Multidisciplinary Studies

TOURISM DEMAND AND EXPENDITURE PATTERNS AMONG UNIVERSITY WORKERS IN OYO AND OSUN STATES NIGERIA

2025-04-01T00:00:00Z

TOURISM DEMAND AND EXPENDITURE PATTERNS AMONG UNIVERSITY WORKERS IN OYO AND OSUN STATES NIGERIA AMBALI, Mutiu Kolawole Tourism serves as a potent antidote to work-related stress, motivating people to spend on attractive tour packages. Tourism-related trips provide a therapeutic escape that rejuvenates, refreshes, and energises the working class, mitigating burnout and fostering holistic well-being. Previous studies on tourism demand focused on general workforce, students and other demographics, with scant attention to exploring the specific tourism demand and expenditure patterns among university workers, particularly in southwestern Nigeria. This study was aimed at assessing the tourism demand and expenditure patterns of university workers in Osun and Oyo States, Nigeria. Hence,it examined the frequency of tourism types, types of tourism demand, expenditure, factors that influence tourism demand andpull factors for tourism expenditures among university workers in Osun and Oyo States, Nigeria. Akdere Mesut’s Social Capital Theory was adopted, while the descriptive survey design was utilised. Osun and Oyo States were purposively selected based on year of establishment and high demand for these universities in southwestern Nigeria. Three universities were selected from each state: Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU - federal); Osun State University (UNIOSUN - state); and Adeleke University (AU - private) in Osun State; University of Ibadan (UI - federal); Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH - state); and Lead City University (LCU - private) in Oyo State. The disproportionate-to-size sampling method was used to select 520 respondents to whom the questionnaire was administered. An estimated population of 100 respondents was selected from institutions with staff strength exceeding 1000 (OAU, UI, LAUTECH, and UNIOSUN) and 60 respondents from institutions with less than 1000 staff strength (AU and LCU). Logistic regression, Likelihood Ratio (lr), Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) and Odds Ratio (OR) were used to analyse the data at p< 0.05 level of significance. The respondents’ ages ranged from 24 - 47years, majority (99%) had formal education, and there were more males (57.1 %) than females. University workers travel frequently for family visits with an incidence rate ratio (IRR = 1.19) and cultural festivals (IRR = 1.1). The types of tourism demand among university workers were family tourism (98.8%) with a likelihood ratio (lr) = 11.9, religious tourism (97.6%), lr = 17.9 and educational tourism (92.5%) with lr = 12.1. Private university workers spent the highest mean expenditure of N70,000.00±42,426.41, followed by federal university workers N40,952.38±29,095.49 and state university workers N39,194.03±27,627.11. The factors that determined tourism demand were gender (β=-1.4) at 95% confidence interval (CI) [-2.3, 0.4] with an odds ratio of 0.3 and university ownership type (private university) (β=1.1) at 95% CI [-0.1,2.2] with an odds ratio 2.9. The pull factors for spending on tourism were accommodation (29.3%), shopping (20.89%), transportation (19.1%), souvenirs (18.2%) and feeding (12.5%). Private university workers have high tourism demand and expenditure patterns than their counterparts at federal and state universities in Osun and Oyo states, Nigeria. Institutions should offer flexible leave policies, as well as create awareness campaigns highlighting the benefits of leisure and tourism for well-being and productivity among university workers in Osun and Oyo states, Nigeria.

FACTORS UNDERLYING THE TRANSFORMATION OF VIOLENT RADICALISED GROUPS IN THE SOUTH-EAST AND SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA, 2003-2014

