The theology and practice of Christ Apostolic Church on divine healing in the context of Pentecostal theology

The motivation for this study emanated from review of literature which led this researcher to the realization that not much critical study has been done on the theology and practice of divine healing in Christ Apostolic Church (CAC). The CAC which is an important Pentecostal church in Nigeria traces its root partly to Precious Stone Society, a prayer group that began in South-western Nigeria in 1918. This article identified the tenet of faith of the church on divine healing; located the tenet of CAC in the context of the global Pentecostal theology and compared the initial understanding of the concept in CAC with the way it is perceived today by the church members. Primary sources of data for the work comprised the Bible, editions of CAC constitutions, articles written by founders of the Church, questionnaire, and interviews. Secondary sources of data comprised Bible commentaries, books, journal articles, and Internet sources. Historical and phenomenological approaches were adopted for the work. The study found that CAC initially held to divine healing without the use of drugs. It revealed that the belief of the Church on divine healing located the CAC at the center of Pentecostal theology which researchers have identified as healing. The study further discovered that the view of divine healing, with or without the use of drugs, held by the Church today has changed from the one held by the progenitors of the Church which was healing without the use of drugs. The work provides theological relevance on divine healing for the study of Pentecostalism in Nigeria.Keywords: Divine healing, CAC, Use of drugs, Sanctified water, Anointing oi

REGIONALISM AND HEALTH: THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The study examines the nexus between ‘regionalism cum regional integration’ and health. Health issues, especially in the time of emergencies, pose some challenges for regional integration efforts and could, in some cases, lead to the stagnation of a regional project. On the other hand, health is a viable platform on which regionalism can thrive and be strengthened. More so, regional initiatives for health promotion and management can also help in improving the health of the people of a region or in some adverse cases exacerbate health issues. The relationship between the two concepts is never unidirectional. This article is premised on the proposition that ‘health is development’ and regionalism is essentially for development too. Consequently, there is a point of convergence. Lessons are drawn here from different regions on how regionalism and health can interact for the attainment of sustainable health goals. The study involves a historical, descriptive and prescriptive analysis of the phenomena. A systematic review of existing literature in PubMed and Web of Science databases is done to indicate the links between the concepts with relevant cases; to identify the opportunities and the challenges of the interaction between the two concepts. The theoretical underpinnings of ‘relationships’ is also examined. Regionalism offers states an opportunity to pool resources for the attainment of the highest standard of health for the region. The paper, therefore, recommends more health’ consciousnesses in macro-regional planning and policy. Health can aid regionalism, and the latter has much utility in the attempt to govern and respond to health issues

Multi-Dimensional Approach To Crisis Management In The Church

The church, like every other society, encounters internal crisis. Theological Seminaries and Universities are well-positioned to help the church in its search for methods of coping with the problem. But because the studies of religion and other disciplines in many Universities are academic, supposedly objective, and comparative, products of the research findings from Universities with interest in religion and social sciences can contribute to the search for multidimensional management of church crisis. Eclectic theory of civil conflict resolution of Keih as modified for religious conflict management by Israel Akanji was applied to the data collected for this work

Seasonal Variation in The Biology of Chrysichthys Auratus (Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, 1809) in Ogun State Estuary, Nigeria

This study examined the seasonal variation in the biology of Chrysichthys auratus (Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, 1809) in Ogun State estuary, Nigeria. Fish were collected in the wet season (May-June, 2018) and dry season (November-December, 2018) from commercial fishermen at the estuary using the bamboo trap. The fish length, weight and other biological parameters were measured and estimated using standard procedures. A total of 432 samples with length ranging between of 10 to 25.9 cm and corresponding weight ranging between 10g to 91g were examined during the two seasons. The wet and dry season showed the peak frequency at size class 14 – 14.9cm and 19 – 19.9cm respectively. The study revealed a the sex ratio (M:F) of 1:0.7 and of 1:0.47 in the wet season and in the dry season respectively. The length-weight relationship showed a negative allometric growth in the wet dry and combined seasons with a “b” value less than 3. Size at maturity were 19.5 cm, 17.30 cm and 18.5 cm for males, females and combined sex respectively in the wet season while in the dry season, all the males were immature and the females attained maturity at a length estimated to be 17.00 cm. The study showed a positive relationship between fecundity and total length of C. auratus in the wet (r2 = 0.41) and dry (r2 = 0.45) while a positive relationship was also observed between ovary weight and fecundity in the dry season (r2 = 0.88) and wet season (r2 = 0.83). Seasonal assessment of biology and distribution of C. auratus is recommended to provide requisite information for sustainable management of the species

