Contemporary Social Problems In Nigeria

Contemporary Issues in Sociology and Social Work: An Africanist Perspective is a publication of the Department of Social Work, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. In this book, the writers have advanced constructive and enduring global narratives, with particular emphasis on Africa, about the core issues and concerns in both Sociology and Social Work that are devoid of mischief and corruption. This book is timely as more and more departments of Social Work are being mounted across Africa, particularly, in Nigeria. The book is written with the aim of making researchers, academics and other stakeholders, including students, in the field of human behavioural sciences who are interested in the subject matters of Sociology and Social Work to become familiar with salient issues relating to the subjects of discourse. It is further intended to familiarise the readers of the text with important and cogent contemporary topical issues as related to the society at large. The book is particularly targeted at researchers, academics and students who are members of the Faculty of the Social Sciences or ancillary faculties that are interested in understanding human behaviours and lend helping hand to different clients that come across their paths in the process of carrying out their duties. The structure of the book is centred on the principle of human behaviour and humanitarian assistance in the context of different environmental situations in which the reader finds him/herself. The serialisation of the 39 chapters shows three sections with contributions in core Sociology, core Social Work and the inter-twin of both subjects. In core Sociology, the following topics are discussed: the Foundation of Sociology, Contemporary Sociological Theories from an Africanist perspective, Sociology of Social Problems, Contemporary Issues in Gender Studies, The Sociology of Formal Organisations, the Foundation of Development Sociology, the Scope and Trends in Urban Sociology, Basic Discourse in Rural Sociology, Crime, Deviance and Social Control, Cybercrime and Criminality, Issues in Medical Sociology, Discourses in Social Epidemiology, Social Epidemiology of Mental Illness, Basic Issues in Comparative Health Care Systems, Issues in Social Gerontology, the Nexus between Politics and Sociology, Social Differentiation, Social Inequality and Social Stratification, an African perspective to Industrial Sociology and an Afrocentric Sociological Thought. In core Social Work, the discussed issues are the Foundation of Social Work, The Fundamentals of School Social Work, the Concepts, Typology and Classifications of Social Security Systems, the Theory and Application of Forensic Psychology, Industrial Social Work, The Dynamics of Human Social Functioning, Social Workers and the Military, Social Workers and Mental Health, Community Organisation and Rural Development, Social Workers and Community Development, Social Workers and Child Protective Services, Social Workers in the Hospital Settings, an examination of the concept of Human Sexuality and its implications on Social Work and the roles of Social Workers in Global Terrorism. It is not untrue, therefore, that this book is a comprehensive textbook of Sociology and Social Work for African students. However, it needs to be mentioned and emphasised that the text does not and could not have covered all the areas in the two disciplines, but has tried to accommodate and touch on the major areas that are germane to academic excellence with the hope of stimulating, sustaining and making the acquired knowledge from the book a relevant aspect in human behavioural sciences. The text will be useful to students and staff of social sciences, particularly Sociology and Social Work, across Africa. The writing is pragmatic and reader-friendly and the editorial work is fantastic.

Social problems such as unemployment, poverty and drug addiction are a fact of life in industrialised societies. This book examines the sociology of social problems from interesting and challenging perspectives. It analyses how social problems emerge and are defined as such, who takes responsibility for them, who is threatened by them and how they are managed, solved or ignored. The authors examine and critique existing theories of social problems before developing their own theoretical framework. Their 'theory of residualist conversion of social problems' explains how certain social problems threaten legitimate power structures, so that problems of a social or political nature are transformed into personal problems, and the 'helping professions' are left to intervene. This book will become a key reference on class, inequality and social intervention and an important text for students in sociology and social work courses.

Africa today confronts, and is known for, daunting developmental challenges, despite the abundant human and material resources and significant global development assistance. A number of issues have been identified as causes of the continent’s poor development performance. However, a number of these implicated issues have been insufficiently unaccounted for, and the majority of existing analysis on them is too generic and misinformed. Against this background, this book uses Nigeria as an example to contribute knowledge and informed research to the wider African continent. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, and is one of the continent’s most resource-endowed countries, but, despite this, it is one of the poorest countries in the entire world. While many studies have examined the country in depth, its continued development complications and its paradoxical status on the world stage suggest that there is still a need to better understand the country. Even though the issues of Nigeria are engaged with directly in this book, the findings have implications and relevance for the rest of the continent and many other developing countries in general. As such, this book will be of particular interest to all development students, scholars, practitioners and policy makers, especially those interested in the sustainable development of Africa, both now and in the future.