Suchergebnisse

Ifa divinatory systems, though an oral tradition, is the memory bank of the Yoruba of south western Nigeria as well as their knowledge dissemination systems. As decolonised future is imagined, this study argues that given the emerging global place of Ifa? as oral tradition, it is capable of forging historical memory and nurturing resistance to the Eurocentric memory studies. To this end, this study unearths and unties the question of apprenticeship methodology and how this is deployed to enhance decolonised knowledge production patterns in Ifa? School of knowing. What are the apprenticeship processes? How do these apprenticeship learning processes continue to vent and reinvent, frame and reframe, think and rethink, construct and reconstruct such that it is not consumed by western memory frameworks? How is the apprenticeship methodology sustained in spite of the overwhelming influence of western education? Transcending the boundaries of western episteme and to push that Ifa? divinatory apprenticeship methodology is a system of scientific practice.

Received: 13 March 2024 / Accepted: 24 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Ikere, a city in Ekiti State of southwestern Nigeria, comes up often in the literature of art history on two principal accounts: first, its art and architecture, and second, its major annual fesitval. These are the two central concerns of this paper. In the first part, the unique architecture of the afin and the traditional sculptures that were its central feature present the opportunity to examine the interconnectedness of continuity and change, tradition and modernity, and the centrality of art in the Oba's quest for political pre-eminence. Ikere came to in­ternational attention through the vlrtuoslc sculptures of one of Africa's master carvers--Olowe (ca. 1873-1938), who lived in Ise-Ekiti, a town about 15 miles east of Ikere. In addition to offering new insights into the relevance of Olowe to Ikere, this essay posits a re-examination of the birth year of Olowe. In the sec­ond part, this essay dissects the Olosunta festival, which remains central to the collective identity of a people who subscribe to different religious doctrines. The early history of Ikere acknowledges the city as a site for the simultaneous reign of two rulers, the Ogoga and the Olukere. But it is the annual celebration of the Olosunta festival that serves as the rallying point for the indigenes of the city at the same time that it provides a time-honored structure for handling potentially explosive cultural and political contestations.

Most development interventions at local and national levels in Nigeria apparently lack cultural relevance and sensitivity, and consequently, end up a big failure. Culture is an essential force in the proper planning of development initiatives. Researchers and policy-makers have underscored the importance of cultural knowledge as it augments our understanding of development issues and strategies to enhance their sustainability in Africa. The interrogation of the current approaches to sustainable development from a cultural perspective is critical to achieving balanced development. Culture is necessary in order to give purpose and credibility to one's own existence. Rob people of their culture and you rob them of their reason of being. It is imperative that cultural factors be integrated into the current discourses and strategies for enhancing sustainable development if the resulting outcomes are to be relevant to the realities of African societies and facilitate improvements in the quality of life and wellbeing of the people. Using desk research, interview technique and practical experiences, the paper examines the centrality of cultural approaches to development intervention in Nigeria (Africa) in view of the international call for an inclusive development strategy to enhance sustainability. At the same time, the paper attributes the lack of sustainable development in Nigeria to the imperialistic tendencies of the foreign culture. In the end, the paper makes recommendations on how culture can be handled to make sustainable development happen in Nigeria.

Malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia (MDP) are the highest disease specific contributors to childhood mortality in sub Saharan Africa and southern Asia with 82% of deaths emanating from Sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. Preventable infectious diseases are responsible for 58% of all deaths among children aged 5 to 14 years; 8% from Malaria, 18% from diarrhoea and 10% from pneumonia. There is need to develop new models of preventive health information dissemination so as to reach out to hitherto unreached people in affected low and middle income countries (LMIC). Government sponsored public primary schools attended by majority of the population in Nigeria provide a good platform for interacting with caregivers considered hitherto unreached by preventive health campaigns due to their socio-economic status. The frequent mandatory parents and teachers association meetings (PTA) provide a vantage for participatory preventive health information dissemination ceteris paribus. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a school based health education program on caregivers' preventive health knowledge, attitude and practices regarding malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria. The impact of awareness creation about risks of school sustained injury among primary school pupils on incidence of injury in selected schools was also evaluated. This study was based on a developmental program tagged Improving Child Health in Public Schools (IPCIP) which was carried out in Ibadan North area of Oyo state, Nigeria. The methodology adopted was a before and after approach. Data collected from caregivers of pupils with a validated knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) questionnaire at baseline were compared with those collected using the same questionnaire after preventive health education interventions on malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and school sustained injury(for pupils) in nine study schools. They were compared to a control group of three schools with no such interventions. Changes in caregivers' knowledge of causes and symptoms of MDP, medication compliance attitude and care seeking practices (Primary healthcare utilization) were measured and scored before and after two years of interventions at PTA meetings. Trend of school sustained injuries was also monitored in both groups with pupils in the intervention group receiving injury prevention counseling. Responses from study groups were compared using pearson chi square test and socio-demographic differences among study groups factored in using binary logistic regression analysis. Test of proportions was used to compare school sustained injuries in both groups. The result of the study reveals that caregivers' attitude on medication compliance and healthcare seeking practices can be improved significantly by the introduction of preventive health education to Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) meetings. However, changes in the knowledge of causes and symptoms of MDP varied and were not significant except in malaria. The result also indicates that pneumonia should be emphasized as a public health emergency due to relatively low awareness and paucity of studies on it relatively to malaria and diarrhea. Counseling of pupils on injury risks drastically reduced the incidence of injury in the intervention group. Training of teachers on preventive health, injury risk reduction, first aid administration and availability of first aid kits in schools in Nigeria are recommended considering the alarming proportion of pupils that sustained injuries in the study schools.

