On strategies for effective implementation of rural development policies in Nigeria: the ‘integrative/ co-operative’ model to the rescue

C. C. Ikeji

Institute of Public Policy and Administration, University of Calabar, Calabar

Abstract

Policy implementation is about the most critical dimension in the policy process given the fact that success or failure of any given policy is, to a high degree, a function of implementation. The need for effective implementation strategy (ies) is emphasized in this paper. The need, the paper argues, is an urgent one and more acute for the rural areas where the quality of life remain abysmally poor due largely to long period of neglect and unrewarding implementation of most policies directed at addressing the problem of rural underdevelopment in Nigeria. Analysis of dominant conceptual models (Grindle’s, Iglesias’ and Smith’s) and strategies for implementing rural development policies, namely, the ‘government-led’ and the ‘community-led’ show gross inadequacies arising from their basic nature. The noted inadequacies compelled a search for appropriate alternative. The outcome of the search is the ‘Integrative / Co-operative’ strategy proposed in the paper. The hope is that, regardless of whatever shortcoming that may be associated with it, the ‘Integrative / Co-operative’ strategy holds the greater promise in our drive towards a more effective implementation of rural development policies in Nigeria. We in the Planning commission and others concerned have grown more expert in planning. But the real question is not planning. But the real question is not planning but implementing the Plan. That is the real question before the country. I fear we are not quite as expert implementation as at planning. Nehru, on Indian situation

Keywords: Effective Policy Implementation, Strategy/Model, Integrative/ Co-operative.

 

 

Man and his panic prone environment: theoretical and policy considerations

S. U. Ezenibe

Department of Sociology University of Calabar

Abstract

The events of recent past, especially the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks of the united states’ Trade centre in New York and the pentagon Washington and the bomb blast of the Ikeja Military cantonment on Sunday January 27, 2002 where about a thousand people lost their lives as a result of panic is a sure reminder that panic behavior is still with us. panic is a type of collective behaviour which is the spontaneous, unstructured, transitory behaviour of a group of people reacting to a specific event. that is, a panic occurs when people react in fear an try to escape from a situation perceived as threatening. recently, a panic and mass hysteria occurred when the accident took place at the Ikeja Military Cantonments in Lagos. About a thousand people lost their lives and property worth millions of naira were damaged. This paper argues that the problem of panic behaviour has long been of practical and theoretical significance. It distinguished between panic in unorganized group and panic in organized groups. The paper recommends that the federal, state, and local governments in Nigeria should set up more efficient panic – oriented agencies. The agencies like the National Emergency Relief Agency and the Nigerian Red Cross are already there. It is recommended that the Federal government should adequately fund them to make them more efficient and efficacious.

 

 

Youth unemployment in Nigeria: some implications for the third Millenium

O. O. Alanana

Department of Sociology University of Abuja, Abuja, FCT.

Abstract

This paper emphasises the implications of youth unemployment in Nigeria, for the third Millennium. The implications are both social, economic and political. It is argued in the paper that youth unemployment is potentially dangerous as it sends disturbing signal to all segments of the Nigerian Society. The rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria is high, even at the period of economic normalcy i.e. the oil boom of the 1970s (6.2%); 1980s (9.8%) and the 1990s (11.5%). Youth unemployment therefore is not a recent phenomenon as is conveyed in the various tables in this paper. The theoretical standpoint of the paper is influenced by functionalist school of thought, with a bias for European school of modern ism which argues that youth play a central role in the overall survival of Nigeria. Ignoring the political, economic and social roles they play amounts to threatening the very survival of Nigeria as a nation. Thus to reduce unemployment, the paper suggests among others, the establishment of Work Incentive Programme (WIN) by the Nigerian State, as is done in the capitalist America. Government in league with the private sector it is further suggested, can create job corps for school dropouts as one major remedy to unemployment. The paper further sees hope for Nigeria only if Youths are mobilized by way of genuinely socializing them into taking their roles in the stratification system.

Key Words: Nigeria; Unemployment; Political Stability; Youth; Work Incentive.

 

 

Criminal sanctions: does imprisonment strategy reduce crimes?

A. U. Akpan

Department of Sociology/Anthropology University of Uyo, Uyo

Abstract

Careful reading of the literature on psychology of criminal conduct and of prior reviews of studies of treatment effects suggested that neither criminal sanctioning without provision of rehabilitative treatment will succeed in reducing recidivism. What works, in our views, is the delivery of appropriate correctional treatment, and appropriate treatment reflects the idea of targeting criminogenic needs. This principle was applied to studies of adult criminal treatment among both Lagos and Enugu prisoners that summarized the magnitude and direction of the impact of treatment on recidivism. The effect of appropriate correctional treatment (mean phi = .30) was significantly (P<.05) greater than that of unspecified punishments given in prisons (- .06) and non-correctional criminal sanctioning (- .07). Hence, there are solid reasons to focus in ethical and humane ways on offenders and the quality of correctional treatments that will reduce recidivism.

Keywords: Imprisonment, Sanctions, Crimes, Rehabilitation, Recidivism.

