INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL ECONOMY ON BRIDE PRICE: AN ANALYSIS OF NSIT ATAI PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN NIGERIA

<p><em>National economy plays great roles in determining standards of living and other activities of the polity. This ethnographic study sought to examine the influence of national economy on bride price among the people of Nsit Atai Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Social Exchange Theory was employed by the researchers for the study. Purposive sampling and snowball technique procedures were used to select mature adults aged 30 years and above in Nsit Atai Local Government Area. Interviews and observation approaches were used in data collection for this study. The data collected were analysed thematically with excerpts in accordance to the objective of the study. Findings of the study showed that bride price is a symbol of dignity to every marriage and the couples in Nsit Atai Local Government Area, present economic situation is a determinant factor of bride price. the women and their children will still remain an economic part of their family of origin through economic remittance, and where the bride price is considered too high by the groom or the groom’s family, the groom seems not to allow the bride to contribute economically to her family of origin.It was concluded that factors like inflation, high cost of goods and services are determinants of high bride price among the people of Nsit Atai Local Government Area. Among others, the researchers recommended that the government should revive the economic situation of the nation so as to bring about reduction in bride price among the people of Nsit Atai Local Government Area and other parts of the nation</em></p&gt