HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICY AND RESEARCH GROUP (HUREPORG)

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, ENUGU CAMPUS

Concept Note
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICY AND RESEARCH GROUP
(HUREPOR
 
 Concept and Background Note
 
The search for best mix of paradigms of development has seen Nigeria try various options with minimal result. Even as the largest African economy, Nigeria has been growing steadily in the last 10 years at the average growth rate of 6% and yet unemployment is as high as 23% with the future still looking bleak. It parades very dismal human development statistics. It is the country with the third highest destination of poor persons with over 60% living below poverty line.  The Human Development Index Report of 2013 places Nigeria 153 out of 177 countries.  This development trajectory has left Nigeria only with paradoxes.  She is seen as a country that boasts of producing the richest man in Africa and one of the richest women in the world and yet poverty is very endemic. A country richly endowed with the huge natural resources and fair ecological and climatic conditions and yet is still a net importer of food. The list can go on and on.
 
Over the years, development experts after several studies have pinned down the chequered and eccentric character of the Nigerian economy to its dysfunctional structure. Nigerian runs a monocultural economy that depends mainly on oil for its revenue and thus the prices of oil dictates the pace and direction of the economy. Incidentally, oil sector is capital and technological intensive which does not suit the labour intensive nature of the Nigerian demographics. Consequently, growth of the sector impacts only about 2% of the population who work in the sector (dominated by the expatriates and multinationals) and members of the political class that share the proceeds from the sector.  A plethora of factors are signposting a need for a re-think of this strategy of development. Excerpts from the study findings by Next Generation Project (2010) which runs thus:
“Nigeria stands on the threshold of what could be the greatest transformation in its history. By 2030, it will be one of the few countries in the world that has young workers in plentiful supply. Youth, not oil, will be the country’s most valuable resource in the twenty-first century”
 
This finding corroborates positions of several experts and other related findings. There is a convergence in the literature that the global economy is moving away from industrial one to knowledge economy where nations’ posterity would not be anchored on the quantum of natural resources but on the extent of intellectual capital (Kalam, 2010; Ariyo, 2000). It is common knowledge that India makes more money from ICT software development than we make from oil.  Hands-on technical Orientals from China, Japanese and other Asians have taken over middle level technical jobs in Nigeria. The implication is that for Nigeria to join in the League of developed nations it must move away from over dependence on exploitation and sale of crude oil, which is not only a non-renewable resource but whose price volatility gives our economy a character of vulnerability and eccentricity.  Instead, she has to focus on developing her enormous human and intellectual resources.  With approximate 168 million in populations and average population growth rate of about 2.8%, Nigeria, has substantial number of human resources to leverage on as its comparative advantage for development.  Available macroeconomic financial data supports this paradigm shift. The trend has been that inflow from migrant remittance exceeds that of income from foreign direct investment (FDI) and overseas development assistance (ODA)over the last couple of years (World Bank, 2008; CBN, 2007; Orozco and Millis, 2008; Hernandez-Coss and Bun, 2007). This is why social science literature is awash with studies on migrant remittances and development.  The cry over ‘brain drain’ is giving way to new wave of ‘brain gain’.
It is against the above backdrop that this Human Resources Policy and Research Group (HUREPORG) of the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Nigeria, is formed to take advantage of this trend to lead in this new research frontier.
       Scope of Service and Approach
HUREPORG’s scope of studies spans the following areas:
• Scooping studies and researches in Human resources management  and human capital
• Human resources policy and strategic plan design
• Labour market dynamics growth and trends
• Migration and remittances
• Employment and recruitment advisory services
• Learning and development  needs assessment and approaches
• Inter and intra organisational conflict and management
• Workforce diversity and workplace gender issues, etc
 
These would be approached through:
• Research and interventions studies
• Scooping studies
• Consultancies
• Advisory services
 
Members of the Research Working Group
Member Relation to program
Dr. Vincent Onodugo Team Leader (08035487972)
Dr. Obiamaka Egbo Member
Dr. ChinweOkoyeuzu Member
Dr B.I Chukwu Member
 
The faculty is drawn from experienced researches and consultants spanning the core areas of business that bear on human resources – human resources management, personnel management, labour economics, macroeconomics, remittances and migration studies. The profile and CV of the team leader and some members of the faculty are attached hereunder:
 
