Book review: Francis B. Nyamnjoh (2017), Drinking from the Cosmic Gourd: How Amos Tutuola Can Change Our Minds

Nyamnjoh’s insightful book offers an original, nuanced, and penetrative interpretation of the late Nigerian writer Amos Tutuola, whose true value and influence were mainly recognised only after his demise. According to the writer, the book is about “the epistemological dimensions of how research is conceptualized and practiced in African universities caught betwixt and between the tensions and possibilities of interconnecting global and local hierarchies” (1). While the above captures a key focus of the text, I believe it really diminishes the extent and breadth of issues tackled in the book. The book criss-crosses orthodox disciplinary divides; represents a commentary on literature, on history, and more critically on the sociology of knowledge and serves as a critique of contemporary African intellectualism.IS

Proteção social e adaptação às mudanças climáticas na Nigéria: Desafios e perspectivas

Depending on the desk review of cogent extant literature and documents, the paper interrogates the relevance and legitimacy of social protection as climate change adaptation mechanism in a developing society like Nigeria. Situated against the undoubted threat of climate change in the country, the paper advances the argument that social protection remains a key adaptation tool especially for poor, rural and agricultural households. Based on the above, it critiques existing attempts at social protection in Nigeria and makes a case for multiple strategies and multi-sectoral approaches to climate change adaptation with social protection in the core. While social protection may be a universal climate change response, the paper argues for its contextualization in the case of Nigeria to achieve socio-cultural sensitivity and more crucially adapt it to extant norms, values and practices in the society. Therefore, there is need to mainstream climate change issues including social protection into policies and regulations as well as incorporating the views and perspectives of the vulnerable into these. In addition, such policies and programmes should be informed by the local knowledge and practices of groups in the society.  The paper concludes that with the infusion of the above, social protection could overcome structural challenges in Nigeria and emerge as an attractive adaptation option to climate change.En función de una revisión documental de la literatura y de los documentos existentes convincentes, el documento cuestiona la relevancia y la legitimidad de la protección social como mecanismo de adaptación al cambio climático en una sociedad en desarrollo como Nigeria. Frente a la incuestionable amenaza del cambio climático en el país, el documento avanza el argumento de que la protección social sigue siendo una herramienta clave de adaptación, especialmente para los hogares pobres, rurales y agrícolas. Sobre la base de lo anterior, critica los intentos existentes de protección social en Nigeria y aboga por múltiples estrategias y enfoques multisectoriales para adaptarse al cambio climático con la protección social en el centro. Si bien la protección social puede ser una respuesta universal al cambio climático, el documento aboga por su contextualización en el caso de Nigeria para lograr sensibilidad sociocultural y, lo que es más importante, adaptarla a las normas, valores y prácticas existentes en la sociedad. Por lo tanto, es necesario integrar los problemas del cambio climático, incluida la protección social, en las políticas y regulaciones, así como incorporar los puntos de vista y las perspectivas de quienes son vulnerables a ellos. El documento concluye que, con la infusión de lo anterior, la protección social puede superar los desafíos estructurales en Nigeria y emerger como una opción atractiva de adaptación al cambio climático.Dependendo da revisão documental da literatura e documentos existentes convincentes, o documento questiona a relevância e a legitimidade da proteção social como mecanismo de adaptação às mudanças climáticas em uma sociedade em desenvolvimento como a Nigéria. Situado contra a inquestionável ameaça da mudança climática no país, o documento avança o argumento de que a proteção social continua sendo uma ferramenta chave de adaptação, especialmente para famílias pobres, rurais e agrícolas. Com base no exposto, ele critica as tentativas existentes de proteção social na Nigéria e defende estratégias múltiplas e abordagens multissetoriais para a adaptação às mudanças climáticas com proteção social no centro. Embora a proteção social possa ser uma resposta universal às mudanças climáticas, o documento defende sua contextualização no caso da Nigéria para alcançar a sensibilidade sociocultural e adaptá-la de forma mais crucial às normas, valores e práticas existentes na sociedade. Portanto, é necessário integrar as questões de mudança climática, incluindo a proteção social em políticas e regulamentos, bem como incorporar as visões e perspectivas dos vulneráveis a eles. O documento conclui que, com a infusão do exposto acima, a proteção social pode superar os desafios estruturais na Nigéria e emergir como uma opção atraente de adaptação às mudanças climáticas

Behind the Clouds: Teaching and Researching Anthropology in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

The paper focuses on teaching and researching of anthropology as a culture centred discipline in Nigeria. It notes that in spite of decades of emergence as a university discipline, anthropology has not been able to break through the negative clouds of colonialism and subjugation to its twin discipline, sociology. Factors responsible for the poor state of teaching and research in anthropology in Nigeria include institutional and structural incapacities and limitations, a curriculum that fails to address both the aspirations of the students and the role of the discipline in national development as well as the inability of the anthropologists themselves to rise up to the dynamic challenges of contemporary Nigerian society. In view of the foregoing, there isneed for a serious rethinking and fundamental restructuring of the discipline focusing essentially on the curriculum, professionalism and development values of the discipline. It is only through the above that teaching and researching in anthropology would be more fruitful to both theoretical and practical concerns as an authentic narrative and imagery of African cultural realities

New Imaginations of Youth Agency: Boko Haram and the Innovative Gospel of Terror in Nigeria

