Academic literature on the topic 'Peace-building – Nigeria – Plateau State'

Over the last two decades, while significant consideration is given to women’s participation and representation in formal peacebuilding processes, there is the dearth of research on the grassroots level involvement and contributions of women to peacebuilding processes in post-conflict communities. Utilizing 28 semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions with women in Bukuru and Gyel communities, this article aims at improving the understandings on the agency of women in building and sustaining peace in polarized post-conflict communities in Plateau State, Nigeria. The article argues that in spite of the global marginalisation of women in formal peace processes, women are actively involved in peacebuilding and use various forms of individual and collective agency to restore harmonious relations, build peace and foster social cohesion in polarized post-conflict communities.

Ethno-religious violence has plagued northern Nigeria in the last thirty years and has specifically affected Plateau State during the last decade. This article examines the attitudes and responses of pentecostal leaders in Plateau State toward violence and peace. Their attitudes are also compared to those of mainline Christian leaders in northern Nigeria and pentecostal leaders in southern Nigeria, a region that has not been affected by ethno-religious violence. The methods used included observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The research found that pentecostal leaders have a more positive attitude toward Muslims than do mainline leaders overall. There was no difference between pentecostal and mainline leaders in attitudes toward violence. However, there is a wider difference in attitudes toward violence and peace among Pentecostals than among mainline Protestants. Furthermore, pentecostal leaders in Plateau State demonstrated a greater involvement in peace-making initiatives than mainline leaders.

In spite of the robust provisions of the ECOWAS convention for the control of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in West Africa, Nigeria which is a leading Member State has been experiencing daunting challenges to personal human security posed by the large-scale availability of SALW. Although Nigeria has made some efforts towards the implementation of the Convention, the status of the country in that regard has not been clear. This paper sought to examine the nature of the implementation of the Convention in Nigeria with a view to determining the lacuna in the process and addressing it. In-depth interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders and leaders of institutions such as the ECOWAS Commission and Nigeria’s Presidential Committee on Small Arms (PRESCOM). Secondary data were also used including official documents and researches related to them. The study revealed that Nigeria has failed to domesticate and implement the Convention accordingly. It therefore recommended that the Federal Government should urgently take steps towards establishing the National Commission and put the required structure and support to ensure its effective and efficient implementation. Dinshak, L. D. | Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

This research surveyed some socio-economic activities of communities around Pandam Game Reserve (PGR) central Nigeria to determine their implications for biodiversity Conservation in PGR. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and field observations. Results showed a 100% response to questionnaires administered. Eighty three percent (83%) of the respondents were males while 17% were females. Eighty percent (80%) attended at least primary school level of education while 20% had no form of formal education. Prominent among occupation of respondents was farming with 40% and the occupation of respondents with list response was hunting with 1%. Field observations showed the presence of the following human activities: logging, firewood collection, fishing, farm encroachment, cattle grazing and poaching. The implication of these socio-economic activities in PGR if left uncontrolled could result to biodiversity lost. A multi-stakeholder approach and participatory management of the reserve which will consider the socio-economic concerns of locals have been suggested as a critical component for building cooperation. These if properly exploited is believed will contribute substantially to biodiversity sustainability in PGR. Keywords: Communities, Biodiversity, Conservation, Pandam Game Reserve

This qualitative and quantitative study evaluates the time and cost performance of fixed-price contracts in Tertiary Institutions projects in Plateau State, funded as intervention projects from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund. Literature review gives the background on the types and forms of contracts. Questionnaires, interviews and records from projects are tools that were used in collecting the relevant data. Sixty-two professionals consisting of 12 Architects, 8 Builders, 12 Engineers, 22 Quantity Surveyors and 8 Estate Surveyors randomly selected responded to issues of time and cost challenges. Records were purposively obtained from Twenty-Three projects studied. Regression Analysis was used to predict the time and cost performance. Results show a cost increase of $14, 423.59 for every one-month increase in time. Interviews revealed all 23 projects suffered time overruns with only 5 overrunning in cost. Specifications of 18 projects were found to be changed in order to satisfy the client’s budget objective of the firm price. The research recommends that to enhance time and cost performance, designs must be fully completed before biding. Alternatively, the entire procurement system which favours the fixed price arrangement should be overhauled to accommodate other options.

