An Icon Exits the Ivory Tower

Prof. Oladosu Akanbi Ojengbede has taken a glorious exit out of the University of Ibadan having attained the age of 70 years creating a huge vacuum that may be difficult to fil

The Genre of a Meal: The Prototypical Instantiation of the Lord\u27s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 contains the earliest reference to the celebration of the official meal of the early Christians, commonly known today as the Lord\u27s Supper or the Eucharist. In this passage, Paul addresses what he considered to amount to abuses of this Christian practice (1 Cor 11: 17-22). The idea that the Lord\u27s Supper as it was celebrated in the city of Corinth is a variant of the Greco-Roman meal tradition is a well-established position among scholars today. It is also a position I agree with, but only partially. The contribution of this dissertation to scholarship in this field will be to further the understanding of the Lord\u27s Supper in Corinth not merely by discussing those of its features which are associated with the Greco-Roman meal tradition but also referencing those features by which this meal is distinctive. This research will differ from other research in this line of inquiry because it will attempt to situate the Lord\u27s Supper as a distinctive instantiation within the genre of the Greco-Roman meal tradition

Analysing environmental sustainability issues and conflict in Nigeria's Niger Delta Region

This paper analyses the environmental sustainability issues and conflict in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region (NDR). Nigeria belongs to the Organisation of the Petroleum Countries (OPEC), it is the sixth-largest exporter of oil. The country which derives more than 90% foreign exchange from petroleum products also undergoes (host communities) more than 90% socio-economic and environmental degradation. The Niger Delta communities continue to suffer from high incidences of oil spills and gas flaring which have grave negative impacts on the environment. The indigenes have taken to protests, agitations, demonstrations and violence to express their dissatisfaction with the deplorable environmental condition. Despite this, the International Oil Companies (IOCs) continue to operate with greater impunity. Oil spillages regularly occur in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria; as of 2018, there had been up to 9500 incidences of oil spill in a decade. Annually, on average about 115, 000 barrels (equivalent to about $5 million worth) are spilt into the environment. Sustainability has been an overarching theme over the past decades and industries including oil and gas have the responsibility to incorporate sustainable practices in their operations. The 1987 Brundtland emphasises meeting the needs of the present generation without affecting the ability to meet the needs of future generations. It argued that economic development could be achieved whilst protecting the environment. In tackling climate change, the 2015 COP21 Paris agreement called for member countries to implement measures that would keep global temperature below 20C. In 2015, the member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, which includes acting on 17 Sustainable Development Goals

STUDENTS’ READING-RELATED FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION IN LAGELU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Secondary school students are reportedly deficient in English language reading comprehension, and this partly accounts for the poor results recorded in English language at public examinations. Studies indicate that some students really have low interest in reading, just as a number of researchers have queried availability of reading materials for students’ poor achievement in reading comprehension. The argument is that availability and use of appropriate instructional resources will tend to facilitate effective learning in schools. Thus, the study examined students’ interest in reading and availability of reading materials as they relate to and predict students’ achievement in English reading comprehension in Lagelu Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State, Nigeria. Survey research design of the correlational type was adopted for the study, which was guided by four research questions. The study population comprised SSS II students in this LGA. Five secondary schools were randomly selected; and a simple random technique was used to select 40 students from each school, thus, a total of 200 participants in the study. Three properly validated instruments – English Reading Comprehension Achievement Test, Students’ Interest in Reading Scale, and Availability and Utilization of English Reading Materials’ Inventory – were used to gather data, which was analyzed using frequency count, percentage, Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regressions. Results show that the current level of students’ achievement in English reading comprehension is generally low. There is no significant relationship between students’ interest in reading and academic achievement (r=0.04, p>0.05). There is a statistically significant and positive relationship between reading materials and students’ achievement (r=0.14, p<0.05). A linear relationship exists among the variables in the study, R=0.14, R2=0.02 and Adj. R2=0.01. However, availability of reading materials [β=0.14, t(200)=1.93, p<0.05] is a potent and significant predictor of achievement in English reading comprehension. The study concludes that students’ interest in reading and availability of reading materials are significantly related to students’ achievement in English reading comprehension, though only reading materials could substantially predict students’ achievement in reading comprehension. Governments should increase reading materials in schools. There should be adequate and regular supervision of the use of instructional materials in all schools to enhance effective teaching and learning towards boosting students’ achievement. Teachers should always try their best to make use of available instructional materials, or improvise, to make lessons more interesting. Principals should provide teachers with enabling environment for the use of available instructional materials to make learning more meaningful.  Article visualizations

Effects of Organic Weed Control Methods on Weed Density, Phenotypic Traits and Yield Attribute of Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus)

