Background: Studies have examined agent banking practices in developing economies with substantia... more Background: Studies have examined agent banking practices in developing economies with substantial scholarly works revolving around the Asian economy. Some other works around the issue dwell substantially on the effect of agent banking on the development of the economy. Limited scholarly attention, however, seems to be given to how agent banking practices deepen the financial inclusion of the rural unbanked population of Cross River State, Nigeria. Objective: The study examined the implementation of agent banking policy and financial inclusion of the rural unbanked population of Nigeria. Methodology: The study adopted the cross-sectional design and used 387 respondents purposefully and accidentally drawn from bank marketers, operators of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals, and unbanked rural dwellers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed with chi-square and multiple regression analysis, while hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level. Results: The study found that using POS terminals in rural areas has not significantly increased the number of rural dwellers opening new bank accounts. It was further found that the application of POS was useful in money transfers and cash deposits in rural areas. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly influenced the application of POS devices in the delivery of agent banking in rural areas. Conclusion: The study concludes that agent banking policy has brought financial services scantily close to the rural unbanked population and has not significantly included the rural unbanked dwellers in the formal financial system. Unique contribution: This study has provided empirical evidence that could guide decision-making on effectively integrating the rural population into the formal financial sector. Recommendation: The study recommends, amongst others, that banks should carry out agent morphing to extend complete banking services to rural areas other than saving and withdrawals, the only banking functions carried out by POS agents in rural areas.
Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions... more Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance. Scholars have largely focused on the utility of AI for human existence. Limited scholarly works seem to specifically address the potential and the adverse effects of AI-dominated use in the area of academic research. Objective: This paper attempts to reflect on the implications of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic research. Specifically, it examines the potential and possible threats of AI to academic research. Methodology: The paper adopted an exploratory research approach that seeks to explore the emerging AI relationship with academic research to stimulate further study in the new field. Data were collected through a literature search to support the polemic discussion of the issues raised. Results: The paper posits that Artificial Intelligence's dominant use in academic research has the potential to analyse large datasets with speed and ease, reduce plagiarism, and improve literature review. However, it is likely to limit critical thinking, academic creativity, and the creation of indolence among academics and can also induce machine-mediated plagiarism, known as AIgiarism. Conclusion: The paper concludes that though the application of Artificial Intelligence presents some advantages in the field of education, unethical reliance on it diminishes human creativity in scholarship and formerly recognises indolence in academic activities. Unique contribution: The paper has articulated a discussion that can inform ethical and legal framework on the application of Artificial Intelligence in academic research. Recommendation: AI tools need to be developed to distinguish between AI-supported research write-ups and human-written papers. This is important to discourage AIgiarism (plagiarism), which is inevitably thrown up by intelligent software applications.
According to Frynas et al. (2000), poverty is a global challenge which has attracted the concerns... more According to Frynas et al. (2000), poverty is a global challenge which has attracted the concerns of the government and non-government organisations. The paper aims to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) and poverty reduction programmes in the emerging market. The scope of the paper is limited to the activities of Lafarge Africa Plc in Cross River State. It adopts a survey research method. Data was obtained through unstructured interviews and questionnaires, administered to a sample of 400 respondents: staff of the company and resident in Mfamosing village, in Akamkpa Local Government Area. Data obtained were analysed using independent t-test analysis to test the hypotheses. The main findings of that study show that the provision of educational support programmes by Lafarge Africa Plc significantly contributes to poverty reduction in Cross River State, also that the maintenance of rural roads by Lafarge Africa Plc significantly contributes to poverty reduction in Cross River State. The study concludes and recommends the need for inclusiveness and community participation, in the initiation, design, and implementation of CSR in Cross River State and developing economies at large.
Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions... more Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance. Scholars have largely focused on the utility of AI for human existence. Limited scholarly works seem to specifically address the potential and the adverse effects of AI-dominated use in the area of academic research. Objective: This paper attempts to reflect on the implications of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic research. Specifically, it examines the potential and possible threats of AI to academic research. Methodology: The paper adopted an exploratory research approach that seeks to explore the emerging AI relationship with academic research to stimulate further study in the new field. Data were collected through a literature search to support the polemic discussion of the issues raised. Results: The paper posits that Artificial Intelligence's dominant use in academic research has the potential to analyse large datasets with speed and ease, reduce plagiarism, and improve literature review. However, it is likely to limit critical thinking, academic creativity, and the creation of indolence among academics and can also induce machine-mediated plagiarism, known as AIgiarism. Conclusion: The paper concludes that though the application of Artificial Intelligence presents some advantages in the field of education, unethical reliance on it diminishes human creativity in scholarship and formerly recognises indolence in academic activities. Unique contribution: The paper has articulated a discussion that can inform ethical and legal framework on the application of Artificial Intelligence in academic research. Recommendation: AI tools need to be developed to distinguish between AI-supported research write-ups and human-written papers. This is important to discourage AIgiarism (plagiarism), which is inevitably thrown up by intelligent software applications.
