Dependency of quality education for attaining the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in Africa

No Abstrac

The application of international law in Nigeria and the façade of dualism

Section 12 (1) of the Amended Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (the 1999 Constitution) provides that no treaty shall have force of law in Nigeria unless it has been enacted into a law of the National Assembly. This provision has been interpreted by the Supreme Court and scholars, alike, to mean that treaties are only applicable in Nigeria if they are enacted into law by the National Assembly. This interpretation gives the impression that Nigeria is a dualist State. This article however argues that, dualism is a façade that ignores the reality of: jus cogens norms that are domestically applicable despite or in spite of national law, customary international law that forms part of national law without being specifically incorporated, selfexecuting treaties and restriction imposed by international law on national (such as the incapacity of municipal law to vitiate international obligations). In this sense, the article maintains that the generalised position that undomesticated treaties are not applicable in Nigeria misses the point that treaties sometimes codify customary international law. The position also misses the point that treaty provisions may later become, or form part of, customary international law. In another vein, the article examines provisions of the constitution which, allow the operation of self-executing treaties in Nigeria. So, while dualism may represent reality in many cases, it is a mirage in some other instances. The article suggests policy and legal recommendations for a more coherent application of international law in Nigeria. Key Words: International law, Municipal law, Supreme Court of Nigeria, 1999 Constitution, Treaty, Customary International Law, Dualism, Monism, Jus cogens, Self-executing Treaties, Nigeria

The Registry as the Heart of the University System: Making it Beat Efficiently

2nd Annual Registry LectureI chose the analogy of the heart because of the critical role which the Registry plays in the health of a university. The heart pumps blood to all the cells in the body. Similarly, the Registry services all the units in the university. If the Registry breaks down, the university will literally ground to a halt. If there are blockages in the Registry in terms of efficiency of operation, like blockages to the coronary vessels, the university will have an equivalent of a heart attack. This means that steps must be taken in all universities to keep the Registry working at optimal capacity

Garantía de la calidad y acreditación en la educación superior del África subsahariana

El doble propósito de este artículo es presentar un análisis de la situación de las prácticas relacionadas con la garantía de la calidad en la educación superior del África Subsahariana y, dentro de este contexto, estudiar la repercusión, los retos y la estrategia de futuro de la acreditación en la zona. Se lleva a cabo un análisis general para ofrecer una visión global, aunque también se presentan estudios monográficos específicos sobre países anglófonos y francófonos para una mejor comprensión del tema.Peer Reviewe

Re-Inventing the African University: Paradigms for Innovation and Change

Thousands of years ago, a man named Abraham (former name Abram) made a covenant with God which resulted in Abraham being the source of blessing to generations of Jews and gentiles alike. Noah, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob and numerous heroes of faith of old entered into covenant \\ith God which resulted into spiritual and material blessings. The rule of the game is simple: meet your side of the bargain with God and He will meet His. The God of Abraham of yesterday is the same today and evermore shall be. So He made a covenant with a hero of faith of our time Bishop David Oyedepo. The Deed of Covenant has a number of provisions one of which is the establishment of a university which will produce graduates who will turn Africa around. On His part, .God is individually moulding every student of the university writing His 'M)I'ds in tablets of stone in their hellris Md assembling every 1'Ul in their mental and physical faculties to be giants in their fields and win souls for His Kingdom. At the end of this week, the first set of such creations of God will be graduating. It is to this new generation of future leaders of Nigeria and of Africa that this lecture is dedicated

Executive orders in Nigeria as valid legislative instruments and administrative tools

In carrying out the function of the office, the President in a presidential system such as Nigeria and the United States may issue orders to agents and agencies of the  executive branch. These orders may set out government policies, issue directives or command action relating to functions of the executive arm. Particularly, when  Executive Orders are gazetted and made enforceable with the force of law. An order issued by the President becomes rather controversial when it purports to make law. This paper identifies the nature and definition of executive orders, the questions of use, legality and form of executive orders. The paper also appraises the law on  modifying and challenging executive orders. It then ends with a conclusion that  executive orders may be law-making in disguise and also serves as administrative tools. This dual nature demonstrates that in Nigeria, there is both separation and sharing of powers. Finally, recommendations are made for transparency and  accountability in the use of executive orders. The methodology adopted in arriving at the findings is doctrinal mainly relying on decided cases and existing literature on the subject or related subjects.Key words: Legislature, executive orders, constitution, administrativ

Enriching the Delivery System in the Classroom

It is a delight to be part of the 4th in the series of workshops initiated by the Chancellor and Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola to address the pressing need for improving the delivery of university education in Nigeria. The concept of these workshops is one of several offspring from the fountain of creativity which God has generously endowed Aare Afe Babalola. In a text message to him about the two weeks ago, I shared the thoughts in the public domain that he is one of Africa's leading lover of higher education who has progressed beyond jawjawing about higher education and has installed a model of how a good university should be setup and run. ABUAD provides this model

Análisis de coste-beneficio de la acreditación: estudio del caso de Nigeria

El primer ejercicio de acreditación que abarcaba todo el sistema de Nigeria se llevó a cabo en 1990, después de establecer y publicar los documentos sobre requisitos académicos mínimos (MAS, por sus siglas en inglés) referidos a las trece grandes áreas disciplinarias de las universidades nigerianas. Desde entonces, la Comisión Nacional de Universidades (NUC, por sus siglas en inglés) llevó a cabo acreditaciones en 1995-1996, 1999, y una acreditación completa en el año 2000. En noviembre de 2002 se reevaluaron los programas a los que se denegó la acreditación durante el exhaustivo ejercicio de acreditación del período 1999-2000. En 2004 se emprendió la primera evaluación de la acreditación de programas académicos de universidades privadas. En febrero- arzo de 2005 se evaluó la acreditación de programas recién consolidados (es decir, programas aprobados que han estado en funcionamiento durante un mínimo de tres años académicos) de todo el sistema universitario. El ejercicio de acreditación más reciente de las universidades nigerianas se llevó a cabo en noviembre de 2005. En él se incluyeron principalmente los programas que habían adquirido la acreditación provisional en el exhaustivo ejercicio de acreditación del período 1999- 000 y algunos programas recién consolidados. Más de quinientos profesores, la mayoría de ellos designados por sus vicerrectores, participaron en calidad de evaluadores del programa en el ejercicio de acreditación con revisión paritaria.Peer Reviewe