RESILIENCE OF FOLK MEDICINE AMONG THE IGBOS OF SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

The purpose of this study is threefold. First is to account for the relevance and resilience of folk medicine among the Igbos of Southeast Nigeria. The second is to find out the level of preference of folk medicine in Igbo society, and thirdly to collate some medical folklores of the Igbo society. Among the Igbos of Southeast Nigeria, folk medicine as a cultural heritage remains one of the bedrock of prevailing health systems despite incursions of orthodox medicine and the effects of globalization, western education and acculturation with other social groups. This research paper employed the cross-sectional survey design. Quantitative and qualitative methods were combined for optimal results. A questionnaire containing eight close ended and two open ended items was administered on 21 0 randomly selected study participants (42 from each state).Data from participant observation involving the researcher and focus group discussions (FGD) with purposively selected male and female groups complemented quantitative data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analysis while chi-square test statistics was used to test hypotheses. The findings showed that majority of the respondents accept that folk medicine is relevant (important) in promoting health and safety in the population. It was also found that folk medicine was well preferred by respondents, particularly those with low education. The obvious practical implication of the findings is that folk medicine must not be relegated to the background as is currently the practice in Nigeria. It was recommended that folk medicine be supported by government through adequate funding and research initiatives as well as training of traditional healers. There is also need for co-operation between practitioners of folk medicine and those of orthodox medicine for the greater benefit of society

Effects of Globalization on National Healthcare Delivery System: The Nigerian Experience

This paper has three related objectives First is to chronicle the diverse dimensions to the conceptualization of the subject of globalization The second is to put forward the argument that globalization as a contemporary social phenomenon has the characteristics and indeed constitutes an important social determinant of health On this premise this paper submits that as a social determinant of health globalization has crucial effects on health status of individuals small groups or communities and nation states The third objective is to briefly account for the exact effects of globalization on Nigeria s health system Anchored on modernization theoretical platform this paper canvassed for a level playing field where developing countries are not subservient to their developed counterparts as globalization runs its course Accordingly there should be a fair balance in traffic of persons goods information and services between the West and less developed third world nations like Nigeria This measure if adopted will evenly distribute the positive and negative effects of globalization across rich western nations and their poor third world counterparts With particular reference to Nigeria s health sector the paper identified brain drain easy spread of diseases and influx of health risks in forms of cigarettes junk foods and toxic wastes as some negative effects of globalization on healt

Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Engineering Lecturers in Nigerian Universities: The Case of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State.

This research work studies the information needs and seeking behavior of Engineering lecturers in Nigerian Universities. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. The area of the study was Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Anambra State. A total of 40 engineering lecturers from the Faculty of Engineering Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University formed the population. The researcher used the whole population for the study since the population was small. The instrument for data collection was a self-constructed questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using simple frequency counts and mean. The bench mark of the results of the mean was 2.50. The result indicated that the major information needs of engineering lecturers are education, research and personal development; Conference participation, workshops and correspondence with fellow professionals are the most accepted means of seeking information; challenges encountered by the lecturers while seeking information is inaccessibility of library information resources. The researcher recommended that, the management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Library should strengthen and enrich the library collections with current and relevant resources among others

Information Need And Seeking Behaviour Of Practicing Nurses In Nigeria; The Case Of Our Lady Of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala

Abstract This research adopted a survey design which sought information from respondents on the Information needs and seeking behaviour of practising nurses in Nigeria: the case of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala. The population comprised fifty-two (52) practising nurses in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala. There was no sampling because the whole population was studied since it is small and manageable. The nominal role of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital was used to derive the population of the study. A questionnaire entitled “Information Seeking Behaviour of Nurses Questionnaire (ISBNQ)” was developed by the researcher, validated by experts and used for data collection. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient was used to obtain a reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data were collected and analysed using mean scores. The findings revealed that practising nurses in the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala need information on education and training, information to improve knowledge in clinical areas, care and management of patient, HIV/AIDS, immunization among others, nurses obtain the needed information mainly through their working colleagues, working colleagues such as nurses and doctors were accepted as the most adequate information source, lack of current materials on nursing and lack of information literacy were the most ranking problems of information needs of nurses. Based on the findings, recommendations include among others that the management of the hospital should provide training, workshops and other current information sources to managers, clinical nurse specialists and doctors since nurses seek information from them

The Northern Corridor, Food Insecurity and the Resource Curse for Indigenous Communities in Canada

