University of Nigeria Nsukka research and post-2015 development agenda

This Special Issue of African Population Studies/Etude de la Population Africaine brings together current research of faculty members at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka on topics relevant to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) but which have tended to be overlooked in population and development research. It pays particular attention to issues of vulnerable children including alternative care system and placement decision, attitude and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding, and socio-environmental justice in children’s (almajirai) involvement in waste management. Adults also received some attention in a paper on the role of the church in the support and care of older adults, human trafficking and domestic violence, determinants of physical intimate partner violence, and determinants of fertility rate among women in Ghana and Nigeria.  Another cross-cultural analysis engages with issues of climate change through examination of newspaper framing of climate change mitigation in two West African countries. Topical issues of census activities and incidents of infant mortality arising from gastroenteritis were also examined using spatial analysis. In sum,   all the papers in this special issue relate to any of the three major dimensions of sustainability and culture. Thus, this special issue would be relevant in proffering solutions to some of the pressing challenges in Ngeria and in other African countries when development practitioners, governments and communities integrate the findings of these studies in their plans and interventions to enhance social cohesion, economic progress, environmental protection, and cultural diversity.

Political distrust and the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria

While studies have explored how health sector corruption, weak healthcare system, large-scale immune compromised population, misinformation and prevalence of highly congested slums contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, they have glossed over the impact of political distrust on the spread of the virus. This study explores the impact of political distrust on the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The study utilised qualitative dominant mixed methods approach comprising telephone interviews and a survey of 120 educated Nigerians purposively selected from four COVID-19 most affected states including Lagos, Oyo, Kano and Rivers as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The study also relied on secondary data on the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria sourced from Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control from 27 February to 31st August 2020. The study found that political corruption motivates large-scale political distrust. This undermines public compliance to government protocols, limits the outcomes of government responses to COVID-19 and facilitates the spread of the virus in Nigeria. The paper concludes that improving government accountability in the public sector management is relevant for building public trust, promoting citizens’ compliance to COVID-19 safety measure and mitigating the spread of the pandemic in Nigeria and beyond

Exiles in their region: pastoralist-farmer conflict and population displacements in North Central, Nigeria

Background: Over the past two decades, pastoralist-farmer conflicts have become a pressing security challenge in Nigeria, especially in the North Central region. This study analyzed how pastoralist-farmer conflicts fuel population displacements in the North Central, Nigeria. It also assessed the livelihood of the internally displaced persons in the region.Data Source and Methods: The study employed primary data comprising key informant interview of 37 stakeholders and field observations. It also utilized secondary data on pastoralist-farmer conflicts and population displacement largely sourced from Centre for Democracy and Development. We used simple percentage, frequency tables and content analysis of the qualitative data.Results: The failure of the Nigerian state to manage pastoralist – farmer conflicts escalated the attacks and the forceful displacement it engendered. The displacements have worsened the humanitarian crisis as it has increased the number of people in immediate need of food, security, health, school, livelihood, shelter, protection, non food items, water, sanitation and hygiene.Conclusion: The study concluded that building inclusive societies is relevant for de-escalating pastoralist-farmer conflicts, reducing population displacements, mitigating humanitarian crisis and achieving sustainable development goals in Nigeria and beyond