FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

This study explores the Local Government Administration and Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria: A case study of Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo State Four well-structured research questions were formulated and the questions were administered to the respondent to collect response from them, the populations of this study were some selected inhabitants in the thirteen wards of the Local Government Area. The researcher selected one hundred (100) persons out of the thirteen wards that make up the Local Government area. The data collected for this study were analyzed using the simple percentage statistical method to analyze the data. Results shows that Local government administration has being the third tier of the government which has limited
bound within which it operates. Thus, it was the recommended that the high level of rural-urban migration should be controlled or checked. These could be done by providing those amenities (social or economic) that attracts people to urban areas. Such as, electricity, water supply, good road, improved agricultural tools and also rural dwellers should support the local government by helping to carry out development project and paying their tax.

This study examined E-Government and Administrative Efficiency in Nigeria: A Case Study of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Benin City Zone. The survey research design was adopted because data were collected from a sample population with specific characteristics. Four research questions were formulated and analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The population of the study consisted of all staff of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Benin City Zone, from which a total of 100 respondents were selected using a proportional random sampling technique. The instrument used to collect data for the study was a twenty-item structured questionnaire designed to obtain responses on the effect of e-government on administrative efficiency, infrastructural and technical challenges, staff competence, and monitoring mechanisms. The study was anchored on the Technological Determinism Theory and the Innovation Diffusion Theory. The Technological Determinism Theory posits that technological development drives organizational and administrative change, influencing how public institutions operate and adapt to modernization. This theory underscores how e- government platforms reshape administrative efficiency, information management, and service delivery. The Innovation Diffusion Theory, on the other hand, explains how new technologies are adopted and integrated into public institutions over time, depending on perceived usefulness, ease of use, and organizational readiness. Together, these theories provide a framework for understanding how e-government adoption transforms
administrative processes and governance outcomes within the public sector. Based on the findings, the study concluded that e-government has significantly enhanced administrative efficiency in NIMC by improving information accessibility, reducing delays, and promoting transparency in service delivery. However, challenges such as poor internet connectivity, inadequate ICT infrastructure, limited technical competence, and frequent power interruptions hinder optimal performance. Despite these constraints, respondents agreed that e-government remains a key driver of modernization, accountability, and improved administrative outcomes in the Nigerian public sector. The study recommends that government and institutional management should invest in robust
ICT infrastructure, provide continuous training for staff, and ensure stable power supply to enhance e-government operations. Furthermore, policies promoting digital transformation, data protection, and system maintenance should be strengthened to sustain the benefits of e-government across Nigeria.

The demand for healthcare services continue to increase as population increases, hence there is a high rate of demand for healthcare services globally. Nigeria is not immune to the high demand for healthcare services, which poses a significant challenge to tackle and it has resulted into having healthcare workers working overtime, longer and irregular hours in a bid to render satisfactory services to the citizens. This study investigated the relationship between flexible work initiatives and healthcare service delivery in five major public hospitals in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Anchored on a cross-sectional survey design, Data were gathered from healthcare professionals through structured questionnaire and in-depth interview to provide both quantitative and qualitative insights. Five hundred and forty one (541) healthcare workers were selected through stratified random
sampling from five public hospitals in Benin City. The study employed descriptive and inferential statistics, particularly the repeated measure Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Chi-Square Goodness of fit test, to test five hypotheses and examined key thematic areas. All five null hypotheses were rejected using Chi-square goodness-of-fit and ANOVA tests, confirming that flexible work initiatives significantly influence healthcare service delivery. The study revealed a significant positive relationship between flexible work initiatives and healthcare service delivery. Respondents strongly agreed that Flexible Work Initiatives (FWIs) positively influenced healthcare service quality (p < 0.05). Among the types of FWIs examined, shift work was the most widely practised and highly rated (mean = 3.47), followed by job sharing (mean = 3.00), while compressed work weeks received the lowest rating (mean = 2.53). Key enhancing factors included supportive organisational culture, clear policies, and effective communication, whereas the major challenges were acute staff shortages, high patient demand, and complex medical cases. Statistical value revealed that employee-centred strategies, stakeholder engagement, and teamwork are the most effective ways to overcome implementation barriers. It concluded that properly designed and supported flexible work initiatives—especially shift work—can enhance service quality and staff performance, in
resource-constrained public hospitals. The study recommendation included urgent recruitment of healthcare personnel, and adoption of employee-centred policies.