Food insecurity rates for Canada’s Indigenous people are the worst among developed nations, demanding immediate action to prevent an impending health crisis. Food insecurity in Canada is widespread across most First Nations households (51 per cent).The highest food insecurity rates are experienced by the Inuit in Nunavut (63 per cent), First Nations without access roads (65 per cent), and Alberta First Nations (60 per cent). Indigenous peoples’ food insecurity is associated with a shorter life expectancy andhigher rates of physical and mental illnesses, including four times the diabetes incidence of Canada’s non-Indigenous populations. This paper analyzes the impact on food insecurity of a notional trade northern corridor to reach local and global markets, considering case studies of resource and utility corridors. This research found that, rather than improving food security and providing benefits, trade corridors typically bring a resource curse to Indigenous communities. Also called the ‘paradox of plenty,’ a resource curse occurs when Indigenous communities, particularly First Nation reserves, experience mainly negative economic impacts when their resources are extracted. A resource curse on Indigenous communities is apparent across Canada, including at Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories and Shoal Lake 40 in Ontario, where oil and water pipelines have resulted in negative environmental, health and socio-cultural impacts without providing permanent road access or long-term jobs, and without reducing high food prices. Also, the resource curse is evident for Alberta’s First Nations, which have the highest food insecurity rate of the country’s First Nations, despite being covered in pipelines and extractive industries. To explore the food security impacts of the notional northern corridor, we spatially analyzed its route’s proximity to mineral-rich greenstone belts, roads, and Indigenous communities without all-weather road access. The notional northern corridor route transects many rich mineral deposits to reveal a focus on resource extraction. This notional route appears to prioritize the transport of resources to global markets over Indigenous communities’ needs. The notional route has six ports traversing First Nation territories under the Indian Act but is nearby to only seven of the 122 Indigenous communities lacking road access. This notional route, thus, is linked to Indigenous-specific systemic racist legislation of the Indian Act to bypass Inuit lands in Nunavut, Quebec and Labrador, where communities all lack roads but do not fall under the Indian Act. The Crown’s Indian Act trusteeship over First Nations gives a legal right to usurp reserve or Crown land for any corridor or development. The Indian Act benefits industry, settler and state to access and own Native land and resources, but not First Nations except regarding sustenance activities. The Federal Crown’s trusteeship over First Nations’ land and resources makes First Nations’ people legal “wards of the state,” which has led to inequitable planning control, infrastructure and services. Signs of economic poverty are that most Indigenous communities lack food infrastructure, hospitals, and post-secondary education facilities, with 122 First Nation communities lacking all-season access roads. This inequity indicts Canada for colonialism, racism and failure to uphold the equality clause in its constitution. The notional route to Hudson Bay indicates that First Nations and food security were not fully included in the conception phase of the Northern Corridor. The notional route cuts through the Indigenous-led protected area proposed in the Seal River Watershed to reach Hudson Bay via Churchill rather than Port Nelson. This notional route would undermine the Indigenous-led protected area and the migration of the threatened Caribou population. Oppositely, the NeeStaNan corridor proposed by Fox Lake, York Factory and other First Nations goes to Port Nelson and avoids the Seal River Watershed. Free, prior and informed consent should start at the conception phase to include Indigenous interests. In Northern Canada, where Indigenous people comprise the vast majority, infrastructure development should be Indigenous-led to prioritize Indigenous food security. An Indigenous-led, adequately funded strategy to end food insecurity in Canada’s Indigenous communities within the next decade is needed to turn around a health and human rights crisis. Removing Indigenous-specific systemic racist barriers to Indigenous control over Native land and adequate funding for infrastructure and services will attain Indigenous food security within a decade

Portrayals of Socio-Structural Issues in Homosexuality by the Social Media in Nigeria: A Theoretical Discourse

The anti-homosexual stance of the Nigerian government has provoked intense debate and threats from some parts of the West especially the pro-homosexual parts However this campaign will remain a hoax if left at its current level without a deeper look at the socio-structural issues giving impetus to the growing homosexual community around the world Thus this paper examines the social and structural indicators of homosexuality in certain Nigeria educational institutions and the contra-cultural elements stemming from the social media The single sex educational institutions and the unrestrained pluralization of the social media are implicit enablers of this social phenomenon The social learning theory and the post-modernity theory aptly provide the theoretical framework for understanding the subject-matter It argues that homosexuality is socially learnt and a product of a post-modernizing societ

Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Engineering Lecturers in Nigerian Universities: The Case of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State.

This research work studies the information needs and seeking behavior of Engineering lecturers in Nigerian Universities. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. The area of the study was Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Anambra State. A total of 40 engineering lecturers from the Faculty of Engineering Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University formed the population. The researcher used the whole population for the study since the population was small. The instrument for data collection was a self-constructed questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using simple frequency counts and mean. The bench mark of the results of the mean was 2.50. The result indicated that the major information needs of engineering lecturers are education, research and personal development; Conference participation, workshops and correspondence with fellow professionals are the most accepted means of seeking information; challenges encountered by the lecturers while seeking information is inaccessibility of library information resources. The researcher recommended that, the management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Library should strengthen and enrich the library collections with current and relevant resources among others

The Effect of Information and Market Access on Adopters' Income Level

This paper is aimed at relating income fluctuation with adoptable innovations, adopter category and their access to some variables than those explained in the neoclassical economics principle of labor market demand and supply equilibrium. Using a quantitative and qualitative case study of some farmers in two States, we considered whether respondents are earning enough income and what constraints they face. The von Hipple’s lead user concept and decision model of risk aversion under uncertainty were used to explain causes of variability. Notably, farmers with enough steady income have access to market, various information and are less risk averse