to position close family as their successors in the offices they are vacating or others within the electoral system, including gubernatorial, federal and state legislative positions. It is our conclusion, in this paper, that notwithstanding that political dynasties are found in other democracies, they represent a real and potential threat to the Nigerian democratic space.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION AND INCOME INEQUALITY IN WEST AFRICA

2025-03-10T19:28:44+00:00

The study investigated the effect of financial inclusion on inequality in West Africa. The study used data from 13 West African countries for which data were available. Data on Gini coefficient, human development index, financial inclusion index, per capita income, government expenditure, inflation, dependency ratio, mean school years, voice and accountability and trade openness was used in the analysis. Also, the study constructed a financial inclusion index using data on credit to the private sector, Number of bank brancher per 100000 of the population and bank account ownership per thousand of the population. Empirically, the study applied Panel OLS Panel Fixed effect and Panel Random effect estimators to evaluate the objectives of the study. Evidence from the study indicate that Financial inclusion has a negative relationship with inequality in West Africa, however the effect of financial inclusion on inequality reduction was found to be insignificant indicating that financial inclusion may have marginal effect at best on inequality in the West Africa Sub region. The findings from the study has some policy implications. Firstly, the negative but insignificant effect of financial inclusion on income inequality may have resulted from low levels of financial inclusion in West Africa. This implies that at higher levels of financial inclusion, the effect may become more pronounced.

Influence of Social Media Advertisement on Students’ Patronage of Viva Plus Detergent

2025-04-28T09:03:39+00:00

This study investigated the influence of social media advertisement on students’ patronage of viva plus detergent. The study was anchored on the the technological determinism theory. The survey research design was used in this study and questionnaire was an instrument for data collection. The sample size gotten using the Australian calculator was 341 from the population of study which was Caritas University undergraduates. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed in distributing the questionnaire and simple random sampling technique at the second stage. The findings in the study shows that the undergraduates of Caritas University are aware of the existence of viva plus detergent based on social media advertising, also that social media advertisements have a great influence on their patronage of viva plus detergent, that other factors like quantity, quality, availability, brand reputation etc. also influence the purchasing decisions of undergraduates of Caritas University aside from social media advertising and lastly that social media platforms advertising are effective in influencing undergraduates of Caritas University for Viva plus detergent. Based on the findings of this study, these are the recommendations; Viva plus detergent company should leverage on the social media use since undergraduates are highly active on social media and are aware of Viva plus detergent due to advertising, Viva plus detergent should continue investing in consistent social media presence by introducing engaging content, they should capitalize more on social media advertisements because it has a strong influence on the undergraduates especially on content that highlights positive brand attributes such as quality, affordability, and effectiveness, It is recommended that they highlight special offers, bulk purchases, or student discounts to appeal to budget-conscious undergraduates because social media is effective in influencing purchasing decisions from my findings its effectiveness have been proven so it's important to tailor the contents to the specific strengths of each platform and create campaigns that encourage undergraduates to engage with the brand actively.

Illusion and Reality of Press Freedom in the Performance of the Watchdog Function of the Press in Nigeria

2025-04-28T09:05:05+00:00

This article analyzed the illusion and reality of press freedom in the Nigerian context. It also identified the real obstacle to press freedom in Nigeria and pointed out how press freedom would be realized in Nigeria. Theoretical framework of this article was anchored on two of the normative theories of the press namely: The Authoritarian Theory and the social Responsibility Theory. In the article, write-ups from available relevant literature were considered and used to analyze the illusion and reality of press freedom in Nigeria. In the conclusion, it was noted that the highly desired press freedom would unfortunately remain unrealizable for as long as humans remain imperfect and the system of things imperfect. It was therefore recommended that meanwhile, both the government and the press should learn to manage themselves with love. While government officials should endeavour to eschew corruption and greed and embark on programmes and policies that would make for national development and beneficial to the masses, the press should also perform their functions devoid of corruption and greed and in line with their code of ethics in other to give the impression that they can carry out their press duties with responsibility and thus build government confidence in them.

