ABSTRACT
The study examined the influence of
religio-cultural factors on succession plan among adults in Mainland Local
Government of Lagos State, Nigeria. In this study, some extensive and related
literatures were reviewed in subheadings. The descriptive research survey was
applied for the sampling of the opinions of the selected participants in the
study with the use of questionnaire. A total of 200 (Two Hundred) participants
were selected as the representatives of the entire population of the study. A
total of five null hypotheses were tested in this study using the analysis of
variance and the t-test tools at 0.05 level of significant. At the end of the data
analyses, the results that emerged showed that: There is a significant
influence of religio-cultural factors on succession plan among adults in Lagos
State; There is a significant influence of ethnic background on succession plan
among adults in Lagos State and there is a significant influence of religious
belief on succession plan among adults in Lagos State. Also there is no
significant influence of tribalism on succession plan among adults in Lagos
State. Finally, it was found that there is a there is no significant influence
of socio-economic status on succession plan among adults in Lagos State. Based
on the outcomes of the data analyses, it was recommended that
religio-cultural factors which has been found to be of the major factors
militating against effective succession plan amongst adults in many communities
in Lagos State, should not be regarded as one the factors that plan important
role in any succession plan in the Nigerian society. It also recommended that
people should play down the role of religion and culture in picking who
succeeds who in the Nigerian societies. Succession plans should be based on
merit rather than on religion and on cultural heritage.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGES
Title page i
Certification
ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract vi
Table of contents vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the problem 6
1.3 Purpose of the study 7
1.4 Research Questions 8
1.5 Research Hypotheses 8
1.6 Scope of the study 9
1.7 Significance of the Study 9
1.8 Definition of Terms 10
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0
Introduction 12
2.1
The Concept and Nature of Religion 12
2.2
The Concept and Nature of Society 14
2.3
Relationship
between Religion and Society 16
2.4
The Measures of Religiosity 17
2.5 The Positive Functions of Religion 21
2.6
The Negative Functions of Religion 24
2.7
Culture, Social Change and Education 27
2.8
The Characteristics of Culture 29
2.9
The Functions
of Culture 31
2.10
The Nature and Definition of Leadership 33
2.11 The Views on Leadership 34
2.12 characteristics of a Leader 35
2.13
Determinants of an Effective Leader 38
2.14 Religio-Cultural Factors and succession Plan 40
in
the Community
2.15 Summary of Review 47
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction 48
3.1 Research Design 48
3.2 Population of the Study 48
3.4 Instrumentation 49
3.5 Validity and Reliability of Instrument 49
3.6 Procedure for Data Collection 49
3.7 Data Analysis Method 49
CHAPTER
FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, HYPOTHESIS TESTING AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS.
4.1
Introduction 50
4.2
Hypotheses Testing and Interpretation of Results 50
CHAPTER
FIVE:DISCUSSION, SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND ECOMMENDATIONS
5.0
Introduction 56
5.1
Discussion of Findings 56
5.2 Summary
of the Study 61
5.3
Conclusions 62
5.4
Recommendations 62
References 65
Appendix 70
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the
Study
In every society,
there is a laid down plan which is made for the succession of leadership among
adults. This succession plan runs in the family, the church, the community and
other areas of human endeavours. According to Uzor (2000), without succession
plans, humans cannot live in peace in their local communities, because there
will be constant quarrels and successionv problems that can crop up from time
to time as a result of who to, succeed who in the community at any point in
time, especially in the area of leadership or headship. When there is no
succession plan in any community, there may be anarchy and bad blood among
adults in the society. It may equally cause tribal, family and community
rivalry and confusion.
Also, Adeleke
(2005), opined that succession plans can help individuals to dwell together in
a particular society or family and is capable of assisting people to follow the
line of leadership succession so that individuals who had led the community can
be replaced without rancour and acrimony among the adults in the family, the church
or the larger community.
In another
development, Onyema (2007), views succession plan as leadership changing
process in a family or society. According to Onyema, succession plan leads to
smooth replacement or rotation of leadership to avoid tussle. The ways and
manners in which people in the community should be governed or led must be
spelt out through planning to ensure peace, tranquility and orderliness in the
society. Handing over power or headship of any community ought to be planned so
that adults in the society are in the-know about who succeeds who from time to
time. This is because, in any family, church or society where there is good
succession plan, there seems to be unity, goodwill and continuity that enable
people to live together with one another (Anyanwu, 2006).
