Resurgence in the Niger Delta and the Discourse of Terrorism in Nigeria

Studies have shown how over-dependent Nigeria has been on the proceeds from oil thus making oil and gas the lifeblood of the nation’s revenue, economy and national survival. Hence, there exists a clear awareness between government and citizens that whatever happens to oil production can have immense effects on the country’s economy. To this, militant groups’ activities in the Niger Delta region has become a growing concern for both scholars and policy makers. Against this background, it has been noted that while there have been an avalanche of studies on the Niger Delta crisis, most have mainly described this phenomenon from the perspective of ‘agitation for self-determination’, ‘pirate activities’, ‘insurgency’, ‘armed rebellion’, ‘militancy’ among others. But considering the motives, targets and methods employed by these groups, in addition to the resurgence of threatening attacks in the region after notable era of relative peace, this study therefore tries to establish compelling arguments on why the Niger Delta crisis can further be understood from the perspective of ‘terrorism’ largely due to the fact that the eventual employment of violent means in bring home their demands is nothing short of an instrumental technique of political violence. Additionally, considering the nature of a return to violent attacks by the armed groups, brings to mind, how the armed groups have consciously adopted violence as a prolific mechanism for policy change and achieving their goals. Keywords: Niger Delta, Militancy, Terrorism, Insecurity in Nigeria, Niger Delta Avengers, MEN

Social Capital and Cooperative Society Lending in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Cooperatives societies are seen as dependable and quick financial bailout institutions which can be used by business owners to secure quick and minimum interest on loans. This ethnographic study provides an understanding of the lending activities and criteria of obtaining a loan from co-operative societies in Ibadan, Nigeria as well as the social factors influencing how people access these loans. This empirical study gathered data using unobtrusive observation by attending weekly meetings of the cooperative (comprising of 102 members), asking questions during discussion times in the meeting as well as interacting with members of the co-operative society for 18 months. Additionally, 10 key informant interviews were done. Findings show that a strong social capital is needed and vital in obtaining loans in a co-operative society. The study concluded that cooperative societies are effective in lending business loans and supporting entrepreneurship but intending members must plan to join alongside others who can stand as guarantors for them in order to access loans easily and quickly. It is recommended that cooperative societies should find a modality of assisting those with no social resource to stand for them as guarantor in order to be able to help more people to start or grow their business enterprise. Those with no social resources should mingle well with other members in order to build one

Loss and Post-founder Business Discontinuity among selected Indigenous Private Enterprises in South-West Nigeria

The survival of indigenous private enterprises is usually threatened by the demise of their founders. While previous studies on enterprise (dis)continuity have focused largely on business failure before founders’ death, little attention is paid to why indigenous private businesses do not outlive their founders in Nigeria. This study, therefore, examined the factors accounting for post-founder business discontinuity among selected indigenous private enterprises in the South-West, Nigeria. Theory of Loss and continuity in the family firm provided the framework. The research design was exploratory, using qualitative methods of data collection. Three states (Lagos, Ogun and Oyo) were purposively selected on the basis of being home to many defunct indigenous enterprises. Case studies were done on 16 purposively selected indigenous private enterprises (eight discontinued and eight surviving) whose founders had died. The qualitative data were analysed with Nvivo 8. Findings show that disharmony in the deceased founders’ family, ineffective implementation of succession plans as well as inheritance crises emerged as the most prevalent factors that accounted for postfounder enterprise discontinuity. The study recommended that indigenous enterprise founders should make efforts to foster harmonious relationships among members of their families in order to increase enterprise survival after their death

Assessment of the Effectiveness of the Military Against Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria Under President Muhammadu Buhari

The trends of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria have called for more effective counter-strategies. The terrorist acts of the Boko-Haram since 2009 have created a state of palpable fear in Nigeria and beyond, while the helpless posture of the government and the military is worrisome. This paper specifically examines the evolution and development of the sect, and efforts of the military in addressing the challenges and the implications. It examines the conceptual clarification of insurgency and terrorism, and reviews the handling of the Boko Haram insurgency by both Jonathan and Buhari administration. The paper engaged qualitative methods and extensively made use of secondary source of data such as internet, text books, newspapers, journals, and recorded information. It also made use of both historical method and descriptive analysis. The paper revealed that, the relocation of the Command and Control Centre of the Military to Maiduguri by President Muhammadu Buhari administration added impetus and renewed vigour to Operation Zaman Lafiya, which is aimed at bringing the Boko Haram insurgency to an end in North Eastern Nigeria. Keywords: Boko Haram, Insurgency, Terrorism, Military Operation, Counter-Strategie

The Game Theory and the Politics of Cross-carpeting in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

