Socialscientia: Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Human Resource Training and Development as Determinants of Employee Productivity in Selected Local Government Areas of Enugu East Senatorial District, Enugu State, 2014 – 2024.

Godwin Chukwuemeka Freeman OZOAGU — 2026-10-23

In the face of competitive business environment, it is pertinent that business entities should strive to create a cutting-edge human resource development in order to remain in the frontline of business. This can however be achieved with the effective utilization of its human capital. This study therefore examined human resource development and productivity of Local Government employees in Enugu state: a study of selected Local Government Areas in Enugu east senatorial district, 2014 – 2024. The study adopted descriptive survey research and utilized questionnaire as the instrument of data collection 346 Local Government employees/respondents were interviewed using the well-structured 5-point scale questionnaire. Collected data were presented using frequency tables and percentages while chi square was used to test the hypotheses and for data analysis. The findings of the study showed that staff training is not given higher priority and consideration in selected Local Government Areas in Enugu east senatorial district of Enugu state. Findings from the study also revealed that Corruption in the human resource development and training program of the Enugu state Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) undermined employees’ productivity in selected Local Government Areas in Enugu east senatorial district between 2014 and 2024. In addition, the findings showed that Political interference in the selection of workers for training and development undermined employees’ productivity in selected Local Government Areas in Enugu east senatorial district between 2014 and 2024. Against this backdrop, the study recommended that local governments and other organizations should strive towards training and retraining of workers from time to time as employees should not be blamed if they are not well trained.

Policy Implementation and the Performance of the National Cash Transfer programme in Nigeria

Sunday NWEKE — 2026-10-23

The implementation of social intervention programmes in Nigeria has remained a major concern because persistent poverty and household vulnerability continue despite substantial government investment in social protection initiatives. This study assessed the implementation and effectiveness of the National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) in Kuje Area Council, Abuja, from 2015 to 2023, with particular attention to beneficiary targeting, institutional capacity, programme coverage, payment systems, inter-agency coordination and programme sustainability. The study was guided by Policy Implementation Theory, which assumes that the adoption of a policy does not automatically guarantee successful outcomes, as implementation effectiveness depends on adequate resources, institutional capacity, coordination, clear objectives and favourable administrative conditions. A qualitative case study design was adopted, using primary and secondary data. A sample of 331 respondents was selected purposively from NCTP beneficiaries, government officials, community leaders, and civil society and development organizations. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and Key Informant Interviews, while secondary data were obtained from government documents, programme records, budget documents, evaluation reports and relevant scholarly literature. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings revealed that weaknesses in beneficiary identification, institutional capacity and programme coverage created implementation gaps, while payment systems, inter-agency coordination and programme sustainability significantly influenced programme effectiveness and beneficiary welfare. The study recommends strengthening targeting and institutional capacity, improving programme coverage, ensuring timely payments, enhancing inter-agency coordination, and providing stable and sustainable funding for effective NCTP implementation.

Understanding Students’ Participation in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)

Opeoluwa OJEBISI — 2026-10-23

This study investigates subscribers' and non-subscribers' perspectives to Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) in selected tertiary institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study was underpinned by the Human Capital, while the sequential mixed methods (QUAN+qual) design was adopted. The purpose sampling technique was used to select 520 undergraduates from Olabisi Onabanjo Uniersity, Taiwo Solarin Federal University of Education and Sikiru Adetona College of Education, Science and Technology, who are willing to paticipate in the study. Instruments used were Perception of NELFUND (r=0.87), Attitude to NELFUND (r =0.86) and Interview Guide. In-depth interviews were held with eight undergraduates executives. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data were content-analysed. The age of the respondents were (21.80 ±1.40) years, and 60.0 % were males. Results show that undergraduate had positive perception (x̄= 2.73) and attitude (x̄= 2.74 ) to NELFUND at a threshold of 2.50. Qualitative findings indicate that while NELFUND is generally perceived as a relevant policy intervention for expanding access to higher education, participation is influenced by factors such as awareness levels, trust in government systems, perceived repayment burden, and ease of application processes. Subscribers reported significant financial relief and improved access to education, whereas non-subscribers expressed concerns about debt obligations, limited information, and uncertainty about post-graduation repayment capacity. The study concludes that the effectiveness of NELFUND depends not only on policy design but also on communication strategies, institutional support, and students’ behavioural perceptions. It recommends improved sensitization, simplified application procedures, and enhanced transparency in implementation to increase participation rates.