It will be perhaps note-worthy to define
religion and culture, for one to be able to grasp their meaning. Religion is
conceptualized by Kenny (2005) as any system which relates man to the ultimate
values, whether God or something else, and which embodies a creed, a code, a
cult and a communion. Charles (2000) has distinguished three essential features
of religion as belief, feeling and action. Central to religion are beliefs
about God or gods, the nature and destiny of man, the meaning of history and
the hope for the future. The distinction between a religious person and someone
who is irreligious, is the religious commitment of the individual. This means
that, for one to affirm that one is religious, it must be seen that the
individual should feel God's existence, have the belief that God has the
ultimate power to do all things and that the individual is expected to take
action through commitment to the things of, like going to church and participating
in other religious activities.
Culture on the
other hand, is said to be difficult to be defined, as every scholar sees
culture differently. According to Amanze (1999), culture connotes three
critical issues and ideas inherent in it, namely: cultivation, meaning nurture
of human nature; colonization, which means going out to benefit every new place
in creation and cult, in the best sense of the world, symbolizes bringing in
the fruit of our labour to God as an act of worship to Him. When cultures,
particularly widely differing ones, impact or influence on one another, both
are bound to be affected. In some instances, the consequences are traumatic and
even devastating. For example, the influence of civilization on the wide areas
of Africa, has affected quite a number issues in African countries. Issues like
killing of twins, superstitious beliefs, rituals before succession in the
family and community and so on.
Religious belief in many cases, runs counter to some
cultural and traditional ways of doing things in the African society. Unlike
culture, religion in its authentic form is totally devoid of negative features.
There have been secularists and anthropologists who have protested that
religious activity is harmful to the culture of unsophisticated people. In some
instances, these anthropologists are right, because, certain cultures are vile,
therefore, it is no loss if they go into extinction. In this instance, one can
say that some religious activities are anti-culture. For instance also,
religion has prevented some activities of culture which are negative to human
lives and development (Anyikwa, 2004). As Ayo (2008), nothing is more deeply enter
twined with a people's culture than their religious beliefs to which they have
adhered from time immemorial.
The following are some of the ideas or beliefs that have
either been critically challenged or whose meaning has been purified by the
advent of religion: fear of dead, yoke of magic, witchcraft, divination,
healing, rite of renewal, ill-luck, purification etc (Overlaran, 2010).
Alanyande (2009), states that some religio-cultural
factors that influence succession plan in any community or society are:
ethnicity, religion, civilization, socio-economic status, -E0litics, education
and so on. For instance, ethnicity plays a significant role in the succession
plan in the- Nigerian communities today because Nigeria as a multi-tribal
nation, still has the problem of playing ethnic politics among the citizenry.
Penny (2006) opined that people tend to award leadership positions to their
king's men irrespective of the person's inadequacies and lack of qualification.
Also, religion is another factor that play crucial role in succession plan in
the society and the church. People in Nigeria usually play politics with
religion, every individual in the country particularizes their religion whether
good or bad. For this reason, many Nigerians would like to see their religious
faithful to be in any leadership position whether the person knows what to do
about leadership or not. A typical example, is the present Jonathan
administration, which has received critical opposition and resistance from the
North where Islam is predominant. Uzoma (1998), is of the opinion that that
religion is a very strong instrument or factor that determines who leads
Nigeria, further Uzoma (1998), claimed that the rivalry existing between the
Christians and
Muslims cannot be
overemphasized, as each religion keeps promoting and projecting its own without
recourse to merit. Another factors that exists and seems to play a role in the
succession plan in Nigeria, are modernization and civilization which come as a
result of education and learning. In Nigeria today, ones level of education
places the individual on leadership in the country (Adeleke,2003).
Adeleke is of the
opinion that individual's level of academic qualification makes the individual
to rise to certain height of leadership, and it is hard for an illiterate to
occupy the position of leadership such as, the president, senate, house of
representatives and other lofty positions in Nigeria. Equally, the
socio-economic status of an individual to a great extent, determines what
leadership position the person gets in Nigeria. For instance, many people in
the country today, influence people to climb to leadership due to their
socio-economic and social backgrounds Anyakogu (2009). As Anyakogu puts it,
Nigerian leadership positions have been monetized, it is given to the highest
bidder.
