The efficacy of federalism in a multi-ethnic state: the Nigerian experience

The continuing debate among social and political commentators over the utility of federalism in a multi-ethnic federation like Nigeria, as well as the unending clamour in some parts of the country for the dissolution of the federal union, make the writing of this article not only timely, but also a worthwhile exercise. The paper, which adopts a historical and descriptive method of analysis, is therefore an attempt to join the discourse on the efficacy of federalism in Nigeria by arguing that the geo-demographic complexity of the Nigerian state and society makes federalism the most appropriate political framework for the country. This is not suggesting that the federal system of government constitutes a panacea to the country’s hydra-headed multiplicity. There is no denying that the system is not working the way it ought to in its current incarnation, but it has lived up to the expectation of the country’s founding fathers in ‘holding together’ the diverse ethnic groups in the country as well as in achieving ‘unity in diversity’. Therefore, our suggestion is that Nigerian political leaders should improve upon the current system and redress the inherent imbalances that have become its features, because history suggests that federalism is Nigeria’s best obtainable option

Federalism in the Covid 19 period and beyond

Nigeria, a three-tiered federation, provides an intriguing example of how the 2008 and 2016 global financial crises, as well as the COVID-19 crisis, have had a significant impact on the practice of federalism in the country. These crises precipitated severe global economic downturn, and Nigeria was not exempt, putting the country's fiscal system to the test. As a significant oil exporter, Nigeria was impacted by the global oil price decline of 2008. Similarly, the 2016 financial crisis, which was precipitated by falling oil prices, exacerbated Nigeria's struggling economy, as the federal government struggled to maintain its expenditures, resulting in a reduction in revenue allocations to the states of the federation. Nigeria’s oil-generated revenue is exclusively concentrated in the centre and shared among the three levels of government according to some agreed formula. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed additional flaws in Nigeria's federal system, highlighting the disparate crisis response capabilities of states and local governments. In its attempt to manage the pandemic, the federal government adopted a top-down strategy, illustrating the overcentralised character of the federal system, which is the result of decades of military rule and excessive oil dependence. The management of these crises reignited the debate about the efficacy of federalism in Nigeria, and this article is a contribution to that debate, contending for a non-centralised federal system in which state governments cease to operate as extensions of the federal government. In addition, it argues for fiscal federalism in accordance with the federalism principle requiring each level of government to have the financial capacity to operate independently

THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AMONG DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA

The last decade has witnessed rapid growth in the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in distance learning. The Distance Learning Centre (DLC) of University of Ibadan, Nigeria has also improved its mode of service delivery in line with the global trend by including e-learning and e-materials. The Centre has embraced the use of various ICTs platforms in the form of Internet and other electronic materials in the delivery of most of its services to the students. This study therefore evaluates the preference, level of adoption and usage of these ICTs by the students. Simple random sampling technique was employed for administration of 100 copies of structured questionnaire to the students. The use of Internet ranked topmost among the ICTs platforms used by the students, although majority of the students are still faced with the challenge of inaccessibility and visit commercial cyber cafés to access Internet for their studies. About 47.9 percent of the students preferred hard copies of DLC course materials and 58.5 percent strongly disagree with the use of CD as DLC reading materials. Majority of the students also preferred to visit DLC office rather than obtaining information on its website. DLC therefore needs to embark on more awareness creation on the need for ICTs usage and strategy to increase adoption by its students.Keywords: Distance Learning, ICT, Electronic materials, Internet, Technology adoptio

THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AMONG DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA

The last decade has witnessed rapid growth in the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in distance learning. The Distance Learning Centre (DLC) of University of Ibadan, Nigeria has also improved its mode of service delivery in line with the global trend by including e-learning and e-materials. The Centre has embraced the use of various ICTs platforms in the form of Internet and other electronic materials in the delivery of most of its services to the students. This study therefore evaluates the preference, level of adoption and usage of these ICTs by the students. Simple random sampling technique was employed for administration of 100 copies of structured questionnaire to the students. The use of Internet ranked topmost among the ICTs platforms used by the students, although majority of the students are still faced with the challenge of inaccessibility and visit commercial cyber cafés to access Internet for their studies. About 47.9 percent of the students preferred hard copies of DLC course materials and 58.5 percent strongly disagree with the use of CD as DLC reading materials. Majority of the students also preferred to visit DLC office rather than obtaining information on its website. DLC therefore needs to embark on more awareness creation on the need for ICTs usage and strategy to increase adoption by its students.Keywords: Distance Learning, ICT, Electronic materials, Internet, Technology adoptio

Contending Issues in Political Parties in Nigeria: The Candidate Selection Process

This article focuses on the issue of candidate selection process within Nigeria's political parties. Hence the article argues that in Nigeria, primary elections are the most common method of selecting party flag-bearers, and more often than not, this process is undermined by party elite who deploy money to influence choices thereby, leading to the outright collapse of the party structures, which are expected to breed internal democracy. This, in turn, hinders the emergence of credible candidates and also gives rise to internal party squabbles, litigation, and the exclusion of certain segment of society, notably, women, youth and the people with disability. Therefore, the authors conducted a series of interviews with party leaders from three political parties and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and prominent members of civil society organisations

