Globalisation, football and emerging urban 'tribes' : fans of the European leagues in a Nigerian city

Football is arguably the world's most popular and globalised sport, and it has been implicated in the continuing efforts in social science disciplines to understand current globalisation processes. Electronic colonialism, the metonym for the dominance of global mediascape by transnational media corporations like Sky and Fox has combined with the ongoing commodification of football to create a complex world-wide web of football authorities, clubs, players and agents, sport equipment makers, sponsors and advertisers, the media, cable and satellite television companies and fans. The central logic in this chain of events is that transnational broadcast of live football matches of European leagues is generating a massive base of 'long distance' fans of elite football clubs and star players across developed and developing countries. The current paper investigates the interplay between transnational football broadcasting and football viewing centres with a view to identiying the spatial, economic and socio-cultural correlates of the rising incidence of the so-called 'electronic' fandom in urban Nigeria. Drawing on a fieldwork conducted between 18th October 2014 and 5th January 2015 in the city of Enugu in Southeast Nigeria, the paper argues that ritualised television spectating within the confines of various viewing centres in the city creates the social contexts that positively reinforce fan behaviours, values, and attitudes. Employing the emergent notion of sports fans as consumers, the paper highlights how this expanding television-mediated fan base has become a veritable target market for many Nigerian companies, and concludes by speculating on the economic and socio-cultural knock-on effects of this emergent phenomenon

The Study of the Relationship between Probabilistic Design and Axiomatic Design Methodology

This program report is the final report covering all the work done on this project. The goal of this project is technology transfer of methodologies to improve design process. The specific objectives are: 1. To learn and understand the Probabilistic design analysis using NESSUS. 2. To assign Design Projects to either undergraduate or graduate students on the application of NESSUS. 3. To integrate the application of NESSUS into some selected senior level courses in Civil and Mechanical Engineering curricula. 4. To develop courseware in Probabilistic Design methodology to be included in a graduate level Design Methodology course. 5. To study the relationship between the Probabilistic design methodology and Axiomatic design methodology

Difusión y adopción del concepto de informalidad en la pedagogía de la planificación: reflexiones desde una escuela de planificación nigeriana

La eficacia de las ortodoxias tradicionales de planificación se ve cuestionada a diario en muchas ciudades de África y el sur global por sus legados de planificación colonial. Por esta y otras fallas, la planificación urbana aspira a reinventarse a sí misma. Una línea de avance clave ha sido corregir errores del pasado y conceptos erróneos en la disciplina a través de una educación de planificación revitalizada. En medio de la rápida informalización de ciudades en África y en todo el mundo, el artículo busca aprender más sobre la difusión o propagación del concepto de informalidad (es decir, conocimiento y habilidades asociadas) en sistemas globales y nacionales, y sus posibles influencias en la pedagogía de la planificación, en un escuela de esa disciplina. Los resultados muestran que diversas percepciones del concepto de informalidad exhiben diferentes ciclos de difusión en contextos globales y nacionales, dispersos ampliamente en alcance y tiempo entre el aspecto más dominante del “sector informal” y la dimensión menos dominante, pero creciente, de “informalidad urbana”. Aunque persiste la no-informalidad en la educación de la planificación nigeriana, es evidente un nuevo resurgimiento de la informalidad

The Study of the Relationship between Probabilistic Design and Axiomatic Design Methodology

The structural design, or the design of machine elements, has been traditionally based on deterministic design methodology. The deterministic method considers all design parameters to be known with certainty. This methodology is, therefore, inadequate to design complex structures that are subjected to a variety of complex, severe loading conditions. A nonlinear behavior that is dependent on stress, stress rate, temperature, number of load cycles, and time is observed on all components subjected to complex conditions. These complex conditions introduce uncertainties; hence, the actual factor of safety margin remains unknown. In the deterministic methodology, the contingency of failure is discounted; hence, there is a use of a high factor of safety. It may be most useful in situations where the design structures are simple. The probabilistic method is concerned with the probability of non-failure performance of structures or machine elements. It is much more useful in situations where the design is characterized by complex geometry, possibility of catastrophic failure, sensitive loads and material properties. Also included: Comparative Study of the use of AGMA Geometry Factors and Probabilistic Design Methodology in the Design of Compact Spur Gear Set

Effects of crude oil on biomass and protein production by aquatic bacteria

Some effects of Bonny light crude oil on the biomass and protein production by three aquatic bacteria namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophyla and Vibrio fisheri were investigated. The species showed different responses to the toxic influences of various crude oil concentrations. The growth response was measured spectrophotometrically using optical density (OD) at 600nm. Pseudomonas aeruginosa responded positively to all crude oil levels. A general assessment indicated that 2% (v/v) crude oil concentration stimulated maximum biomass and protein production of this organism. Lower biomass and protein yields were observed at reduced crude oil levels. Biomass production decreased gradually among Aeromonas hydrophyla and Vibrio fisheri in comparison to the control. Biomass of Aeromonas hydrophyla increased from 0.1 (OD600nm) at 0 h to 0.58 after 20 h at 0.5% crude oil concentration. This level gradually declined to 0.03 after 20 h cultivation at 1.5 % crude oil concentration. Maximum decline in optical density of this organism was observed at crude oil concentration of 2.0%. Protein levels for Aeromonas hydrophyla decreased from 0.12 mg/mL after 20 h at crude oil concentration of 0.5% to 0.06 mg/mL after 20 h at maximum crude oil concentration of 2%. The biomass of Vibrio fisheri increased slightly from 0.1(OD600nm) at 0 h to 0.03 after 20 h at 0.5% crude oil level. Further decreases in OD values of this organism occurred progressively as the crude oil concentration was increased. Lowest protein yield for this organism was observed at a crude oil concentration of 2% at which the least protein production of 0.03 mg/mL was produced after 20 h cultivation.Keywords: Crude oil, aquatic bacteria; protein; biomas

