LOCAL GOVERNMENT

This work studied women participation in community development with special emphasis on Egor Local Government Area, Edo State. The exercise was carried out due to the observed lag in women participation in community development all over the country. The work had four key objectives which it sought to realize. These include: to ascertain the barriers to women participation in agriculture within the local government, to ascertain the impact of low level of education on women participation in community development, to determine how to enhance women participation in the politics of Egor Local Government Area and finally to identify ways of empowering the women for optimal participation in the overall development of the communities. The researcher made use of both primary and secondary sources of data to generate data used for the study. These data were presented in tables and analysed using simple percentage. The researcher found out the various barriers to women participation in community development to include cultural practices, low level of women education, poverty among the rural women and violent that characterize the country’s politics. It is therefore recommended that cultural practices that deny women free access to community development should be abrogated; Government should provide modern farm implements to the rural women farmers and also educate them on how to use these implements to enhance productivity; girl child education should be made free and also compulsory at least at secondary school levels. The study also recommend that social workers should be ready to actively participate in the involvement of women participation in community
development.

This study appraises the role of local governments in Nigeria's national development, with a focus on Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) in Edo State from 2016 to 2024. Grounded in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, it examines how local gover ments contribute to socio- economic progress amid constitutional mandates for infrastructure, health, education, and
urban planning. Key challenges, including corruption, fiscal dependency, political interference, and institutional weaknesses, are identified as significant barriers to effective governance. Employing a descriptive survey design with elements of content analysis, data were collected from 150 purposively selected respondents—comprising government officials, community leaders, and residents—using structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and secondary sources. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, means) and inferential tests (Chi- square) analyzed responses, testing hypotheses on constitutional fulfillment, challenges, and project impacts. Findings reveal moderate execution of constitutional functions (mean score: 2.58), with infrastructure projects showing positive economic effects but limited overall socio-economic transformation (χ² = 2.16, p = 0.1416). Digitization and globalization offered benefits but were constrained by poor ICT infrastructure. Hypotheses confirmed significant hindrances from challenges (χ² = 24.00, p < 0.0001) and partial mandate achievement. The study concludes that empowering local governments through fiscal autonomy and reforms is essential for sustainable development. Recommendations include anti-corruption measures, capacity building, and enhanced digitization. This research addresses literature gaps on localized governance, providing insights for policymakers to align local efforts with Sustainable Development Goals.

This study investigates the relevance of adult education in the
preservation of culture and tradition in Oredo local government area of Edo State. Five (5) research questions were raised to guide the study. A total of Six Hundred (600) respondents from the entire population of the inhabitants of Oredo local government area of Edo State where selected for the study through Purposive sampling technique. The questionnaire was designed and validated by experts in the department of Adult and Non-formal Education, Faculty of Education University of Benin. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques such as tables, frequencies counts, and simple percentages Findings of the study revealed that to a large extent adult education practiced in Oredo local government area of Edo State, that Adult education can help me to know more about my culture and values to be kept It was further revealed that participation of adults in the preservation of cultural heritages and values has increased through adult education and that through adult education programme, reformation of cultural heritages and values will be of immense help to preserve our culture. It was therefore
recommended that facilitators of adult education should impact knowledge and love for cultural heritage in a way that would inspire adults to participate in preservation of their cultural heritage and to pass the knowledge to coming generations. It was further recommended that Facilitators of adult education should impact knowledge and love for cultural heritage in a way that would inspire adults to participate in preservation of their cultural heritage and to pass the knowledge to coming generations.

The main objective of this study is to find out the association between demographic characteristics of Social Work Students of University of Benin and the awareness of Ubuntu Philosophy? This study focused on the total full time undergraduate and postgraduate students in University of Benin in the 2019/2020 Session. The population for this study is 46,986 and the sample size is 400. Data for this study was collected by personally administering the questionnaires to the respondents with the help of a research assistant and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). This study concludes that most of the respondents are aware of Ubuntu Philosophy, but the level of awareness varies by demographic characteristics. Although the respondents are aware of the Ubuntu Philosophy, they do not consider that Ubuntu is what Nigeria needs. This is the major findings of this study. This study recommends that the government and Non-Governmental Organizations should promote awareness programmes on the awareness of the relevance of Ubuntu Philosophy to the contemporary challenges in Nigeria. This would inspire young people to spread knowledge about Ubuntu with their schools, homes and communities and help restore the Spirit of Ubuntu among them. Furthermore, the influence of Ubuntu could help address contemporary social issues like drunkenness and sexual assault, among others, for the benefit of community members and throughout Nigeria.

This study is on factors responsible for child abuse and neglect among secondary school students in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo state. The total population for the study is 200 students of Oredo local government of Edo state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies The major instrument used for this study was the questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed and validated by experts in the department of curriculum and instructional technology, faculty of education, university of Benin, Benin City, Edo state. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques such as tables, frequencies counts, and simple percentage. Findings of the study reveals that most children with single parent are vulnerable to sexual abuse, they are also likely to have issues with their relationship in future. It was also reveal that parent’s poor standard of living can cause harm to a child’s mental development. It was recommended that voluntary organization for the prevention and protection against child abuse should periodically organize in-house seminars, workshop and other educative programs in villages, quarters to enlighten parents and children on the dangers of child street hawking and other forms of child abuse.