Nurses’ International Migration and the Crystallizing ‘Culture of Exile’ in Nigeria: Historical Trends, Dynamics and Consequences

This paper examines an oft-neglected feature of international migration: social changes (disruptions and/or dislocations of their normal ways of living) in source societies in response to the exigencies of these migrations, and their eventual consequences. It demonstrates how policies in developed economies inadvertently impact on developing societies by creating new social conditions. An exploratory case of Nigerian nurses’ international migration, the paper takes the hypothetical perspective that the socioeconomic effects of migration have engendered a crystallizing ‘culture of exile’ among significant youth populations. It examines the lures/motivation of nurse training and establishes a new dominant drive – the urge to migrate to developed, high-income economies. This development is a direct result of the long-term ‘progressive impact’ of migrated nurses’ remittances in local societies. The paper shows how locals’ belief in the high probability of nurses to attract ‘overseas’ suitors/spouses also feeds into the narrative. The development dire consequences were also highlighted

Baby Factories : Exploitation of Women in Southern Nigeria

Despite the writings of feminist thinkers and efforts of other advocates of feminism to change the dominant narratives on women, exploitation of women is a fact that has remained endemic in various parts of the world, and particularly in Africa. Nigeria is one of those countries in Africa where women are largely exposed to varying degrees of exploitation. This paper examines the development and proliferation of baby-selling centers in southern Nigeria and its impacts on and implication for women in Nigeria. It demonstrates how an attempt to give protection to unwed pregnant girls has metamorphosed into “baby harvesting” and selling through the notorious “baby factories,” where young women are held captive and used like industrial machines for baby production. The babies produced through this process were often sold illegally to adoptive parent(s) in dire need of them. In some other instances, they were used for child labour or trafficked for prostitution, ritual purposes, or organ harvesting. The paper argues that the hideous phenomenon of baby factories—which has high patronage in southern parts of Nigeria—does not only exploit and debase the status of women, but that the nature of its operation foreshadows a future danger for women in southern Nigeria regions

Social consequences of environmental change in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

The Niger Delta is dying. Petrobusiness activities have caused severe environmental damage and climate change in its communities thus leading to massive destruction of farmlands, wild and marine lives. This has not been without dire social consequences on local communities of the Niger Delta which are doubly impoverished with attendant increase in abuse occasioned by struggle for survival. This paper interrogates issues of interest in the concrete experiences of Niger Delta communities in Nigeria in relation to environmental change. It highlights the transition of the delta to its present state and explores the social consequences of this downturn in delta communities. It argues that while the destruction of traditional means of livelihood has forced Niger Delta peoples into an environment-related poverty, deteriorating living conditions, and massive underdevelopment, environmental change in the area has led to new patterns of adaptation and survival. Both primary and secondary sources were used for the purposes of the study.www.ccsenet.org/js

Socio-political economy and dynamics of government-driven land grabbing in Nigeria since 2000

Large-scale agricultural land investment (LALI) has been widespread across Africa over the past decade. In Nigeria since 2000, such investment has been central to the government's efforts at an "alternative development" model to revamp and reanimate the agricultural sector. This paper examines the nature and dynamics of government-led land acquisitions in Nigeria. It begins with a definitional exploration of what constitutes a "land grab", laying out the basic principles, based on international standards, that define the phenomenon. It contends that only the total respect of these principles would ensure that a LALI is not a "land grab". The (re)emergence and intensification of land acquisition trends in Nigeria are explained as the product of a combination of external and internal factors which ultimately led to an environment that triggered and exacerbated problematic patterns of acquisition. Through case studies of three distinct examples of government-led land acquisitions, the paper illustrates the diverse undercurrents of this dynamic as well as the genuine experiences of local populations of it, and thus highlights trends within the cases that mark them each out as a "grab" of sorts. In the final analysis, some critical lessons and incipient realities of the land grab development in Nigeria are then articulated