International Journal of Electronic Government Research
The study used a case study technique to investigate why the implementation of e-governance and I... more The study used a case study technique to investigate why the implementation of e-governance and ICT in government service provisioning has not resulted in a commensurate improvement in service delivery in Cross River State, Nigeria. It specifically investigates the effect of in-service training on civil servants' digital literacy, the consequent impact of e-governance implementation, and service delivery. The study finds that there was inadequate in-service training, which was partly caused by the cognitive disposition of civil servants who did not fully cooperate with the implementation of the e-governance reform. The study aligns with existing theories of institutional and organisational change which requires that organisational change requires realignment of beliefs and behavioral norms of organization members. The study recommends that the implementation of e-governance can only yield better results in effective service delivery if the civil servants are made to accept the r...
As a compulsory payment exacted from the people for government use, tax proceeds are expected to ... more As a compulsory payment exacted from the people for government use, tax proceeds are expected to manifest basic social values for the citizens as well as representative as possible. The Nigerian context depicts infinitesimal applicability of tax revenue to the provision of social services in Nigeria. This performance crisis manifests in the absence of basic infrastructure, the tendency to evade tax payment and the impoverishment of the Nigerian people. The paper therefore, addresses fundamentally the implication of non-applicability of tax revenue to manifest social welfare concerns of citizens to show why tax evasion is common in Nigeria. It assumes frankly that fiscal administrators have deliberately lost track of the primary mission of taxation owing largely to personal interest, evidenced in corrupt practices. Obviously, we need therefore, to re align taxation to its primary objective. The starting point, the paper suggests, is the evolution of tax policy regime that is humanist...
Journal of Resources Development and Management, 2016
Efforts to address gender inequality emphasises several measures to achieve women’s empowerment a... more Efforts to address gender inequality emphasises several measures to achieve women’s empowerment and involvement in all spheres of national lives. Education has been observed as a means of achieving women empowerment. Advocates view education as a springboard to employment and economic independence. It also provides the critical foundation from which further empowerment takes off. While women have experienced significant gains in literacy and educational attainment, the inequality in public sphere is still very pronounced and the opportunities for economic enhancement in terms of access to resources especially within the urban existence is still slim. The problem is; could education condition the economic behaviour of the woman at the rural area? What role does the level of education of women at the rural locales play in the rate of resource exploitation? The objective of this study therefore, is to examine the extent to which the educational levels of the rural woman accentuate her ...
Debates globally rest on the conclusion that the environment is witnessing rapid climate change. ... more Debates globally rest on the conclusion that the environment is witnessing rapid climate change. The confirmation of this conclusion is manifest in the dimensions of devastations witnessed all over the world. From the Tsunami through the hurricanes of debilitating magnitude to drought with desert feature, the occurrence remains the same the world over. In 2012, Nigeria witnessed the worst flooding ever having swept over twelve states. Emphasis is placed on mitigating or adapting to climate change in Nigeria. The question is; how aware are public officials of climate change to guarantee appropriate mitigation and adaptation policies? The study therefore, assesses the climate change awareness level of public office holders in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study assumes that there is an inextricable link between the level of awareness by public officers and eco-policy formulation to address climate change. The study adopted the survey design method and collected data through Climate ...
This study evaluated the impact of European Union Micro Projects Programme six on enrolment rates... more This study evaluated the impact of European Union Micro Projects Programme six on enrolment rates in affected rural schools in Cross River State, Nigeria. The aim is to assess the extent to which the programme’s objectives of enhancing enrolment rate in the affected rural schools through the construction of classroom blocks was achieved. The study’s main hypothesis was that “there is no significant impact of the EUMPP6 education infrastructure Programme on improved enrolment in affected schools in rural Cross River State, Nigeria after the intervention”. Data were collected through document study, questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion and were analyzed with t-test statistical tools. The result of the analysis revealed that EUMPP6 intervention in classroom blocks improved the rate of enrolment in the affected schools. It is recommended that consistent efforts be made in attracting more interventions to rural communities especially to those that were not affected by the EUMPP6 prog...
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 2016
Providing healthcare services to public service workers in Nigeria has not been an easy task. Wit... more Providing healthcare services to public service workers in Nigeria has not been an easy task. With fixed and low income, majority of the public service workers cannot boast of meeting their basic medical needs. They are daily confronted with the condition of high cost of drugs and medical services which are not easily affordable. Besides, there is the general lamentation on the inability of public servants to access adequate and effective healthcare arising mainly from poverty occasioned by meager monthly emolument, the dearth of trained medical personnel, infrastructural decay, and poor funding of the medical system. This appalling condition prompted the federal government in Nigeria to introduce the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in order to address this situation. Unfortunately, NHIS seems unable to provide the expected healthcare services due to a number of challenges. This paper identified these challenges ranging from poor public conception of the scheme, corruption, cultural dementia to excessive bureaucratization among others. As a pathway to its success, the paper suggests among others an act for a special trust fund and mandatory participation.
