International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Abstract

Economic Community of West African (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries founded in 1975 with the objectiveof promoting economic integration in all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters among others.To facilitate the actualization of these objectives, several protocols including the protocol on free movement of people were adopted. However, about four decades of free movement protocol, less was reported to have been achieved of its major objective.  One of the bottlenecks largely coined in extant literatures was the existence of multiple and unviable checkpoints within most of the Member States a phenomenon that was believed toostracized the realization of the whole objectives. Although, the number and composition of checkpoints varies from one country to the other, it was estimated that checkpoints in West Africa are placed in a radius of 10km drives. This behaviour is nevertheless alarming and has since sabotagedthe smooth movement of people within the sub region. This study examined the consequences of the existence of multiple checkpoints on ECOWAS free movement protocol and how it has impeded its success as an economic union over the years.

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Abstract

The use and abuse of drugs by adolescents have become one of the most disturbing socio-economic related phenomena in Yobe State and Nigeria at large. Substance is referred to as an element that modifies perceptions, cognition, mood, behaviour and general body functions. The menace of this phenomenon has eaten deep into the fabrics of Yobe State society. Youths are dying morally, our streets have turned to breeding ground of these cankers and the volume of mentally deranged people increases tremendously. This has also affected the socio-economic well-being of the entire state. The increasing rate of social restiveness characterized by political and social violence is also attributed to this effect. It is estimated that hundreds of lives were lost through this incidence. High budgetary expenditure by governments and quasi -governmental bodies became ineffective over the years. This study found, among others socio-economic stress, poor parental supervision and peer group relation as the major propounding factors of this incidence.

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