Although political culture as a framework for analysis revolves around and implies a trivialization of political economy, the focus here is to evaluate it as a complex whole in a bid to regurgitate the supposed interplay between culture and institutions. Contrary to conventional knowledge the study upon reviewing relevant theoretical and parochial literature is of the views that no individual or society was birthed with democratic or non-democratic culture. Further claiming such values are inculcated over time conditioned by certain socializing agents in a given society. However, on the viability of liberal democracy in non-Western societies, it opines attempt to replicate with little or no efforts at domestication has affected the probability of liberal democracy to bring about certain predetermined outcomes. Against this; the research is of the views that governments or its institutions should not be imposed; rather it should embody the collective shared and adhered values cum beliefs and prevailing norms in a society. Alternatively, in ethnic heterogeneous societies such as Africa, it could be arrived at by consciously ingraining and teaching values such as tolerance, moderation, efficacy, and amongst others participatory orientation which is thought to be conducive for democracy. The single most important aspect for this study remains its clamor for domestication as opposed to the current system of copy and paste.
Over time, ability of governments to implement policies in the interest of the citizenry largely determines their success or failure. This in all ramifications proves the paramount relevance of public policy planning, making, implementation and analysis in efficiency and effectiveness of government. The existence of public policy practice however, is not devoid of challenges. The Nigerian state in its bid to address incoherencies in the Public Sector Accounting implemented the Treasury Single Account Policy in 2015. While the policy has scored the government some electoral points and resulted in increased revenue generation, there abounds no direct correlation between implementation of the policy and enhanced citizen well-being. Rather it has resulted in the loss of employment, created fiscal crunch and remains a subject of controversy. Accordingly, the study claims the need for an integral citizen based reorientation to educate the society in their roles in policy formulation cannot be down toned. Furthermore, it implores the government on the need to identify and implement society based policies as opposed self-driven and political point oriented policies.
The underlying literally endeavor sets out to investigate the resulting identity crisis that derives from the interplay between ethnic and nationalist ideologies. The search for identity has and continues to be of immeasurable significant in man's quest for significance and meaning, more so in Africa where self-consciousness remains in crisis having been assailed from of myriad of directions. The once enduring racial consciousness, shared faith of colonial subjugation and quest for self-actualization that propelled nationalist ideologies in Nigeria, has since waned off and regressed into ethno-consciousness based on shared languages and geographical proximity amongst other primordial factors. Exploring the interplay from the theoretical perspective of relative deprivation, the study concludes comparison and established or perceived feeling of superiority has pitched ethnicity groups against each other. The notion that one group is better than the other base on access or in-access to resources and political has driven the dual identity crisis in contemporary Nigeria. To address the unhealthy competition from power certain state policies need to be reviewed or enhance to reflect the foundations of the federal character principle in particular. Further claiming the near monocropic nature of the Nigerian state as a defining attribute of ethnic antagonism.
The study analytical explores the presupposed interplay between political godfatherism and the current state of democratization through the tenets of elite theory. Upon reviewing relevant literature, it is concluded that while political godfatherism may have penetrated and co-existed alongside institutional of liberal democracy as it also thought to affect policy or electoral outcomes, it does not reflect the entirety of politics as practiced in Nigeria. In its numerous dimensions however, it has not only hindered the institutionalization of democracy it has also accorded for the avenue to personify political offices and personalize the state at large. To address this trend the study proposes the need for relevant stakeholders to propagate and upholds the rule of law at all times, without offering preferential treatment to any persons or groups. Conclusively, it argues the need to strengthen institutions of liberal democracy through legal, legislative and executive will, should democratization responds in Africa's most populous democracy.
The study examines the high incidence of political cross-carpeting as obtained in the 8th National Assembly in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. Building on the foundations of ideological disposition, it claims the widespread absence of political ideology, political careerization and the do or die dynamics of political leadership as the root causes of cross-carpeting amongst other causal factors. Further claiming the effects of the latter as in terrifying on growth of competitive multi-party politics and institutionalization of democracy. To address the prevailing trend, the study proposes strict adherence to constitutional provisions on party switching, formation of ideology based parties as against ethnic or electoral ones as it also clamors for transparent internal party politics. Regrettably, it concludes the trend is less likely to stop, considering the high incidence of political careerization by the ruling elite, and election winning basis of political parties in Nigeria.
Contrary to orthodox understanding which presupposes ethnicity as the bane of the instabilities that defines contemporary African. This study examines the existence of plausible properties of pluralism inherent in ethnic heterogeneity. Upon analyzing primary data using the online data analysis tool by Afrobarometer and reviewing relevant literature; the study argue the lacuna created by the in-existence of an organised and proficient civil society, resonates the reach of ethnicity in the region. Furthermore, it is of the opinion that ethnicity is not only existential; it constitutes the thorn of individual and group identity in contemporary African states. In its capacity, ethnicity remains of the most effective social mobility and collective action mechanism in contemporary Africa. The study concludes by arguing ethnicity as not problematic, rather it is problematized by ethnic entrepreneurs.
Of the numerous challenges bewildering Nigeria's developmental efforts, the idea of fraud in terms of mismanagement, misappropriation and diversion of public fiscal resources remains particularly pronounced across different quarters. The incoherencies associated with public sector accounting has allowed for the perpetuation of sharp and fraudulent practices to the detriment of the nation. The public sector reforms that commenced in 2003 brought about considerable amount of changes as to the manner in which government conducts is businesses. Amongst which includes the introduction of Treasury Single Account, been a central revenue pooling system it has been lauded in different quarters since implementation in 2015 as cure all syndrome for public sector fraud. Against this backdrop, the underlying academic endeavor interrogates previous empirical literature with a view to ascertaining the existence of fraud prevention and control mechanisms inherent in the TSA. The study concludes, while a better part of the literature assent to abilities of the TSA to prevent and control fraud, beyond pooling revenue it has no control over appropriation of such revenue. Conclusively, it claims the overburdening emphasis on TSA as a cure all syndrome for fraud remains a popular misconception that is shared by a handful of studies.