JINAV: Journal of Information and Visualization, 2021
The study examined awareness of National Health Insurance Scheme activities and service utilizati... more The study examined awareness of National Health Insurance Scheme activities and service utilization among enrolled employees in government institutions in Nigeria. Adopting the survey research method, data was collected from 1200 samples employed in three federal Government Institutions in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria using a structured self-developed questionnaire. The samples were selected using the purposive and proportional sampling technique. Descriptive analysis was used to present result and linear regression was used to check the variable under study at 0.05 confidence level. The result from the descriptive analysis revealed that there was moderate knowledge (48 per cent) that there are drugs not on the NHIS drug list. Result also revealed minimal knowledge (30 per cent) that there is some treatment not on the NHIS treatment List. Regression analysis revealed a moderate correlation (30 per cent) between awareness of NHIS activities and service utilisation (F (1, 1112)...
Religion and politics are two very important aspects of human society anywhere in the world. Whil... more Religion and politics are two very important aspects of human society anywhere in the world. While religion addresses and conditions man’s spiritual balance, politics shapes the practice of religion and determine who gets what, when and how (Lasswell, 1958) in any given political setting. The belief in the supernatural can make people to resist any perceived attempt to distort one’s religious belief. An attempt to sustain one’s religion on the other hand can determine the way one acts in the electoral process. In other words, the notion that a favourable polity guarantees the liberty to exercise freely one’s religious rituals can influence the attitude and the way people act in deciding who should govern them. Religion and politics have come to be inseparable in man’s quest for political power. In some societies, religion has been exploited to promote ascendancy to state power. This study assesses the relationship between religion and voter behavior in Cross River State, Nigeria and...
The burden of rural development has remained recurrent in the development planning of Nigeria fro... more The burden of rural development has remained recurrent in the development planning of Nigeria from independence to date. Despite these concerns, the condition of the rural areas in terms of development infrastructure remains precarious. The development of rural infrastructure is highly central to the transformation of rural areas of Nigeria yet attention in that direction seems unproductive. Several methods of effecting rural development have been applied in the Nigerian context with little or no major inroad into addressing rural infrastructure and reversing the rural squalor common in the country. This paper argues that the pool method (central determination) of financing basic rural infrastructure is prone to excluding so many communities from accessing basic facilities and falls short of the practice of accountability. On the basis of this, the paper recommends a model of financing basic rural infrastructure known as FINANCIAL EQUITY MODEL. It is the thesis of this paper that fu...
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2018
This study focuses on the involvement of women in agricultural production in Cross River State, N... more This study focuses on the involvement of women in agricultural production in Cross River State, Nigeria. The objective is to ascertain the contributions of women to food sufficiency in the state and the challenges they face in course of their farming process. The study attempted to answer the following research questions; what is the level of contribution of women in agriculture to food sufficiency in Cross River State? What are the inhibiting challenges to agricultural production by women in Cross River State? A total of 900 women across the State were examined to capture their involvement and contribution to agricultural production as well as the challenges they face in this process. Data was generated through questionnaire, interview and observation and were analyzed with simple percentage technique and presented on tables and graph. The study discovered that women in agriculture in cross river are active contributors to food sufficiency through the remarkable increase in their crop production index. Second; women are faced with challenges that inhibit robust food production in the state such as land restriction, limited access to capital/access to credit, gender inequality/discrimination and lack of storage facility. On the basis of this the study advocates policy change to give women access to more land and credit facilities. Traditional norms that hinder women access to land be relaxed through government conscious pressure on local culture. Robust assistance to fund women agriculture should become the priority of the state and the local governments through conscious policy of soft credit facilities with minimal collateral.
As a central agency in the democratic game, the role of an electoral body such as the Independent... more As a central agency in the democratic game, the role of an electoral body such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is clearly of paramount importance in the process of transition to and consolidation of democracy. Unfortunately in Nigeria the performance of this institutional umpire since the First Republic has instead been a source of crisis and a threat to the existence of the Nigerian state. The widely perceived catastrophic failure of INEC in the April 2007 general elections was only one manifestation for the 'performance crisis' of antecedent electoral umpires in the Nigerian First, Second and Third republics. The paper highlights the malignant operational environment as a major explanation for the manifest multiple disorders of the elections and concludes that INEC's conduct was tantamount to partiality. Thus, while fundamental changes need to be considered in the enabling law setting up INEC, ensuring the organisation's independence, and guaranteeing its impartiality, the paper suggests that membership of the commission should be confined to representatives nominated by their parties and a serving judge appointed by the judiciary as chairman of the commission.