Vincent A. Onodugo, PhD, FCAI, FIIA, MNIM
Dr Onodugo has been in research and consultancy activities for the past eighteen years. His research and consultancy interests are in the areas of human resources management sourcing, development and training, migration and remittances, gender and social inclusion, revitalization of non-performing organizations, feasibility studies, organization design and assessment of the performance of corporate and public institutions.  He has worked for the following organisations:  World Bank, PATHS, USAID MARKET, DFID, USAID, UNICEF, EU, AFRODAD, GLOBIM, Central Bank of Nigeria and National Planning Commission. He presently chairs the committees on consultancy at both the Department of Management and University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus levels.  He holds a PhD in Management and his thesis was on “The impact of globalization onHuman Resources Management in Nigeria.”  He has conducted over 70 training sessions presenting more than 200 papers in the process.  He is an associate research fellow of African Institute for Applied Economics, Enugu and Institute of Development Studies of University of Nigeria. He is a member of Nigeria Institute of Management, Fellow of Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria and Fellow of Institute of Industrial Administration. He was the immediate past Associate Dean of Students for Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria and Head, Department of Management, of the same University.
 
Obiamaka Priscilla Egbo, Ph.D,  FCAI, ICEN
Obiamaka Priscilla Egbo, Ph.D is a lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. She is an Economist and Financial analyst by profession. As a lecturer and researcher, she is neck deep in research, learning and documentation of issues related to economic growth in Nigeria. She is a competent, efficient and resourceful researcher with enviable research outputs. She is currently a member of the university and faculty consultancy committee. She has extensive consulting experience in information and communication technology, program and project management & evaluation, policy research in the areas of curriculum development, technology & innovation. She is currently a consultant with REMS/USAID Markets Project in Nigeria.  She has consulted for DFID, SAVI, Federal Ministry of Power, Enugu State Government, OrgLearning Consult, World Bank STEP B Project, Enugu State Ministry of Justice, Enugu State Ministry of Environment, FBN, WACOL among others. She is an ICT enthusiast and is also proficient in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in business, teaching, research and learning. Her research interest is on Economics, Financial Management, Economic Growth and Development, International Trade and Finance, Business Economics etc. She has to her credit several publications in peer‐reviewed journals and others presented at learned national and international conferences. She worked with Swiss Air and Sabena Airlines and has undergone several trainings in Administrative and Business Management at Swiss Air and Sabena Training Institute, Rue D’ Assaut, Brussels, Belgium and Switzerland. She has also worked in the Nigerian banking sector where she made a modest contribution with her years of experience in the sector. She is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria and Associate fellow, African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE) and Institute of Chartered Economist of Nigeria.
 
Benjamin I. Chukwu, PhD,
Dr. Benjamin Ibe Chukwu is a lecturer in the Department of management, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. He holds B.Sc in Ed. Mathematics, MBA in Management from University of Nigeria Nsukka ; and PhD in Business  Management from Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. His area of specialization is Human Resource Management.  His teaching/lecturing career has spanned for more than eighteen (18) years.  He is an active researcher and as a result has numerous publications in both local and international journals. He is a Management Consultant and belongs to several professional bodies like Nigerian Institute of Management, International Research and Development Institute, etc. His hobbies are table tennis and evangelization. He is married with two (3) children.
 
Chinwe Okoyeuzu, PhD
Dr Okoyeuzu is a lecturer, researcher and consultant of over 6 years. She holds a PhD in banking and Finance and her research interest is in the areas of financial institutions and market, international and business finance. She has published in both local and international journals. Has taken every opportunity to fully maximise the academic qualification of a PhD in banking and finance by working as a lecturer in the University and as a finance and management consultant .Displays exceptional interpersonal, leading and research skills which has contributed in the building and maintaining of relationships at all levels. She enjoys the challenge of bringing about improvement in efficiencies in ailing businesses through inspiring teams to meet their goals and personal objectives.
 
 
 
References
 
Ariyo,D.(2000) “Developing a Knowledge-driven Nigerian Economy: An Economic Framework for 21st Century”Africa Economic Analysis
 
CBN, 2007. Remittances Environment in Nigeria, an unpublished report by the Research and Statistics Department, CBN, Abuja, Nigeria
 
Kalam, A. (2010). “The Role of Higher Education in Creating a World Class Knowledge Economy: Drawing on the Indian and Canadian Experience” An unpublished output from a roundtable.
 
Next Generation Project (2010) Final Report, August, 17.
 
Orozco, M. and Mills, B. (2008) “Remittances competition and fair finance access opportunities in Nigeria”. Document produced for review by USAID, Washington D.C.
 
World Bank,(2008). Doing Business in Nigeria; NW: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank