CHANGE IN THE FABRICS OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Every social institution serves to provide the basic social needs of people in any given society. These institutionsin traditional times function in such unique ways that they were able to satisfy society’s basic needs. In Nigeria,as in other African societies, the fabrics of traditional social institutions have undergone several changes duelargely to colonization. In contemporary times however, several factors including modernization, urbanizationand migration have contributed to the sustenance of change in the fabrics of these institutions, which haveaffected several sectors of the social system, including agricultural development. This paper examines thenature and role of traditional social institutions in Nigerian society vis-a-vis the changes that have occurredover time. The five basic social institutions, namely, the family, religion, education, government, and economyare the focus in this paper. It was evident that changes occurred in these institutions and these are discussed inrelation to their functions as well as implications for agricultural development. The paper also suggests the wayforward.