This study examines the incidence of electoral violence and its resultant effects on voter turnout in the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, with the role of political parties as the focal point of discussion. A review of election data shows; voter turnout has been on the decline from 69% in 2003 to 35% in 2019. While a handful of factors could be responsible, the study ascribes its prevalence to the antic's political parties (incumbent and opposition) and politicians who deliberately deploy violence as an electoral strategy. To account for the relationship between, political parties, electoral violence and voter turn-out, the study builds on theories of voter mobilization in and advanced and emerging democracies. Against this, it concludes in the absence of enduring party-voter relations in Nigeria, political parties and politicians alike, resort to vote buying, mobilization of political thugs and in other times deployment of state coercive apparatus to intimidate opponents all of which culminates into electoral irregularities which has the potency to instigate electoral violence. This in turn has in amongst others adversely affected voter turn-out as rightly observed over five electoral cycles.
Every business or start-up was e-ray by the government official ranging from local, state and federal level in Nigeria. Therefore, for SMEs to operate it's a perquisite to follow the due process from registration by ministry of commerce and industry at state level and the various agencies responsible for registration. This challenge represents both widespread personal misfortune for individuals and a lost opportunity for critical national and global economic development. This study examines the challenges that affect the growth and development of small and medium enterprises in Bauchi state, Nigeria .The study was guided by an epistemological research philosophy adopting a positivist research paradigm. The research design was cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population for this study was 754 registered small and medium scale owned enterprises registered with the Bauchi state government by December 2019 and the sample size was 172 respondents derived using Fisher's formulae. This study used a self-administered, closed, and open-ended questionnaire to obtain quantitative data. The study used descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, median and proportions using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 and Microsoft Excel. Regression analysis and correlation analysis were used to determine the direction and strength of the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables.. The questionnaires were administered among the seventy (70) management staff members of the one hundred and seventy two (172) selected SMEs in Bauchi state Nigeria through purposive sampling method, and this was done personally by the researcher. Descriptive and inferential statistics was use to analyze and interpret the data use in this research. The study reveals that government policies is a major challenges that help SMEs to grow and achieve its stated objectives in global competitive environment. On same vain this study is so keen and motivated to established evidence on these challenges ascertain especially, in a context of current phenomena SMEs face in Bauchi state. Finally, the study will utilize the element of contingency theory, as these SMEs require sound institutional framework to mitigate these challenges. However, anecdotal evidence shows that SMEs in developing countries like Nigeria are faced with a lot of challenges that have hampered their growth in recent times. Among these challenges are: intermittent power supply, indiscriminate tax levies government policy, low accessibility to loans from financial institutions and inability to keep proper financial records. The study reveals that Government policies have a significant impact on the growth and development of SMEs in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Subsequently, the study recommends that management of SMEs should adopt good strategy in order to overcome these challenges.
AbstractIn the year 2000, the World Health Organization launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were to be achieved in 2015. Though most of the goals were not achieved, a follow-up post 2015 development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was launched in 2015, which are to be achieved by 2030. Maternal mortality reduction is a focal goal in both the MDGs and SDGs. Achieving the maternal mortality target in the SDGs requires multiple approaches, particularly in developing countries with high maternal mortality. Low-income developing countries rely to a great extent on macro determinants such as public health expenditure, which are spent mostly on curative health and health facilities, to improve population health. To complement the macro determinants, this study employs the systematic review technique to reveal significant micro correlates of maternal mortality. The study searched MEDLINE, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Science Direct, and Global Index Medicus of the World Health Organization. Our search was time framed from the 1st January, 2000 to the 30th September, 2016. In the overall search result, 6758 articles were identified, out of which 33 were found to be eligible for the review. The outcome of the systematic search for relevant literature revealed a concentration of literature on the micro factors and maternal mortality in developing countries. This shows that maternal mortality and micro factors are a major issue in developing countries. The studies reviewed support the significant relationship between the micro factors and maternal mortality. This study therefore suggests that more effort should be channelled to improving the micro factors in developing countries to pave the way for the timely achievement of the SDGs' maternal mortality ratio (MMR) target.
The intensity of global market competition has created dynamic and fast-changing business environment which has affected all enterprises including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs have, therefore, realized the need to explore, exploit and deploy marketing innovation and innovative strategies in order to stay competitive in the changing business environment. In both developed and developing countries across the world, SMEs form an important fragment of the local economic system. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of marketing innovation on the performance of SMEs in Nigeria. The study was guided by an epistemological research philosophy adopting a positivist research paradigm. The research design was cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population for this study was 782 registered SMEs by and the sample size was 120 respondents derived using Fisher's formulae. This study used a self-administered, closed, and open-ended questionnaire to obtain quantitative data. The used descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, median and proportions using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 and Microsoft Excel. Regression analysis and correlation analysis were used to determine the direction and strength of the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables. The study results revealed that whereas marketing innovation had a positive and significant influence on performance of SMEs in Nigeria. Study concluded that in this ever-changing technology, adoption of various innovations by SMEs is a key component of enhancing their performance. Therefore, enterprise owners need to be proactive in adopting different innovations since they all are linked positively to the performance of enterprises.
