Responsiveness of rural development to budget management attributes: Evidence from Ogun State, Nigeria

The essence of local government as contained in the Nigerian Constitution is bringing government closer to the people and make them feel the impact of governance. This study examined the responsiveness of rural development to three of the attributes of public budgeting (effectiveness, openness, and adequacy) in selected local governments in Ogun State, Nigeria. The objective was to establish the functional association and interconnectedness between the explained and explanatory variables. Data were gathered through the administration of a five-point Likert scale questionnaire distributed to 800 respondents in 8 local governments in Ogun States, out of which 348, representing 43.5%, were retrieved and used for analysis. Both descriptive statistics and ordinary least square regression were utilized in the study. The result showed that three explanatory variables, namely budget effectiveness, budget openness, and budget adequacy, are positively related to rural development, although the impact of budget adequacy was shown to be insignificant. The implication is that the effectiveness of budget management and the openness of the budget in terms of transparency and accountability are more responsive and influential determinants of rural development than the adequacy of the budget estimates. The paper, therefore, recommended improvement in budget openness through more consultations and accessibility to budget information by the public as well as monitoring of projects and programs within the local council to engender development and add value to the rural dwellers.

Individual Agency and the Diversity of Traditional Practice: The Iji Nla Association of Ijede

The history of the Yoruba is replete with individuals who through their activities changed the face of local tradition. In Ijede town, a suburb of Ikorodu in Ijede Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, exists the Iji Nla Association, an ancient traditional group that rose to local power through the agency of Prince Ajanaku during the first half of the twentieth century. Over time, it increasingly functioned as an institution providing traditional social control mechanisms and security. This article focuses on the origin, structure, and diversity of the Iji Nla Association as a traditional social mechanism and its continued relevance in Ijede. The methodology of this research is descriptive and analytical. It relies essentially on information from in-depth interviews and secondary sources such as books and journals.

Who Owns the Central Mosque? Ethnic Identity and the Struggle for Spiritual Space in Epe, Southwest Nigeria

Religion and ethnicity are core attributes of identity in West Africa, and the majority of the population defines itself in relation to these values. But most studies of religious conflict in Nigeria focus on the conflicts between the two great world religions, Islam and Christianity. Equally, studies of ethnic conflict tend to focus on conflict between different language groups. This article shows that it is also important to focus on sub-ethnic difference, and the meso-level conflicts and tensions that often occur within each faith. In Epe, a coastal town in Lagos, southwest Nigeria over eighty percent of the population profess Islam, but remain distinguished as different social and ethnic sub-groups, as “Ijebu Epe” and “Eko Epe.” Over time, both groups invested in ethno-religious contestation, which led to open conflict when they were brought together in the same local Council and differed over the ownership of the only Central Mosque in the town. The study shows that the struggle for the soul of the first Epe Central Mosque at Oke Balogun between Ijebu Epe and Eko Epe was used in pursuit of both spiritual and political power, and in order to gain control over important resources. This study therefore provides empirical evidence that ethnic and group differences do affect some aspects of religious practices and can even lead to rivalry within the same religion.

Opportunities and Challenges of the Role of Decentralization to Develop Local Community: Al-Anbari Community as a Model

The present study aims to clarify the role of decentralization in the development of local community. It is one of the first studies of this kind that examines the relationship between levels of decentralization and community development in Al-Anbar and Iraq. In addition, it sheds light on multiple meanings such as: public participation, especially in local councils. In Al-Anbar in terms of importance, role, influence, preparations, needs, and social problems. The present study examines official community development programs in Al-Anbar in light of sufficient information about Residential Neighborhood Committee and development of community members ’awareness of the importance of decentralization in community development. To achieve these objectives, the researcher uses both the descriptive approach in the analysis based on primary and secondary information sources, conducting a study on a sample of members of the local council, interviewing members of the local committees in Al-Anbar, and holding meetings with those responsible for the local development program. The present study reached a number of results, the most important of which was that there is a strong desire among the members of the local council to implement decentralization in order to develop The local community and increase the awareness of the council members or its committees about decentralization for its influential role in popular participation and the development of the local community. The present study also concluded that members of the Al-Anbari community have a good understanding of the activities carried out by the various council committees and they fully participate in them.

DEL PAPEL A LA INTEROPERABILIDAD A TRAVÉS DE LOS PROYECTOS TRACTORES DEL CAMBIO. BUENAS PRÁCTICAS DEL AYUNTAMIENTO DE LEIOA (BIZKAIA) 2015-2020.