Organic weed control methods has a long time record in conserving soil moisture, improving soil structure and increasing soil organic matter. This testimonial should not be left out to manifest on vegetable crops that serve greater part as supplement for balanced meals. Field experiment was conducted in two years (2016 and 2017) to investigate the effects of different organic weed control methods on weed density, phenotypic traits and yield of Cucumber. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The experimental site was marked into (4) blocks while each block was also marked into (3) plots, giving a total number of (12) plots. Plots were 4m x 4m. Two seeds were planted per hole with inter and intra row spacing of 1m x 1m.The results showed that mulched plots (Sawdust and wood shaving) and hoe weeding had higher and significant growth and harvested number of fruits per plant (yield), compared to the control (Weedy and non-mulched plots), this indicated that mulching and hoe weeding as methods of organic weed control have positive effects on reducing weed emergence, increase growth and yield of cucumber. It was concluded that higher yield is not only synonymous to use of synthetic chemicals (pesticides and herbicides) but as well to cost effective and safe organic management practices in breeding programmes. Keywords: Organic, weed control, weed density, phenotypic traits and yield attributes. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-10-12 Publication date:May 31st 201

An Assessment of the Boko Haram’s Activities in Nigeria from the Islamic Perspectives

The level of violence, insecurity of life and properties has become a threat to the unity, love, peaceful co-existence and nationalism of this great African nation, Nigeria. The country has recorded several religious and political crises since her independence in 1960. Niger Delta crisis had claimed lives of thousands of Nigerians and a lot of properties were gradually melting down in the Eastern part of the country. Boko Haram group replicates it in the North.  This study tried to analyze Boko Haram’s activities and ideologies on western education, jihad and homicide. The position of Nigerian Muslims was also highlighted. Solutions recommended in the paper include enlightenment programmes, professional training programmes for missionaries, good governance and enhancement of moral values through making religious studies compulsory up to senior secondary school level. Keywords: Boko Haram activities, Islamic Perspectives.

Greenwashing and Responsible Investment Practice: Empirical Evidence from Zimbabwe

Purpose This paper aims to explore the nature of responsible investment (RI) practices in Zimbabwe from the point of view of the institutional asset owners by investigating not only how they incorporate the ESG criteria when selecting investee companies but also the elements of greenwashing and impression management. Design/methodology/approach Based on semi-structured interviews conducted with Pension Fund Entities, Mutual Funds and Life Assurance companies, the authors used interpretive methodological approach to derive the symbolic RI techniques used. Findings This study discovered many symbolic acts of “greenwashing” and impression management as opposed to genuine concerns for ESG issues which are at the core of RI practice. RI is used as not only a systematic risk management instrument but also a symbolic marketing tool due to weak regulatory environment. Contrary to the significantly high public communication on RI, the actual links of the asset owners with the environmental impacts in investee companies is insignificant. The authors also found that there are clear distinctions between how foreign and local firms operating in the local economy engage on ESG matters. Practical implications This is likely to have practical implications for stewardship practices in developing jurisdictions where RI practices are puerile. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on RI dialogue by demonstrating the peculiarity of ESG engagement in a developing economy

Legal challenges of imposing a governmental duty of care for adaptive responses to climate change in the Global South: a case study of Nigeria

Our research study focuses on exploring the challenges of adopting Governmental Duty of Care as a legal framework for adaptive responses to Climate Change with special focus on the Global South using Nigeria as a case study. Although a global issue, minimising the impact of Climate Change requires domestic or national adaptive measures which requires a different approach from mitigation, hence a National Project Development and Implementation Framework in conjunction with International Environmental Agreements is desired. In comparison to the Global North, it seems that the Global South is lacking the political will to carry out their international environmental obligations. As citizens are no longer content with government inertia, holding these government accountable through the imposition a duty of care through litigation or as a consequence of ratifying international environmental agreements is a legal framework this research proposes. However, this approach is fraught with legal complexities, some of which this paper will highlight

Implementation of Sustainable Enterprise Risk Management (SERM) paradigm in enhancing transport sector’s performance

This study proposes the implementation of Sustainable Enterprise Risk Management (SERM) as a paradigm for enhancing transport sectors’ performance in the Global South (GS) with a focus on the Nigerian Road Transport Sector. Sustainable transport has a key part to play in fostering sustainable economic growth and expanding access to essential services as a vital driver of economic and social development. However, transport sector faces an evolving landscape of sustainability (ESG) risks that can impact their success and even survival. It has been evidenced that current risk management practices are not adequately addressing sustainability risks. Preliminary findings have shown various organisational/institutional challenges in the Nigerian Transport sector driving the breakdown in sustainable ERM. Literature has established that organizational resilience starts at the top with the use of ERM paradigm to achieve good risk governance and organisational objective in normal, volatile and crisis situations. However, there have been a very limited literature regarding alignment of ERM with transportation sector. This paper explores contingency theory, Systems Thinking/Systems Dynamics (ST/SD, ERM Transport specific frameworks and the two dominant ERM frameworks with a view of adapting their standards and articulating the practices in the Global North (GN) to develop implementation guidance that could enhance the Nigeria road transport sector performance with reduced risk The study employs critical realism philosophy which aligns well with the potential benefits of applying sequential mixed methods research design and case study strategies using abductive approach. Secondary data from public domain will be collected to complement documentary evidence and primary data via semi-structure interview and research survey using convenience/judgement sampling techniques. These data will be analyse using text analysis and SPSS statistical analysis. It aims to provide a better understanding regarding ERM practical implementation guidance to help policy makers with improved decision-making, planning and prioritisation in the transport sector