URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Nigerian cities are witnessing high rate of environmental deterioration and are rated among urban areas with the lowest livability index in the world. It is estimated that between 20 percent and 30 percent of the urban population enjoy decent urban life in the country. Although studies have identified various environmental problems in Nigeria, little attention has been given to their implications for sustainable development in literature. This paper therefore examined the causes and implications of increasing environmental deterioration for sustainable development in the country. Relying on archival records and observations, this paper identified colonial antecedents of Nigerian cities, rapid urbanization and poor psychological orientation of residents as being responsible for the current situation. The paper highlighted the three –fold effects on the human health, the economy and ecological system and suggested that the application of planning, economic, legal, institutional as well as educational tools will address the situation

Reputational Risk and Impact Assessment of Corporate Social Responsibility on Profitability and Growth of Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria

This paper examines factors affecting corporate concerns about reputation and its impact on profitability and growth of the companies

On the Use of ICTs to Support Social Intervention among Asylum Seekers – Reported Cases from a Women’s Resource Centre in Ireland

This paper reports on cases encountered during an internship on social intervention while working with the asylum seekers/refugees in Ireland. Comprehensive information is provided on the way in which intervention services were rendered,accomplished and reflect on the methods used. The efficacies of the method used which was based on personal experience,knowledge and systems theories are discussed extensively. Reflections that can be used to make adjustments when faced withsimilar situation in future are provided based on the experiences accumulated during the placement. Finally, the value of socialcare work within the framework of social care process is critically explored by linking theory to practice. The paper concludes byproviding insights on how ICTs can be used to reinforce social inclusion and provide suggestion for ICT-based socialintervention practices.Keywords: Asylum Seekers, Intervention. ICTs, Social Care

The Nigerian Music Industry: Challenges, Prospects and Possibilities

This paper explores the status of the Nigerian music industry through the paradigm of its music promotion, marketing, and distributing structure. Using ethnographic and bibliographic sources, the study traces the history of the Nigerian recording industry which nose-dived from the late 1980s with the exit of major label operations like Sony, Polygrams and EMI due to political and economic factors and recognised the impetus given the music scene through the resilience and creativity of the new hip hop generation who now have to contend with myriads of challenges among which is piracy and copyrights issues. While highlighting some of these challenges, the paper presents an array of possibilities as well as recommendations and concludes that with proper structuring and intervention, the Nigerian music industry can be a major player within the global music scene, and be a viable revenue earner for the country aside from crude oil

Editorial

No Abstrac

Perceived stigmatization, psychosocial well-being and self-esteem among individuals living in leprosy center in south-west, Nigeria

Background: Leprosy has over time been seen as a symbol of shame and stigmatization as people affected by leprosy continue to be stigmatized and discriminated against even after they have been cured. The study aimed to assess the perceived levels of stigmatization, psychosocial well-being, and self-esteem among individuals living at a leprosy center in South-West, Nigeria.  Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design of face-to-face research was conducted in a leprosy center using a simple random technique. The study instrument was a self-structured questionnaire containing sociodemographic details, questions on stigmatization towards the individual affected by leprosy and their family members, and questions regarding their psychosocial well-being adapted from literature, as well as questions adapted from the validated Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) by Morris Rosenberg to assess their self-esteem. Data were analyzed with the aid of SPSS version 26 software. Results: A total of 134 participants were included in the study. Most of the participants were females (61.2%) within the age range of 21- 40 years old (32.8%), and are students (25.4%). Out of the 134 participants, 29.1% (39) of them were affected by leprosy. The participants perceived a high level of stigmatization (37.3%), a high level of psychosocial well-being (38.8%), and demonstrated a moderate level of self-esteem (50.7%). The male gender perceived both low (B = -3.054, p = 0.004) and high (B = -1.84, p = 0.049) stigmatization at p< 0.05. The married (B = -5.421, p = 0.004), the Christians (B = 5.424, p = 0.043) and Islamic (B = 7.743, p = 0.011) participants perceived low stigmatization at p< 0.05. The participants within the age range 21 - 40 (B = 6.25, p = 0.019) and 61 – 80 years (B = 7.29, p = 0.017) perceived high psychosocial well-being while the single (B = -4.43, p = 0.049) and married (B = -5.26, p = 0.017) participants perceived low psychosocial well-being at p< 0.05. None of the demographic factors had relationships with self-esteem at p< 0.05. The perceived levels of stigmatization (r= 0.314, p= 0.0001) and psychosocial well-being (r= 0.225, p= 0.009) are associated with the level of self-esteem at p< 0.05. Conclusion: This study concludes that the individuals affected by leprosy and their family members living at the leprosy center experienced a high level of stigmatization and, a high level of psychosocial well-being but had moderate self-esteem

HISTORY AS A TOOL FOR SHAPING HISTORY: THE EXAMPLE OF FEMI OSOFISAN’S WOMEN OF OWU

The use of history as a robust resource material in the African literary creativity is as old as the advent of modern African literature itself. This trend re-affirms the inevitability of the convergence of history and literature. In the symbiotic relationship, history feeds literature with factual events of the past the same way literature brings fullness to bear on such facts. Be this as it may, it is viewed that the use to which history is put by literature has taken diverse shades under different literary phases and/or canons. While we have writers, predominantly within the foremost African literary coterie, whose employment of history revels in the conventional historiography of “render it and leave it at that”, we also have writers (predominantly in the emergent radical canon) who employ the resource of history basically for the purpose of its dialectical dissection. In this connection, this paper seeks to investigate the radical use to which history is being put by writers of the latter canon. Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu shall be our representative literary piece. The thrust is to unravel how the text has employed the instrumentality of the historical resource of the war in the ancient Yoruba Kingdom of Owu to vehicle its revolutionary message

The vocabulary of a development world view

Ifeoluwa Adedeji analyses the shift in notions used to refer to postcolonial states

Exploring the Role of Public Policy in Adapting to the Challenges and Opportunities of Emerging Technologies

This research paper investigates how government policy can be modified to meet the opportunities and threats posed by rapidly developing technologies. This article focuses on Examine how emerging technologies are affecting our democracy, personal lives, economy, and culture. New technology potential benefits and drawbacks are compared, and policy shortcomings and roadblocks are identified. The thesis also examines policy options for regulating emerging technologies like blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and the Internet of Things. The effectiveness and viability of various policy methods are reviewed, and the significance of public participation in technological policy-making is emphasized. The use of digital technologies, citizen juries, collaborative policy-making, education and awareness-raising campaigns, consultations, public hearings, and citizen juries are a few of the methods proposed to promote public participation and engagement in technological policy-making processes. The entire thesis emphasizes the value of proactive and transparent government with reference to technology improvements. Governments may better ensure that new technologies are used in ways that are beneficial for society, the economy, the environment, and everyone's rights and freedoms by allowing citizens to provide input on policy decision