FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

This study examined the socio-cultural factors influencing traditional festivals in Benin City, with particular emphasis on the Igue Festival. The Igue Festival, one of the most significant cultural heritages of the Benin people, embodies the spiritual, social, and cultural identity of the community. However, modernization, urbanization, and changing value systems have introduced new dynamics that influence the perception, practice, and sustainability of the festival. Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 100 respondents through structured questionnaires. The study focused on four key objectives: to identify the socio-cultural importance of the Igue Festival; to assess how modernization and social change affect its practice; to examine the perception of different social groups towards the festival; and to explore strategies for preserving its relevance in contemporary society. Findings revealed that while the Igue Festival continues to play a vital role in cultural identity, unity, and spiritual renewal, factors such as Western influence, religious conversion, generational differences, and economic challenges have affected its observance. The study concludes that deliberate efforts are needed to balance cultural preservation with modern realities. It recommends sensitization programs, integration of cultural education into school curricula, and stronger community involvement to ensure the sustainability of the Igue Festival for future generations.

This study examined efficiency management and accountability in Nigeria with particular focus on Akoko Edo Local Government Area. The study adopted a descriptive research design and utilized a sample size of 250 respondents drawn from the local government civil service to assess the relationship between accountability practices and management efficiency. The study revealed that corruption has significantly affected the efficiency of management within the civil service, thereby reducing productivity, weakening institutional performance, and limiting effective service delivery in the local government area. The findings further indicated that inadequate monitoring mechanisms, weak enforcement of ethical standards, and lack of transparency contributed to poor administrative outcomes. Based on these findings, the study recommended the urgent need to strengthen anti-corruption measures in public institutions through improved oversight, enforcement of accountability frameworks, and promotion of transparency in administrative processes in order to enhance efficiency, restore public trust, and improve productivity in the civil service of Akoko Edo Local Government Area and Nigeria at large

This study investigates the determinants of unemployment in Nigeria using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and data from 1999 to 2023. The empirical findings reveal that in the short run, population growth and real GDP have a significant
negative impact on unemployment while inflation and government expenditure exhibit a positive and significant effect on unemployment. In the long run, population growth continues to have a significant negative impact on unemployment, inflation remains positively related to unemployment, government expenditure maintains a positive relationship with unemployment
while real GDP has a negative effect on unemployment, underscoring the importance of sustained economic growth in fostering employment. Based on these findings, the study recommends policies aimed at tackling unemployment. Specifically, inflation control measures should be implemented to stabilize prices and support employment-friendly macroeconomic conditions and government expenditure should be efficiently allocated to high-impact sectors such as education, vocational training, and technology-driven industries to maximize job creation.

Unemployment and inflation are major forerunners of underdevelopment in developing countries. Agriculture was known to be one of the major contributors to national development. The economic burden of unemployment and inflation on a country necessitates this study. The objectives of the study were to examine the dimension and linkage between agricultural growth and inflation and also unemployment and to evaluate the effect of inflation and unemployment on agricultural production in Nigeria. Time series data were employed for the study from the year 1981-2019 (38yrs).the research compiled data from the Central
Bank of Nigeria(CBN)statistical bulletin, Nigeria Bureau of Statistics(NBS),International Financial Statistics and data files,CIA World
Factbook and International Monetary Fund’s.(IMF).the project utilized the Ordinary Least Square(OLS) model were the analytical tool used, it shows that agricultural output, unemployment and inflation are related. Some of the recommendations given are that agriculture in Nigeria should be given a top priority and that government bodies should encourage the poor farmers by absorbing the excess inventory of agricultural output in order to distribute it to the total populace and thus increase in agricultural production will create more employment, reduces inflation and as a result alleviate poverty.

The study examined employee absenteeism and performance of workers in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State, Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to examine employee absenteeism and performance of workers in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State. The specific objectives are as follows; to determine the extent absenteeism of local government employees has affected the output of the local governments in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State; to examine the extent absenteeism of local government employees has affected the provision of social amenities by the local governments in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State; to ascertain various challenges that leads to absenteeism of local government employees in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State and to proffer recommendations to the challenges that leads to absenteeism of local government employees in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State. Furthermore, population of the study comprises all staff of Ndokwa-East Local Government Area of Delta State. According to the Human Resource Department of Ndokwa-East Local Government Area of Delta State, the total staff strength of council members is 1031. The research will adopt the stratified random sampling and simple random sampling (probability sampling technique) in selecting 400 respondents (Staff of Ndokwa-East government Area) for this study. The four hundred (400) sample size was determined through the Taro Yamane formular. The study reveals amongst others that absenteeism of employees has affected the performance of Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State. The study further observed that due to absenteeism of staff in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta citizens viewed government business as unserious. Furthermore, the government should make available more funds to enable the sustainability drive of local government area workers in terms of morale motivation

