Poverty

Unemployment and Security Challenges in Southern Axes of Nigeria (Published)

This study examines the relationship between unemployment and insecurity in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, 2000-2023. This period witnessed high youth and security challenges in the local government and neighboring University town of Abraka. Something needed to be done by the state government. This study is part of the response to provide a framework to deal with the problem. The research method employed in this study is the quantitative research method. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. To achieve the objective of the study, three hypotheses were formulated and tested using the cross-sectional research design.  A sample size of 200 was drawn from a population of 48,000 residents in the area. The statistical tool used for testing the formulated hypotheses in this study is the Chi-square (χ²). Based on the analysis, it was discovered among others that youth unemployment predisposes young ones to crime leading to insecurity in the area. Based on the research findings, it is therefore recommended among others thus; entrepreneurship training scheme as a development study should be inculcated into the educational curriculum and made more practical irrespective of the course of one’s area of study.

Keywords: Crime, Insecurity, Poverty, Social problem, Unemployment, Violence, Youth

Street Begging among School Age Children and Social Protection Policy in South western, Nigeria (Published)

This study discussed the factors that caused street begging among school age children and investigated social protection policies aimed at eradicating the menace in Southwestern, Nigeria. It also examined the impact of the social protection policies on street begging among school-age children and assessed the challenges confronting social protection interventions. The study’s primary data were sourced through multi-choice structured questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides. The study administered one hundred and fifty copies of questionnaires on teachers, parents, and school age children in Ondo, Oyo and Lagos States.  Interviews were conducted with twelve 12 respondents on the basis of four from each state based on their experience of street begging by school-age children and social protection policies meant to tackle the menace. Purposively sampled interviewees were from ministries of education and schools, with two education officials from each of the three states and two school principals from each of the three states. Secondary data were from books, relevant journals, government publications, policy guides, gazettes, and online publications. We analyzed quantitative data with the use of descriptive and inferential statistical tools, and qualitative data with content analysis. The study showed poverty, unemployment, broken homes, and poor feeding and other factors as responsible for street begging among school age children. Some of the social protection policies that are in place to eradicate street begging by school-age children in Southwestern Nigeria include Zero Project, Better Education Service Delivery for All, Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education, and other domesticated policies of the federal government. Social protection policies in Southwestern, Nigeria are impactful in reducing street begging but poor funding, change in government, overstretched facilities, and corruption are some of the challenges militating against them. The study concluded that street begging by school age children in Southwestern, Nigeria is a social menace that requires intensification of existing social protection policies and serious government attention.

Keywords: Poverty, child poverty, school age children, social protection policies, street begging

Education Inequality with Emphasis on Schools Drop-Out among Girls in Basic Schools: A Case Study Of Tamale Metropolis In Northern Ghana (Published)

Over the years, Government of Ghana and Non-Governmental Organizations has implemented a number of policies and interventions aimed at achieving access and quality education which is gender inclusive in basic schools across the country. Some of these policies include School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant, Free Exercise Books and recently the Free School Uniforms for pupils in Basic Schools among others. Despite these interventions, drop out from school especially among girls at the basic level it still a problem in Ghana. This paper specifically focused on school dropout among girls in basic schools in Ghana; A case study of Tamale Metropolis. The Metropolis was selected for the study because of the demographic characteristics that pose challenges to girls schooling and its accessibility with regards to location. Qualitative method was used to gain an insight into the perceptions and feelings of teachers, parents, out of school girls and girl learners on causes of dropouts among girls. The case study design was used because the researchers wanted to have a clear understanding of why and how girl child school dropout happens. The population of the study comprised of head teachers, teachers, parents, school girls and out of school girls. Purposive sampling was used to select 20 Primary Schools and 10 Junior High Schools from the district whose total enrolment of boys out number girls. Data was collected using interview as main instrument. The study also used secondary data from published dissertations, textbooks, journals and the internet. Several strategies were used to ensure data quality. The findings reveals that parental ignorance on value of girls education, poor parental care, teenage pregnancy, early marriage, poverty, child prostitution, migration of girls to major cities in the south to work as head potters and peer group influence are some of the major reasons why girls drop out of school in Tamale Metropolis. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that Government should roll out programmes to reduce poverty in the country. Scholarships and other incentives should be provided to needy but brilliant girls to enable them stay in school to learn for a brighter future. Sex education and career counselling should be given to girls to help reduce teenage pregnancies. Basic schools should also be encouraged to set up girls clubs to monitor and motivate girls to take their education seriously. Disable and girl friendly infrastructure should be provided in schools to make them safe for girls. Corporal punishment especially canning should be abolished entirely to make schools safer places for girls. Punitive actions should be given to those who marry school girls to serve as deterrent to others. Finally, parents within the metropolis should be sensitized on the value of girls education to enable them support their school girls to stay and learn in school for a brighter future.

Keywords: Basic Education, Dropout among girls, Poverty, Teenage Pregnancy and Girls Education.

