Promise Okekwe: Rising Star on the Nigerian Literary Horizon

Literature in imitating reality has remained a dominant instrument for investigating the complexities of human life and human condition in general. In the hands of African female writers it acquires added significance to become an almost indispensable tool for focusing on the location, consciousness and reality of the female in her society. It is from such a perspective that this study will examine selected works by Promise Okekwe, a young and upcoming talent on the Nigeria literary horizon. Okekwe was first published in 1992. A resilient and dynamic writer, she has continued to produce texts at a pace akin to Buchi Emecheta’s. Her works reveal a remarkable understanding of the human mind. She thus aims at a reconstruction of the wider society. Indeed her texts validate Okonjo Ogunyemi’s assertion that African female writers are preoccupied with more than just the fate of women; they are currently interested in the effects of diverse forms of oppression and on the fate of men, women and children, communities and nations, in a continent that has been raped and remains disoriented from continued sacking and pillaging by rapacious people and their underlings (Africa Wo/Man Palava, 1996). This study will thus focus on Okekwe’s first collection of short stories, Soul Journey into the Night as well as the novels, Deep Blue Woman and Hall of Memories. It will seek to uncover the writer’s insightful foray into the diverse ailing sectors of her society and further attempt to locate her works within the framework of the female writing tradition in Nigeria and Africa

Grandmultiparity: experience at Awka, Nigeria

Background/Aim: The grandmultiparae have basically been regarded as high risk obstetric patients. This study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence in this area as well as evaluate the problems, associated factors and ways of reducing the burden. Methodology: This was a retrospective study of the problems of grandmultiparity (five or more previous viable babies) at Amaku General Hospital, Awka over a three year period, January 2006 to December 2008. One hundred and thirty five (135) grandmultiparous women (study group) were matched with a similar number of women of lower parity (Para 2 and 3), who attended and delivered in the hospital during the same period. The problems seen in both groups during pregnancy and labour, mode of delivery, birth weight, perinatal and maternal mortalities were compared. The soccio-demographic characteristics were also compared. Results: The incidence of grandmultiparae was 7.53%. Twenty nine (21.5%) of the grandmultiparae were unbooked compared to 6(4.4%) of the control group. Ninety four (69.7%) of the study group belonged to the low social class IV and V compared to 27(20%) of the control. Anaemia in pregnancy was commoner in study than in the control group (49(36.3%) versus 12 (8.9%). There was a high caesarean section rate in the study group compared to the control (31(23.0%) versus 6(4.4%). The maternal mortality rate in the study group was 22.2/1000. There was no maternal death in the control. Conclusion: Improving the socio-economic standard of our women and increased awareness in the importance of family planning will reduce the incidence and complications of grandmultiparity.Key Words: grandmultiparity, anaemia, caesarean section, family planning

Prevalence, Clinical Pattern and Major Causes of Male Infertility in Nnewi, South East Nigeria: A Five YearReview

BACKGROUND: Infertility is a major cause of marital disharmony in Nigeria because of the high premium placed on child bearing. Unfortunately, the blame is on the woman most times. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence, clinical pattern and major causes of infertility based on the clinical and laboratory findings of both partners. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive retrospective study of 268 infertility cases that presented at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi over a five-year period, between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009. RESULTS: Of the 1449 patients that presented at the gynaecology clinic, 268 came because of infertility giving a prevalence of 18.5%. The mean age was 39.1±6.0 years .The majority ( 68% )stopped formal education at the secondary level. Seventy-two percent were employed as unskilled workers. 13% admitted the history of alcohol intake while none took tobacco. The mean duration of infertility was 5 years. The more frequent type of infertility was secondary infertility (59%). The leading cause of male infertility was oligospermia. Male factor infertility alone accounted for 52 (25%)of the cases. CONCLUSION: Contribution of male factor to infertility is high. There is a need for public education on the contribution of male factor to infertility. Keywords: Prevalence, clinical pattern, male infertility, Nigeri

An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human and Environmental Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria

NoBayelsa, in the Niger Delta, in Southern Nigeria, is in the grip of a human and environmental catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. At one time, the area was home to one of the largest mangrove forests on the planet; an area of unrivalled ecological value. Today, it is one of the most polluted places on Earth. Oil extraction and its impact is the overwhelmingly evident cause of this disaster

Building Bridges for Ocean Sustainability: The Evolution and Impact of the Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) Programme

7 pages, 2 figuresSince its endorsement as a global network Programme in June 2021, the Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) Programme has been instrumental in supporting ocean professionals worldwide through funding, training, networking opportunities, and career development initiatives. Rooted in the vision of elevating diverse perspectives, the ECOP Programme fosters knowledge exchange between experienced professionals and ECOPs to promote ocean sustainability. As the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) enters its fourth year of implementation, the ECOP Programme has grown and diversified to a formidable extent, both geographically and thematically. With over 5,200 ECOPs from 151 countries and overseas territories, the global ECOP community is currently dispersed across five regional nodes and more than 40 national hubs. This commentary brings some of the most active ECOP nodes into the limelight, amplifying their collective efforts to better understand, engage, and empower the next generation of ocean professionals across different cultural contexts. This is also an opportunity to showcase the successes, milestones, and challenges that ECOP nodes have encountered over the past 2 years, including on thematic priorities such as communications and outreach, capacity development, and ocean literacy. Moving forward, the ECOP Programme aims to further expand geographically, enhance funding capacities, deepen capacity development efforts, and promote greater awareness of the UN Ocean Decade ecosystem and its vast portfolio of endorsed Actions. As the next generation of ocean professionals will inherit our interconnected ocean beyond 2030, building trust, transferring knowledge, and taking true ownership of the global ocean agenda are paramountWith the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

Togo: Thorny transition and misguided aid at the roots of economic misery

The parliamentary elections of October 2007, the first free Togolese elections since decades, were meant to correct at least partially the rigged presidential elections of 2005. Western donors considered it as a litmus test of despotic African regimes’ propensity to change towards democratization and economic prosperity. They took Togo as model to test their approach of political conditionality of aid, which had been emphasised also as corner stone of the joint EU-Africa strategy. Empirical findings on the linkage between democratization and economic performance are challenged in this paper because of its basic data deficiencies. It is open to question, whether Togo’s expected economic consolidation and growth will be due to democratization of its institutions or to the improved external environment, notably the growing competition between global players for African natural resources

Varieties of neo-colonialism: government accounting reforms in Anglophone and Francophone Africa - Benin and Ghana compared

This study compares government accounting reforms in an Anglophone and a Francophone African country, namely Ghana and Benin, with respect to neo-colonialism. The data draws from interviews with local officials concerned with government accounting, documents and documentaries. The focus lay on the perceived effectiveness of reforms, and their formulation and implementation. In both countries their former colonial powers, Britain and France, still influence accounting through economic means (through monetary systems), international financial institutions, political advisors, Northern accounting associations and neo-patrimonialism. However, their use of these differs. While France structures her control mostly around the monetary system established during colonialism, Britain relies on its post-colonial infrastructure and accounting profession, and concedes much influence to the USA, essentially through international financial institutions. France exerts more direct control through advisors than Britain (with the USA). The French approach is conceptualized as coercive-neo-colonialism and the British as soft-neo-colonialism. Despite international financial institutions’ pervasive presence, they are not monolithic agents with a uniform role and influence in Ghana and Benin, and good governance aims to increase civil service capacity, financial transparency and accountability remain problematic