Resource abundance and the dilemma of fiscal federalism in Nigeria

This article examines the complexities around fiscal federalism in Nigeria within the framework of the resource curse thesis. Nigeria is an oil-rich federation yet governments at all levels perform poorly. State governments continually experience fiscal gap and deficiency in service delivery. Not only that, the vast majority of the citizens live under the twin burden of poverty and unemployment. The inability of the Nigerian state to address these challenges, despite the huge oil revenue, contributes to the continuous debates over the value of the country's fiscal system. The article contributes to the understanding of how Nigeria's oil-centric economy shapes the fiscal system. It argues that the failure of oil resources to generate economic prosperity in the states is rooted in the flawed fiscal system that encourages the sharing of the oil wealth rather than economic production at the state level. The article recommends a more functional fiscal federalism that would recognise the fiscal autonomy of the tiers of government. That is, a fiscal system with less reliance on the centrally-generated oil revenue

New clamour for “restructuring” in Nigeria: elite politics, contradictions, and good governance

Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999 has led to an emergent type of politics around its federal system, usually expressed in the rhetoric of “political restructuring.” Ostensibly, this is to articulate the need for a review of the existing federal arrangement to allow for more representation and equity in the system. This piece offers a radical perspective to the debate and politics of restructuring in Nigeria. The authors argue that the calls for restructuring have increasingly become a strategy in elite politics for power and its associated material opportunities. The authors analyze the ethno-regional politics surrounding the restructuring debate and identify the contradictions in the demands of regional elites and their groupings. Given that the issue of political restructuring, as advocated, is elite-driven and has the tendency to lead to endless agitations for change, the authors conclude that restructuring is not the solution to the problems of the country. Rather, the paramount concern should be with the practice of good governance to address the myriad of problems affecting the masses

Youth unemployment and armed insurrection in post-military Nigeria: the contending issues

This article provides an overview of the internal conflicts within Nigeria, doing so primarily through explaining the role of Nigeria’s youth in either igniting or sustaining the types of insurgency that have plagued the country in the post-military era. In pursuing this, the paper focuses on the activities of the Niger Delta militants, which dominated the start of the current democratic dispensation, and those of the Boko Haram insurgents in the north. The paper suggests socio-economic empowerment of the youths as an antidote to youth unemployment, and, by extension, as a way to avert future armed insurrection and other forms of violent conflicts that have become synonymous with Nigerian youths

Differential protein expression in maize (Zea mays) in response to insect attack

Maize (Zea mays) is a major food stable in sub-Saharan Africa. However, yields are constrained by insect pests. Insect feeding induces a number of changes in genes encoding different proteins and the plant’s response can either be direct or indirect, or both. In this study, maize plants were infested with two insects with different feeding strategies (Spodoptera littoralis, chewing insect and Busseola fusca, stem borer) to investigate differential protein expression using the Proteomics technique. Infestation of S. littoralis (3rd instar larvae) resulted in 14 spots being up-regulated and 7 being down-regulated. Similarly, infestation of maize with B. fusca (3rd instar larvae) resulted in 12 spots being up-regulated and 9 spots being down-regulated. Interestingly, of those up-regulated only 9 were common to both insects, with only 4 common to both in terms of down regulation. Infestation of maize with S. littoralis resulted in a greater number of spots being up-regulated and less being down-regulated compared to maize infested with B. fusca. Unfortunately, we were unable to identify the proteins represented by these spots.Key words: Busseola fusca, down-regulation, expression, proteomics, Spodoptera littoralis, up-regulation

Analysis of the drivers and benefits of BIM incorporation into quantity surveying profession: academia and students' perspectives

Purpose – Building information modeling (BIM) inclusion in education pedagogy is crucial in preparing skilled graduates for employment in the construction industry. Against this backdrop, studies on BIM education abound in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) programmes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, there is limited empirical studies on BIM potentials in the quantity surveying (QS) profession in HEIs, particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to identify and assess the BIM drivers and benefits as important to the QS profession using an empirical approach. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the BIM drivers and benefits in relation to the QS profession, which was employed to design a questionnaire. In order to capture a broad perception, a questionnaire survey was carried out which targeted the academia and final year undergraduate students from two selected universities offering QS honour degree programmes in Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using mean score, standard deviation, and Mann-Whitney test. Findings – The study identified 12 BIM drivers in relation to the QS profession and the analysis of the ranking revealed that almost all the identified BIM drivers are considered by respondents as important. The study further identified 14 BIM benefits and the analysis of the ranking indicated that all the identified BIM benefits are considered as important. The results of the Mann-Whitney test indicated a very slight statistically significant difference, particularly in one of the selected universities on the ranking of the BIM drivers and benefits as important to the QS profession. Practical implication – The findings of the study provide empirical evidence on the current perceptions of the drivers and benefits of BIM to QS academia and students as they explore the concept for the advancement of QS profession. Originality/value – This study would provide practical insights to utilize BIM for QS practice. Also, this study would contribute to improving the QS graduates and professional quantity surveyors understanding of the BIM knowledge applicable to QS profession. Keywords: BIM, drivers, higher education institutions, quantity surveying, Nigeri