Desde el año 2015, el Ayuntamiento de Leioa ha venido desplegando el proyecto Leioa Zugandik Hurbil, elemento tractor del cambio que tiene como objetivo primordial poner a la ciudadanía en el centro de la gestión pública. Han sido muchos los retos y oportunidades de este proceso, que han supuesto un cambio global en la forma de ser, estar y trabajar por lo público en esta administración. Los principios que han regido este proceso de transformación y superación y que han ido calando en la totalidad de la organización han sido, entre otros, el de vocación de servicio público, eficacia, eficiencia, simplificación, proactividad, trabajo en equipo, asistencia mutua, colaboración, cooperación, compromiso, confianza, innovación y búsqueda de la mejora continua. A través de este artículo tratamos de identificar los motivos que propiciaron dicho proceso, junto con los objetivos, obstáculos y oportunidades que han ido surgiendo durante el mismo, desarrollando a su vez los pasos dados hasta la fecha. 2015. urteaz geroztik, Leioako Udalak abiarazi eta garatu du Leioa Zugandik Hurbil proiektua, herritarrak kudeaketa publikoaren erdigunean jartzea helburu nagusitzat jotzen duen aldaketaren eragilea dena . Prozesuak erronka eta aukera ugari ekarri ditu, eta horiek erabateko aldaketa eragin dute administrazio honetan, bere izaeran, egoeran eta zerbitzu publikoen alde lan egiteko moduan. Eraldaketa eta hobekuntza prozesu horren oinarriak, erakunde honetan sakon sartu direnak, besteak beste, honako hauek izan dira: zerbitzu publikorako bokazioa, eraginkortasuna, efizientzia, sinplifikazioa, proaktibitatea, talde-lana, elkarrekiko laguntza, lankidetza, konpromisoa, konfiantza, berrikuntza eta etengabeko hobekuntza- bilaketa. Artikulu honen bidez, prozesua eragin zuten arrazoiak identifikatzen saiatu gara, baita prozesu horretan zehar sortu diren helburu, oztopo eta aukerak ere, eta, aldi berean, orain arte egindako urratsak garatu ditugu. Since 2015, the Local Council of Leioa has been pursuing a project named Leioa Zugandik Hurbil [Leioa Close to you], as a scheme to drive change, with the overriding purpose of placing citizens at the heart of public affairs. This project has faced numerous challenges and opportunities that have led to an overall change in this administration¿s approach to its way of being, responding and working for the public good. The principles governing this process of transformation and improvement that have filtered down throughout the organisation as a whole have involved, amongst others, a dedication to public service, efficacy, efficiency, simplification, proactivity, teamwork, mutual support, collaboration, cooperation, commitment, trust, innovation, and the pursuit of continuous improvement. Our aim in this article is to identify the reasons that lie behind this process, together with the goals, obstacles and opportunities that have arisen over its course, while at the same time describing the steps taken thus far.

Cholera outbreak caused by drinking unprotected well water contaminated with faeces from an open storm water drainage: Kampala City, Uganda, January 2019

Background Kampala city slums, with one million dwellers living in poor sanitary conditions, frequently experience cholera outbreaks. On 6 January 2019, Rubaga Division notified the Uganda Ministry of Health of a suspected cholera outbreak in Sembule village. We investigated to identify the source and mode of transmission, and recommended evidence-based interventions. Methods We defined a suspected case as onset of profuse, painless, acute watery diarrhoea in a Kampala City resident (≥ 2 years) from 28 December 2018 to 11 February 2019. A confirmed case was a suspected case with Vibrio cholerae identified from the patient’s stool specimen by culture. We found cases by record review and active community case-finding. We conducted a case–control study in Sembule village, the epi-center of this outbreak, to compare exposures between confirmed case-persons and asymptomatic controls, individually matched by age group. We overlaid rainfall data with the epidemic curve to identify temporal patterns between rain and illnesses. We conducted an environmental assessment, interviewed village local council members, and tested water samples from randomly-selected households and water sources using culture and PCR to identify V. cholerae. Results We identified 50 suspected case-patients, with three deaths (case-fatality rate: 6.0%). Of 45 case-patients with stool samples tested, 22 were confirmed positive for V. cholerae O1, serotype Ogawa. All age groups were affected; persons aged 5–14 years had the highest attack rate (AR) (8.2/100,000). The epidemic curve showed several point-source outbreaks; cases repeatedly spiked immediately following rainfall. Sembule village had a token-operated water tap, which had broken down 1 month before the outbreak, forcing residents to obtain water from one of three wells (Wells A, B, C) or a public tap. Environmental assessment showed that residents emptied their feces into a drainage channel connected to Well C. Drinking water from Well C was associated with illness (ORM–H = 21, 95% CI 4.6–93). Drinking water from a public tap (ORM–H = 0.07, 95% CI 0.014–0.304) was protective. Water from a container in one of eight households sampled tested positive for V. cholerae; water from Well C had coliform counts ˃ 900/100 ml. Conclusions Drinking contaminated water from an unprotected well was associated with this cholera outbreak. We recommended emergency chlorination of drinking water, fixing the broken token tap, and closure of Well C.