Determinants of Earnings Management Practices and Financial Transparency in Nigeria

2025-04-28T09:06:43+00:00

This study examined the determinants of earnings management practices and their implications for financial transparency among Nigerian firms using panel data analysis. It utilized secondary data from 58 non-financial listed firms in Nigeria over a 10-year period (2015–2024) and adopted a pooled panel data approach for analysis. The findings reveal that board size has a significant negative effect on earnings management, indicating that larger boards enhance oversight and reduce managerial opportunism. However, board independence and audit committee independence do not show significant effects, suggesting that their presence alone is insufficient to curb earnings manipulation. Leverage exhibits a weak but positive relationship with earnings management, implying that highly leveraged firms may manipulate earnings to meet financial obligations. Firm size negatively and significantly affects earnings management, reinforcing the role of regulatory scrutiny in reducing earnings manipulation. The study underscores the need for stronger governance enforcement and regulatory oversight to improve financial transparency. Based on these findings, recommendations made include optimizing board effectiveness, strengthening audit committee functionality, improving debt management practices, and enhancing corporate governance regulations so as to enhance accountability, improve investor confidence, and promote sustainable financial reporting practices in Nigerian firms.

Ethical Behaviour and Public Organizational Performance

2025-04-28T09:07:51+00:00

Ethical behavior is a critical factor in enhancing organizational performance, especially within public sector organizations. Public institutions, by their nature, are held to high ethical standards as they serve the public interest. This paper explores the relationship between ethical conduct and public sector performance, with a specific focus on productivity and service delivery. Drawing on ethical leadership theory and public service motivation theory, the paper examines how ethical behavior fosters a culture of accountability, transparency, and integrity, which in turn reduces corruption, enhances decision-making, and improves employee morale. Empirical evidence from various studies indicates that ethical practices not only optimize service delivery but also build trust between the government and citizens. The findings highlight that ethical leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture, leading to higher productivity and more efficient use of resources. Through institutionalizing ethics management frameworks, public sector organizations can significantly improve their service outcomes and overall performance.

Cognitive Dissonance and Cyber-fraud Behaviour among University Students in Nigeria

2025-04-28T09:09:03+00:00

The study focused on cognitive dissonance and cyber-fraud behaviour among university students in Nigeria. Three research questions were raised in the study. The study adopted a qualitative and quantitative survey method. The population for this study comprised of all university students in Nigeria. A stratified sampling technique was employed in the study. The sample for this study was 650 students from selected from three universities in Nigeria (Delta State University, Abraka, University of Benin, Benin and University of Port – Harcourt, Port – Harcourt. Data was collected using a self-structured questionnaire titled "Cognitive Dissonance and Cyber-fraud Behaviour Questionnaire (CDCBQ)." Simple percentage, Mean, standard deviation, and Pearson “r” statistics were the statistical tools deployed for the analysis of the data collected. Based on the findings, many students revealed that they feel intimidated by their peers who are already successful in the ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ business driving exotic cars, building mansions and buying expensive clothes. It concluded that cognitive dissonance engenders feelings of psychological embarrassment, prompting changes in attitude and behaviour as a way to alleviate this discomfort. It therefore recommended that the government and educational institutions should integrate cyber-security and ethics into university curricula. Foster a culture of honesty and integrity within universities and society, etc.

Contributions of X (Formerly Twitter) in Sensitizing Nigeria Electorate Towards Exercising their Voting Rights in Presidential Elections

2025-04-28T09:09:59+00:00

The main aim of this study is to determine the role of twitter in sensitizing the Nigerian electorate towards exercising their voting right in Idemili North LGA of Anambra state. Survey research method was used in this study, the researchers found out that former twitter has a role in sensitizing Nigerian in the electorate towards exercising their right in Idemili North LGA. The researcher highlight the business-relationship-building-capacitate of former twitter as it enables customers and peers conversations that eventually support the development of products and service innovations. Again, former twitter has a capacity for marketers to inform and engage customers and peers in their networks on wider topics thereby building a brand of the individual users and their companies simultaneously. Finding, furthermore, former twitter enable quick way to distribute information, business intelligence and create a community. The study concludes that former twitter has become a tool to reach out to people of Idemili LGA in sensitizing them towards electoral processes. It recommends the combination of social media plate forms, like combining Whatsapp and Facebook in educating people towards their electoral obligations.