2021-10-01T00:00:00Z

FACTORS UNDERLYING THE TRANSFORMATION OF VIOLENT RADICALISED GROUPS IN THE SOUTH-EAST AND SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA, 2003-2014 EWURUM, Evaristus Chidi Globally, violent radicalised groups (VRGs) pose a threat to national security. Oodua Peoples‟ Congress (OPC) and the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) who initially emerged as groups set up to fight against perceived marginalisation and insecurity in South-West and South-East regions later got metamorphosed into violent radicalised groups threatening the national security. OPC on its own has a history of violence with recorded cases of clashes and violence with Nigeria‟s security agencies (Nigeria Police and Army) at Arepo in Ogun State over cases involving oil installations protection, among others. Existing studies on VRGs have largely concentrated on their emergence and proliferation, with little attention paid to factors underlying their transformation. This study, therefore, was designed towards examining the factors that led to transformation of OPC and MASSOB to VRGs, the interface with security agents in the process of transformation, the political economy that influenced the transformation and perceived influence of the groups from 2003 to 2014 in the South-East and South-West, Nigeria. Social Movement, Political Economy and Dollard‟s Frustration-Aggression theories served as the framework, while an exploratory survey design was adopted. Primary and secondary data were obtained. South-East and South-West Nigeria were purposively selected as the homelands of OPC and MASSOB respectively. A sample of 452 respondents was drawn using Cochran‟s (1977) sample size formula. A structured questionnaire was conveniently administered to community members in Lagos, Ijebu-Ode, Osogbo, Ibadan, Awka, Aba, Onitsha, Owerri and Enugu, the instrument covered all the research objectives and was complemented by in-depth interviews and focused group discussions. Ten In-Depth Interviews got conducted with four community leaders, two each zone and six youth leaders, three each from each zone. Six focus group discussions, three each from each zone were held with youth associations. Secondary data were obtained from journals, newspaper reports, internet sources and other relevant publications. Data gathered were content analysed. The OPC and MASSOB were transformed into VRGs as a result of politics of ethnicity and agitation for regional sovereignty. MASSOB was basically formed to advance the interest of the Igbo (53.5%), OPC was reported as ethnic movement (56.0%). It was discovered from the qualitative data that the long term political marginalisation compounded with Nigeria law enforcement agencies‟ reaction to their conducts accounted for transformation of the groups into VGRs. Law enforcement crackdowns on the groups (63.0%), repressive nature of the state (51.0%) and arrest of their leaders triggered the transformation to VRGs. Relatedly, „growing poverty‟ and stiffening economic realities contributed to the radicalisation of the youth wings of the groups thus posed threats to live and political stability in the country. Despite the transformation to VRGs, 45.0% opined that OPC had been very helpful in securing lives and property in the South-West, while 67.0% indicated that MASSOB had been effective in the sensitisation for the actualization of the Biafra state. The perceived ethnic or tribal marginalisation with political agitation of the Yoruba and Igbo ethnic groups were pivotal in the transformation of OPC and MASSOB to violent radicalised groups from 2003 to 2014 in the Southwestern and Southeastern regions of Nigeria. There is the need to build reliable democratic process for inclusive representations of all geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

RESIDENTS` PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN IGBO OLODUMARE SACRED GROVE, OKE-IGBO, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

2023-08-01T00:00:00Z

RESIDENTS` PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN IGBO OLODUMARE SACRED GROVE, OKE-IGBO, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA ADEYEMI, FEYISADE CHARLES Community-based Ecotourism Development (CbED) approach, which emphasizes residents’ participation, is crucial to actualising full ecotourism potential in any society. Efforts to develop the tourism potential of Igbo Olodumare Sacred Grove (IOSG) in Ondo State has been on for half a century without limited success. Previous studies of ecotourism focused on residents` well-being, livelihoods, and project impacts with little emphasis on residents` participation. This study, therefore examined residents’ participation in CbED in IOSG with a view to evaluating their knowledge of ecotourism potential and willingness to participate as well as inhibiting factors to participation. Richard Tarnas` Participation Theory and Community Readiness Model served as the framework, while the mixed methods (Quant + Qual) design was adopted. Four communities within 10km radius of IOSG were purposively selected, while 361 adult residents were also purposively selected across the communities (Kajola-114; Ajejigi-73; Igbo Olodumare-53; Oke Alafia-121). The instruments used were; the Knowledge of Ecotourism Potential (r=0.84) and the Willingness to Participate in CbED (r=0.73) scales. Key Informant Interviews were conducted with four community heads, two members of the Oke-Igbo Tourism Committee, one policy maker each from the Ondo State Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments. A Focus Group Discussion session was held with members of each community council. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive statistics and Multiple Regression at 0.05 level of significance, while the qualitative data were analysed using narrative approach. Most adult residents (35.5%), had tertiary education, married (67%), predominantly Christians (92.5%), and farmers (60.1%). However, very few residents’ (0.6%) had prior involvement in planning the IOSG project. The residents had high knowledge of ecotourism potentials of IOSG (x̅ =3.3 ± 1.86), their level of willingness to participate in CbED was moderate (x̅ = 21.08 ± 6.75) and their length of stay was high (x̅ = 29.08 ± 21.45). Residents level of education (ß = -0.15), length of stay (ß = 0.42) and religion (ß = 0.15) influenced willingness to participate, while knowledge of ecotourism potential did not. The inhibiting factors to residents’ participation in CbED included poor state of infrastructures, low level of relevant tourism and hospitality skills, poor destination branding and marketing, top-heavy management approach, community residents’ exclusion from decision-making processes, community residents prohibition from accessing IOSG, and absence of benefit-sharing mechanism acceptable to community residents. Residents’ participation in Community-based Ecotourism Development in Igbo Olodumare Sacred Grove is poor, however their willingness to participate is high. Level of education, religion, and length of stay largely influenced willingness to participate in Community-based Ecotourism Development. Capacity building initiatives with emphasis on involvement in planning, implementation, and evaluation, should be introduced by the stakeholders, particularly at the community level, for improvement in residents’ participation.