 

 

Tourism and economic development in Nigeria: an empirical investigation

O. O. Ovat

Department of Economics, University of Calabar

Abstract

This paper carries out an empirical investigation of the role of tourism in economic development in Nigeria. The investigation reveals that globally, tourism has become a sustainable revenue earner competing favourably with the manufacturing sector, especially in the developed countries. However, in spite of the enormous tourism potentials in Nigeria, the investigation shows that tourism’s contribution to economic development in Nigeria, leaves much to be desired. For tourism industry to contribute significantly to economic development in Nigeria; just as it does in other economies, the paper suggests some promotional remedies for the industry by the government. These remedies among others include: the playing of an active role in tourist destination development by the government, government involvement in the planning and execution of marketing of tourism potentials, the invitation of travel agents to visit Nigeria by government agency (NTDC), from time to time with the aim of stimulating such travel agents’ interest in marketing Nigeria; and the compilation of statistics on international arrivals – tourism expenditure with a view to measuring travel, recreational and tourism development.

Keywords: Tourism, Economic development, empirical, investigation, Nigeria.

 

 

Population changes and food insecurity in the Niger Delta

A. O. Ajake

Dept. of Environmental Education University of Calabar, Calabar - Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the population trend and the prices of staple food in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria from 1991 to 2002. The survey reveals that population increase is the major factor for unsustainable production, unavailability and inaccessibility of vital food resources required by the people of the Niger Delta. Although, the effect of food insecurity is devastating in the region, but the paper concludes by presenting recommendations that can improve food security such as intensification of family planning education in the rural areas, state involvement in food production, community participation in programmes aimed at ensuring food security, assistance to food producers in the area among others.

Keywords: Insecurity, Sustainability, Environment, Agriculture, Degradation

 

 

Recent trends in inter- seaport competition in Nigeria

O. S. Akpoghomeh and D. Badejo

Department of Geography University of Port Harcourt

Department of Geography and Regional Planning. Lagos State University, Lagos

Abstract

Paper examines the recent trends in inter-seaport competition in Nigeria using the net tonnage figure of shipping using the country’s 20 ports. The study period is between 1987 and 1996. A hierarchy of port significance emerged with Apapa port on the lead and Calabar on the trail. This was normal. The decline of the Port Harcourt port and the upward movement of Warri port was a significant observation.

Keywords: Seaport Competition, Nigeria.

 

 

Regional planning and urban infrastructure development in the Gongola region, North Eastern Nigeria (1)

A. Bashir

Department of Geography, Federal University of Technology, Yola P. M. B. 2076, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

In North-eastern Nigeria, the Gongola region has been one of the least developed since independence. The series of geopolitical reorganizations since 1967 which lead to the gradual and consistent decentralization of the processes of social, economic and political transformation and the reduction of spatial inequalities in development within the country appeared to have little impact on urban development in the region. The concern of this paper is to determine the pattern of urban development achieved in the region as a single administrative entity, to explore the specific and theoretical factors that were responsible for the existing pattern of urban development, and make suggestions on how to guide future planning to influence pattern of urbanization in the region, in the desired manner. To achieve these objectives, data were collected on eleven indicators of development in all the local government areas of the region and subjected to principal factor analysis, to most important form or spatial structure of regional development. The result generated five dimensions of regional development. The most important dimension identified i.e., urban infrastructure development, was subjected to spatial autocorrelation analysis (using the join-count statistics), in order to determine the likelihood of existence of any spatial association in the observed pattern. The result indicates that the pattern of urban infrastructure development appear to be associated with some deliberate and systematic process of public policy making that promoted urban development at the early stages of the region’s political development. The result also shows that the general pattern of economic development in the region has tended to favour locations surrounding the more urbanized areas thereby introducing spatial inequalities and neglect of the more rural places. The paper suggests strengthening of a system of geopolitical growth centers in the more rural areas and the adoption of a grass root approach to Development Planning in the region as a panacea for redressing spatial inequalities in the regional development process.

Keywords: Region, Development, Planning, Urban, Gongola.

 

 

Analysis of micro climatic variations in Jimeta-Yola, Nigeria

*A.A. Adebayo and A.A. Zemba

* Department of Geography, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B 2076, Yola, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the micro climatic variations in Jimeta-Yola in northern Nigeria. Ten stations were established in various locations within the town for the measurement of temperature and relative humidity. The measurement exercises were conducted in three phases in February, April and September of the year 2001 representing harmattan, dry and wet seasons respectively. Each phase of the observation was conducted simultaneously with that of Federal University of Technology, Yola (FUTY) weather station which formed the rural control site. Analysis of variance technique (ANOVA) was used to assess the variation of temperature within the city. Student t test was employed to assess the difference between the city and rural temperatures while Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between temperature, micro relief and population density of the city. ANOVA results indicate that there is significant variation in temperature within the city in all the seasons. The results of correlation analysis revealed that relief does not have significant influence on the micro climate of the area. On the other hand, population density was found to be the major factor responsible for variations in micro climate. Comparison of the rural and urban temperatures shows that temperature in the city is higher in February and April indicating an urban heat island effect of 3⁰ C and 6 ⁰ C respectively. The difference in September ( a wet month) is however, not significant because of the greater amount of cloud cover over the city. Consistent higher temperatures and lower relative humidity values in the city centre are attributed to greater heat absorption and storage capacity of the city structures.

Key Words: micro-climate, urban heat island, temperature, humidity, Urban climate.