Nigeria's Foreign Policy and Codification of National Interest: A Prescriptive Analysis

Nigeria has an ambitious foreign policy but an ambiguous, unscripted, not well defined and inconsistent national interest. Aside the fact that this is not good for a country that pursues an ambitious external agenda and incongruent with its stature in global politics; it also makes the concept and reality of national interest susceptible to personalized interpretations, manipulations and distortions by the different political regimes. In other words, national interest becomes different strokes for different folks, depending on how each perceives and wishes it. Like every other sovereign country of the world, Nigeria's national interests have been largely determined and defined by the various leaderships that have over the years ruled the country. This paper builds its argument on the premise that a country's national interest is pivotal to its foreign policy and national development. Using the National Interest Theory (NRT) for a historical-descriptive discourse, the underlying issues found include the fact that in the case of Nigeria, as vital as the concept is both to the existence of a nation and as a source for the analysis of foreign policy behaviour of states, national interest has been subject to exploitation. Successive leadership of the country has hidden under the cover of national interest to perpetuate their individual interests. The probability for carrying out such acts is very high because Nigeria's national interest lacks proper codification and documentation. This paper thus makes a case for the codification and documentation of Nigeria's national interest. It does not suggest what the "interests" should be, but argues for intelligible national interest for direction, focus and attention to topmost priorities in the country's external relations

The Role of Information and Communication Technology on Transparency, Trust and Good Governance in Nigeria

Studies on transparency and trust in public sector management have generated exciting moments amongst scholars and practitioners alike in the area of good governance for development of societies. Furthermore, it has been argued by some scholars that government agencies are more likely to achieve their goals of enhanced performance for the improvement in the living standard of the people, particularly in the provision of adequate social amenities such as clean water, electricity supply, good roads, well equipped hospitals and adequate security protection of lives and properties, where transparency on the part of public officials in the use of public resources, and trust about government agencies on the part of the people are the norms in such a society. Previous studies have hinged on transparency for enhanced performance of government and its agencies on the integrity and perception of the individual employees in carrying out their assignments without taking into consideration the lack of capacity to perform, and the value judgment of such individuals. This present study focuses on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the management of government and its activities for enhanced development in the society. The work contributes to our understanding of the relationship between ICT, transparency, trust and good governance as a catalyst for development in Nigeria. With the use of structural equation model, the study empirically analyzed 261 copies of the questionnaire that were administered to respondents in the public and the private sectors of the nation’s economy, about their perception on the relationship between the variables under consideration. The findings suggest the importance of ICT as a facilitator of transparency in the management of public resources, including, revenue collection and disbursement of public funds by government officials, as a basis for societal development, than the mere reliance on individual employees’ integrity and perception in the management of public resources in Nigeria’s quest for developmen

A Simple Dose Regimen of Artesunate and Amodiaquine Based on Age or Body Weight Range for Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria in Children: Comparison of Therapeutic Efficacy With Standard Dose Regimen of Artesunate and Amodiaquine and Artemether–Lumefantrine

