Osu caste system and human rights in Igboland, 1900-2017

Discrimination and caste systems are rife in every society. In Igboland, the Osu caste system is a form of discriminatory practise where the Igbo society is divided into the Diala and Osu. The problem is that this divide comes with human rights restrictions and violations on the part of the Osu which go unreported and unaddressed at both national and international discourses. Literature on the Osu caste system has majorly focused on various aspects with little attention paid to the human rights dimension of the Osu caste system. Thus, this paper seeks to examine the Osu caste system within the human rights prism. The natural rights theory of John Locke is used as framework of analysis. Findings reveal that the people call Osu face all forms of discrimination and violations of their fundamental human rights. Education and psychological counselling, among other factors were recommended in order to eliminate the caste system. Also, religious bodies as well as the social media can play a vital role in the campaign against the Osu caste system.

Nigerian women artists’ visibility in twenty-first century contemporary art practices: A triumph against exclusions from art groups and collectives in Nigeria

Nigerian artists began forming art groups and schools from the 1950s and 1960s. These art groups advanced the reclaiming of Nigeria‟s artistic cultural heritages. However, even in the post-colonial and post-Civil War 1970s and 1980s many art groups and art institutions had few or no female members that participated in their activities. This essay reviews notable art groups in Nigeria from the earliest to the more recent. It also identifies the prominent women artists that had contributed to modern Nigerian art history. The essay also looks at the changes in the 1990s‟ and identifies contemporary art and its liberal and individualistic approaches as what caused decline in art groups in the twenty-first century. It will identify the women making impact in Nigeria‟s art scenario in the twenty-first century. The essay argues therefore that the liberalizing nature of twenty-first century contemporary art practices in Nigeria may have endeared more visibility to Nigerian women artists.

Nigeria’s demographic transition and implications on the attainment of sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a time-bound global development agenda with 17 goals which targets 169 social, economic, and environmental indicators agreed upon in 2015 by UN member states to be achieved by year 2030. The SDGs includes many targets and references to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, improved health for women and children, enhance universal access to quality education, and gender equality, among others. This study utilised the reports of Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys from 1990 to 2018 and the 2006 national population census results to understand and analyse Nigeria’s demographic trends (age structure, fertility and mortality rates) with the intention to understand how they may affect the country’s efforts towards realising the set targets of the SDGs relating to eradication of poverty and hunger, ensuring health of the people, providing quality education and empowering women and girls. Findings showed that Nigeria’s demographic trends is characterised by slowly declining mortality and fertility rates with high population growth rate, and a dismal performance in the SDGs targets relating to poverty, hunger, health, education and women empowerment. The country will have to slow down its population growth rate and invest heavily in education, healthcare and job creation to be able to achieve the targets of the SDGs by 2030.

Family, poverty and conflict in the metropolitan city of Douala- Cameroon

The objective of this work was to describe how poverty influences family’s consumption pattern in the Household wealth theory which explains that wealth is a source of well-being and how the increasing rate of unemployment among household due to the deterioration of the job markets has affected family members’ consumption of home products for 202 participants. A systematic sampling method was used in which in every neighbourhood, much effort was made to start with an nth subject and then select every twentieth unit after the first was selected. The questionnaires were administered by directly contacting and handing them to the respondents (self-administered) and the non-literate ones were helped to fill them. It was discovered that, people tend to prefer nuclear family as their income rises and extended family as their income decreases. The nuclear family members have a better consumption habit than extended family members, single parents and single people because they earn more money and have a much smaller family-size. However, single parent tend to significantly use formal health seeking methods than others because they also have smaller families. The extended family consume more home-based goods and therefore have more domestic comfort: they do not only significantly own and rent expensive and quality homes but also have more durable goods.

Applicability of emergency management theory in the management of Covid-19 health pandemic in Nigeria

Emergency has become a global reoccurrence and when it occurs in a country, the government usually adopt measures to curtail the negative effects of the phenomenon. COVID-19 as the present global emergency needs to be tackled with proper and effective management measures. The principles of Emergency Management Theory are among the global highly rated and most common measures used to tackle emergencies to achieve minimal effect on lives and economies. It is based on the above statements that this study examined the Application of the principles of Emergency Management Theory in the Federal Government of Nigeria‟s management of COVID-19 to ascertain the extent the Federal Government is utilizing the theory‟s principles in its fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria. The study utilized the secondary method of data collection and used observations and documents as its tools of evaluation. The study found that the principles of Emergency Management Theory have been applied by the Federal Government in the management of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The study concludes that the application of the principles Emergency Management Theory in the management of COVID-19 has greatly enhanced Government‟s efforts in the fight against the disease in Nigeria. To improve on emergency management in Nigeria, the study recommended that: Individual researchers and research institutes be supported to develop more proactive ways of dealing with emergencies in the country and Nigerians should all be re-orientated and sensitized on how to prevent, respond and deal with emergencies.