According to
Alanyande (2009), when individuals in a society are well educated and have
received the western civilization, it can affect the way they behave in the
society and by extension, it can lead to the way they handle the issues of
leadership in the community. Also, the socio-economic status and the religious
beliefs, ethnic background, politics, educational background are some of the
factors that can play leading role in the succession plan in a given family,
local administration, the church and the larger community.
1.2 Statement of
the problem:
Lack of effective
succession plan has been the bane of peace, orderliness, continuity and unity
in communities of African nations, especially in Nigeria. This is because, many
communities in Nigeria, do not have good succession plans that is enduring and
effective which can always bring about peaceful succession of individuals in
the community, the church or the family. Due to no clear-cut succession plans
in many societies of Nigeria, it has resulted in unpopularity in the
replacement or succession of leaders of the community, the church, local
administration or the family. Religion and cultural factors such as belief
system, politics, education, socio-economic background, ethnicity and so on
play negative roles on planning the succession of leadership or headship of the
institutions in the country. Injustice and sentiments, tribalism, favoritism,
godfatherism and so on, have been seen to creep into the way and manner people
are chosen to replace people in the society generally.
The above
identified problems gave rise to the examination of the influence of
religio-cultural factors on succession plan among adults in Mainland Local
Government Area of Lagos state, Nigeria.
1.3 Purpose of the study:
The objectives of
this study is to examine whether:
1. Religio-cultural
factors influence the succession plan among adults in Lagos State.
2. Ethnic background
influences the succession plan among adults in Lagos state.
3. Religious-belief
influences succession plan in the community in Lagos State.
4. Tribalism
influences the succession plan among adults in Lagos state.
5. Socio-economic
status influences the succession plan among adults in Lagos state.
1.6 Research
Questions:
The following
research questions will be raised in this study:
1.
Will religio-cultural factors influence succession plan
among adults in Lagos State?
2.
To what extent will ethnic background influence
succession plan among adults in Lagos state?
3.
Will religious-belief influence succession plan among
adults in Lagos state?
4.
To what extent will tribalism influence succession plans
among adults in Lagos state?
5.
Will socio-economic status influence succession plan
among adults in Lagos state?
1.7 Research
Hypotheses:
The following
research hypotheses are tested in this study:
1. There is no
significant influence of religio-cultural factors on succession plan among
adults.
2. There is no
significant influence of ethnic background on succession plan among adults.
3. There is no
significant influence of religious-belief on succession plan among. Adults.
4. There is no
significant influence of tribalism on succession plan among adults.
5. There is no
significant influence of socio-economic status on succession plan among adults.
1.6 Scope of the study:
The study will
cover the influence of religio-cultural factors on succession plan among adults
in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State.
1.7 Significance of the Study:
This study will be
significant in many ways and will be beneficial to the following individuals:
1. The Students: The students will
benefit from this study because it will enable them to be in the-know
concerning the impact religio-cultural factors have on succession plan among
adults in a given community, church, family and so on. This will equally help
many students to be able to appreciate the role of religion and culture and the
way things are done in the society.
2. Teachers: No doubt, teachers will be able to
also appreciate the relationship between religion, culture and succession plan
in the community or family in Lagos State and other areas of Nigerian society.
3.
The Pastors,
Community Leaders and Others: Also the Pastors, the community
leaders and others who live in the same community will realize the importance
of religion and culture in the society. This will equally assist them to come
in terms with leadership succession in the community.
4. Researchers, Scholars and Theologians: In this study,
researchers, theologians and other scholars will benefit from the findings and
recommendations of this study because it enable them to come in proper terms
with the knowledge inherent in religio-cultural factors and succession among
adult members of the larger community in Lagos State and beyond.
5. The Society: No doubt, the
larger society will be in the vantage position to be exposed to the knowledge
of variables in this study under review.
1.8 Definition of Terms
The following operational terms were
defined in this study;
1. Religio-Cultural: This is a term that explains the
religious and cultural aspects of human life, belief and system of adjusting to
the religious and cultural behaviours of individual or group of individuals in
the society.
2. Factors: This term describes the elements or characteristics
of certain things that determine the progress or hinderance of things.
3. Socio- Economic Status: This is the level
of social stratification of an individual or group of individuals in a society.
It is determined by level of education, possession and economic acquisition in
the society.
4. Leadership: This is the way or system of leading people in
the community, state, or country.
5. Succession Plan: Succession plan means the process by which people
replace others who had been there before them.
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