The study is an empirical examination of the credentials of the Boko Haram as an innovative religious expression driven by socio economic marginalization in the Northeast of Nigeria. It discovered that the Boko Haram is a youth driven sect which, even though embodying the rich history of Islamic fundamentalism in the North of Nigeria, has manifested innovative strategies for confronting the decadent Nigerian state and its political class. Prominent in this case is the ideology of takfir which has led the sect to kill fellow Muslims. The group has also pioneered the ‘gendering’ of Islamic fundamentalism through the use of women as active collaborators and suicide bombers in its later history. Strangely enough, the study discovered an ambivalence regarding the perception of the legitimacy of the sect with a good number of respondents seeing the group as Islamic both in its messages and methods. In conclusion, the study discovered that the Boko Haram has raised salient questions about the political economy of Nigeria that need addressing if resurgence of such conflicts is to be averted. Also, while de-radicalization came up as a means of tackling Islamic fundamentalism in Nigeria, there is need for a nuanced approach that builds on credibility and acceptance of those driving the programme

Globalisation and Labour Utilisation in Nigeria: Evidence from the Construction Industry

This study examines the influence of globalisation on labour utilisation in Nigeria using the construction industry as a case study. It reveals that the era of globalisation has given rise to profound changes in the way labour is utilised, specifically in terms of employment patterns as well as the related issues of earnings, job security, unionisation etc. In effect, the way the worker is used by the firms in the industry is determined solely by the dictates of capitalism, i.e. the profit motive. The conclusion is that the consequences of globalisation havebeen unfavourable to the workers in the so-called ‘semi-skilled’ category. Thus, neo-liberal globalisation, contrary to the often-benevolent impacts attributed to it, has worsened rather than improved the situation of workers in the construction industry in Nigeria. This then calls attention to the need for inter alia a more focused regulation of the activities of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) andthe enforcement of minimum ILO standards in member countries, especially in the developing world where the need to attract the all important foreign investment may override any other consideration

Social and Institutional Support in Breast Cancer Management among Elderly Women in Nigeria

The focus of the study was on the social and institutional support available in Nigeria for the management of breast cancer among elderly women. It examined the occurrence and sociocultural factors implicated in breast cancer among elderly women in Nigeria. It discovered that there is increasing incidence of breast cancer among elderly women in Nigeria with an equally increasing mortality rate due largely to low awareness of this menace among women who are past childbearing age. In addition to a low level of awareness are other sociocultural factors such as age, income, education, and the belief systems of the people that the study identified as drivers of increasing menace of breast cancer among elderly women. The above are compounded by the scarcity and inaccessibility of cancer treatment and management facilities in Nigeria. Incidentally, counseling services from such professions as social work and clinical psychology are hardly in existence, leaving the burden of management and care entirely to the families of those affected by the ailment. This calls for a rethink of the sociocultural and support context of public health management in Nigeria. This paper examines the availability and adequacy of existing social and institutional support for breast cancer in Nigeria

Taking it to the Pulpit: Repositioning FBOs as Critical Agencies in the HIV/AIDS Response in South Africa

In spite of significant gains achieved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, it remains a huge public health challenge in South Africa. Therefore, there is a need for continuous concerted efforts involving critical agencies like faith- based organizations (FBOs) that are already prominent in health care. The chapter examines how FBOs involved in HIV/AIDS response can be repositioned and further empowered. Though FBOs remain very critical and relevant to the national response in the country given their grassroots reach and influence; there is ambivalence on the value of such roles and how they relate to the national response. The main findings include: FBOs are not fully integrated into the national response framework; in spite of laudable strides, FBOs still embody a negative influence on the response especially in terms of the use of condoms; FBOs lack capacity in such crucial areas as networking and partnership; however, they are active in rural enclaves and in the prevention and care aspects of the response. There is a need to strengthen these FBOs, align their initiatives to both the national framework and orthodox knowledge regarding the pandemic. This chapter recommends programs to build the managerial and technical capacities of these FBO

Health Promotion and Its Challenges to Public Health Delivery System in Africa

The chapter examines the place and role of health promotion in the drive for sustainable and effective public health delivery in Africa. It conceptualizes health promotion from a multifaceted and multi-professional perspective hinged on the empowerment of communities and individuals to play active roles and adopt behaviour consistent with the goals of good health. The paper drawing on documentary data sees health promotion as critical to the achievement of health goals in the continent and equally reflects on the theories of health promotion, strategies for health promotion and challenges to health promotion in Africa. It argues that health promotion in the continent can be strengthened through such measures as appropriate legislations, robust funding, gender inclusiveness, stepping up research, regular needs assessment and evaluation, setting needs-driven priorities and building capacity of health promotion to target vulnerable and marginal members of the society, among others

Reflections on Climate Change and Public Health in Africa in an Era of Global Pandemic

The study examined the impact of climate change on public health provisioning in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to recognising the multifarious influence of climate change on health, it argues that the quest for global health security can only be achieved against the backdrop of concerted mainstreaming of climate change response into public heath provisioning, especially in the developing world. Adapting to climate change and mitigating its impact would logically require integrating it into public health planning, programming and interventions. Therefore, if health security entails provisioning and catering to the full range of health needs of people, climate change given its undoubted implications for health should be in the forefront of health security globally. Despite the global discourse of climate change and health security, tangible actions and programmes at different levels are needed to achieve the goals of good health and effective health security. This is no less the case now that the pandemic has challenged and stretched health institutions and provisions. However, the complex and intertwining effects of climate change and its manifold nexus with public health and health security can easily be apprehended through the systems perspective. There is the need for both radicalization of the public health system in Sub-Saharan Africa and concerted efforts across disciplines and actors to achieve effective climate change mitigation and adaptation and thus further strengthen health security