This study examines the impact of training and development on employee development in a public sector organization. The primary objective was to determine how structured training and continuous development initiatives influence employee performance, job satisfaction, and career growth. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, utilizing both primary and secondary data sources. Questionnaires were distributed among employees across various departments to collect relevant data, while secondary information was gathered from organizational records and literature. The findings revealed that training and development significantly contribute to enhancing employees’ skills, productivity, and overall job efficiency. It also showed that employees who
regularly participate in training programs tend to exhibit improved work attitudes, higher motivation levels, and greater commitment to organizational goals. However, the study also identified challenges such as inadequate funding, poor training needs assessment, and limited follow-up evaluation, which hinder the effectiveness of training programs. The study concludes that investment in training and development is a crucial strategy for achieving sustainable employee growth and institutional efficiency in the public sector. It recommends that public organizations should institutionalize continuous learning programs, ensure proper training needs assessment, and evaluate training outcomes to maximize employee and organizational performance.

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 used the quantitative research method to determine the impact of child labour on the academic performance of children in the Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State. The survey design was adopted as the research design for the study and a sample size of one hundred (120) respondents were randomly taken using the simple random sampling technique. The questionnaire instrument was used for data collection and the content validity was used for validation, while the test-retest method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyze the data using the frequency distribution and simple percentage method. The study showed that some women are highly competent for most of the job opportunities
in Nigeria but yet are not adequately employed due to diverse reasons such as inequalities as a result of gender

The study examines the role the role and challenges of local government in rural development in Nigeria: a case study of Esan central LGA of Edo State. The specific objectives are to assess the role of the local government administration in rural development in Esan central Local Government Area; to investigate whether job creation and provision of infrastructures by the government led to prevention of rural-urban migration in Esan central Local Government Area; to find out the relationship between governments budgetary allocation and rural development in Esan central Local Government Area. This study employed both descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing the data obtained.
The descriptive statistics used include frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation test t was used as an inferential statistic to test the research hypotheses. All hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 20.0) software was as platform used for all the analyses. The findings from the study revealed that revealed that the local government has implemented effective policies that promote rural development in Esan Central. It was also discovered that government job creation programs have encouraged youths to remain in rural communities. It was revealed that Job creation and provision of infrastructures by the government help to prevent migration in Esan central Local Government Area. It was concluded that Government’s budgetary allocation helps to address rural development in Esan central Local Government Area. It was recommended that the government should always maintain a balance in development both in urban and rural areas of the state to minimize migration. Local governments should be more people-centered in approach, such that necessary collaboration/partnership with communities in its domain can facilitate the process of rural development.

This study examined the influence of patriarchy on women’s participation in public administration in Nigeria. Despite constitutional provisions and policy frameworks advocating gender equality, women remain underrepresented in administrative and decision-making positions. The research sought to identify the extent to which patriarchal norms, socio-cultural barriers, and institutional practices affect women’s involvement in public administration, and to assess the effectiveness of existing gender equity measures. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 146 respondents drawn from selected public institutions across Nigeria. The instrument contained items measured on a five-point Likert scale, and the responses were analysed usingdescriptive and inferential statistical techniques with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis. Findings revealed that patriarchal norms and socio-cultural barriers significantly hinder women’s participation in public administration (r = -0.684, p < 0.01). Institutional policies were found to have a moderate mitigating effect but were not sufficiently enforced to counterbalance entrenched gender biases. The study concludes that patriarchy continues to influence the structural and operational patterns of Nigeria’s public service, thereby limitingwomen’s opportunities for leadership and representation. The study recommends that government institutions strengthen gender mainstreaming frameworks, enforce equity- driven recruitment and promotion policies, and implement continuous sensitization programs aimed at challenging patriarchal attitudes within the public sector. These measures are necessary to achieve a more inclusive and gender-balancedadministrative system in Nigeria