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2016
The phenomenon of poverty has always occupied the central discourse of many organised polities es... more The phenomenon of poverty has always occupied the central discourse of many organised polities especially given its attendant consequences in a society where it is dominant. Scholars and practitioners have in various ways debated profusely on what causes poverty and its reduction process. While some hold the profound view that the causes of poverty are largely exogenous, others submit that the causes of poverty are endogenous. They largely ascribe poverty to government corruption with limited attempt at isolating the elements of this corruption. The aim of this paper therefore, is to interrogate the contribution of the relationship between the state and academics to the accentuation of poverty and how such relationship can provide a vent for effective poverty reduction in Nigeria. It is a modest attempt at identifying a new approach towards understanding the poverty scourge and viable reduction schema. Data for the study was collected through primary and secondary sources with greater reliance on participant observation and interview methods. Data analysis was by qualitative method using simple qualitative analysis. The study submits that overlapping relationship of mutual interdependence between the state, academia and industries in stimulating research into science and technology development is a more sustainable poverty reduction strategy.
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2016
Productivity is a core consideration in the development equation of countries that strive for eco... more Productivity is a core consideration in the development equation of countries that strive for economic strength, increase in national revenue through foreign exchange earnings and overall improvement in the standard of living of its citizens. It has therefore become a core concept for development planners and institutions. Any country that exhibits a lackluster attitude to productivity is consciously inviting poverty. This paper examines the sanctity of productivity change and competitiveness as a sin qua non to national development and hypothesizes that effective resource diversification to productivity change and competitiveness could reposition Nigeria on the path of national transformation. Basic data for the paper were through literature search. The paper outlines the determinants of productivity change and the place of policy in changing the production direction of Nigeria. It observes that Nigeria productivity is conditioned by a mono resource (Oil). It concludes that a conscious policy direction on resource diversification will place Nigeria in the direction of productivity change. To achieve this, the paper recommends effective collaboration between the state, academia and the industry in the development of knowledge base economy
Current debates rest on the conclusion that Nigerian leadership suffers from extreme moral deprav... more Current debates rest on the conclusion that Nigerian leadership suffers from extreme moral depravity and attitudinal debauchery. This leadership personality is expressed in poor governance manifested in consistent crises and insecurity, poverty of extreme order among the citizens, debilitating miasma of corruption and rising unemployment indices. There is a glaring failure to regulate the system effectively and the leadership's inability to exploit and distribute the resources of the state fairly and equitably. Nigerian leadership has been described as a corrugated theatre of indentured roguery, and its populace as a timid mass of impoverished humanity. Infrastructural decay has become a national identity and the citizens now live in bizarre condition of uncertainty. The picture shows a rapidly failing state and it is argued here that it is largely a function of poor leadership attitude. Nigerian leadership today requires a new attitude to navigate a rapidly deteriorating society. How this attitudinal change can be brought about was the focus of this paper. The study generated data from documentary sources as well as researcher-experiences through participant observation and descriptively analysed them. The discussion concludes that the persuasive approach to bringing about attitudinal change has failed to cause a change of attitude in Nigerian leadership towards being responsive to public interest. On the basis of this, the paper recommends a new approach to attitudinal change called legitimate compulsion.
The fact remains that the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is faced with worrisome challenges that h... more The fact remains that the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is faced with worrisome challenges that have devastated the environment and collapsed the local economy of the region. The region for quite some time now has been riddled in large violent pattern of conflict with palpable hatred, scorching fury and mayhem. Attempts have been made by scholars to locate the source of the crises of the region. Bulk of the contributions on this issue attributes the crises to external factors such as the activities of oil industries, i.e. the exploration and exploitation of oil which excludes the aborigines from the oil wealth. Others argue that the discriminatory revenue sharing of the federal government accounts largely for the challenges in the area. While these external factors may seem convincing as the causes of the problem of the region, they are causally deceptive and attempt to shift attention away from the core cause of the region's nightmare. They are merely the symptoms of the problem and not the core causes of the problem. The aim of the paper is to rethink the source of the problem of the Niger delta region. Data was gathered through focus group discussion, participant observation and secondary sources. Analysis was by simple polemics. The paper submits that the cause of the Niger Delta challenges lies largely in the internal governance which is sufficiently depraved. It recommends among others that leadership at the region should be subjected to thorough reorientation and that the electoral process should be organised in a modern form to guarantee the election of leaders who are pro-people.
Background: Studies have examined agent banking practices in developing economies with substantia... more Background: Studies have examined agent banking practices in developing economies with substantial scholarly works revolving around the Asian economy. Some other works around the issue dwell substantially on the effect of agent banking on the development of the economy. Limited scholarly attention, however, seems to be given to how agent banking practices deepen the financial inclusion of the rural unbanked population of Cross River State, Nigeria. Objective: The study examined the implementation of agent banking policy and financial inclusion of the rural unbanked population of Nigeria. Methodology: The study adopted the cross-sectional design and used 387 respondents purposefully and accidentally drawn from bank marketers, operators of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals, and unbanked rural dwellers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed with chi-square and multiple regression analysis, while hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level. Results: The study found that using POS terminals in rural areas has not significantly increased the number of rural dwellers opening new bank accounts. It was further found that the application of POS was useful in money transfers and cash deposits in rural areas. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly influenced the application of POS devices in the delivery of agent banking in rural areas. Conclusion: The study concludes that agent banking policy has brought financial services scantily close to the rural unbanked population and has not significantly included the rural unbanked dwellers in the formal financial system. Unique contribution: This study has provided empirical evidence that could guide decision-making on effectively integrating the rural population into the formal financial sector. Recommendation: The study recommends, amongst others, that banks should carry out agent morphing to extend complete banking services to rural areas other than saving and withdrawals, the only banking functions carried out by POS agents in rural areas.
Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions... more Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance. Scholars have largely focused on the utility of AI for human existence. Limited scholarly works seem to specifically address the potential and the adverse effects of AI-dominated use in the area of academic research. Objective: This paper attempts to reflect on the implications of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic research. Specifically, it examines the potential and possible threats of AI to academic research. Methodology: The paper adopted an exploratory research approach that seeks to explore the emerging AI relationship with academic research to stimulate further study in the new field. Data were collected through a literature search to support the polemic discussion of the issues raised. Results: The paper posits that Artificial Intelligence's dominant use in academic research has the potential to analyse large datasets with speed and ease, reduce plagiarism, and improve literature review. However, it is likely to limit critical thinking, academic creativity, and the creation of indolence among academics and can also induce machine-mediated plagiarism, known as AIgiarism. Conclusion: The paper concludes that though the application of Artificial Intelligence presents some advantages in the field of education, unethical reliance on it diminishes human creativity in scholarship and formerly recognises indolence in academic activities. Unique contribution: The paper has articulated a discussion that can inform ethical and legal framework on the application of Artificial Intelligence in academic research. Recommendation: AI tools need to be developed to distinguish between AI-supported research write-ups and human-written papers. This is important to discourage AIgiarism (plagiarism), which is inevitably thrown up by intelligent software applications.
According to Frynas et al. (2000), poverty is a global challenge which has attracted the concerns... more According to Frynas et al. (2000), poverty is a global challenge which has attracted the concerns of the government and non-government organisations. The paper aims to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) and poverty reduction programmes in the emerging market. The scope of the paper is limited to the activities of Lafarge Africa Plc in Cross River State. It adopts a survey research method. Data was obtained through unstructured interviews and questionnaires, administered to a sample of 400 respondents: staff of the company and resident in Mfamosing village, in Akamkpa Local Government Area. Data obtained were analysed using independent t-test analysis to test the hypotheses. The main findings of that study show that the provision of educational support programmes by Lafarge Africa Plc significantly contributes to poverty reduction in Cross River State, also that the maintenance of rural roads by Lafarge Africa Plc significantly contributes to poverty reduction in Cross River State. The study concludes and recommends the need for inclusiveness and community participation, in the initiation, design, and implementation of CSR in Cross River State and developing economies at large.
Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions... more Background: Artificial intelligence is already altering the world and raising important questions for society, the economy, and governance. Scholars have largely focused on the utility of AI for human existence. Limited scholarly works seem to specifically address the potential and the adverse effects of AI-dominated use in the area of academic research. Objective: This paper attempts to reflect on the implications of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic research. Specifically, it examines the potential and possible threats of AI to academic research. Methodology: The paper adopted an exploratory research approach that seeks to explore the emerging AI relationship with academic research to stimulate further study in the new field. Data were collected through a literature search to support the polemic discussion of the issues raised. Results: The paper posits that Artificial Intelligence's dominant use in academic research has the potential to analyse large datasets with speed and ease, reduce plagiarism, and improve literature review. However, it is likely to limit critical thinking, academic creativity, and the creation of indolence among academics and can also induce machine-mediated plagiarism, known as AIgiarism. Conclusion: The paper concludes that though the application of Artificial Intelligence presents some advantages in the field of education, unethical reliance on it diminishes human creativity in scholarship and formerly recognises indolence in academic activities. Unique contribution: The paper has articulated a discussion that can inform ethical and legal framework on the application of Artificial Intelligence in academic research. Recommendation: AI tools need to be developed to distinguish between AI-supported research write-ups and human-written papers. This is important to discourage AIgiarism (plagiarism), which is inevitably thrown up by intelligent software applications.
International Journal of Electronic Government Research
The study used a case study technique to investigate why the implementation of e-governance and I... more The study used a case study technique to investigate why the implementation of e-governance and ICT in government service provisioning has not resulted in a commensurate improvement in service delivery in Cross River State, Nigeria. It specifically investigates the effect of in-service training on civil servants' digital literacy, the consequent impact of e-governance implementation, and service delivery. The study finds that there was inadequate in-service training, which was partly caused by the cognitive disposition of civil servants who did not fully cooperate with the implementation of the e-governance reform. The study aligns with existing theories of institutional and organisational change which requires that organisational change requires realignment of beliefs and behavioral norms of organization members. The study recommends that the implementation of e-governance can only yield better results in effective service delivery if the civil servants are made to accept the r...
