FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Divorce for Hornby (2001) is the legal ending of a marriage. Mirror (2003) defined divorce as the complete break up or dissolution of marriage through legal means. Divorce is the only ceremony that marks the official end of marriage, just like a wedding ceremony marks the official beginning of the same marriage. Divorce is caused by so many things. Some of the common causes of marital problems or divorce as noted by Arowolo (2002) are, abuse, power tussle between couples, poor financial management, infidelity, infertility/childlessness, hot temper, influence of mother-in-law, influence of bad companies, influence of alcohol, improper use of language, impotence, poor communication between couples, early marriage, prolonged sickness, prolonged hardship and maltreatment. The phenomenon of divorce is receiving increasing attention as a stress-inducing factor or a life crisis that affects over two million adults and one million children world wide annually (Dohrenwend & Dohrenwend, 2004; Norton & Glick, 2003). Marriage breakdown presently appears to be on the increase. Available literature such as Nwoye (1999), Omeje (2000), Aroh (2001), Asogwa (2003), Mirror (2004) and researcher‟s observation from the Nigerian society indicate that marriage breakdown appears to be on the increase and it is becoming increasingly stressful on the part of the divorcees, their children and the society

The coastal area of Niger Delta is the home of oil exploration and exploitations. So it is open to oil spillage arising from oil damage from local inhabitants, ageing pipeline, blow out of flow station, cleaning of tanks and others. The most dangerous form of oil spillage is the damage of pipeline. The Niger Delta, an ecosystem that contains one of the highest concentration of biodiversity on the planet, in addition to supporting abundant flora and fauna, arable terrain that can sustain a wide variety of crops, lumber or agricultural trees, and more species of freshwater fish than any ecosystem in West Africa. It is also sad to note that it has speculated that the region could experience a loss of 40% of its inhabitable terrain in the net thirty years as a result of extensive dam construction in the region. So, the aim of this project is to look for this unfortunate problem and explore possible solution to problem from a legal perspective. The oil spillage has been a source of concern to the federal government due to the environment impact it has on the area, and has sure set up some ways to curb the environmental pollution in hazardous to the citizens living in that region. A number of federal and state agency deals with oil spillage in Nigeria. These agencies include; National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Federal Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR), The Federal Ministry of Environment, State Ministries of Environment, National Maritime Authorities. There are also the “Clean Nigeria Association”. These agencies have to deal with the issue of oilspillage in Niger Delta and Nigeria at large. In conclusion, this work will attempt study the environmental pollution caused by oil spillage and how it has affected the Niger Delta Economy, in the end given some recommendation to make the situation better and still maintain a healthy business environment

The study investigated the attitude of social welfare officers towards the aged in Benin community. Four (4) research questions were raised to guide the study. The study adopted survey research design. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire; it was built around the research question by the researcher and validated by the researcher’s supervisor. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The major findings of the study are as follows: social welfare officers have positive attitude towards the aged in Benin Community; the attitudes of social welfare services to the elderly population influence: the level of interaction and communication of social workers with the aged, affects their quality of services, the relationship between social workers attitude and the aged and the professionalism of social workers; the respondents agreed that factors contribute to the formation of these attitudes among social welfare officers include: Personal beliefs and values, Religious beliefs. Formal and professional training and Personal life experience. And the potential consequences of negative attitudes towards the aged on the well-being and quality of life of the elderly population include: negative stereotypes or prejudices about the elderly may lead to discrimination or social exclusion, older individuals may experience reduced access to healthcare or support services due to negative attitudes, negative attitudes towards aging impact the mental and emotional well-being of elderly individuals and negative attitudes can contribute to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation among the elderly. Based on the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are made: Social welfare officers should maintain good attitude towards the aged in Benin Community and Social workers should always bear it in mind that their attitude towards the aged is very important amongst others

