Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/3
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item COMMUNITY BASED INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURAL PRACTICES AS PREDICTORS OF PEACE-BUILDING IN COMMUNITIES OF THE NIGER DELTA REGION, NIGERIA(2013) OYITSO, M. O.The reported neglect of the region over the years and resultant agitations and communal unrest has led to destruction of lives and properties. Past efforts at resolving the crises have focused on the multinational activities and interventions, government interventions and youth empowerment programmes without considering the use of community based institutions and cultural practices. Yet these institutions and cultural practices have been found to be effective mechanism for conflict resolution. This study, therefore, examined the extent to which community- based institutions (traditional councils of chiefs, peace committees, age grade system, stakeholders‟ meetings and community development committees) and cultural practices (oath taking, taboo system, oracle consultation and festivals) predict peace-building in the Niger Delta Region. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. Stratified proportional random sampling technique was used to select 1466 respondents (71 traditional rulers, 830 adult inhabitants, 410 youths, 90 nongovernmental organisation officials, 65 community development committee members (CDC)) from three local government areas in each of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States. Three instruments were used namely Community Based-Institutions and Peace-building questionnaire (r= 0.76), Cultural Practices and Peace-building questionnaire (r=0.84) and Communal Peace-building questionnaire (r=0.79). These were complemented with 13 sessions of Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and three sessions of Key Informant Interview (KII) held with a chief, health officer and head of the joint security task force. Seven research questions were answered and two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. Multiple regression analysis, t-test and percentages were used for data analysis. Content analysis was used for the qualitative data. Community based institutions and cultural practices correlated positively with peace-building in the region(R= 0.832) and they jointly explained 69.1%, the variance in the dependent measure. The order of the relative contributions of the factors to peace-building is as follows: oath taking (β=.450), taboo system (β=.358), festival (β=.199), age grade system (β=.112), oracle consultation (β=.076), community development committee (β=.061), peace committee (β=.049), traditional council of chiefs (β=.048) and stakeholder‟s meeting (β=.043). All the nine factors predicted peace-building in the region: traditional council of chiefs (B=-.021; t= 2.403; p<.05), peace committee (B=-.027; t= 2.61 p< 0.05); taboo system (B=1.650, t= 14.176; p<.05), festival (B=.948; t=7.811; p<.05); oracle consultation B=.953; t= 5.216; p<.05), oath taking, (B=2.269 t=29.619; p<.05), age-grade system (B=-.055; t= 6.152; p<.05), stakeholders‟ meeting (B=-.01929; t=2.282; p<.05) and community development committee (B=-.314; t=3.279; p<.05). FGD and KII revealed that the use of community-based institutions and cultural practices would bring peace, unity and development to the region and the people believed that community based institutions are more effective in peace-building than government instituted structures. Also, cultural practices are means of bringing people together and help in curbing crisis in the communities. Community-based institutions enhanced peace-building more than cultural practices in the Niger Delta region. Therefore, all components of community based institutions and cultural practices should be strengthened through training of leaders of various groups on the rudiment of peace-building. It is also recommended that these group leaders be involved in the process of conflict management.Item BUSINESS-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR SECURITY AND PEACEBUILDING IN OIL-PRODUCING COMMUNITIES OF EGBEMA, IMO STATE, NIGERIA(2012) CHUKWUNTA, E. C.Oil exploration and production and socio-political stability of Nigeria have for over a decade, been undermined by conflict and insecurity in the oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta region. The potentials for peace-building partnerships between oil-producing communities and oil companies have not been adequately studied. Therefore, this study examined how partnerships between business, especially transnational oil companies and local oil-producing communities may enhance security and peacebuilding in the Niger Delta region. The Communities and Shell Together (CAST) project being implemented in Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria, was used as a case study. The study adopted a survey research design. Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data for the study. This was complemented with key informant interviews (KII), non-participant observation and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with CAST-worker and non CAST-worker residents of the communities, representatives of community-based organisations, non-governmental organisations, and government agencies. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 85% of the 167 CAST-worker residents which yielded 142, and 142 non CAST-worker residents were purposively selected from the 13 Egbema communities. The data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and charts. The KIIs and FGDs data were content analysed. The impact of the CAST project on community-company relations, peace, and security in the oil-producing communities was acknowledged as positive. A total of 90.1% of the respondents observed that in the pre-CAST era, the relationship between the communities and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was very conflictual, and 93% reckoned that since the inception of CAST, the relationship has been peaceful. Almost all (97.9%) of the respondents noted that before the beginning of CAST, the pipelines and facilities of SPDC were insecure while 77.9% stated that the pipelines and facilities of the company have been very secure since the inception of CAST. The CAST project has brought about the much needed youth employment, better community-company relations, diminished community displeasure about company operations, improved security for SPDC pipelines and facilities, and boosted a sense of belonging among communities. Through its inclusive approach which involves the communities in the design, implementation, and ownership of security, peace-building, and developmental projects, the CAST partnership is enhancing community-company relations, peace, and security in the areas of its implementation. There is an urgent need in the oil-producing communities for developmental programmes that are inclusive in design, implementation, and ownership. Efforts should be geared towards directing the CAST initiative to further foster job creation. Governments, oil companies, and other stakeholders should explore the replication of the CAST model across the whole of the Niger Delta as a means to ensure security and peace in the region.Item GEO-ECONOMIC FACTORS, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS DETERMINANTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS� ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS IN THE NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA(2014) AMATARI, V. O.Mathematics and English Language are core subjects at the primary school level meant to develop numeracy and oral communication among pupils. Despite their importance, records show that pupils in the Niger Delta region usually score lower than their colleagues from other geopolitical zones in public examinations in these subjects. Researchers have tried to isolate the reasons for this gap in achievement. However little has been done on how geo-economic factors: environmental degradation (ED), poverty (PO), school location (SL); school attendance (SA), parental involvement (PI), and proficiency in English Language influence pupils' achievement in Mathematics. Therefore, this study examined the extent to which these factors influence primary school pupils' achievement in Mathematics in the Niger Delta region. The study adopted correlational design. Random sampling method was used to select 39 (rural = 23, urban = 16) primary schools from three states in the Niger Delta region: Delta (rural 10, urban 05), Bayelsa (rural 07, urban 06), and Rivers (rural 06, urban 05). One thousand and two hundred public primary six pupils and their parents (Rivers = 400, Delta = 400, Bayelsa = 400) participated in the study. Five instruments: Parents' Poverty Level Scale(r=0.73), Environmental Degradation Level Scale (r=0.81), Parental Involvement Scale (r=0.79), Pupils� Mathematics Achievement Test (r = 0.71) and English Achievement Test (r=0.79) were developed by the researcher. Pupils� school attendance scores were obtained from school records. Pearson correlation coefficients, path analysis and multiple regression were used for data analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Mathematics achievement had positive significant relationships with environmental degradation (r=0.060) poverty (r=0.103), at-home involvement (r=0.139) and English language(r=0.295) while school location, at-school parental involvement and school attendance were not statistically significant. The fit statistics ?2(35, n = 1200) = 438.2, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.09, Comparative Fit Index = 0.59, Goodness of Fit Index = 0.93 showed that the hypothesised model moderately fit the observed correlations among the variables. Beta weights showed that ED (?=0.065), PO (?=0.082), At-home involvement (AHI) (?=0.169) and English language (ENG) (?=0.276) had direct and positive effects on Mathematics achievement. At-school parental involvement (ASI) (?= -0.96)had negative direct effect on Mathematics achievement. The ED (?=0.020), PO (?=0.029), ASI (?=0.074) and AHI (?=0.030) had positive and indirect effects on Mathematics. State (?=-0.008), SL (?=-0.02), SA (?=0.027) had only marginal indirect effects on Mathematics achievement. About 3% of the variance observed in Mathematics was accounted for by ED, PO, ASI, AHI, ENG, SA, SL and State. English language had the largest influence on Mathematics achievement, while at- school involvement had least influence. Geo-economic factors, parental involvement and proficiency in English Language had direct effects on Mathematics achievement. Therefore, pupils should be encouraged to improve on their use of English language as it enhances their understanding of Mathematics. Parents should be mobilized and their support enlisted in helping their children to succeed. Enforcement of stringent laws will reduce the devastation of the environment to provide conducive learning environment for primary school pupils.