Many studies have shown that wayfinding is affected by the familiarity of subjects with the environment. Wayfinding difficulties are caused due to the complexities of building configuration and evolving spaces that emerge over time in response to operational needs and change which results in disorientation, uncertainty, anxiety, frustration, and stress. Alarge hospital environment greatly influences the wayfinding behaviour of newcomers,which could be stressful and intimidating for them. This study explores the wayfinding behaviour of unfamiliar users in the acquisition of knowledge of the environment with the aim to improve wayfinding competence in hospitals. The study was carried out at Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), situated in the Plateau State of Nigeria.The methods used for data collection were walking-with observation, verbal protocol and a semi-structured interview.These methods indicated the participants’level of wayfinding performance during the navigation aimed to find the desired destination. The respondents, n 16 (8 male and 8 female),were purposively sampled and observed through behavioural mapping. Additionally, 24 respondents were separately interviewed in order to triangulate the findings of behavioural mapping. The findings revealed that the majority (62.5%) of respondents found the building layout complex to navigate due to their spatial similarities.Additionally, the wayfinding experience of the majority (95.8%) of respondents in the hospital was established to be difficult and stressful. Also, the result proved that 60% of female wayfinders were more prone to wayfinding errors than male wayfinders in finding their way to the desired destination due to the complexity of the building layout. The study recommends that building configuration design in hospitals should be organised in a simple way and it should be constantly reviewed as new spaces evolve.The implication calls for an improved design which remains distinctive and a well-linked layout that facilitates effective and efficient wayfinding for unfamiliar users in a safe and satisfactory manner.

Abstract In the past decade, the Nigerian government has witnessed dwindling revenues owing to fluctuating oil prices. This has necessitated the search for alternative revenue sources. For the authorities in Jos, the administrative city of Plateau State in north-central Nigeria, taxes within housing production and consumption loop were thought to be the easiest catch. Accordingly, the authorities intensified the generation of land titling fee, capital gains tax, value added tax, land use charge, ground rent, development permits, probate fee, withholding tax among others. These efforts came with some implication for urban housing. The paper aims to provide an understanding of this and it employed a wide range of secondary data of quantitative and qualitative forms in pursuits of two objectives. The first objective examined how property taxes were administered and found that multiple agencies were involved in tax administration and, as a result, double taxation occurred in land titling, seeking of development permits and probate. Furthermore, sporadic land and property registration impeded the development of a cadastre, thereby allowing the government to arbitrarily and outrageously apply taxes, which tax payers tried to evade through informal house building and property transactions. The second objective analysed the impact of property taxation and found that taxes accounted for a high cost of new housing and residential rentals but also had the potentials of stimulating housing production and consumption. Recommendations that could help the government generate revenue from taxing properties while also incentivising housing production and consumption were offered.

