Suchergebnisse

Gay marriage or same sex marriage is a union that allows any two consenting individuals of the same biological sex to form an intimate relationship. The issue of same sex marriage is a controversial discourse in international relations today. The various dimensions of the discourses on the subject of gay marriage show a paradigm shift in the concept of marriage from the traditional and orthodox conception of a male- female consensual relationship to the coming together of any two individuals of any sex - even of the same sex. Using secondary data, analysed through textual and descriptive methods, the paper demonstrates that the politics of gay marriage diplomacy reveals the clash between western civilization, globalization, sovereignty, territorial integrity of states, human right and traditional societal beliefs or norms. Indeed, this was epitomized in the recent strain in NigeriaU.S diplomatic relations. The paper further observes that over an issue of national concern – same sex marriage - the multicultural dimension of the Nigerian state was relegated to the background and new boundaries of loyalty that defiled ethnic sentiments and religious inclinations surfaced in the country amongst the various religious and ethnic groups. It thus, recommends that although Nigeria's stance on the issue of gay diplomacy not only shook the fabric of her nationhood and caused a diplomatic faceoff between the country and U.S, it is an opportunity for Nigeria to reappraise the nature of her diplomatic relations with the US.

Nigeria, under Murtala/Obasanjo regime was widely acknowledged to have adopted an overtly active foreign policy toward the rest of Africa, and particularly, South Africa"s apartheid regime, which was in tandem with her Afro-centric posturing at the time. This multilateral cum bilateral diplomatic relations earned Nigeria the status of a "frontline state" and wider recognition at other multilateral levels, but much animosity from the West. South Africa, under Mbeki regime was acknowledged to have adopted an overtly active foreign policy relation toward the rest of Africa, but covert diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe, which was in tandem with her African-renaissance posturing at the time. This multilateral cum bilateral diplomatic relations earned South Africa the status of a "backline state" and further diminution at the global stage. Nigeria and South Africa are arguably perceived as regional hegemons in Africa, whose national interest vacillate between cooperation and conflict. The fate of contemporary Africa, however, rest on the convergence of these ambivalence of interests. The work adopts the realist framework of analysis to interrogate the permutations of Nigeria and South Africa diplomatic trajectories at the periods under investigation. Furthermore, comparative analysis is applied to the discourse with a view to placing the analysis within theoretical context. The understanding of the diplomatic calculations that governed these two eras and their implications for contemporary Nigeria/South Africa relations vis-a-vis African politics is instrumental. Ultimately, the fact that these diplomatic permutations played out within the context of the international economic capitalism makes the analysis more interesting.

This paper examines the phenomenon of foreign megastores in Nigeria. It offers a historical analysis of the factors responsible for their presence, emerging trends engendered by foreign megastores within the Nigerian market and the implications of such presence for the Nigerian economy. It demonstrates that foreign megastores have profoundly affected the economy and social environment within Nigeria. It adopts as a model of analysis the South African retail store, Shoprite and observes how it is progressively influencing consumer behaviour, expanding the influence of retailers and directing financial flows into Nigeria. Among other things, Shoprite offers consumers the luxury of spacious well organized parking lots, clean environments, a friendly staff and competitive prices to mention a few. Observers of the rapid expansion of Shoprite agree that its presence in Nigeria means that roadside sellers of bread, vegetables and meat would be adversely affected in a country where retailing is largely informal; it thus threatens existing market structures. It also significantly contributes to the fast rising level of health challenges in Nigeria. To this effect, the study set out to test the impact of Shoprite as a foreign megastore on Nigeria's economy and the data obtained through interviews and from the distribution of questionnaires, and analyzed with the aid of the Statistics Package for Social Science (SPSS), reveal that for Nigerian citizens, the positive effects outweigh the negative and that though foreign megastores are influencing market patterns, they cannot completely displace traditional market systems in Nigeria, at least not in this century; they however, can modify them. More specifically, findings revealed that Shoprite has boosted the Nigerian economy and has significantly shaped the pattern of internationalization of retailing in Nigeria. The research thus recommends, among other things, that government should through the appropriate agencies ensure that it monitors the activities of foreign megastores so as to prevent them from monopolizing the markets and dictating prices. It should also seek out means of ensuring that Nigerians in South Africa have a level playing field and opportunities for expansion like their South African counterparts in the former. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p425

E-Governance basically comprises of the use of communication and technologies such as the internet resources in advancing and enhancing work processes in both the public sector (civil service) and other sectors. With the advent of information and communication technology, government activities have become simple and efficient. This has enabled governments to record remarkable success in service delivery. In developing countries, E-governance is still an emerging innovation. However, as a result of the general clamour to improve efficiency, quality and overall productivity in the public sector, governments all over the globe including Nigeria have embraced the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The trusts of this paper says that the statutory role of the Nigerian civil service as a tool for sustainable development has been that of declining productivity occasioned by the prevailing rot, corruption, inefficiency, lack of transparency, bureaucratic bottlenecks and analogue system of operation. The paper argues that the abnormality can no longer be taken for granted and therefore, highlights various reasons for law productivity in the civil service. Against the backdrop of this inherent low productivity in the civil service as well as the general advocacy to reform and reposition the public sector for better services delivery, the paper further posits that one of the instruments or strategies to improve productivity in the Nigerian civil service is the full adoption or implementation of E-governance system. The paper offers some useful recommendations for a successful implementation of E-governance in the Nigerian civil service. In conducting this research, the method of data collection was mainly from secondary sources and examined through content analysis