Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Political Science

Effective Communication and Service Delivery in Nigeria Postal Service: A Study of Benin Zone, 2017-2022

Ebenezer Ogonna CHUKWUMA — 2025-12-01

This study investigated the relationship between effective communication and service delivery in Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), focusing on Benin Zone between 2017 and 2022. Persistent inefficiencies, customer dissatisfaction, and organizational bottlenecks were linked to weak communication practices despite reforms and ICT adoption. Guided by the Systems Theory of Communication, the research employed a descriptive survey design with a mixed‑method approach. Data were collected through questionnaires administered to 200 employees and 300 customers, alongside semi‑structured interviews with management staff. Analysis using descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and thematic review revealed that transparency, timeliness, feedback mechanisms, and ICT adoption significantly influenced service delivery outcomes. Transparency and timeliness emerged as the strongest predictors of customer satisfaction, while interviews highlighted gaps in internal communication and responsiveness to complaints. Employees emphasized timely directives to enhance efficiency, managers acknowledged ICT progress but admitted weaknesses in feedback systems, and customers valued SMS updates but criticized slow complaint resolution. The study concluded that communication was a strategic determinant of service delivery, shaping efficiency, accountability, and public trust, and recommended institutionalizing structured feedback mechanisms and expanding ICT integration with continuous staff training.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Election Administration in Nigeria: A Systematic Review

Abdulrasaq Ajadi ISHOLA — 2025-12-01

The integrity and credibility of electoral processes remain central to democratic governance, particularly in developing countries where electoral fraud and public mistrust continue to undermine civic participation. This systematic literature review examines the deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in election administration in Nigeria, with comparative insights drawn from similar developing-country contexts. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework, 17 peer-reviewed articles, reports, theses, and institutional documents published between 2001 and 2023 were identified, screened, and synthesised. The review addresses two research questions: what ICT tools have been deployed in Nigerian election administration, and to what extent ICT adoption has been implemented across the electoral cycle. Findings reveal an incremental but progressive adoption of ICT tools spanning voter registration (DDCM, AFIS, and IVED), voter accreditation (PVCs, SCRM, and BVAS), electronic voting (piloted at sub-national levels), and result transmission (the I-REV Portal). While these innovations have enhanced transparency and reduced certain forms of electoral fraud, implementation has been constrained by inadequate technological infrastructure, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, digital literacy gaps, and legislative bottlenecks. The review identifies critical areas for policy intervention and charts directions for future research aimed at deepening ICT integration in Nigerian election administration.

Climate Change-Induced Herder-Farmer Conflicts: Implications for Food Security, in Ondo State, Nigeria

Daniel Eseme GBEREVBIE — 2025-12-01

Climate change poses significant threats to environmental stability, livelihoods, and food security, particularly in Nigeria, rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and desertification have intensified resource scarcity, driving conflicts between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers. This study examines climate change–induced herder–farmer conflicts in Ondo State and their impacts on agricultural productivity, food security, and rural livelihoods. The study employed qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 20 stakeholders (7 farmers, 6 government officials, and 7 herders) and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that prolonged droughts and irregular precipitation patterns force herders southward, leading to farmland encroachment, crop destruction, and violent confrontations. This has resulted in reduced crop yields (e.g., tomatoes and cassava), heightened food prices, widespread displacement, and economic hardship. Also, existing policies, such as anti-open grazing laws and security initiatives like Amotekun, show promise but suffer from weak enforcement and inadequate funding. This study concludes that climate change is a critical underlying driver of herder–farmer conflict in Ondo State, operating through prolonged droughts, irregular rainfall, and environmental degradation that intensify competition over land and water resources. The study recommends integrated interventions, including climate-smart agriculture, designated grazing zones, strengthened security, and community-based peacebuilding, to enhance agricultural productivity, food security, and sustainable rural livelihoods.

Courting Giants: African States between Neo-Colonial Constraints and Emerging Global Alliances in the 21st Century

Nneka Ogochukwu ANAUKWU — 2025-12-01

Within the shifting architecture of global power, Africa has re-emerged as a central arena of strategic competition among China, Russia, the European Union and the United States of America. This study examined how African regional powers navigate this rivalry, focusing on Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa between 2015 and 2025. Anchored in Neo-Realism, the paper argued that these states are rational actors responding to structural pressures in an increasingly multipolar international system. Using qualitative comparative case analysis based on documentary evidence and elite interviews, the findings revealed a pattern of strategic hedging and issue-based alignment, as African states attempt to diversify partnerships while safeguarding sovereignty. However, constraints such as debt exposure, conditional aid and asymmetric security arrangements persist. While Western actors often tie engagement to liberal governance norms, China and Russia offer alternative modes of partnership that challenge existing power hierarchies. The paper concluded by advocating for a recalibrated African foreign policy that foregrounds strategic autonomy, regional coordination and domestic capacity-building. The article contributes to debates on multipolarity, relative gains and secondary power strategy by situating African agency within a Structural Realist framework.

Climate Change and National Security in Africa: Insightsfrom the Lake Chad Region

Lawal Ibrahim ISMAIL — 2025-12-01

Climate change has increasingly emerged as a critical factor influencing national and regional security, particularly in fragile contexts across Africa. This article examines the intersection of climate change and security through a focused case study of the Lake Chad Basin, a region severely impacted by environmental degradation and socio-political instability. Drawing on historical, geographical, and contemporary security dynamics, the study explores how climate-induced resource scarcity, forced migration, and livelihood collapse have contributed to the rise of violent conflict and insurgency, notably the Boko Haram crisis. The article argues that climate change functions as a threat multiplier, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities such as poverty, weak governance, and intercommunal tensions. It also investigates the role of environmental degradation in driving regional conflict and proposes actionable policy recommendations for African governments. These include integrating climate-security concerns into national frameworks, investing in climate-resilient livelihoods, strengthening regional cooperation, and leveraging international support.