A DISCUSS OF SOCIAL ISSUES IN NIGERIA.

By

PAUL KAAMANI DANIEL

08033329178

danpk39@gmail.com

Preamble

A social issue (also called a social problem or

a social ill) is an issue that relates to society's

perception of people's personal lives. Different

societies have different perceptions and what may be

normal behaviour in one society may be a significant

social issue in another society. Social issues are

distinguishable. Some issues have both social and

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economic aspects. Social issues mean an issue that

affects people and society as a whole. How it changed

their lives. A social problem is a condition that at

least some people in a community view as being

undesirable. Everyone would agree about some social

problems, such as murders, prostitution, theft,

terrorism, cultism, human trafficking, hunger,

illiteracy, corruption and traffic deaths.

Other social problems may be viewed as such by

certain groups of people. Teenagers who play loud music

in a public park obviously do not view it as a problem,

but some other people may consider it an undesirable

social condition. Some nonsmokers view smoking as an

undesirable social condition that should be banned or

restricted in public buildings. Every newspaper is

filled with stories about undesirable social

conditions. Examples include crime, violence, drug

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abuse, and environmental problems. Such social problems

can be found at the local, state, national and

international levels. 

Social issues are also moral problems that affect a

member or members of a society directly or indirectly.

Some of these issues include poverty, divorce,

bullying, incest, civil rights, corruption,

pornography, abortion, abuse, crime, and education etc.

among the various types of social issues we will limit

ourselves to explaining cultism, examination

misconduct, child labour and exploitation.

CULTISM: Student crises on campus are becoming more

ferocious and dangerous than hitherto. The intrusion of

secret cults into student unionism and campus life has

brought this change. Although public expectations from

our universities have altered significantly over

decades in response to those changes that have taken

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place in society itself. The proliferation of secret

societies and cultism has remained a most powerful

instrument of retrogression. In recent times, the

university community and indeed, a great number of the

Nigerian society no longer live on total oblivion of

the nature and activities of cult groups in Nigerian

universities and other institutions of learning.

The havoc being caused by these violent cultist

activities in our universities and other tertiary

institutions has become a source of worry and concern

to so many students, lecturers, parents, guardians and

the government at large. There are now incidents of

cultist activities on our campuses with oath-taking and

Blood sucking ceremonies, cases of Burglary and House

breaking, raping involving sons and daughters of

lightly placed members of the society under the

influence of drugs, such as cocaine. Indian hemp and so

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on, dangerous weapons such as guns, swords, spear,

axes, knives, explosives, are reported to be freely

used by these secret cults member. A university

environment which should thrive through exchange of

intellectual and moral ideas suddenly becomes a battle

field where violent cultism looms large.

         It is generally accepted that campus cultism

is a social problem and as such needs the corporate

action of all and sundry in the society to curb its

menace. However, a publicity campaign launched by some

university authorities against cultism is already

working as they have been reports of open confessions

and renunciation by cult members. Such pious

declarations and call for forgiveness by erstwhile cult

members however is not the magic wand to vanish this

cankerwam. The activities of non-governmental

organizations like the natural Anti-cult movement, the

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evolution of federation of parent against campus cult

(FEPAC) and the United Network of Institutions and

Schools Against Campus Cults (UNISACC) are all recoding

success in promoting anti-cultism in tertiary

institutions, what is required, in addition is the

determination of purpose and sincerity of the

collective will of the society to address the issue.

Solution: There is the need for a total re-evaluation

of roles and values and indeed an over haul of the

curricular of our tertiary institutions. For instance

in 1994, a high powered federal government officials,

University administration and law enforcement agents

met, examined the problem of secret cults in all its

ramifications, and came out with what were believed to

be far-reaching recommendations for stamping out

cultism in the tertiary institutions, some of these

include the RE-EXAMINATION OF JAMB ADMISSISION

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procedure to enable individual universities to further

screen students. This policy has been implemented by

all universities, as result introduction of the post

Jamb entrance examination by the federal ministry of

education. Other remedies proffered for the eradication

of cultism in our university campuses includes: that

government should improve the deplorable social and

infrastructural conditions in the campuses of higher

institutions in the country that, there is high need

for adequate funding of higher institutions in the

country to ensure effective teaching and learning. That

there is need to improve recreational facilities in

tertiary institutions so as to enable students channel

their energy to useful and creative purposes. Tertiary

institutions should evolve a “reward system” for both

academic and good social behaviour for both staffs and

students.