As a compulsory payment exacted from the people for government use, tax proceeds are expected to ... more As a compulsory payment exacted from the people for government use, tax proceeds are expected to manifest basic social values for the citizens as well as representative as possible. The Nigerian context depicts infinitesimal applicability of tax revenue to the provision of social services in Nigeria. This performance crisis manifests in the absence of basic infrastructure, the tendency to evade tax payment and the impoverishment of the Nigerian people. The paper therefore, addresses fundamentally the implication of non-applicability of tax revenue to manifest social welfare concerns of citizens to show why tax evasion is common in Nigeria. It assumes frankly that fiscal administrators have deliberately lost track of the primary mission of taxation owing largely to personal interest, evidenced in corrupt practices. Obviously, we need therefore, to re align taxation to its primary objective. The starting point, the paper suggests, is the evolution of tax policy regime that is humanist...
Journal of Resources Development and Management, 2016
Efforts to address gender inequality emphasises several measures to achieve women’s empowerment a... more Efforts to address gender inequality emphasises several measures to achieve women’s empowerment and involvement in all spheres of national lives. Education has been observed as a means of achieving women empowerment. Advocates view education as a springboard to employment and economic independence. It also provides the critical foundation from which further empowerment takes off. While women have experienced significant gains in literacy and educational attainment, the inequality in public sphere is still very pronounced and the opportunities for economic enhancement in terms of access to resources especially within the urban existence is still slim. The problem is; could education condition the economic behaviour of the woman at the rural area? What role does the level of education of women at the rural locales play in the rate of resource exploitation? The objective of this study therefore, is to examine the extent to which the educational levels of the rural woman accentuate her ...
Debates globally rest on the conclusion that the environment is witnessing rapid climate change. ... more Debates globally rest on the conclusion that the environment is witnessing rapid climate change. The confirmation of this conclusion is manifest in the dimensions of devastations witnessed all over the world. From the Tsunami through the hurricanes of debilitating magnitude to drought with desert feature, the occurrence remains the same the world over. In 2012, Nigeria witnessed the worst flooding ever having swept over twelve states. Emphasis is placed on mitigating or adapting to climate change in Nigeria. The question is; how aware are public officials of climate change to guarantee appropriate mitigation and adaptation policies? The study therefore, assesses the climate change awareness level of public office holders in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study assumes that there is an inextricable link between the level of awareness by public officers and eco-policy formulation to address climate change. The study adopted the survey design method and collected data through Climate ...
This study evaluated the impact of European Union Micro Projects Programme six on enrolment rates... more This study evaluated the impact of European Union Micro Projects Programme six on enrolment rates in affected rural schools in Cross River State, Nigeria. The aim is to assess the extent to which the programme’s objectives of enhancing enrolment rate in the affected rural schools through the construction of classroom blocks was achieved. The study’s main hypothesis was that “there is no significant impact of the EUMPP6 education infrastructure Programme on improved enrolment in affected schools in rural Cross River State, Nigeria after the intervention”. Data were collected through document study, questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion and were analyzed with t-test statistical tools. The result of the analysis revealed that EUMPP6 intervention in classroom blocks improved the rate of enrolment in the affected schools. It is recommended that consistent efforts be made in attracting more interventions to rural communities especially to those that were not affected by the EUMPP6 prog...
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 2016
Providing healthcare services to public service workers in Nigeria has not been an easy task. Wit... more Providing healthcare services to public service workers in Nigeria has not been an easy task. With fixed and low income, majority of the public service workers cannot boast of meeting their basic medical needs. They are daily confronted with the condition of high cost of drugs and medical services which are not easily affordable. Besides, there is the general lamentation on the inability of public servants to access adequate and effective healthcare arising mainly from poverty occasioned by meager monthly emolument, the dearth of trained medical personnel, infrastructural decay, and poor funding of the medical system. This appalling condition prompted the federal government in Nigeria to introduce the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in order to address this situation. Unfortunately, NHIS seems unable to provide the expected healthcare services due to a number of challenges. This paper identified these challenges ranging from poor public conception of the scheme, corruption, cultural dementia to excessive bureaucratization among others. As a pathway to its success, the paper suggests among others an act for a special trust fund and mandatory participation.
JINAV: Journal of Information and Visualization, 2021
The study examined awareness of National Health Insurance Scheme activities and service utilizati... more The study examined awareness of National Health Insurance Scheme activities and service utilization among enrolled employees in government institutions in Nigeria. Adopting the survey research method, data was collected from 1200 samples employed in three federal Government Institutions in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria using a structured self-developed questionnaire. The samples were selected using the purposive and proportional sampling technique. Descriptive analysis was used to present result and linear regression was used to check the variable under study at 0.05 confidence level. The result from the descriptive analysis revealed that there was moderate knowledge (48 per cent) that there are drugs not on the NHIS drug list. Result also revealed minimal knowledge (30 per cent) that there is some treatment not on the NHIS treatment List. Regression analysis revealed a moderate correlation (30 per cent) between awareness of NHIS activities and service utilisation (F (1, 1112)...