The Authority of Canons at the Birth and Rebirth of the Russian Patriarchate: St Meletius Pigas at the Council of Constantinople in 1593 and St Hilarion Troitsky at the Council of Moscow in 1917

Two Councils dealt with the birth and rebirth of the Moscow Patriarchate: the general Council of Constantinople of 1593 and the local Council of Moscow in 1917. In the course of the discussions two speakers based their arguments in favor of the Russian Patriarchate on the authority of canons: they were the Patriarch of Alexandria Meletius Pigas and the archimandrite, later bishop and martyr, Hilarion Troitsky. Despite the common recourse to the most ancient and authoritative canonical sources, the perspectives of the two speakers appear different. Meletius Pigas refers to the structure of the universal Church, that is to the number and order of the Patriarchal Sees, and he adapts all the legislation he quotes to this end. On the other hand, Hilarion Troitsky considers exclusively the particular Church and rather sees in those same canons the primary intent of safeguarding the ecclesiastical autonomy of local jurisdictions and, above all, the need for a Primacy in them.

Barriers and facilitators for integration of guidelines on operating health shops: a case of family planning services

Background The Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) piloted the implementation of Guidelines on Operating Health Shops in Zambia in 2016, with a view to making basic medicines more accessible to communities. The guidelines aim to transform ordinary drug shops into health shops, which are dispensing facilities permitted to sell a ZAMRA-prescribed list of medicines over the counter. However, studies that explore the integration and uptake of guidelines into the health system are lacking. This study aims to inform future improved implementation of these guidelines by examining the current acceptability of guidelines within the Zambian health system, especially in relation to family planning services. Methodology Data collected through documentary review, key informant interviews with district pharmacists, staff from ZAMRA and in-depth interviews with 24 health shop owners and dispensers were analyzed using thematic analysis. A conceptual framework on the integration of health innovations into health systems guided the analysis. Results The Guidelines on Operating Health Shops were implemented to address the problem of inadequate access to quality medicines especially in rural areas. Factors that facilitated the acceptability of the guidelines included their perceived relevance and simplicity, comprehensive training and improved knowledge among health shop operators on the guidelines, development of a governance and reporting structure or steering committee at the national level as well as perceived improved health outcomes at the community level. Factors that hindered acceptability of the guidelines included the high cost of implementing them, a restricted list of drugs which affected consumer choice, limited communication between the local council and the operators of health shops, health shop owners not owning the health shop premises restricting their ability to adapt the building, and cultural norms which constrained uptake of family planning services. Conclusion In addition to training, facilitating the acceptability of the guidelines among health shop owners requires paying attention to operational issues such as location, ownership of the shop, size of infrastructure as well as financial costs of implementing guidelines through decentralizing the registration process and thus reducing the cost of registration. It is also important to have effective communication strategies between operators and the regulators of health shops.

History of the Service to All Russian Saints: XVI-XX Centuries

В эпоху макарьевских Соборов, после канонизации целого сонма русских святых, появилась необходимость в составлении им богослужебных текстов. Святитель Макарий принял решение учредить общий день памяти всем российским чудотворцам, службу которым составил инок Григорий Суздальский. Однако, в силу сложившихся обстоятельств, почитание всех русских святых не было повсеместно распространено и вскоре вовсе забылось. Через несколько столетий на Поместном Соборе 1917-1918 гг. был инициирован вопрос о восстановлении утерянного праздника. Было принято решение установить повсеместное празднование дня Всех святых в земле Российской просиявших, составление службы которым было поручено профессору Б. А. Тураеву и будущему святителю Афанасию (Сахарову). В данной статье представлена историческая справка об указанных событиях. Также в ходе исследования авторами была рассмотрена дальнейшая судьба текста службы всем русским святым и проведён краткий анализ поэтики богослужебных гимнов из служб XVI и XX вв. In the era of the Maсariev Councils, after the canonization of a whole host of Russian saints, it became necessary for them to compose liturgical texts. Saint Macarius decided to establish a common day of remembrance for all Russian miracle workers, whose service was performed by the monk Gregory of Suzdal. However, due to the prevailing circumstances, the veneration of all Russian saints was not widespread and soon completely forgotten. Several centuries later, at the Local Council of 1917-1918. the question of restoring the lost holiday was initiated. It was decided to establish a widespread celebration of the day of all the saints who shone forth in the Russian land, the compilation of the service of which was entrusted to Professor B.A. Turaev and the future Saint Athanasius (Sakharov). This article provides a historical background on these events. Also, in the course of the study, the authors examined the further fate of the text of the service to all Russian saints and carried out a partial poetic analysis of selected liturgical hymns from the services of the 16th and 20th centuries.