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         It also recommended that sports activities

should be made compulsory for all students of high

institution in the country. According to the late

minister of sports and social development, (Mr. Steve

Akiga) if sporting programmes are well designed and

religiously implemented, students will have less time

to engage in anti-social behaviour. He noted that

positive engagement of youth in schools sports

competitions is another way/solution to ripping cultism

in the bud.

         The school authority should maintain open door

policy in dealing with matters concerning students,

they should guarantee peace and security in our

campuses. From the above points therefore, the student

must play their roles effectively. They must report all

cases of suspected cultist to high authorities, the

authority should reciprocate such magnanimity and

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courage by showing the villains the way out, possible

prosecution against such  apprehended cultist will act

as deterrence to other.   

Organizations of public lectures, drama,

enlightenment posters should be embarked upon by the

school authorities to create awareness to curb this

social problem in our campuses. The authorities must

raise standard of morality of our campuses; endeavour

to regain the high ground of spiritual values and

standard of morality among students and staffs. Our

nation citadel of learning must not be breeding ground

for bandits and killers. There should be no “sacred

cows” or “Cover ups” over this phenomenon. This war we

cannot afford to loss “the war against cultism”.

EXAMINATION MISCONDUCT: Most people in this country

think so poorly of the quality and functionality of

education given to our children through the systems of

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formal and non-formal education. At relevant stages of

our grief for the falling standard in education,

seminars, conferences and workshops have been organised

and the themes centre round evolving a curriculum that

would meet the needs of the nation’s goals and for

sustainable development. However, there has been a

resolve towards upgrading the quality and quantity of

education that will be available to all citizens. This

finds expression in the re-branding of the systems and

in the multiplication of various channels of education

where effective teaching and meaningful learning can

take place. But the tangled check of examination fraud

seems to constitute an obstacle on our pathway to

global competitiveness in education.

Examination misconduct has developed into a social

problem. This is because the more efforts at curbing

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its different forms, the more desperate and daring the

perpetrators become.

Another reason is that efforts being exerted at

finding solutions have been futile. In other words,

examination misconduct is a social problem because the

evil practice is constantly being observed, subjected

to prolonged discourse at various levels and reported

upon by stakeholders in education and all the

examination bodies.For instance, the most recent and

highly patronized type of examination malpractice is

evident in the number of students who have identified

some towns and schools in the villages where such acts

could be committed. Such ‘special centres’ could be

with the maximum cooperation from ‘officials’ including

law enforcement agencies. There, get uninterrupted

help, resulting in high grades.

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Other flash points for examination malpractice

culminates in having funny students or notorious groups

causing distractions in the course of examining

students in some selected subjects at various centres.

This is to get supervisor distracted and cheating

carried out. Similarly, some students whisper, eye

blink or use other non-verbal communications that

provide clues to some questions.

Those involved in ad-hoc activities of the

examination bodies possess more ugly stories to tell as

to how students and their cohorts engage in examination

malpractice. However, what most of these ad-hoc staff

cannot explain is how question papers (live script)

with their marking schemes fly about before the days

and time of examinations.

Several reasons have been advanced for the

recurrence of this bad behaviour. In fact, the

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intellectual anarchy being manifested through various

forms of examination misconducts and found among

students at various levels of our education derives its

root from the western culture which has constantly been

undermining our moral development in the society. It is

through this culturally alienating education that some

western values of greed find their ways into our

culture. The consequence of the quest for material

progress without hard work is the widespread of dis-

enchantment and frustration to learning.

Also, it would appear that much of the problems

associated with examination misconduct could be

attributed to our legal system which appears to tilt

heavily in favour of common law. In the provisions of

education law, penalties are there. So the enumeration

of ad-hoc staff of the relevant examination bodies

should be reviewed and paid as at when due. Experience

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and reports that appear daily in the news indicate that

often times those employed as helping hands on the

conduct of examinations are not promptly settled.

