Urbanization itself is not a curse if positively managed. This is due to the current fact that there is a fundamental debate that the mobilization of human resources is critical and unavoidable for the political, socioeconomic and technological transformation of any nation. Though successive governments in Nigeria have initiated the National Urban Development Policy however, the reverse is the case because the swelled urban towns and cities" government have not made decisive efforts to meet the development demands of the city overflow which is referred to as "urban slum" that has created a sharp gap between the urban wealthy and urban poor. This paper, therefore, adopted the content analysis and Poverty-Focused Intervention Approach to analyze its major arguments. Hence, through primary and secondary data, the study presented some findings and recommendations. The research concluded with campaigns for efficient, inclusive and sustainable development of all settings of the urban sector in Nigeria. Contribution/Originality: This study contributes to the existing literature by the pictorial exposition of the absence of impactful implementation of National Urban Development Policy in Nigeria resulting in-perpetual overcrowding, poor environmental management, inadequate critical infrastructure, poor supervision and abandonment of development projects, and the explosion of roadside marketing by the slum occupants.

The level of unemployment amongst the old and young people in Nigeria is not only outrageous but seemingly on the increase, notwithstanding the presence of all economic major resources together with several policies, programmes, and projects of successive administrations. Governments, at various levels, have adopted different measures to reduce unemployment and poverty rates with little or no significant effects. This study, therefore, attempts to focus mainly, on Human Capital Development (HCD) and Public Private Partnership as panacea to alleviating unemployment and poverty rate in Nigeria and Africa at large. To achieve its objective, the paper employs a secondary method of data collection and hence, the documentary method of analysis is adopted. Literature revealed that responsive governance – governance that responds to the plight and predicaments of the citizenry (unemployment and poverty) by investing in human capital development will in the end, not only produce men and women of creativity but entrepreneurs that will drive the economy by engaging their knowledge and skills in productive ventures. In addition, the adoption of Partnership Approach by the study canvassed the involvement of the private sector to actively participate in job creation that will lead to poverty alleviation. It is recommended that for an economy to thrive, governance should focus on the provision and sustenance of basic infrastructural facilities such as functional vocational institutions, quality education, and an enabling environment for the private sector’s ease of doing business.

The United Nations, as usual, demonstrated a commitment by the formulation of «Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development» (ISID) to alleviate poverty through job creation in response to the realisation of SDG–9. With a descriptive research design and the documentary analysis method, it is found through this research that in spite of the policy, Nigerian industrial development efforts are not impressive. It is realised that both developed nations and the Nigerian government lack sincerity in the implementation of the policy. The purpose of the article is to canvass for a demonstration of a strong commitment by the UN and the Nigerian government, strengthening of science and technological institutions of learning for result-oriented Research & Development; and enactment of a law that will criminalise importation of goods that can be produced locally. The scientific novelty. In this paper, the foundation for the study, the research problem, nature of Nigerian industrialisation, the commitment of Nigerian government and stimulation of the policy in the actualisation of industrialisation in Nigeria are discussed with the adoption and application of «Endogenous growth theory». Conclusions. Conclusively, it is paramount to clearly state that the introduction of ISID is targeted at encouraging full participation, empowerment, and control over resources allocation in response to the SDGs which brought about the development of global policy and productivity enhancement for social advancement. Notwithstanding, therefore, it is found through this research that though there are various industrial development policies, and medium-term economic plans at both local and international levels, the portrait of Nigerian industrialisation is not impressive. Thus, many countries in the world are diversifying their sources of income. Nigeria is therefore expected to re-invigorate its manufacturing sector like other developed economies of the world by engaging sustained improvements and proactive activities as the sine-qua-non for dismantling the vicious circle of poverty and the realisation of a self-reliant and dynamic economy. So, developed human resources through rigorous R&D are tantamount to industrial services that will be central to the efforts of Nigeria to develop her socio-economic status.

The high rate of economic growth, the provision of basic facilities, and job creation are products of any nation’s level of industrialisation. Globally, no nation is considered to have attained a concerted level of a high standard of living in the absence of economic development. Thus, industrialisation that ought to be the bedrock of Nigerian economy has continued on a downward journey in the 21st century, despite several industrial development policies. Therefore, the paper is an attempt to find out how this sector has fared vis-a-vis the structural influence of UNIDO. The study is a qualitative work that adopted a thematic analysis approach. The adoption of Top-Down as a theoretical model of analyses validates the fundamental issues raised that; several industrial development programmes and projects initiated by both UNIDO and successive administrations in Nigeria to help in the revitalisation of industrial landscape in line with the government’s goal of emerging among the top 20 most developed economies in the world by 2020 have failed. The major informed findings of the paper are that for the time being, Nigeria still remains a consuming economy of finished products including some raw materials. In addition, her critical construction, engineering and maintenance activities are expatriates-based with little or no regard for local content. These cumulatively resulted in the advancement of the fact that the UNIDO supports have not significantly impacted the development of industries in Nigeria. The discourse conclusively gave birth to subsequent recommendations.   Received: 6 January 2021 / Accepted: 3 April 2021 / Published: 17 May 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic, which was declared a global health crisis by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020, has affected entire sectors of the globe, including the educational sector of developing market economies. This paper attempts to add value to the extant literature and debates on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workplace of higher educational institutions in developing market economies (WHEIDMEs). Using content analysis and a multiple perspective approach (MPA) that is mainly descriptive, the paper argues that beyond the generic view of the catastrophic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on tertiary educational institutions in developing market economies and the world in general, the pandemic has propelled positive lessons and changes in the management and administration of higher educational institutions (HEIs) in developing market economies. Agba, Ocheni, and Agba (2020) revealed that the COVID-19 outbreak has altered and transformed the fabric of the workplace. The study recommends, among others, that managers of HEIs in developing market economies should build capacity in the area of information and communication technology (ICT), seek adequate funding for the sector from relevant authorities, and take steps that will prepare the educational industry for future emergencies and shocks. Conclusively, lessons leading to pragmatic policy options that are collaborative, adaptive, innovative, and digital are the emerging new normal in HEIs in developing market economies. The study is significant because the findings, lessons, and recommendations of the paper will to a large extent, if adopted, enhance the effective management of HEIs in developing market economies.