Decolonizing Education: Enunciating the Emancipatory Promise of Non-Western Alternatives to Higher Education

Today’s globalizing world inadvertently creates an imbalance in power relations between the so-called ‘western’ and ‘non-western’ contexts, and discourse about educational excellence often circumvents indigenous paradigms, needs, and ideas about the purpose of education. Further still, the hegemony of western-inspired, industrial-styled education often constrains conversation about the challenges of reforming higher education in ways that suggest a thought-linearity and blindness about the promise of alternatives. In light of the intractable difficulties associated with higher education in the so-called developing world, this paper draws from a post-structuralist, social constructivist, ethos and advocates for a decolonization of the educational milieu. By focusing on examples of unorthodox approaches to education drawn from principally non-western contexts, we support a move towards radical differentiation and pluralisation as a solution to today’s higher education problems. We claim that higher education might be better served if it exists in tension with indigenous alternatives – instead of bearing the sole burden of service. Ultimately, we imagine what alternatives to ‘school’ might look like, and reflexively present the emerging contours of a participatory action research and community-driven, culture-sensitive process that breaks through the linearity and modernistic assumptions of mainstream schooling – a process these authors are embarking on tentatively called ‘Koru’

Youth Development and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria: Assessment and Intervention Strategies

This article explores youth development, social conflicts and unrest that often degenerates into violence and threaten Nigeria’s sociopolitical stability, economic growth and development. In spite of the promises by the successive political leaders and policymakers that youth development will be given priority attention Nigeria has an army of unskilled, jobless and poverty-stricken youth who are prone to anti-social behavior and violence because many of them appear to lack home and community supports as well as economic opportunities. This article argues that investment in positive youth development programs is the key to empowering them with the skills and knowledge to grow into productive and responsible adults; it also helps to improve their living conditions, take care of others as well as to resolve social conflicts effectively. Drawing from available pertinent literature this article will, through descriptive design and in-depth analysis, recommend strategies to assess the efficacy of youth development programs and manage, control or resolve conflicts in Nigeria

Global Economic Crisis and Power of Productivity

The global economic crisis has rattled markets and economies around the globe, and its duration is very unpredictable. To recover quickly from this crisis and prevent the economy from degenerating into social crisis, this paper stipulates, depends on the strength of its institutions and infrastructure, ingenuity of the leaders, and productivity of workers

The Role of Age Grade in Ogba Land

Age grade has gained prominence in modern Ogba despite the clamour for western life styles which seem to abandon this age old association. The survival of the age grade in contemporary time in Ogba community could be linked to the various roles the association plays among her members and in the community in general. Therefore this paper focuses on the role of age grade in Ogba land. It aims at bringing to limelight the importance of age grade in the life of every Ogba man. In doing so it tabulated some of the achievements of age grade system in Ogba villages. The areas concentrated on include the socio-religious, political, economic and community development roles undertaken by age grade system in Ogba land using the literature approach

Failed Visions and Economic Transformation: Can Nigeria Unravel the Tangle?

This article posits that the Nigerian economy, which has been undermined by poor governance, will remain distressed until appropriate strategy is adopted to provide the necessary framework for development; lest we move away from basic primary production, by focusing more on efficient high valueadded processing and manufacturing with advanced technology

Why Is It So Hard To Change Nigeria?

One of the fundamental problems facing Nigeria today is that of implementation of well thought-out programmes of successive governments. This paper posits that for progress to be made, Nigerians must first change their mindset and tame political corruption, which is a daunting obstacle to sustainable development

The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Bariatric surgery including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and adjustable gastric band may play a role in glycemic control by improving insulin secretion and sensitivity, specifically through improvement in the main incretin hormones known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP). These surgical interventions have been shown to provide effective long-term treatment for patients by providing durable weight loss, improving obesity-related comorbidities and fostering better health outcomes. Achieving glycosylated hemoglobin levels below 7% can be very challenging in obese diabetic patients. Therefore, the effect of bariatric surgery compared to standard medical therapy alone in attaining this goal and thus improving health-related outcomes in these patients needs examination. To explore this treatment approach, medical literature on bariatric surgery, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, including the impact of these surgical interventions on patients’ overall health, were reviewed

Ogba Philosophy of Human Positive Law

This research work is centered on the concept of human positive law in Ogba Land of Rivers State, Nigeria. The law as promulgated in Ogba traditional society was made to protect the traditional values of the land. They were enacted in accordance to the principles of the deities who are responsible for punishing the offenders of the law. In this wise we unveiled the philosophical ideology behind Ogba traditional system of law. Hence Ogba philosophy of human positive law as pertains to legitimate source; rationality, well promulgated, common good, and conformity to the divine laws were researched on. These salient points were very instrumental to our research on the topic in discourse; hence, our research findings were based on them

Relationships Between Fruits And Seed Sizes, Germination And Early Seedling Growth Of Some Edible Plant Species In Southeastern Nigerian Rainforest

Relationships between fruits and seeds sizes; seed germination and early seedling growth of seedlings of 25 plant species were studied at the University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria. The destruction of Nigeria rainforest without an assured method of naturally regenerating it, has contributed to some edible plant species being either fewer per hectare or endangered in abandoned farmlands. Fruits of 25 plant species were collected from the rainforest at Umudike, Nigeria. For each plant species 100 fruits and seeds were selected for the study. All the fruits containedbetween 1 and 30 seeds. The length, width and weight of fruits and seeds of the plant species varied within and between plant species. The biggest fruits were those of Pentaclethra macrophylla with length ranging of between 435.22 and 508.52 mm while the biggest seeds were those of Plukernetia conophora each had length range of between 60.39 and 98.14 mm.. The length and width of each fruit and seed were measured using Digimatic Mitutoyo caliper. For each fruit and seeds, the weight was measured using electric weighing balance, Ohaus Corporation, Model Scout Prospu 402. Broadcast of 100 seeds of each plant species was done on germination boxes of size 30 x 60 cm, and watered twice daily. All the viable seeds germinated, however, mechanical dormancy was observed in the fruits of Spondias mombin, Tetrapleura tetraptera and Canarium schweinfurthii, whose seeds were covered by fibrous material. There was no co-relationship between seed size and germination rate because both small and big seeds started germination within the same week. The observed seedling types were Phanerocotylar – epigeal – reserve, (52.9%), Phanerocotylar – epigeal – foliaceous (20%) and Cryptocotylar – hypogeal – reserve (12.0 %), Phenerocotylar – hypogeal – reserve (8) and Cryptocotylar-epigeal-reserve (8%). There was a significant different inthe growth rate of seedlings of the plant species. The rate of growth of 0.05 m per month of seedlings of Persea americana and Dacryodes edulis was comparatively high presumably because of the food stored in the seed. The rate of growth of 0.001 m per month of Dialium guineense seedlings was very poor presumably because of the relatively small quantity of food stored in the seed. Carpolobia lutea produced numerous branches exhibiting shrubby characteristics. It is recommended that fruits should be collected from different provenances and their proximate composition analysed. Fruits having desirable qualities should be genetically improved