The study investigated relative effects of problem and project-based learning techniques on students’ academic achievement in Building Technology. Specifically, the study compared the mean achievement scores of students exposed to problem-based learning and project-based learning against those exposed to conventional lecturer method in Building Technology achievement test. In addition, the study examined the effects of gender on students’ academic achievement with respect to the treatments (teaching methods). Quasi-experimental research design was adopted to carry out the study. Quasi-experimental research design is pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent control group design. [1] described quasi-experimental research design as that design that permits the use of intact classes. The research was carried out in North-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria comprising six states which include: Kogi, Niger, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Nassarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. Three states (Niger, Kogi and Plateau) were randomly selected out the existing six states in North-central Nigeria. From the three selected states, the three colleges of education that offer Building Technology were sampled with one college of education from each of the three selected states. Hence, the three colleges of education selected are Niger State College of Education, Minna with 47 Building Technology students; Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Plateau State with 56 Building Technology students and Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa with 45 Building Technology students. Therefore, the sample for the study was 148 students of Building Technology for 2017/2018 academic session. The assignment of the classes to teaching methods was done through simple balloting. Hence, Federal College of Education, Pankshin with 56 students of Building Technology was assigned to problem-based learning (PrbL), Niger State College of Education, Minna with 47 students of Building Technology was assigned to project-based learning (PrjL) while Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa with 45 students of Building Technology was assigned to conventional lecture method. Data for this study were obtained with the use of Building Technology Achievement Test (BTAT) instrument containing 50 multiple choice questions. Each questions of the test instrument has four options (a), (b), (c) and (d) out of which one option is the correct answer. The instrument was content-validated by three experts and the reliability established using Kuder Richardson 21 (K-R21) which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.83. This suggested that the instrument was reliable for data collection for the study. [2] affirmed that reliability coefficients range from 0.00 to 1.00, with higher coefficients indicating higher levels of reliability. Before the commencement of the treatments, all students both in two experimental groups (PrbL and PrjL) and control group were subjected to a pre-test in order to obtain the pre-test achievement scores. The scores obtained by students from the three groups represented their pre-test scores. Thereafter, the actual treatments began and lasted for six weeks in which students in PrbL group were taught Building Technology using Problem-based learning, students in PrjL were taught Building Technology using Project-based learning while students in the control group were taught Building Technology using conventional lecture method. After the sixth week of the treatments, the post-test was administered to the students in their respective groups to obtain the post-test achievement scores. The scripts of the students were collated and marked by the researcher and the students were scored over 50. This is because, any correct answer out of the 50 questions is 1 mark. The data collected from the three groups in the pre-test and post-test were compiled for analysis. The result showed that NCE students of Building Technology taught problem-based learning had mean achievement gain score of 18.07, students taught with project-based learning had mean achievement gain score of 20.23 while students in control group that were taught Building Technology with conventional lecture method had mean achievement gain score of 6.31. The results clearly show that the use of problem and project-based learning techniques appreciably increased academic achievement of NCE students in Building Technology than using conventional lecture method for instructional delivery. The result of [3] revealed that students exposed to problem-based learning method significantly showed high level of achievement motivation than the students of control group. In agreement with the findings of this study, [4] established that project-based learning approach had significantly higher academic achievement effects on students’ academic performance than those taught with traditional teaching method. Similarly, [5] in a study found that students in the treatment group (project-based learning) produced better academic performance than those in control group. The results on effect of gender on the achievement scores of NCE students showed that male students taught Building Technology with problem-based learning method had mean achievement gain of 18.04 while the females taught with problem-based learning method had mean achievement gain of 18.25. On the other hand, male students taught Building Technology with project-based learning had mean achievement gain of 20.22 while the female taught with project-based learning had mean achievement gain score of 22.33 in Building Technology test. For the control group, male students taught Building Technology with conventional lecture method had mean achievement gain score of 7.11 while female students in control group had mean achievement gain score of 7.10. This result indicates that both problem and project-based learning techniques significantly increased academic achievement of male and female students in Building Technology than conventional lecture technique. [6] studied gender differences in electricity interest and achievement scores using problem-based learning. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students when taught electricity using problem based learning approach. Although, students taught with project-based learning had slightly higher achievement gain score than those taught with problem-based learning. The result shows that treatments (Groups) as main factor had a significant effect on students’ achievement in Building Technology test. The F-calculated (F-cal) value of 103.298 and the p-value of 0.000 which is less than 0.05 level of significance indicate significant difference in the mean achievement scores of students taught with problem and project-based learning techniques and conventional lecture method based on the treatments given. For the effect of gender on academic achievement in Building Technology, the result shows that, the F-calculated value of 0.170 and p-value of 0.681 which was greater than 0.05 level of significance indicate that there was no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students in the Building Technology achievement test. The result of [7] showed no significant gender difference as project-based learning had a positive effect on both male and female students. In the same manner, [8] investigated inquiry project-based learning and found that gender (male and female) differences and academic abilities had no significant moderating effects on the learning dimensions. Interaction effects of gender and instructional techniques (Group*Gender) shows F-calculated (F-cal) value of 0.119 with p-value of 0.888 which is greater than 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that there was no significant interaction effect between the treatments (Groups) and gender of the students in respect to Building Technology achievement test. Based on the findings, the study recommended intensified use of problem-based learning and project-based learning techniques for effective instructional delivery in Building Technology, formulation of relevant policies to strengthen problem-based and project-based learning techniques in Nigerian technical and vocational education for the production of skilled manpower to feed Nigerian Building industry, adequate provision of relevant instructional materials to facilitate quality teaching and learning with project-based and project-based learning techniques and skill update and timely in-service training to teachers and lecturers of technical and vocational education for effective application of problem-based and project-based learning techniques that are interactive and student-centred for instructional delivery.