Also it is popular notion that this country is a

monetized society coupled with some degree of moral

laxity. It is a strange society where crime attracts

praise instead of outright condemnation. Most people

thrive in falsehood and this is a mark of success. But

one would agree that the strength of a nation does not

lie merely in its material or scientific achievement,

but rather it lies more in the moral quality of that

nation. Hence, it is safe to declare that our moral

strength has failed us as long as our wards engage in

examination malpractice.

Furthermore, those involved should be rusticated

from school and be stopped from writing the examination

with a period specified. But the obstacle here could be

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that there may be no proper monitoring of such

criminals, but examination bodies could come with

concerted efforts at strategizing the monitoring unit.

CHILD LABOUR: Child labor is now a social problem,

where infants are been exploited and forced to work at

a young age. According to Hind man, author of the book

"Child Labor and American History," children always had

worked either at home or later in industrial companies.

But, then when did it started to be morally wrong?

Child labor is a complex problem that violates the

fundamental rights of children and affects their

psychophysical development. Before the Industrial

Revolution society did not have alternative programs

like schools, or other programs that the children could

go to, and because of it, leisure time was seeing as

being indolent. Therefore, most of the parents decided

to use their children's time productively and sent them

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to work along with them or by themselves. As a result,

according to society children were active and "the

household itself only stood to gain through any added

contribution from the work of the women and children”.

In more ways than one child labor brings many

consequences on the children who work.

Children begin to lose their childhood and are

rushed into adulthood, therefore Child labor leads into

early marriage. The Consequences of Child Labor

digest children who become a part of the work industry

and have several years working it becomes more likely

for them to get married at a younger age than opposed

to going to school and living a "normal" childhood.

Another consequence of Child Labor is that children

are forced to work and help provide with the family

that they are likely to drop out of school and continue

working full time. " by working full time the children

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have no other choice than to drop out of school and

make work their first priority. Not only are these

children dropping out of school, but they are dropping

out at a young age. Therefore, children are lowering

their education level and suffering more consequences

throughout the years. 

Child labor has emerged due to different reasons: poor

economy, uneducated authoritative figures (parents or

guardians), poor education in the country.

Therefore, in order to solve this social problem,

there is a need to create a combined solution or

solutions that will decrease child labor, and hopefully

eliminate child labor completely as time goes.

Some solutions are to create different government,

Non-Governmental Organizations like UNICEF,

International Labour Organisation and so on, that will

work hand in hand, provide better education for the

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children, provide other incentives to the parents, and

as a last resource to legalize child labor. 

EXPLOITATION: Exploitation is the use of someone or

something in an unjust or cruel manner. Most often, the

word exploitation is used to refer to economic

exploitation; that is, the act of using another

person's labor without offering them an adequate

compensation. The focus of most assertions about the

existence of exploitation towards human beings is

the socio-economic phenomenon where people trade their

labor or allegiance to an entity, such as the state,

a corporation or any other private company. Some

theories of exploitation (Marxist, new liberal) are

structural, while others are organizational

(neoclassical).

Exploitation refers to the subjection of producers

(the proletariat) to work for passive owners

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(bourgeoisie) for less compensation than is equivalent

to the actual amount of work done. The proletarian is

forced to sell his or her labour power, rather than a

set quantity of labour, in order to receive a wage in

order to survive, while the capitalist exploits the

work performed by the proletarian by accumulating the

surplus value of their labour. Therefore, the

capitalist makes his/her living by passively owning a

means of production and generating a profit, when

instead the labor should be entitled to all it

produces.

Forms of exploitation include:

Child labor

Child sexual

exploitation

Forced labour

Human trafficking

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Debt bondage

Trafficking of

children

Forced

prostitution

Corporate abuse

Wage slavery

Slavery

Abduction

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Oluwabamedeli O.

African Culture and

Society. Ogun

State; University

Press.

Usman Y. B. (1987).

The Manupulation of

Religion in

Nigeria. Kaduna;

Vanguard press.

Hyelledendu J.

(1997). Social

problem in

Contemporary

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Nigerian Society.

Zaria; ABU Printiny

press.

Gazama I. U.

(2006). Trends and

Prospect in Nigeria

Social Problems.

ABU printing Press.

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