Impact of Corruption in Human Resource Development Programmes on the Productivity of Local Government Employees in Enugu-East Senatorial District, 2014 – 2024.

Godwin Chukwuemeka Freeman OZOAGU — 2026-10-23

The Influence of social media on Protest Mobilization and Public Perception

Beatrice Ifesinachi NWAFOR — 2026-10-23

This study examines the Influence of social media on Mobilization and Public Perception during the August 1, 2024 End- Bad-Governance protests in Nigeria. The research aimed to understand how digital platforms shaped the protest organization, citizen engagement, and information dissemination, and how credibility of online sources affected public response. Guided by Technological Determinism Theory and Source Credibility Theory, the study explores the dual role of social media as both a structural enabler of protest activity and a platform where trust in information sources determines influence. A quantitative survey approach was used, with structured questionnaire administered to 400 respondents, and 385 valid responses analyzed. Findings show that social media played a key role in organizing protest activities, spreading information quickly, and encouraging public participation. However, misinformation was identified as a factor that escalated tensions during the protest. The study concludes that social media is a powerful tool for civic engagement and political mobilization, but its effectiveness relies on critical content evaluation and awareness of online risks. Recommendations include promoting media literacy, responsible social media use, and strategies to reduce misinformation. This research contributes to a clearer understanding of how digital platforms influence political movements in Nigeria.

From Campus Cultism to Cybercrime

Ikenna M. ALUMONA — 2026-10-23

This study examines the emerging transition from campus cultism to cyber-enabled transnational organized crime (popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo) among university undergraduates in Nigeria. While cultism has historically constituted one of the major security challenges within Nigerian universities, evidence suggests that cybercrime has increasingly displaced it as the dominant form of organized criminality among students. The study investigates the nature, drivers, operational patterns, and implications of this transition for campus security, higher education, and national development. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, combining questionnaire surveys with Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) involving students, lecturers, university administrators, parents, and security personnel across selected public universities in Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistical techniques, while qualitative responses were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings reveal that cybercriminal networks among undergraduates have evolved into organized structures exhibiting recruitment patterns, leadership hierarchies, specialization of roles, and transnational linkages that mirror conventional organized criminal groups. The study further establishes that the declining prominence of campus cultism is not indicative of improved campus security but rather reflects a transformation of youth criminality from violent confraternities to technologically driven financial crimes motivated by the pursuit of rapid wealth, social status, and digital opportunities. The findings also demonstrate that the proliferation of cybercrime has weakened academic commitment, reinforced a culture of materialism and moral decline, exposed universities to criminal infiltration, and increasingly linked campus criminal networks with wider transnational criminal enterprises. The study concludes that Nigeria's universities are witnessing a significant shift in the character of organized crime, requiring a corresponding shift in institutional and national security responses. It recommends strengthening university governance, integrating cybercrime prevention into student orientation and curricula, enhancing collaboration between universities and security agencies, improving digital surveillance and intelligence gathering, and promoting value reorientation programmes capable of addressing the socio-economic and cultural drivers of cybercriminality among young people.

The Dead Can No Longer Die

Ndifon Neji OBI — 2026-10-23

Since Boko Haram declared war on the Nigerian state in 2009, the country has lived in a permanent emergency that has stopped feeling like one. Death tolls that once horrified now pass with little notice. Military declarations of victory recur with numbing regularity, and the promises of governance reform accumulate unimplemented and largely unread. This paper asks what happens to a state and its people when mass political violence becomes routine enough that the dead no longer register as the dead, when grief is translated into administrative language and security failure is folded into strategic continuity. Working from a desk-based review of academic scholarship, institutional reports, verified conflict data, and policy analysis, it traces three structural features of Nigeria’s security governance crisis: a counterinsurgency doctrine too rigid to adapt, a political economy in which elite interests are served by the conflict’s continuation, and an accountability deficit so entrenched that institutional reform has become structurally impossible within present arrangements. The argument is that sustainable security in Nigeria depends less on military recalibration than on a comprehensive reconstitution of governance, one built around accountability, genuine community inclusion, and transparent legitimacy. Without that reconstitution, the security crisis will go on consuming lives at rates that normalization has rendered politically tolerable, even as they remain morally unacceptable.