DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

This research study assesses the impact of socioeconomic bacKground on student academic achievement in Nigeria: case study of University of Benin. The study aimed to examine the relationship between socioeconomic background and student academic achievement at the University of Benin, identify the specific aspects of socioeconomic background that have the most significant impact on student academic achievement, and identify different factors related to socio-economic status that could influence academic achievement. Anchored on theory of Educational Productivity as the theoretical framework of the study, the research survey design methods and questionnaires to obtain information and employ frequencies and percentages to analyze data. The research unveils that socioeconomic background has a major influence on student academic achievement at the University of Benin, different socioeconomic backgrounds such as parental income, educational level and occupation influence students’ academicachievement, and different factors such as parental education/involvement, family income/access to resources, stress and financial concerns and extracurricular activities are related to socioeconomic status that influence student academic achievement at the University of Benin. It was suggested that; parents should re-examine their financial support to students since such support is viewed as the main contributor towards the student's academic performance, and should take a greater interest in the education of their children. This will in turn allow the children to improve their school achievements

The study seeks to the influence of kidnapping for ransom in Delta State: Implications for security and development. The objective of the study was to examine the dynamic nature, level of awareness and knowledge of kidnapping among the people of Delta State, to investigate the causes of kidnapping and ransom among the people of Delta State, to survey the social effects of kidnapping on the people and community development in Delta State, to examine kidnapping for ransom effects on the economic life and development of community members in Delta State and finally, to investigate the challenging effects of kidnapping on the mental and psychological wellbeing of the people in Delta State. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, five research questions and hypotheses were raised and formulated, answered and tested respectively. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of study of this research is made up of the total number of people residing in Delta State while the target population of the study is the residence of Ughelli North Local Government which is 320,687. The sample size of this study is 500 respondents. The instrument used for the collection of data was the questionnaire which was administered to a total number of 500 respondents and 456 was retrieved. To ensure content validity of the research instrument, the questionnaire was submitted to the research supervisor and other expert in the Department of Political Science. Their corrections, criticisms, clarifications, suggestions and scrutiny serve as the final bases in drafting the final research
instrument. Again, in order to ensure reliability of the research instrument, it was subjected to test-retest reliability test. Data was analyzed using simple percentage and Pearson Product Correlation Coefficient. The study establishes that despite the kidnapping awareness among the people, kidnapping for ransom is still rampant in the area. The study recommendation that the government should provide employment opportunity for the teeming youths of the area to abate the incidence of kidnapping in Delta State.

This study was designed to ascertain Impact of Primary Exports on Underdevelopment in Nigeria: A Case Study of Crude Oil. Five (4) research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey. The population for this study includes lecturers from the University of Benin. A total number of twenty (20) respondents comprising of lecturers from the departments of political science and economics, within the University of Benin were drawn from the population of the study using the purposive sampling technique which were used as the respondents for this study. Nineteen (19) out of the twenty distributed questionnaires were found valid and used for analysis. The research instrument for the study was a Questionnaire titled: Primary Products Export and Underdevelopment in Nigeria: A Case Study of Crude Oil (PPEUN:ACSCO), which was distributed to the respondents and collected immediately after completion from respondents. The simple percentage and mean score was used in computing the responses of the questionnaire items. To account for the reliability of the study, the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used which gave a value of 0.79. At the end of the study, the researcher found amongst others that crude oil export significantly boosts Nigeria's economic growth and development, and over-reliance on crude oil exports does not hinder the diversification of Nigeria's economy and contribute to underdevelopment. It was recommended amongst others that Federal Government of Nigeria should prioritize diversification of its revenue sources beyond crude oil export and also promote sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and technology can reduce overreliance on oil revenues and create a more resilient economy and Government should encourage the growth of local industries and businesses within the oil sector in order to create jobs and retain more value within the Nigerian economy