This study sought to examine the effect of exchange rate on foreign private capital inflows in Nigeria. The specific objectives were to analyse the effect of exchange rate on foreign private capital inflows in Nigeria; examine influence of exchange rate volatility on foreign private capital inflows in Nigeria; and investigate the effect of domestic interest rate on foreign private capital inflows in Nigeria. The study used secondary time series data covering the period 1981 to 2019. The study adopted the Augmented Dickey-fuller unit root test, Bounds Cointegration test, Granger causality test and Autoregressive Distributed Lag Modeling technique. The findings of this study showed that there exists a unidirectional relationship between exchange rate and foreign private capital inflow. It was discovered that a bi-causal relationship exists between foreign private capital inflow and exchange rate volatility. It was revealed that causality runs from foreign private capital inflow to financial deepening and not vice versa. It was discovered that the effect of exchange rate on foreign capital inflow is mixed. It was revealed that exchange M rate volatility has a positive significant influence on foreign private capital inflows. Thus, the study recommended that the Nigerian monetary authority should come u with policy strategy to curb the volatility of the exchange rate so as to encourage foreign private capital flows into the country. Also, appropriate macroeconomic policies should be put in place to boost the size of the domestic market. An increase the real gross domestic product will stimulate foreign capital inflow into the economy. Finally, a sound financial sector is a basic pre-requisite for assessing the absorptive capacity of the domestic economy to inflow of foreign capital. Therefore, the Nigerian government through the various financial sector regulatory agencies should step up their supervisory role in the sector in order to boost the soundness of the financial sector of the economy

The study examined the effects of youth unemployment in Egor LGA, Edo State. The study indicated that youth unemployment has many negative effects to the society, economy, family, and individuals. From the response got from the questionnaires revealed that youth unemployment leads to poverty, low productivity, losses in foreign direct investment, low revenue generation, rural urban migration, illicit activities which increases insecurity, anti-social activities such as armed robbery, prostitution, political thuggery, violence, kidnapping, restiveness and other social vices evident among the unemployed youths and this constitutes danger to the stability, growth and development of the state. The research concludes that, addressing the problems of youth unemployment, must involve all stakeholders. Suggestions from the analysis therefore, are that effective policy measures such as re-prioritization or revitalization of agricultural sector, reformation of educational system, provision of enabling environment and building of industries be pursued vigorously which will drastically reduce unemployment and poverty as well as eradicate the menace of youth unemployment in Egor LGA, Edo State and Nigeria as a whole.

The study examined the impact of exchange rate depreciation and agricultural output on the agricultural exports of Nigeria (1981-2020). Error Correction mechanism was adopted to examine the relationship among the variables in the study that is the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The variables were also found to have an overall significant effect on Nigerian agricultural export from the F-statistic obtained in the model. The study found that the level of agricultural output has a positive and significant impact on economic growth in both short run and long run. Also, the study found that exchange rate has a negative and significant impact on economic growth in both short run and long run. Also, the study found that level of import has a negative and significant impact on agricultural export in the short run and long run. Also, the study found that real interest rate has a negative and non significant impact on agricultural export in both short run and long run. Finally, the study found that investment has a positive and significant impact on agricultural export in both long and short run. Therefore, the study recommends that government should provide basic amenities like electricity in order to enhance storage of agricultural produce which in turn boosts output. Also the government should adjust trade exchange rate policies to favor farmers as this would encourage farmers to increase their output and in turn increase exportation.

Traditional rulers hold the key to the success or failure in security administration in Nigeria because they operate at the grassroots of the society and interact closely with people in their daily activities consequent upon which they are highly respected. This study examined the role of traditional rulers in maintaining peace and harmony in Nigeria. Simple random sampling with proportionate representation was used to determine sample size of 100 respondents from the population. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection and this was supplemented with interview of key informants. Data collected was analysed and represented clearly and vividly using frequency tables and percentages. Results showed the roles of traditional rulers in Nigeria which include; to chair meetings of council of elders of the community, give advice to local government officials for development of their locality, make sure law and order prevail in the community, etc. It was recommended that Traditional institutions should be strengthened and used as a means of conflict management and peace- building in the region