This paper examines essential issues relating to the rise and nature of violent extremism involving non-state actors and groups in the early 21st century. The global trends in terrorism and violent extremism are examined in relation to Western governments' counter terror operations. The paper analyses the existing legal framework for fighting violent extremism and terrorism and highlights the inherent limitations of the current International Law of War in dealing with the growing challenges posed by terrorists and violent extremist groups. The paper discusses how terrorist groups use civilians, women and children as tools and weapon of war to fuel their campaign of terror and suggests ways in which the international community could deal with the challenge of fighting terrorist groups without putting civilians, women and children in harm way. The paper emphasises the need to uphold human rights values and respect for the law of war in our response to global terrorism. The paper poses the question as to whether the current legal framework for dealing with terrorist groups is sufficient without contravening the essential provisions and ethos of the International Law of War and Human Rights. While the paper explains how terrorist groups flagrantly disregard the rule of law and disrespect human rights in their campaign of terror, it also notes instances in which the current Western strategy in fighting terrorism may be viewed or considered as conflicting with human rights and international law.

This paper examines essential issues relating to the rise and nature of violent extremism involving non-state actors and groups in the early 21st century. The global trends in terrorism and violent extremism are examined in relation to Western governments' counter terror operations. The paper analyses the existing legal framework for fighting violent extremism and terrorism and highlights the inherent limitations of the current International Law of War in dealing with the growing challenges posed by terrorists and violent extremist groups. The paper discusses how terrorist groups use civilians, women and children as tools and weapon of war to fuel their campaign of terror and suggests ways in which the international community could deal with the challenge of fighting terrorist groups without putting civilians, women and children in harm way. The paper emphasises the need to uphold human rights values and respect for the law of war in our response to global terrorism. The paper poses the question as to whether the current legal framework for dealing with terrorist groups is sufficient without contravening the essential provisions and ethos of the International Law of War and Human Rights. While the paper explains how terrorist groups flagrantly disregard the rule of law and disrespect human rights in their campaign of terror, it also notes instances in which the current Western strategy in fighting terrorism may be viewed or considered as conflicting with human rights and international law.

The objective of this study was to re-estimate and re-examine the association between government expenditure and economic growth in Nigeria using annual data from 1980-2009. Granger causality test was employed to test for causal relationship between these variables. The findings were consistent with previous empirical findings. The empirical result showed existence of causal relationship between government expenditure and economic growth, with a unidirectional causality running from government expenditure to economic growth. It can be concluded that in the period of study, government expenditure in Nigeria, to some extent, caused economic growth in the country, but the actual relationship is a subject of further study. Therefore, there should be high degree of transparency and accountability on spending by government at various sector of the economy in order to prevent channeling of public to private account of government officials. Also, there is a need for reduction in hassle cost, sound fiscal policy, improvement of monetary policy, political and social stability, and technological development to enhance economic growth.

This article discusses the appropriateness of western bioethics in the African setting. It focuses on the decision-making process regarding participation in health research as a contested boundary in international bioethics discourse. An ethnomethodological approach is used to explain African ethics, and African ethic is applied to the decision-making process in the African community. An HIV/AIDS surveillance project is used as a case study to explore the concept of communitarianism. The article argues that what exists in Africa is communal or social autonomy as opposed to individual autonomy in the West. As a result, applying the western concept of autonomy to research involving human subjects in the African context without adequate consideration for the important role of the community is inappropriate. It concludes that lack of adequate consideration for community participation in health research involving human subjects in Africa will prevent proper management and lack truly informed consent.