This study examines Drug Abuse Among University Undergraduates in the University of Benin, Edo State. The population of the study consist of 300 and 400 level undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Benin, BeninCity. The total population of students in the study area was about 2,940. In other todetermine the sample size, the researcher used a 5% level of significance. The samplesize was derived using Yaro Yamnane formula. The result that was gotten usingTamnane Yaro formula was 352 from the total population, and 150 was taken fromthepopulation size of the study. Data was analyzed by means of table and frequency. Thestudy conclude that drug abuse constitutes one of the major social problems in Nigeriabecause of the hazardous ef ect on the health of people and also psychologically, physically, socially, educationally etc. from the finding, the following conclusion weremade that drug abuse is a social problem basically associated with young people. Theseyoung people involve themselves in taking hard drugs and excessive taking of somedrugs which may alter the body system or may cause damage to the health. Drug abuseis very common among undergraduates. Drug is mostly abused by male undergraduates than female. The study therefore made the following recommendations that parents andschool authorities should advise the undergraduates to refrain from indulging in drugabuse. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency should organize its workshop andseminars on drug free education in various secondary schools and institution of higher learning in the country. Legislation should be enacted to penalize haulage companies especially transporters who do not implement and enforce procedure to prevent misuseof their facilities by drug traf ickers. The curriculum for drug education should bedeveloped and made to be taught at all level of the educational system.

This study examines the effect of inflationary pressures on household consumption expenditure in Nigeria between 1991 and 2024. Using descriptive statistics and the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach, the study investigates the roles of
inflation, exchange rate volatility, and unemployment in shaping consumption dynamics. Unit root and diagnostic tests were applied to ensure robustness, while estimations were conducted with Views. The findings reveal that inflation significantly increases household consumption in the short run but exerts no meaningful long-run effect. Exchange rate volatility and unemployment were found to be insignificant in both the short and long run, reflecting the moderating influence of Nigeria’s informal sector. Overall, the results suggest that while households adjust nominal spending upward in response to short-run price shocks, long-run consumption remains resilient to inflationary, exchange rate, and unemployment pressures. The study highlights the
transient nature of inflation’s impact on household welfare in Nigeria.

Substance abuse among young people has become a pressing social and public health concern in Nigeria and across the world. Youth, defined as individuals in their adolescent and early adult years, are at a critical stage of development where experimentation, peer influence, and exposure to risky behaviors are heightened. The misuse of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and prescription or illicit drugs poses significant dangers to their physical health, mental well-being, education, and future productivity.

The exchange rate is a key macroeconomic factor that affects international trade and the real economy of each country. This study made use of annual data of Nigeria from 1981-2019 to examine the impact of exchange rate volatility on economic growth in Nigeria and the Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) was used to examine the relationship. The study found that the level of foreign direct investment positively and significantly affects economic growth in Nigeria, the level of government expenditure positively and significantly affects economic growth in Nigeria and the level of exchange rate volatility which is the key independent variable in the study was found to have a negative and significant impact on economic growth in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that in order to regulate the tendencies of exchange rate volatility, The government should diversify the economy as well as increase industrialization and manufacturing activities , which will help reduce the pressure on the currency as the dependency effect would be reduced

This study investigates the influence of Hostel Living Conditions on the Academic Performance of Students in University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives include examining the impact of poor hostel living on academic
performance. The population of the study comprises 77,000 undergraduate students at the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, a descriptive research design was employed to collect and analyze data, with a sample size of 396 undergraduate students selected using Taro Yamane’s formula. Single random sampling technique was used to ensure representation from different custodial centers, while convenience sampling was applied to select individual respondents. The data was collected through a structured questionnaire, and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies were used to summarize demographic characteristics, while Pearson Chi-square tests were used to test the study’s hypotheses. Based on these findings, the study recommends that university authorities should develop a more efficient hostel allocation system, invest in improving hostel infrastructure, provide psychological support for students living in overcrowded hostels, and encourage further research on the impact of student acommodation on academic and social outcomes