A new dose regimen of artesunate and amodiaquine (NDRAA) based on age or body weight range was compared with standard dose regimen of artesunate and amodiaquine (SDRAA) calculated according to body weight and with fixed-dose artesunate–amodiaquine (FDAA) and artemether–lumefantrine (AL) in 304 children afflicted by malaria aged 15 years or younger. In initial comparison (n = 208), children on NDRAA received 1–3 times amodiaquine per kilogram of body weight and 1–1.5 times of artesunate per kilogram of body weight compared with those receiving SDRAA. Parasite but not fever clearance was significantly faster in children who received NDRAA (19.4 ± 8.4 hours vs. 24.6 ± 15.5 hours, P = 0.003). Polymerase chain reaction–uncorrected cure rates on days 28–42 were also significantly higher in children who received NDRAA (P < 0.02 in all cases). Therapeutic responses in children younger than 5 years (n = 96) treated with NDRAA, FDAA, and AL were similar. Changes in hematocrit values and reported adverse events after commencing therapy were similar in those who received NDRAA and SDRAA. All drug regimens were well tolerated. NDRAA based on age or body weight range is simple, is therapeutically superior to SDRAA calculated according to body weight, and is as efficacious as AL in children younger than 5 years

Regional Health Governance in the Ebola Outbreak: The Need for African Solutions to African Problems

The need for context specific health policies and interventions in health systems in Africa cannot be overemphasized. Amongst many recommendations, the roles that regional organizations can play in health governance and policy implementation are important to this paper. Regional formations are already playing a significant role in shaping the formation of new socio-political intra-regional agendas. They also have the potential to engage as global actors through extraregional diplomacy and bloc activism in support of those agendas. They can also act as bridge organizations between global initiatives for health cooperation and national health policy implementation. Regional organizations have great utility, owing to their familiarity with the region’s specific political and cultural context. In terms of representation, they can provide leadership in translating global goals into regional context-specific priorities, a forum for the exchange of views and negotiation of legal instruments. The roles that regions can play are obviously enormous. The goal therefore is to understand how regional institutions in Africa, especially in West Africa, are taking advantage of their immerse potentials to affect global policies and governance for health. Also, in light of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the paper seeks to assess the roles played by the African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its health organization, the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) in response to the epidemic. The paper recommends that regional organizations in Africa can play central roles in health governance, by steering global governance for health priorities in Africa, thereby reducing the burden of diseases

Global Health Governance, Human Rights, and the Control of Infectious Diseases: A Case of the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa

The human right to the highest attainable standard of health has both a legal and normative basis. The legal foundations derive from a range of international agreements and declarations while the normative basis is rooted in humanitarianism. Alongside the rights‐based declarations came the growing recognition of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, as ill effects of globalization and potential risk to peace and development. The threats posed by infectious diseases like the Ebola virus disease (EVD) are now seen as universally relevant, as the speed and volume of international travel has made an outbreak or epidemic anywhere in the world a potential threat anywhere else. The question then arises as to where individual freedom is given up in the protection of the collective interest and national security of states. This chapter examines these right issues, with respect to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, as they collide with state actions to combat infectious diseases

Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage, emergence, clearance and population sex ratios in anaemic and non-anaemic malarious children

Anaemia in falciparum malaria is associated with an increased risk of gametocyte carriage, but its effects on transmission have not been extensively evaluated in malarious children. Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage, emergence, clearance, population sex ratios (SR) (defined as the proportion of gametocytes that are male), inbreeding rates and temporal changes in SR were evaluated in 840 malarious children. Gametocyte carriage pre-treatment was at a level of 8.1%. Anaemia at enrolment was an independent risk factor for gametocyte carriage post-treatment. The emergence of gametocytes seven days post-treatment was significantly more frequent in anaemic children (7/106 vs. 10/696, p = 0.002). In the initially detected gametocytes, the proportion of children with a male-biased SR (MBSR) (> 0.5) was significantly higher in anaemic children (6/7 vs. 3/10, p = 0.027). Pre-treatment SR and estimated inbreeding rates (proportion of a mother’s daughters fertilised by her sons) were similar in anaemic and non-anaemic children. Pre-treatment SR became more female-biased in non-anaemic children following treatment. However, in anaemic children, SR became male-biased. Anaemia was shown to significantly increase gametocyte emergence and may significantly alter the SR of emerging gametocytes. If MBSR is more infective to mosquitoes at low gametocytaemia, then these findings may have significant implications for malaria control efforts in endemic settings where malaria-associated anaemia is common