This study examined the impact of ethnic politics on voter apathy and behavior during the 2023 presidential election in Edo State, Nigeria. Guided by four key objectives, the study assessed the influence of ethnic loyalty, ethnic leaders, perceived marginalization, and ethnic sentiment over policy on electoral participation. A descriptive and explanatory survey design was adopted, with data collected from 100 purposively selected respondents across the three senatorial districts of Edo State. Primary data were gathered through structured questionnaires, complemented by secondary sources such as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reports. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were employed to test the study’s hypotheses. The findings revealed a considerable level of voter apathy driven by distrust in the electoral process, fear of violence, poor voter education, and disillusionment with the political class. Ethnic identity emerged as a significant determinant of voting behavior, as loyalty to ethnic candidates, influence of ethnic leaders, and perceptions of marginalization strongly shaped political choices. The study recommends strengthening electoral institutions, enforcing laws against ethnic- based campaigning, enhancing civic and voter education, fostering youth engagement in governance, and ensuring electoral security. Addressing these challenges is critical to promoting inclusive participation, reducing voter apathy, and consolidating Nigeria’s democracy.

The study examined the impact of staff training on non-academic staff performance in the University of Benin (UNIBEN) within the period of 2010 – 2022. The objectives of the study include the following: to examine the extent to which staff training impact on non – academic staff of the University of Benin, to investigate if training programmes motivate non – academic staff for optimal performance in UNIBEN, to identify the challenges facing non – academic staff training towards increased performance in UNIBEN, and to proffer solutions to the challenges facing non –academic staff training towards increased performance in UNIBEN. The study adopted survey research design. According to the Academic Planning Division of the University of Benin, (2021), the population of the non - academic staff of the University of Benin as at 2021 stands at 5432. The study selected four departments from the non-academic side of the University of Benin. These departments include Bursary, Exams and Records, Registry and Library of which 30 respondents were sampled from each department. The instrument used for the collection of data was the questionnaire which was administered to the study sampled respondents. The data collected was analyzed using simple percentage and chi square analytical method to test the hypotheses generated for the study. The study discovered amongst others that, Training has an impact on non-academic staff performance in Uniben. Furthermore, policy recommendations were adopted which include amongst others that effective trainings should be organized regularly and undertaken.

This study focused on the assessment of the socio-economic empowerment intervention of Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN) on rural rubber farmers in Edo and Delta states. RRIN was formed with the aim of researching into rubber and latex trees for its economic purposes. Among its mandate is to also impact on the smallholder farmers who have chosen to farm rubber trees. Over the years, there have been series of complaints by the farmers which led to the development of empowerment intervention programmes by RRIN in order to educate these farmers on the best practices of rubber plantation. The general objective of this study therefore was to analyse the effect of the socio-economic empowerment intervention of (RRIN) on rural rubber farmers in Edo and Delta state, with the intent to determine the effect of the vocational trainings and new rubber based technology acquired by the smallholder rubber farmers while identifying the constrain they faced before and after RRIN intervention. The study adopted the survey research design and the population of the study consisted of all the smallholder rubber farmers in the selected local government areas of Edo and Delta states respectively which was 853. The sample size of this study was 800 and the study adopted the multistage sampling techniques. Copies of questionnaires were administered to 800 respondents and764 were retrieved, valid and used for the analysis. Six (6) (RRIN) staff were also interviewed through the in-depth interview method. Quantitative and qualitative data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and manual content analytical method respectively. Analysis of the data revealed that most of the respondents (47.49) had primary education in Edo while Delta had (26.75). Those who had tertiary education in Edo were (25.86%) and Delta state had (45.45%), implying that most of the respondents were literate and can easily comprehend and adopt new technological innovations. The results showed a multiple response with fair distribution of impact of the technologies; 26.16% in Edo and 24.92% of the respondents agreed that they have benefited in knowledge enhancement on rubber management techniques n Edo and Delta respectively,and the intervention program has helped in improving their farm yield and also financial status. This means that the training impacted the farmers’ economically. Constraints identified by the farmers before the intervention include, inadequate funds, inadequate information on rubber technology, pests and disease control. It was concluded that though the intervention program has impacted the smallholder farmers, The research recommended that the intervention program should be a regular activity of the Institute.