This study Investigated the impact of youth dating on the academic performance of students in the university, making use of the university of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, as a case study. Dating has long been a prevalent aspect of college life, but its influence on academic performance remains a subject of debate. The objective of the study was to investigate potential factors within dating relationships that may positively or negatively impact students’ academic performance, such as time management, emotional wellbeing, or social pressure; examine how students allocate their time between responsibilities and their dating relationships to understand if time management plays a role in academic outcomes among others. Descriptive research design was adopted, whereby, stratified Sampling technique was utilised for the study.simple random sampling technique was used to select some some faculties needed for the study. The departments was then selected using simple random technique and finally simple random techniques was also used to select respondents from the department. It was found that some respondents pointed out that there's a significant relationship in extant between dating and academic performance among students in the university. Also according to the findings The Dating habits of peers do not influence dating habits of the respondents. Lastly being in a relationship according to the findings impact long term academic and career goals. Finally the study recommended that students should identify their academic priorities and ensure they remain at the forefront of their focus. While it's important to nurture your relationship, remember that your education is a crucial investment in your future

The study examined ethnicity and voting in Nigeria: A case study of the 2023 general
elections in Edo State. The objectives of the study were to examine how ethnicity act as significant determinant of political allegiance in Nigeria; to evaluate whether ethnic Composition of Edo State influence the Political Landscape; to ascertain if ethnic voting patterns in the 2023 General Election in Edo State, to find out factors influencing ethnicity and voting in 2023. The study adopted survey design using questionnaires as instrument of data. The study adopted the percentage and chi-square statistical instrument to analyze the data collected from field survey. The findings revealed that ethnicity act as significant determinant of political allegiance in Nigeria, this implies that key drivers included a sense of ethnic solidarity, the perception of political exclusion, and promises of local development. Many voters expressed the belief that electing a candidate from their ethnic group would result in better access to government services and development projects. The ethnic composition of Edo State influence the political landscape, while ethnic voting can be seen as a reflection of communal solidarity, it also poses a threat to democratic ideals by undermining merit-based selection of leaders. It promotes division, fosters electoral violence, and reduces the likelihood of cross-ethnic cooperation. The ethnic voting patterns in the 2025 General Election in Edo State, that is analysis of voting data revealed a strong correlation between ethnic identity and candidate preference. Voters from specific ethnic groups predominantly supported candidates from their communities, particularly in local government areas with high ethnic homogeneity. The study recommended that strengthen civic education programs to emphasize the importance of competence, integrity, and policy alignment in candidate selection. Voters should be educated on the negative consequences of ethnic voting and the benefits of merit-based leadership. Governance foster inclusive equitable distribution of development projects and public appointments across all ethnic groups. This can reduce the perception that political power benefits only specific communities. Introduce electoral reforms to promote proportional representation, which would encourage candidates to seek support beyond their ethnic constituencies. This could be achieved by adjusting constituency boundaries or introducing multi-member constituencies. Political parties should be mandated to promote diversity in candidate selection and ensure that party tickets are distributed in a manner that reflects ethnic balance. Parties should al so be held accountable for promoting inclusion and tolerance.

This study analyzes military intervention in Nigeria politics, it historicizes the various military incursion in Nigeria from the post-independence era and gives an analyses of coup d’état that took place in the country using a hybrid of social economic development theory and organizational formal theory also observes the deteriorated economic conditions increase the choice of military intervention, similarly, the weak political institutions and low political culture have resulted to legitimacy crisis, it argues that the cohesive nature of the military institution and the stronger military resources, either as a percent of the state resources or relative to the national economy encourage military interregnum. Relying on the secondary source and the use of discourse analyses, also and historical overview of the military intervention in Nigeria and adduces reasons in support of the military intervention, it further argues that kleptomania of the military government has posed security threats and gave rise to economic dislocation, while the judiciary has subjugated , in conclusion the prolonged military stayed in government has adversely affected the citizens and the Nigeria economy and has eroded the professionalism of the military institution rules and the political transition to democracy in Nigeria. It enquires into how military intervenes in the Nigerian politics in the recent time

