social standards

A single-mother family refers to a nuclear unit where the mother is the primary caregiver for one or more children, often referred to as a mother-headed family. Single motherhood can be an overwhelming experience, given the numerous challenges faced while trying to care for their children and assume the roles of both parents. The study aimed to investigate the challenges, coping strategies, and social support systems available to single mothers in Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo State. This study utilises Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, Role Theory, and Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Model of Stress and Coping to explore the challenges and coping strategies of single mothers in Ovia North East Local Government, Edo State. The study utilized an exploratory qualitative design, employing thematic analysis to understand the lived experiences and coping strategies of single mothers in Ovia North-East LGA. The research focused on single mothers within the LGA, using purposive sampling and a researcher-developed interview guide to collect qualitative data. Data analysis involved transcribing interviews and identifying key themes, with ethical considerations such as informed consent and confidentiality maintained throughout the research. The study reveals that single mothers in Ovia North East Local Government Area, primarily young women aged 18-25, face challenges such as financial instability and emotional isolation, relying on informal networks, education, and religious support to cope due to the absence of formal assistance. The study recommends government support programs, access to education and skills training, strengthened social support networks, awareness campaigns to reduce stigma, and improved access to healthcare and childcare services for single mothers.

This study examined the role of effective leadership in achieving organizational objectives at the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. The objectives were to: (i) examine the 5 relationship between effective leadership practices and the achievement of organizational goals in educational institutions, (ii) identify the leadership styles most commonly employed by educational leaders and evaluate their effectiveness in enhancing institutional performance, (iii) investigate the key challenges faced by educational leaders in aligning faculty and staff efforts with organizational goals, and (iv) propose strategies for improving leadership effectiveness to support goal attainment within educational institutions. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A total of 405 staff members drawn from various faculties of the University of Benin constituted the sample. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that the majority of staff have long years of service and occupy middle management positions, indicating an experienced workforce receptive to innovative leadership. The democratic leadership style was identified as the most effective for enhancing job satisfaction, inclusiveness, and productivity. Respondents emphasized the importance of clear vision-setting, provision of adequate tools, and the moral qualities of leaders in influencing staff performance and organizational success. However, systemic challenges such as poor funding, weak managerial responsibility, inadequate communication, shortage of staff, lack of equipment, and insubordination were found to significantly impede leadership effectiveness. The study concludes that effective leadership—particularly democratic, visionary, and morally grounded leadership—is indispensable for achieving organizational objectives in Nigerian universities. However, leadership effectiveness is strongly dependent on adequate funding, institutional support, and robust communication frameworks. 6 Based on these findings, the study recommends that university administrators institutionalize participatory leadership, strengthen capacity-building programs, promote ethical leadership practices, improve funding and resource allocation, and establish effective communication systems. Suggestions for further studies include comparative analyses of leadership styles across universities, gender dynamics in leadership, the role of technology in higher education leadership, and longitudinal studies on leadership and organizational performance. This research contributes to knowledge by providing empirical evidence from Nigerian higher education, validating the democratic leadership style as optimal in university settings, and highlighting the moderating role of institutional constraints on leadership effectiveness.