Economics of Domestic Violence against Women: The Nigerian Evidence (Published)

Domestic violence essentially denies women’s equality before the law and reinforces their subordinate social status. The fight against domestic violence against women has existed for centuries yet persists all over the world. This study therefore investigates domestic violence against women as a form of poverty and uses the principal component analysis and the Foster Greer and Theorberke (FGT) decomposition methods to analyse this. The study further uses bar charts to show the perception of Nigerians towards domestic violence and relates it to different poverty levels. The findings suggest that the Southern regions are more involved in domestic violence than the Northern region of Nigeria. Also when examined across poverty levels, the results shows that the poorer an individual is in Nigeria, the more likely he is to think that it is justified if he beats the wife for one reason or another. The study therefore recommends more sensitization campaigns to target the poor

Keywords: Domestic Violence, Nigeria, Poverty, Women

Education Inequality with Emphasis on Schools Drop Out Among Girls in Basic Schools: A Case Study of Tamale Metropolis in Northern Ghana (Published)

Over the years, Government of Ghana and Non-Governmental Organizations have implemented a number of policies and interventions aimed at achieving access and quality education which is gender inclusive in basic schools across the country. Some of these policies from Government of Ghana include School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant, Free Exercise Books and recently the Free School Uniforms for pupils in Basic Schools among others. Despite these interventions, drop out from school especially among girls at the basic level it still a problem in Ghana. This paper specifically focused on school dropout among girls in basic schools in Ghana; A case study of Tamale Metropolis. The Metropolis was selected for the study because of the demographic characteristics that pose challenges to girls schooling and its accessibility with regards to location. Qualitative method was used to gain an insight into the perceptions and feelings of teachers, parents, out of school girls and girl learners on causes of dropouts among girls. The case study design was used because the researchers wanted to have a clear understanding of why and how girl child school dropout happens. The population of the study comprised of head teachers, teachers, District Girls Education Officer, parents, school girls and out of school girls. Purposive sampling was used to select 20 Primary Schools and 10 Junior High Schools from the district whose total enrolment of boys out number girls. Data was collected using interview as main instrument. The study also used secondary data from published dissertations, textbooks, journals and the internet. Several strategies were used to ensure data quality. The findings reveals that parental ignorance on value of girls education, poor parental care, teenage pregnancy, early marriage, poverty, child prostitution, migration of girls to major cities in the south to work as head potters and peer group influence are some of the major reasons why girls drop out of school in Tamale Metropolis. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that Government should roll out programmes to reduce poverty in the country. Scholarships and other incentives should be provided to needy but brilliant girls to enable them stay in school to learn for a brighter future. Sex education and career counselling should be given to girls to help reduce teenage pregnancies. Basic schools should also be encouraged to set up girls clubs to monitor and motivate girls to take their education seriously. Disable and girl friendly infrastructure should be provided in schools to make them safe for girls. Corporal punishment especially canning should be abolished entirely to make schools safer places for girls. Punitive actions should be given to those who marry school girls to serve as deterrent to others. Finally, parents within the metropolis should be sensitized on the value of girls education to enable them support their school girls to stay and learn in school for a brighter future.

Keywords: Basic Education, Dropout among girls, Poverty, Teenage Pregnancy and Girls Education.

CHILD LABOUR AND ITS SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS ON CHILDREN IN SELECTED CITIES IN NIGERIA (Review Completed - Accepted)

Severe economic crisis has contributed to the rise in the incidence of child labour in Nigerian cities. For many hours a day, children are engaged in economic tasks (paid and unpaid for), which are detrimental to their physical, mental, social and moral well-being. For these children, involvement in child labour has limited their social relevance to the immediate and larger society. The main objective of this study therefore, is to examine the social implications of child labour on children in selected Nigerian cities. The specific objectives of the study include: (i) assess the incidence of child labour in the Nigerian cities, (ii) examine the implications of child labour on children’s education, health and delinquent behaviour.

The study adopts survey research method in which relevant data were collected through administered questionnaire to respondents. The respondents were selected from three cities in Nigeria namely; Ibadan, Enugu, and Kaduna. The cities were selected based on their strategic importance as former administrative centres of the three old regions of Nigeria. Some of these areas were chosen randomly in each city and a total of 826 child labourers were selected as respondents using judgemental sampling method. Chi-square was used to determine the relationship between the type of child labour engaged in and respondents’ social characteristics.

Findings from the study revealed that: (i) child labour activities fall into different categories namely, bus conducting, car washing, hawking, begging and others such as weaving, tailoring, hairdressing and auto-repairing, (ii) most children who engage in child labour are largely from the lower economic stratum of the society; (iv) incidence of child labour was also significantly related to the rate of  child’s health status (r = 0.21> t_0.05); school attendance (r = -0.62 > t_0.05); academic performance (r =0.39 > t_0.05) their delinquent behaviours (r =0.57 > t_{0.05);contact} with parent (r = 0.24 > t_0.05) and child’s exploitation by employers (r= 0.31 > t_0.05).

In conclusion, children who engage in economic activities are found to be different with respect to their social development. It is therefore recommended that: (i) strict measure should be taken by appropriate authorities to curtail employers from engaging under-aged children in hazardous jobs that can impair their health status and hinder their educational development; (ii) there should be public enlightenment programmes, targeted at the poor section of the population, on the negative implications of child labour to the victims (the children), the family and the society at large; (iii) efforts should be made to embark on realistic and practicable poverty alleviation programmes aimed at reducing the incidence of poverty  among Nigerians which was found to be a major cause of child labour; and (iv) governments at all levels in Nigeria should take practical steps to enforce the existing legislation on free basic (primary) education as a way of removing many child labourers from the street to the class.

Keywords: Child Labour, Child Rights, Delinquent Behaviour, Poverty, Social Implications

POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA (Published)

The study analyses the Poverty Alleviation Programmes as an alternative to Peace and Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria; it links the frequency of Conflicts (insecurity) in the region the incidence of absolute and abject poverty. The study predominantly utilized secondary data. In the final analyses, it is shown that conflicts in the region are traceable to poverty. The study concludes that, peace, stability and security is the foundation for achieving the socio-economic development; therefore, preventing conflict, resolving conflict and for peace to be built, poverty has to be alleviated or eradicate the poverty tension that breeds ground for conflict, which requires a genuine commitment for poverty alleviation programmes and involvement of constituents people at every level–design, implementation and monitoring of poverty reduction programs

Keywords: Conflict, Conflict Resolution, Ethno-religious, Insecurity, Peace, Poverty