Politics, no doubt is a game of number. Therefore, the support base of political parties in terms of quantity of supporters is a determinant to winning election. The study adopted the theory of games as a theoretical model to unfold the scheming mechanism embedded in the new dimension of cross-carpeting by Nigeria's political actors. Whereas the game theory is anchored on the rationality of the behaviour of the players participating in the game, such assumption may just be a theoretical construct against the backdrop of incessant cross-carpeting among Nigerians political actors. The study affirmed that, while cross-carpeting is a feature of multiparty democracy like Nigeria, it can only be relevant when elected office holders respect the "rules of the game'' that guide cross-carpeting. Therefore, indiscriminate cross-carpeting by the political actors is antithetical to democratic consolidation. Keywords: Game Theory, Political party, Cross-carpeting, Ideology, Conflic

Prison libraries, intellectual freedom and social justice in Nigeria

This paper deployed a systematic review to examine prison libraries and intellectual freedom towards attaining social justice in Nigeria. Information resources used cover the periods of 2010 and 2020 to articulate the necessary development in prison libraries, intellectual freedom and social justice in Nigeria. Search engines such as Google scholar, Semantic Scholar, and RefSeek were used to retrieve information and through different queries yielded several results but very few of them were selected to fit in the study due to limited studies directed to address the focus of this study particularly in the Nigeria scenario. Information obtained were subjected to content analysis following relevant themes of the research questions and relevant information obtained were subjected to analysis using a systematic review approach of relevant articles and information to achieve the major objectives of the study. Results were presented with respect to the research question of the study. The findings revealed that prison inmates in Nigeria have several information needs which include current affairs, legal information, religious information, health information, psychological information, recreational information, vocational information, educational information. recreational information and also financial needs. Despite the huge needs of these inmates, prison libraries provide very few, restricting access to majority to inmates. This could pose significant effect on inmates in the long run particularly in the prison and after serving their prison punishment hence, affecting the attainment of social justice society in Nigeria and also the attainment of SDG. To this end, the study recommends that various information needs are to be considered and met by prison libraries towards ensuring intellectual freedom and ensuring a social justice community and prison libraries should be provided with several needed facilities and funds that could make it possible to meet the intellectual freedom of inmates towards ensuring a social justice society

The Effect of Intra-Party Conflict Management Mechanism on Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

This paper assessed intraparty conflict management mechanisms on democratic consolidation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic with the help of secondary data. It identified the following issues as contending factors in Nigerian formative democracy. Intra-party turbulence arising from imposition of candidates, patron-client politics, lack of frequent party meetings, corruption and so on, have given negative image to Nigerian politicians and the country in general. The few high-ups in the hierarchy determine winners and losers at the expense of their party’s cohesion. The political environment ever since 1999 still is very much in a confused state, thus service to the people is thrown to the winds. It is out of the confusion that some of the politicians were catapulted into office and it is the reason their behaviour is so anathematic since their loyalty is automatically owed to those who engineered their ascent. Therefore any attempt to confront Nigerians on good and practical democracy is derided with the popularly cynical rhetorical question – “na democracy we go chop? confirming the above on the lacklustre attitude that Nigeria is still a contested terrain of conflicting identities even after five decades of independence and a still longer period of being one political entity. Possibly some of Nigerian elites think of themselves primarily as Nigerians and place their Nigerian identity above all other identities. But many more are ambivalent about what their primary identity should be. And even more place their Nigerian identity below their local community, nation or ethnic group. However, the piece concluded that due to lack of clear-cut political platform and distinctive ideology, these and among others have made Nigerian political parties to have a far-lesser conflict management mechanism that are been driven by primordial interests. It therefore recommend an overhaul of the Nigerian legal system, a six regional semi-strong government whereby each regions cultivate her local products, manage her natural resources and give 10% to 15% to the central government for the purpose of coordination and this will go a long way in bridging conflict holistically and making the centre less attractive and strong. All other methods of conflict management will be strengthened and will be achievable through the above recommendation. Keywords: Conflict, Conflict management, Political parties, Intra/inter party conflic

Cholera, Migration, and Global Health – A Critical Review

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The causative agent of this disease was originally described by Filippo Pacini in 1854, and afterwards further analyzed by Robert Koch in 1884. It is estimated that each year there are 1.3 million to 4 million cases of cholera, and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths worldwide from the disease. Cholera remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequity and lack of social development. A global strategy on cholera control with a target to reduce cholera deaths by 90% was launched in 2017. Before 1817, cholera was confined to India’s Bay of Bengal. However, primarily following trade and migration between India and Europe, by the 1830s, cholera had spread internationally. The global spread of cholera was the driving force behind the first International Sanitary Conference in Paris, in 1851. The global health significance of cholera is underscored by its inclusion as one of four priority diseases in the 1969 and 2005 International Health Regulations. This article reviews the evolution of seven cholera pandemics and their reciprocal impacts on migration and global health. Also discussed are global efforts to address cholera, particularly the International Health Regulations, the 1969 and 2005 version of which stipulated that cholera epidemics require mandatory reporting to the IHR. This article concludes with a brief case study of Yemen’s unprecedented cholera epidemic