The informal sector in urban Nigeria: Reflections from almost four decades of research

The rapid expansion of the informal sector or economy in both developed and developing countries has not only captured the attention of researchers, development analysts, government officials and international agencies but is also prompting a massive profusion of literature on the topic. In the face of the huge plethora of informal sector literature, some scholars advocate ‘country distinction’ as a scale-bound and context-specific template for gauging both the ‘national’ and ‘global’ accounts of the informality story. The Nigerian informal sector is metaphoric of old wine in a new wineskin since ‘informality’ research in the country predates the introduction of the concept there. It was the ILO city-study mission to Lagos in 1975 that pioneered the concept but the terminology tottered until the mid-1980s before it diffused the mainstream of academic and policy circles. Ever since the structural adjustment programme (SAP) of 1986, the ascribed informal workforce has grown in leaps and bounds both in real numbers and in activity diversification. The article explores the nearly two decades’ trajectory and substance of informal sector research in Nigeria. It is significant for two reasons: no previous elaborate attempt has been made to systematically document or review the motleys of informal sector literature in Nigeria, and this evaluation promises, among other things, to provide the feedbacks necessary to avert a slide of informality research into “ritual academic blind alleys” (Flyvbjerg, 2004a: 422). Based on the foregoing, the article synthesises the knowledge gains (as well as gaps) and concludes with recommendations for future research.&nbsp

The Study of the Relationship between Probabilistic Design and Axiomatic Design Methodology

Structural failure is rarely a "sudden death" type of event, such sudden failures may occur only under abnormal loadings like bomb or gas explosions and very strong earthquakes. In most cases, structures fail due to damage accumulated under normal loadings such as wind loads, dead and live loads. The consequence of cumulative damage will affect the reliability of surviving components and finally causes collapse of the system. The cumulative damage effects on system reliability under time-invariant loadings are of practical interest in structural design and therefore will be investigated in this study. The scope of this study is, however, restricted to the consideration of damage accumulation as the increase in the number of failed components due to the violation of their strength limits

Displacement and the public interest in Nigeria: contesting developmental rationales for displacement

The displacement of urban households and livelihoods by state institutions is typically justified on the basis of the developmental purposes of land clearance, purportedly in the public interest. However, conflicts around such displacement highlight both the contested nature of the “public interest” and the unequal position that different urban actors are into shape consensus about what this should constitute. This article draws on research into the relationship between urban infrastructure development and displacement in Nigeria, to explore how actors negotiate their positions vis-a-vis displacement and contest its developmental rationale

Original dataset on urban infrastructure related displacements in Nigeria: Insights from national and sub-national levels

The data presented here is related to the research article titled "Evicting the poor in the 'overriding public interest': Crisis of rights and interests, and contestations in Nigerian cities" [1]. This data brief presents relevant national and sub-national data on patterns, trends, and impacts of reported urban infrastructure-related displacements in Nigeria between 2010 and 2016. The data of reported cases of displacements in Nigeria are presented in tabular matrix. On the horizontal side are nested rows designated as the six geopolitical zones (South East, South South, South West, North Central, North East, and North West), 36 States of the country, and Abuja Federal Capital Territory. It was also necessary to identify particular local government areas where displacements occurred or were imminent (case locations). On the vertical side, 14 columns itemized diverse variables such as type of infrastructure project, as well as the mode/type, status, and mechanisms of displacement. Other columns include reasons given for displacement, project funder/initiator, number of project affected persons (PAPs), reported social characteristics of PAPs, response of PAPs, actions/outcomes, information sources and link, date(s) of reported displacement in addition to a section for notes. Besides chronicling urban infrastructure-related displacement cases in the period under review, this brief might equally serve as a benchmark for a prospective national displacement register. It will also function as a useful information resource not only for facilitating advocacy and research in built environment disciplines and civil rights campaigns, but also serve to conscientize policy makers and development practitioners on the cumulative cost implications of displacement. Further interpretive insights could be achieved through data mining and cross-tabulation

Urbanisation-induced displacements in peri-urban areas: Clashes between customary tenure and statutory practices in Ugbo-Okonkwo Community in Enugu, Nigeria

Rapid urbanisation is precipitating wide-ranging and often irreversible changes in cities and at the shifting peri-urban areas around the world. As a significant factor of change in the 21st Century, urbanisation is irreversibly transforming everything on its path―air, land, water, and ecology, including institutions, customs, and lifestyles. The subject scope of urbanisation research is therefore quite wide and diverse. Yet, urbanisation-induced attritions and substitutions of customary tenure practices, coupled with the associated politics and resistances, remain utterly overlooked. Using a mixed method approach (involving desktop research, remote sensing data and stakeholder interviews), this paper examines the clashes between customary tenure regime and statutory practices dictated by urban laws, and how different stakeholders are appropriating them both to promote and resist displacement or eviction. Amidst growing encroachment pressures on peri-urban communities in Nigerian cities, a new imperative for enhanced tenure security and integrated planning approach are proposed