Religion and politics are two very important aspects of human society anywhere in the world. Whil... more Religion and politics are two very important aspects of human society anywhere in the world. While religion addresses and conditions man’s spiritual balance, politics shapes the practice of religion and determine who gets what, when and how (Lasswell, 1958) in any given political setting. The belief in the supernatural can make people to resist any perceived attempt to distort one’s religious belief. An attempt to sustain one’s religion on the other hand can determine the way one acts in the electoral process. In other words, the notion that a favourable polity guarantees the liberty to exercise freely one’s religious rituals can influence the attitude and the way people act in deciding who should govern them. Religion and politics have come to be inseparable in man’s quest for political power. In some societies, religion has been exploited to promote ascendancy to state power. This study assesses the relationship between religion and voter behavior in Cross River State, Nigeria and...
The burden of rural development has remained recurrent in the development planning of Nigeria fro... more The burden of rural development has remained recurrent in the development planning of Nigeria from independence to date. Despite these concerns, the condition of the rural areas in terms of development infrastructure remains precarious. The development of rural infrastructure is highly central to the transformation of rural areas of Nigeria yet attention in that direction seems unproductive. Several methods of effecting rural development have been applied in the Nigerian context with little or no major inroad into addressing rural infrastructure and reversing the rural squalor common in the country. This paper argues that the pool method (central determination) of financing basic rural infrastructure is prone to excluding so many communities from accessing basic facilities and falls short of the practice of accountability. On the basis of this, the paper recommends a model of financing basic rural infrastructure known as FINANCIAL EQUITY MODEL. It is the thesis of this paper that fu...
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2018
This study focuses on the involvement of women in agricultural production in Cross River State, N... more This study focuses on the involvement of women in agricultural production in Cross River State, Nigeria. The objective is to ascertain the contributions of women to food sufficiency in the state and the challenges they face in course of their farming process. The study attempted to answer the following research questions; what is the level of contribution of women in agriculture to food sufficiency in Cross River State? What are the inhibiting challenges to agricultural production by women in Cross River State? A total of 900 women across the State were examined to capture their involvement and contribution to agricultural production as well as the challenges they face in this process. Data was generated through questionnaire, interview and observation and were analyzed with simple percentage technique and presented on tables and graph. The study discovered that women in agriculture in cross river are active contributors to food sufficiency through the remarkable increase in their crop production index. Second; women are faced with challenges that inhibit robust food production in the state such as land restriction, limited access to capital/access to credit, gender inequality/discrimination and lack of storage facility. On the basis of this the study advocates policy change to give women access to more land and credit facilities. Traditional norms that hinder women access to land be relaxed through government conscious pressure on local culture. Robust assistance to fund women agriculture should become the priority of the state and the local governments through conscious policy of soft credit facilities with minimal collateral.
As a central agency in the democratic game, the role of an electoral body such as the Independent... more As a central agency in the democratic game, the role of an electoral body such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is clearly of paramount importance in the process of transition to and consolidation of democracy. Unfortunately in Nigeria the performance of this institutional umpire since the First Republic has instead been a source of crisis and a threat to the existence of the Nigerian state. The widely perceived catastrophic failure of INEC in the April 2007 general elections was only one manifestation for the 'performance crisis' of antecedent electoral umpires in the Nigerian First, Second and Third republics. The paper highlights the malignant operational environment as a major explanation for the manifest multiple disorders of the elections and concludes that INEC's conduct was tantamount to partiality. Thus, while fundamental changes need to be considered in the enabling law setting up INEC, ensuring the organisation's independence, and guaranteeing its impartiality, the paper suggests that membership of the commission should be confined to representatives nominated by their parties and a serving judge appointed by the judiciary as chairman of the commission.
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2016
The phenomenon of poverty has always occupied the central discourse of many organised polities es... more The phenomenon of poverty has always occupied the central discourse of many organised polities especially given its attendant consequences in a society where it is dominant. Scholars and practitioners have in various ways debated profusely on what causes poverty and its reduction process. While some hold the profound view that the causes of poverty are largely exogenous, others submit that the causes of poverty are endogenous. They largely ascribe poverty to government corruption with limited attempt at isolating the elements of this corruption. The aim of this paper therefore, is to interrogate the contribution of the relationship between the state and academics to the accentuation of poverty and how such relationship can provide a vent for effective poverty reduction in Nigeria. It is a modest attempt at identifying a new approach towards understanding the poverty scourge and viable reduction schema. Data for the study was collected through primary and secondary sources with greater reliance on participant observation and interview methods. Data analysis was by qualitative method using simple qualitative analysis. The study submits that overlapping relationship of mutual interdependence between the state, academia and industries in stimulating research into science and technology development is a more sustainable poverty reduction strategy.