The study examined the impact of accountability mechanisms on procurement intheEdo State Civil Service. The objectives were to identify the existing accountabilitymechanics in the procurement of Edo State civil service. To find out howtheseaccountability mechanisms are implemented within the public procurement systeminEdo State civil service to also identify the challenges that hinder ef ectiveaccountability in procurement practices in Edo State civil service. The study employeda descriptive research design, utilizing both primary and secondary data. Thepopulation of study of this research was made up of staf s of the Edo State secretariat, Benin city. The sample size of this study was 100 respondents. Questionnaires weredistributed among selected civil servants, and data were analyzed using descriptivestatistics. The findings reveal that; while accountability mechanisms exist, theiref ectiveness is often hindered by weak enforcement, political interference, andpoormonitoring systems. The study recommends strengthening institutional frameworks, promoting e-procurement, and enhancing transparency to improve procurement
outcomes in the Edo State Civil Service.

Abattoirs play a vital role in environmental pollution and negatively affect the health of people living around, and even those who some distance stay away from them through air, water and
food contamination. This study evaluated the bacteriological and physicochemical properties of abattoir effluent-contaminated soil
in Benin City, Edo state with a view to highlighting the associated environmental and public health impacts. Samples in this study were collected seasonally at different depths (2.5, 22.5 and 42.5cm) from four different abattoirs (Oluku, University of Benin, Ewah Road, and Dumez Road) in Benin City. Standard chemical analytical methods were used to evaluate the physicochemical
parameters while standard bacteriological methods were used to determine the bacterial load and identity. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined by disc diffusion method, and plasmid
profiling (before and after curing) of selected resistant isolates were carried out using TENS method. . The physico-chemical analysis of soil samples revealed a pH range of 6.25 - 6.76, electrical conductivity varied from 89 -161 µs/cm, organic matter (9.10-13.30%), iron (37.22-140.29 mg/kg), and phosphorus (4.91 – 12.82 mg/kg) for contaminated soil. For control samples, pH
ranged between 6.28 and 6.90, electrical conductivity varied from 73 - 119 µs/cm, organic matter at 9.92 – 14.83%, iron (27.19 – 101.23 mg/kg), and phosphorus (5.22 – 12.88 mg/kg). Mean heterotrophic bacterial count (HBC) for contaminated soil in rainy season ranged 0.57×10 8 - 1.90×10 8 cfu/g, while that of dry season ranged 0.55×10 7 - 1.97×10 7 cfu/g. Topsoil layer
consistently showed higher bacterial load across seasons. Isolates obtained in this study included Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus
mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella spp., Klebsiella spp., Enterococcus spp. and Alcaligenes spp. There was a seasonal shift of Proteus vulgaris isolated in dry season to P. mirabilis in the rainy season. Staphylococcus aureus was the most occurring isolate at 20.4% for the dry season and 21.2% in the rainy season. Bacillus subtilis and Klebsiella spp. exhibited the highest virulence. All isolates were sensitive to Imipenem, but none were sensitive to Ceftriaxone and Ceftazidime Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., and Pseudomonas spp. had Multiple
Antibiotic Resistance index (MAR) values of 0.6, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively. Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis were positive for Plasmid DNA while
Escherichia coli was negative for Plasmid DNA. After curing, the MAR index values decreased to 0.3 for Bacillus subtilis and Klebsiella spp., while that of Pseudomonas aeruginosa decreased
to 0.1. The presence of the pathogenic bacterial isolates in abattoir effluent-contaminated soil highlights significant environmental and public health concerns