ARTIFICIAL LAKE TOURISM AND HUMAN WELL-BEING IN SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

2023-07-01T00:00:00Z

ARTIFICIAL LAKE TOURISM AND HUMAN WELL-BEING IN SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA OGUNDEJI, Olushola Ayoola Lakes provide scenic attractions that are often exploited to promote tourism. They create opportunities for the diversification of local and national economy. Previous studies have focused on the roles of natural and artificial lakes as sources of energy generation and food production, with little attention to their contribution to the well-being of the host communities. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of artificial lake tourism on human well-being in selected communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. Maslow's theory of human motivation served as the framework, while descriptive design was adopted. One artificial lake host community in Oyo State was purposively selected from each of the six political divisions (Ibadan-Eleyele), (Ibarapa-Opeki), (Oyo-Erelu), (Ogbomoso-Yaku), (Oke Ogun 1-Ikere gorge) and (Oke Ogun 2-Afonse). A sample size of 400 respondents was determined using Taro Yamen’s formula, while Bourley’s allocation formula was used to achieve proportionate-to-size samples from each zone (Eleyele-45, Opeki-51, Erelu-73, Yaku-86, Ikere gorge-110 and Afonse-35). A structured questionnaire was administered to residents of the communities on their perception of the socio-economic benefits of the artificial lakes. The respondents were purposively selected within 200 meters from the artificial lake sites. Six Lake Scheme Officers (five from Oyo State Water Corporation and one from Ogun/Osun River Basin Authority), were purposively selected as Key Informants. Frequency analysis, linear regression, K-Nearest Neighbour, Factor Analysis and Chi-Square were used to analyse the quantitative data at α = 0.05, while the qualitative data were content-analysed. Residents’ age was 35.0±8.7 years, 65.3% were male and 64.6% were married. Artificial lake tourism contributed to perceived reduction of poverty (97.0%), improved water management (73.0%), enhanced economic productivity through job diversification (96.0%) and improved community transportation system (97.0%). Income generation in the lake communities was influenced by marital status (β = 0.24), employment (β = 0.27) and education (β = 0.33). Efficient water management was enhanced through the preservation of artificial lakes (3.0), reduction of poverty (3.0) and development of existing artificial lakes (2.0). Community well-being was enhanced through the promotion of productive employment and decent work (21.8%). Artificial lake tourism improved economic productivity (χ2=1.12). Artificial lake tourism did not improve water management. The awareness of existence of artificial lake did not influenced the perception of the adequacy of existing transportation infrastructure in the communities. Artificial lake tourism had a positive impact on the well-being of the communities around the lakes, however, the communities suffered from negative impacts such as water, air, soil and noise pollutions due to tourists’ inflow. Artificial lake tourism improved the well-being of people in their host communities in Oyo State. It enhances poverty reduction, water management, economic productivity, and community transportation system. Therefore, there is a need for government and publicprivate partnerships to address the pollution challenge arising from artificial lake tourism.