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2016
Productivity is a core consideration in the development equation of countries that strive for eco... more Productivity is a core consideration in the development equation of countries that strive for economic strength, increase in national revenue through foreign exchange earnings and overall improvement in the standard of living of its citizens. It has therefore become a core concept for development planners and institutions. Any country that exhibits a lackluster attitude to productivity is consciously inviting poverty. This paper examines the sanctity of productivity change and competitiveness as a sin qua non to national development and hypothesizes that effective resource diversification to productivity change and competitiveness could reposition Nigeria on the path of national transformation. Basic data for the paper were through literature search. The paper outlines the determinants of productivity change and the place of policy in changing the production direction of Nigeria. It observes that Nigeria productivity is conditioned by a mono resource (Oil). It concludes that a conscious policy direction on resource diversification will place Nigeria in the direction of productivity change. To achieve this, the paper recommends effective collaboration between the state, academia and the industry in the development of knowledge base economy
Current debates rest on the conclusion that Nigerian leadership suffers from extreme moral deprav... more Current debates rest on the conclusion that Nigerian leadership suffers from extreme moral depravity and attitudinal debauchery. This leadership personality is expressed in poor governance manifested in consistent crises and insecurity, poverty of extreme order among the citizens, debilitating miasma of corruption and rising unemployment indices. There is a glaring failure to regulate the system effectively and the leadership's inability to exploit and distribute the resources of the state fairly and equitably. Nigerian leadership has been described as a corrugated theatre of indentured roguery, and its populace as a timid mass of impoverished humanity. Infrastructural decay has become a national identity and the citizens now live in bizarre condition of uncertainty. The picture shows a rapidly failing state and it is argued here that it is largely a function of poor leadership attitude. Nigerian leadership today requires a new attitude to navigate a rapidly deteriorating society. How this attitudinal change can be brought about was the focus of this paper. The study generated data from documentary sources as well as researcher-experiences through participant observation and descriptively analysed them. The discussion concludes that the persuasive approach to bringing about attitudinal change has failed to cause a change of attitude in Nigerian leadership towards being responsive to public interest. On the basis of this, the paper recommends a new approach to attitudinal change called legitimate compulsion.
The fact remains that the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is faced with worrisome challenges that h... more The fact remains that the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is faced with worrisome challenges that have devastated the environment and collapsed the local economy of the region. The region for quite some time now has been riddled in large violent pattern of conflict with palpable hatred, scorching fury and mayhem. Attempts have been made by scholars to locate the source of the crises of the region. Bulk of the contributions on this issue attributes the crises to external factors such as the activities of oil industries, i.e. the exploration and exploitation of oil which excludes the aborigines from the oil wealth. Others argue that the discriminatory revenue sharing of the federal government accounts largely for the challenges in the area. While these external factors may seem convincing as the causes of the problem of the region, they are causally deceptive and attempt to shift attention away from the core cause of the region's nightmare. They are merely the symptoms of the problem and not the core causes of the problem. The aim of the paper is to rethink the source of the problem of the Niger delta region. Data was gathered through focus group discussion, participant observation and secondary sources. Analysis was by simple polemics. The paper submits that the cause of the Niger Delta challenges lies largely in the internal governance which is sufficiently depraved. It recommends among others that leadership at the region should be subjected to thorough reorientation and that the electoral process should be organised in a modern form to guarantee the election of leaders who are pro-people.
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Papers by Uno Agbor
Objective: The study examined the implementation of agent banking policy and financial inclusion of the rural unbanked population of Nigeria.
Methodology: The study adopted the cross-sectional design and used 387 respondents purposefully and accidentally drawn from bank marketers, operators of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals, and unbanked rural dwellers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed with chi-square and multiple regression analysis, while hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level.
Results: The study found that using POS terminals in rural areas has not significantly increased the number of rural dwellers opening new bank accounts. It was further found that the application of POS was useful in money transfers and cash deposits in rural areas. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly influenced the application of POS devices in the delivery of agent banking in rural areas.
Conclusion: The study concludes that agent banking policy has brought financial services scantily close to the rural unbanked population and has not significantly included the rural unbanked dwellers in the formal financial system.
Unique contribution: This study has provided empirical evidence that could guide decision-making on effectively integrating the rural population into the formal financial sector.
Recommendation: The study recommends, amongst others, that banks should carry out agent morphing to extend complete banking services to rural areas other than saving and withdrawals, the only banking functions carried out by POS agents in rural areas.
Objective: The study examined the implementation of agent banking policy and financial inclusion of the rural unbanked population of Nigeria.
Methodology: The study adopted the cross-sectional design and used 387 respondents purposefully and accidentally drawn from bank marketers, operators of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals, and unbanked rural dwellers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed with chi-square and multiple regression analysis, while hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level.
Results: The study found that using POS terminals in rural areas has not significantly increased the number of rural dwellers opening new bank accounts. It was further found that the application of POS was useful in money transfers and cash deposits in rural areas. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly influenced the application of POS devices in the delivery of agent banking in rural areas.
Conclusion: The study concludes that agent banking policy has brought financial services scantily close to the rural unbanked population and has not significantly included the rural unbanked dwellers in the formal financial system.
Unique contribution: This study has provided empirical evidence that could guide decision-making on effectively integrating the rural population into the formal financial sector.
Recommendation: The study recommends, amongst others, that banks should carry out agent morphing to extend complete banking services to rural areas other than saving and withdrawals, the only banking functions carried out by POS agents in rural areas.