<p><em>This paper examines the urban planning implications of informal sector activities in Barkin-Ladi Town, a post mining settlement in Plateau State, Nigeria. The objective of the paper is to examine the planning challenges posed by the informal sector activities and to make appropriate recommendations towards integrating and regulating such activities within the settlement. A total of 187 questionnaires were administered on three categories of informal sector activities in the area, while interviews were conducted with the staff of the Area Office of the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning and of the Works Department of the Barkin Ladi local government council, which is the planning authority. The research revealed that trading was the dominant informal activity being undertaken by 63% of the respondents, followed by cottage industries (14%) and tertiary services (23%). Planning challenges pose by informal activities included: change of use without planning approvals, encroachment on access roads, conflicting land uses, non-compliance with the relevant planning law on zoning. There were no spatial developmental plans or guidelines by the relevant planning authority to regulate the activities of informal sector activities. Environmental management challenges were lack of access to basic infrastructure, degradation of the urban environment, and insecurity of life and property. It is recommended that there is the need for planners to understand the valuable contributions of the informal activities to the local economy by integrating them in the spatial development frameworks through appropriate zoning, location, space management and regulatory policies. Basic infrastructure and services should be provided to enhance their productivity, while government and other stakeholders should improve access to loans, micro-finance, material resources and capacity building of informal participants.</em></p>

The increasing growth of kidnapping inNigeria has become a strong threat tonational peace and security. It has affected the national image of the state and has eaten deep into every region and segmentof the nation. This work unveils howidentity fanaticism and political violence led to emergence of economy of violence referred as "kidnapping” in Nigeria. Upon this circumstance, the paper argues that peace building is a potent strategic tool that can eliminates kidnapping and other terror related crime from Nigeria by ensuring that violent actors and their sponsors embrace peace while exploring other non-violent mechanisms for resolving such differences that trigger kidnapping in the Nigerian state. It adds that adequate public information process, a behavioural change messages and actions that return the mindsets of of kidnapping into the life of rule of law and peaceful coexistence, eliminates the network of organized crime used by kidnappers to carry out its nefarious activities. Essentially eradication of kidnapping restores security climate for establishment of democratic culture, promotion of national development, and foreign direct investment.

The aim of this study is to examine conflict and how it impinges on development. Conflict is an inevitable element of human existence since creation and has always affected human activities and endeavors in several ways. Understanding the dimensions of human conflict therefore provides blueprints on how to manage and resolve conflicts. This makes this study timely. In this research, some relevant related to conflict management approaches were examined. The research adopted a case study approach using the Jos Plateau conflict in the Plateau State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Data was collected and analyzed using a mixed research methods approach. The findings show several causes of this conflict among which are differences in religious beliefs among the people of the area, socio-economic causes, political tensions and land disputes. The consequences of the conflict identified are: it retards development in the area, creates fear and feelings of insecurity, destruction of property and loss of human lives. This study also examined how the conflict impinges on people-cantered development. In terms of how the conflict can be mitigated, respondents think education, creation of employment opportunities, the administration of justice and the practice of tolerance values is going to promote a spirit of coexistence and eventually result in a more peaceful and stable environment.

The continuous rise in population, urbanization and expansion of cities has triggered a corresponding increase in construction and demolition activity. The frequent collapse of buildings attributed to poor structural design, building decay, and/or use of substandard materials has generated a substantial increase in construction refuse, also referred to as Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste. This waste stream originates from residential, commercial, agricultural, institutional and industrial building projects for new builds, reconstruction, expansion, and refurbishments/rehabilitation. Most studies in Nigeria have generally focused on solid waste management without considering the uniqueness of C&D and giving it the attention needed, in order to achieve sustainable urban spaces that are highly functional, safe, convenient, and livable. This study seeks to investigate the different approaches and processes of C&D waste management in the City of Jos, in the Plateau State of Nigeria. The mix method was adopted for this research whereby quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a structured questionnaire for construction enterprises, as well as face-to-face interviews with the agencies responsible for waste management in the city. A total of 21 construction companies (representing about 10%) were randomly selected for questionnaire administration while interviews were conducted with the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) and the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) who are responsible for waste management. Investigations revealed that C&D waste consists of heavy and non-degradable materials such as: sheet metal roofing, sand, gravel, concrete, masonry, metal, and wood to mention only a few. The construction companies are solely responsible for: the collection, storage, transportation and disposal of wastes generated from their activities. Approximately 60-70% of the C&D waste materials are either reused, recycled or resold, while the remaining residual waste is indiscriminately disposed. Although the PEPSA and JMDB are responsible for waste management, their focus has been on establishing solid non-hazardous waste infrastructure systems, policies and plans. The absence of records of the quantity of C&D waste generated, the lack of financial data, and the omission of policies and plans for the C&D waste stream has resulted in a missed opportunity for a comprehensive and sustainable waste management strategy for the City and the state. To protect public health, valuable resources, and natural ecosystems, it is recommended that the C&D waste stream be included as part of the state’s waste management program, in consideration of the growing construction and demolition activity, by including C&D policies and guidelines.