A CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVES IN NIGERIA

Literature is replete with studies on women empowerment in different parts of the world. However, little is often mentioned about the history of women empowerment struggles Nigeria. This paper sets out to fill that gap by providing a precise literature review on the history of women empowerment initiatives from the global platform to the African context, specifically Nigeria. The lingering debates on how to appropriately measure empowerment are discussed. In addition, the views of some scholars such as Mary Wollstonecraft, John S. Mill, and Boserup are mentioned. Furthermore, the action-oriented contributions of many African women including Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Funmilayo Ransome-kuti, Margaret Ekpo, and Ruth Kharma are highlighted. The implication of empowerment initiatives is focused on women farmers. In conclusion, the paper upholds that women empowerment struggles have recorded great success across many contexts in the world, including Nigeria, although much remains to be done

The Influence of seed treatments and growing media on seedling growth and development of African walnut, Plukenetia conophorum

A nursery trial was conducted to investigate the effects of seed treatments and soil type growing media on the germination and growth of Plukenetia conophorum. The factors considered included seed treatments with hot water at 90&#176C, warm water at 60&#176C, overnight soaking in cold water and scarification. Soil type media were humus&#43manure and topsoil&#43manure at a 2:1 ratio. The results showed that the types of nursery media used were significant only on seedling growth but not on germination. However, the seed treatments have significant effects on germination and growth of the crop. Topsoil produced superior plant growth in terms of plant height, collar girth and leaf number. Scarification and overnight soaking in cold water produced best quality seedlings.Key words: Plukenetia conophorum, seed treatment, growing media, top soil, humus, under-exploited fruit.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (8), pp. 808-81

'Just open your eyes a bit more': The methodological challenges of researching black and minority ethnic students' experiences of physical education teacher education

In this paper we discuss some of the challenges of centralising 'race' and ethnicity in Physical Education (PE) research, through reflecting on the design and implementation of a study exploring Black and minority ethnic students' experiences of their teacher education. Our aim in the paper is to contribute to ongoing theoretical and methodological debates about intersectionality, and specifically about difference and power in the research process. As McCorkel and Myers notes, the 'researchers' backstage'-the assumptions, motivations, narratives and relations-that underpin any research are not always made visible and yet are highly significant in judging the quality and substance of the resulting project. As feminists, we argue that the invisibility of 'race' and ethnicity within Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE), and PE research more widely, is untenable; however, we also show how centralising 'race' and ethnicity raised significant methodological and epistemological questions, particularly given our position as White researchers and lecturers. In this paper, we reflect on a number of aspects of our research 'journey': the theoretical and methodological challenges of operationalising concepts of 'race' and ethnicity, the practical issues and dilemmas involved in recruiting participants for the study, the difficulties of 'talking race' personally and professionally and challenges of representing the experiences of 'others'. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Access and utilisation of primary health care services comparing urban and rural areas of Riyadh Providence, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has seen an increase in chronic diseases. International evidence suggests that early intervention is the best approach to reduce the burden of chronic disease. However, the limited research available suggests that health care access remains unequal, with rural populations having the poorest access to and utilisation of primary health care centres and, consequently, the poorest health outcomes. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing the access to and utilisation of primary health care centres in urban and rural areas of Riyadh province of the KSA

Best Practices for Improving Blended Learning in Nigeria: Critical Reflections on the Breast Cancer Clinical Pathway Development Course

Although cancer clinical pathways (CPs) are standardized care plans for the treatment of specific cancers, they are not commonly used in Nigerian hospitals. Many Nigerian clinicians do not have the requisite skill for developing and implementing the use of CPs. Critical reflections provide an important perspective in the philosophy, design, implementation, and outcome of interventions. This paper critically reflects on the design and implementation of a multidisciplinary, blended learning (i.e. online and in-person) course which sought to improve the competence of local doctors, nurses, and allied students in developing clinical pathways. Reflective feedback was obtained from a mix of project designers (n=4) and participants (n=3). The group critically analyzed the project planning and implementation in comparison with best practices. The analysis considered the design of the online course, the distribution of learners, the conduct of the in-person workshops, and the overall evaluation of the educational intervention. Positive aspects of the online learning included the unique design of the green-themed PowerPoint slides and the vibrant discussions through a WhatsApp group. Poor internet services in many parts of Nigeria affected synchronous online discussions that were conducted on Google Meet. The in-person workshops at the three locations enjoyed great community support, especially because the course provided free cancer screening. Future courses should emphasize asynchronous models while ensuring that online tools that allow for low bandwidth are used for synchronous meetings. Community involvement must be emphasized during the planning of blended learning courses in which participants would need healthy volunteers to practice skills. The use of multidisciplinary teams for the planning and implementation of courses should be the standard of practic

Taming the Rape Scourge in Nigeria: Issues and Actions

All through the passage of time women have always been perceived as the weaker vessel, and so have been subjugated and oppressed by culture in most African societies. The culture is defined by inequality and the subjugation of the female folk. Gender-based violence, including rape, domestic violence and other sexual abuses, has assumed serious dimensions globally. In Nigeria, incidences of rape are fast assuming a threatening dimension that requires urgent intervention. Rape, like other forms of violence against women, is an infringement on women’s rights, privacy, self-preservation and dignity. Available data in the print and electronic media reveal that rape issue has become a serious social problem of epidemic proportion and no longer an isolated criminal act affecting just a few women in the society. In recent times the incidences of rape have increased at an alarming rate in Africa and also in Nigeria. There is little or no policy or law that helps protect the victims as they are blamed, stigmatized and humiliated by the public if it is brought to the public domain. This paper interrogates the dynamics, socio-psychological, institutional, socioeconomic and cultural factors accentuating cases of rape on both the victims and the perpetrators of this heinous criminal act. The paper concludes with recommendations on ways and means of tackling this social menace

Innovation: ICT Adoption and Crop Production in Nigeria

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in crop production is still relatively new in Nigeria. An observation of the statistics on ICT adoption and crop production with the exploration of the application of the theoretical prescriptions of the Diffusion model (in terms of innovation) to crop production suggests a strong positive association. This study empirically examines the degree of association between crop production and ICT adoption in Nigeria using Pairwise correlation methodology. The results showed that mobile cell subscription and internet usage indicated a high positive degree of association with crop production while fixed telephone lines indicated a weak but positive correlation with crop production. The study postulates that Crop production can be achieved by increasing the utilisation of ICTs in the Crop production value-chain process and the recommendation from the study was to encourage the use of ICTs through government and private sector investment in the agric sector development to reduce the cost of acquisition of ICTs by crop producers and farmers

A CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVES IN NIGERIA

Literature is replete with studies on women empowerment in different parts of the world. However, little is often mentioned about the history of women empowerment struggles Nigeria. This paper sets out to fill that gap by providing a precise literature review on the history of women empowerment initiatives from the global platform to the African context, specifically Nigeria. The lingering debates on how to appropriately measure empowerment are discussed. In addition, the views of some scholars such as Mary Wollstonecraft, John S. Mill, and Boserup are mentioned. Furthermore, the action-oriented contributions of many African women including Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Funmilayo Ransome-kuti, Margaret Ekpo, and Ruth Kharma are highlighted. The implication of empowerment initiatives is focused on women farmers. In conclusion, the paper upholds that women empowerment struggles have recorded great success across many contexts in the world, including Nigeria, although much remains to be done