The significant point of this study is to inspect the effect of dependence on sub Saharan Africa development regarding Nigeria viewpoint. It analyzed the serious issue of dependence in sub Saharan Africa. This study also looks at the significant areas of under development in sub Saharan Africa. The study hence adopts a qualitative descriptive methodology. It adopts one of the conventional techniques for gathering data, for example the secondary sources of information. A sizable portion of the secondary sources used came from both published and unpublished works, including materials taken from: Chronicles, Papers, conversations, Gathering papers, Magazines, Webs, Books, and Articles in diaries etc. and was looked at to make the discussion meaningful. The study's findings showed that successive issues like slavery, capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, and neo-colonialism reveal dependence and underdevelopment in Africa, including Nigeria. It ought to be noted, nonetheless, that the nations that are relying upon the west are generally impoverish nations of the third world, Nigeria is an example of underdeveloped poor nation and immature that relies upon the western world for choice and implementation of economic development policies of the west to her own detriment. However, the study concludes that African/Nigerian underdevelopment is brought about by the perpetual corruption imbedded in terrible administration that had perplexed African states since independence. The study however consequently suggests that Nigeria need great authority and successful administration of the bountiful Nigerian financial, economic assets, and that's only the tip of the iceberg so corruption ought to be battled with every one of the assets in the force of this country as she can't convey herself from dependence while corruption actually continues.

Over the decades, the increasing growth of cyberspace more commonly known as the internet has ushered in a new problem, the problem of cybercrime. Cybercrime has been a common problem in Nigeria from the early 2000’s and it has only gotten worse, and it’s costing the country of Nigeria in more ways than one. The majority of its perpetrators are undergraduate students in universities. This paper seeks to truly understand the ideology and perception of cybercrime from the university students’ perspectives. What pushes them to commit this crime and disregard possible consequences and why its common in universities especially and at the end of this research, propose a solution to the relevant authorities on how the problem can be solved.

The focus of this study is on the effect of conflicts on economic integration of West African States. This is premised on the fact that almost all the States in the sub-region have been engulfed by one form of conflict at one time or the other, some of which have resulted in State collapse. Empirical data were gathered from relevant sources during the course of this research. For developing countries, regional integration is far more than just market integration. Thus, integration in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has become synonymous with economic development, with enhanced intra-regional trade being only one component of such development. ECOWAS ought to have been the mechanism for galvanising the West African sub-region into the globalisation phenomenon. However, the organisation is making little efforts in its realistic integration efforts after more than two decades. This state of affairs is attributable to the strife-torn inter-state
relationships characterising the sub-region. Thus, coups, fratricidal conflicts and insurgency have become implacable words in the political discourse of the sub-region. The study concludes that the preponderance of conflicts in the sub-region, which are mostly offshoot of regional leaders’ fixation on the Clausewitzian concept of security (state-centric conception of security), has negatively affected integration efforts of the sub-region

Godfatherism has emerged as a dominant feature of Nigerian politics, with significant implications for political conflict and governance at the state level. This study examines the role of godfatherism in the persistent political conflicts that have plagued Edo State in recent years. The research explores how powerful political godfathers, who often wield significant influence over political parties and electoral processes, contribute to the breakdown of democratic norms and institutions in the state. It analyzes how the struggle for political power between godfathers and their political "godsons" leads to electoral malpractices, violence, and the undermining of the will of the electorate. Drawing on primary data from interviews with key stakeholders, as well as secondary sources, the research provides valuable insights intothe complex dynamics of godfatherism and its implications for political con flict in the state. The problems were observed and it shows that there is high degree of political apathyism among the Nigerian people who felt that their vote does not count. Even those with political interest now conclude that it is who the Godfather wants that actually gets into office. This has gradually affected political participation. The findings of this study contribute to the broader understanding of the challenges of democratization in Nigeria and offer recommendations for addressing the corrosive effects of godfatherism on the political process. From the study, it is recommended that the evils of Godfatherism need to be greatly tackled by all and sundry, particularly the government and civil society in order to ensure adequate political participation by Nigerians.