Socio-economic implications of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

After half of a century as a major oil producer, the Nigerian economy is yet to diversify; thus, remains dominated by primary activities. Whereas oil and gas activities directly employ a negligible number of Nigerians, the industry impacts on the overall economy of the country. However, with large resource windfalls, limited technical capacity, and weak check and balances, the scope for inefficiency, corruption, and elite capture of Nigeria‘s oil-driven economy is substantial. Consequently, the arrival of COVID-19 further exposed the fragility of the economy. As a theoretical paper, the researcher relied on data from secondary sources which yielded quantitative and qualitative information. The secondary data were derived mainly from journals, books and empirical case studies on the impact of pandemics on global production of petroleum, the Nigerian economy, and the overall social sector. News media analysis, government bulletins, and relevant data from civil society organizations, State Security Forces, and Corporate organizations on the debilitating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were also reviewed. The paper revealed that the socio-economic implications of the pandemic derived from fall in global oil price, policy interventions by the government such as bans on certain types of activities, closure of borders, state lockdowns, school closure and social distancing policies, all of which resulted in disruptions felt in all the sectors of the economy and society. Thus, it is suggested here that efforts must be made to address poverty just as there is an urgent need to improve on the healthcare sector. Unemployment should be tackled positively while government should place greater emphasis on technology and other modern methods of imparting knowledge.

Milestones in the making of the third world: A historical exposition

Before the 18th century, the word was not categorized in any form but just the universe. This exposition has however shown that from the 18th century, certain events in Europe led to the categorization of the world into a two-world order as first and second (civilized vs. primitive) and later into a three-world order as 1st, 2nd and 3rd world. The exposition has identified the milestones that led to this categorization as colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism and ideological war (cold war). The exposition has noted that due to the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the world was pushed back to a dualistic status- North and South. However, as the North and South dialogue was gaining momentum, globalization came onto the scene and pushed the world back to a one-world order- the global village.

Caste conflict in Nigeria: The Osu/diala experience in Igboland, 1900-2017

The paper seeks to examine caste conflict in Nigeria with particular focus on the Osu/Diala experience. In Nigeria every day we experience conflicts ranging from ethnic to religious, sects to caste conflicts, while so much attention is paid to other types of conflict, little attention has been paid to the conflicts between caste group. This could be the reason for paucity of literature on caste conflicts in Nigeria. The frustration-aggression theory is used as framework of analysis with qualitative descriptive research design and a multi-disciplinary approach of historical study as methodology. The Igbo since time immemorial have been divided majorly along lines of caste with the Diala perceived to be the superior and the Osu the inferior. This division comes with some political, economic, social and cultural restrictions for the Osu caste in communities where the system is practiced. Consequently, these restrictions breed anger, hatred, anxiety, tension, frustration and aggression as the Osu continually demand equality while the Diala on the other hand want to maintain the status quo. Ultimately, conflict becomes inevitable with attendant negative consequences on the community and greater implications for the entire Igbo nationality. The paper proffers solution on how such conflict can be managed as well how the caste system can be eliminated in its entirety.

The concept of rule of law and the notion of justice in the survival of the Nigerian State

Upholding the rule of law and adherence to the principles of justice play an important role in the economic and social development of a Nation, this is because rule of law and justice to all guarantee peace, security and stability. For a Nation to be ranked among the committee of civilized and developed Nations, rule of law and principles of justice must be upheld. Using the doctrinal methodology, this work assessed Nigerian State from the perspective of her adherence to the rule of law and upliftment of justice. This work reaffirms that for Nigeria as a State to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 16, will depend on her commitment to the notion of the ideal character of the rule of law as a guiding principle for organizing life in society and access to justice as the essential instrument for the protection of human right. The work concluded that upholding law and order, providing predictable and efficient judgments through the institutional framework and attributes believed necessary to actuate the rule of law such as well trained law enforcement officers, functional courts, independent judiciary, comprehensive law and equipped correctional facilities and homes are the things upon which the Nigerian state can continue, prosper and survive.

Engaging media advocacy on self-littering of the environment in Nigeria

Self-littering of the environment has become habit among many Nigerians. People on daily basis littered the environment with all kinds of wastes, and this has affected the aesthetic beauty of the environment.. The study examines media advocacy on self-littering of the environment. The mainobjective of the study was to determine how media advocacy can help to discourage self-littering of the environment. Questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. A total of 384 respondents were sampled in Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria on the subject matter. The results showed that media advocacy can help to discourage self-littering with the adoption of various communication channels. Inhabitants’ are aware that they littered the environment with dirt but change in behaviour is needed. Consistent media advocacy can bring about that needed change to stop self-littering of the environment. Keywords: Environment; Habit; Littering; Media advocacy; Self-Littering