Nigerian Context Research Articles

Job satisfaction among community drug distributors in the Mass Drug Administration programme in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

Despite having one of the largest human resources for health in Africa, the delivery of neglected tropical disease (NTD) health interventions in Nigeria has been hampered by health worker shortages. This study assessed factors associated with job satisfaction among community drug distributors (CDDs) supporting the Nigerian NTD programme, with the goal of identifying opportunities to improve job satisfaction in support of NTD control and elimination efforts in Nigeria. A health facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2019 among CDDs in two states with sharply contrasting NTD programme support, Kaduna and Ogun. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the association between respondent characteristics, programme delivery modalities and job satisfaction. Overall, 75.3% and 74.0% of CDDs were categorised as being satisfied with their job in Kaduna and Ogun states, respectively. The component with the highest reported satisfaction was motivation, where 98.9% and 98.6% of CDDs were satisfied, in Kaduna and Ogun, respectively. Participants were least satisfied with remuneration, communication, supplies and materials, as well as workload. Location (rural/urban) and state, years of experience, who delivers training and reimbursement of transport fare during medicine distribution were significantly associated with job satisfaction. Including multiple health staff and NTD programme cadres in CDD training and providing remuneration to cover transport fares spent during MDA delivery may improve CDDs' job satisfaction both in Ogun and Kaduna states. Given these two states are at opposite ends of the programme support spectrum, such adaptative measures might help improve CDD job satisfaction in the wider Nigerian NTD programme context.

‘[A]nd when I came to her I found she was not a virgin’: A contextual re-reading of Deuteronomy 22:13–21 among Nigerian Christians

The traditional African society attached special value to female virginity, associating it with personal purity and honour. But today in Nigeria, virginity has lost its importance to premarital sex. The neglect of this virtue should be a concern to the Church in Nigeria because this is now a rising trend being witnessed among the Christian youth. This article, therefore, attempted a re-reading of Deuteronomy 22:13–21 as a response to the problem of premarital sex among Nigerian Christian youth. It employed the historical-critical exegesis and the descriptive approach. The work revealed that several factors are responsible for the prevalence of premarital sex in Nigeria, including a lack of sex education from parents, and the influence of western culture, among others. It also discovered that premarital sexual behaviour has social implications, particularly for female youth. These include unwanted pregnancy and abortion. The article concluded that the prevalence of premarital sex among Nigerian Christian youth is a challenge to the Church and postulated a sexual theology of the Church in which Deuteronomy 22:13–21 takes a central place. Taking a cue from the text, this theology would assign significant roles to the church community, the youth themselves and parents in a bid to provide sex education for the youth so that they avoid premarital sex.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research involves the disciplines of the Old Testament and Christian ethics. It relates the narrative on virginity proof in Deuteronomy 22:13–21 to the Nigerian context with its high rate of premarital sex. The article postulates that the text can be employed in a sexual theology of the Church that would help in combating prevalent premarital sex.

‘Pregnancy no bi disease’: Contextual beliefs in antenatal classes in selected Nigerian hospitals

This paper examines how language is used to show shared beliefs between caregivers and pregnant women in antenatal classes in the Nigerian context, which hitherto suffers neglect. The data consist of tape recordings and observational notes taken during antenatal classes in selected hospitals in Lokoja, Nigeria. The study adopted a top-down analytic approach using Odebunmi’s model of contextual beliefs, supported by van Dijk’s epistemic context model, and Fetzer and Fischer’s lexical markers model. The analysis shows three categories of shared knowledge: a. state of pregnancy and postnatal care b. sexual relationships and spice lexemes c. traditional child care and superstitions. Shared knowledge of the state of pregnancy and postnatal care manifests in pregnancy misconceptions, nutrition during pregnancy and postnatal care orientations highlighted by lexical markers such as recoverable knowledge connector and joint attention builder. Shared knowledge of sexual relations and spice lexemes reflect sexual communication and native spices using metaphorization and proximal deictic lexical markers. Grandmothers’ involvement and insistence on using traditional methods and superstitions frame shared knowledge of traditional child care and superstitions through belief affirmative and self-reformulation markers. Analysis of the shared beliefs shows how caregivers represent pregnant women’s mental knowledge in interactions as well as how pregnant women interject beliefs for clarification and validity. This way, both participants demonstrate how contextual beliefs facilitate communicative processes and meaningful understanding in their interactions.

‘[Y]ou have had five husbands’: Interpreting the Samaritan woman’s marital experience (Jn 4:16–18) in the Nigerian context

The Samaritan woman in John 4 has been generally viewed as morally loose because of her marital experience. Nigerian women with similar experience are also perceived by many as morally deficient. This article examined the woman’s experience in light of divorce and remarriage in Nigeria. Employing the reader-oriented and descriptive methods, the essay found that in his encounter with the Samaritan woman Jesus did not accuse her of any sin. Moreover, the Pentateuchal laws, which were binding also on Samaritans, had provisions by which it was permissible for a woman to be married several times. Therefore, the woman’s marital experience did not necessarily make her morally deficient. The article also found that in Nigeria certain patriarchal factors do force women out of marriage, which also has nothing to do with their moral status. Due to the Christian doctrine that prohibits a woman to marry another man while her husband is still alive, some churches treat women divorcees with contempt and segregation. But this doctrine is based on biblical passages, which if adapted to the Nigerian readers’ context make divorce and remarriage acceptable. This view is in line with Jesus’ open attitude to the Samaritan woman. Therefore, in the Nigerian context the pastoral significance of the Samaritan woman’s story resides not in her morality but in the church recognising that divorce and remarriage do not constitute disobedience to scripture, and that they are not necessarily an indication of moral misconduct on the part of the affected women.Contribution: Contributing to the scholarly discussion on the Samaritan woman narrative, the article compared her marital experience with those of Nigerian women affected by divorce and remarriage, and postulated that their experiences are not necessarily an indication of moral depravity on their part.

Illegitimation of same-sex sexualities in news reports of selected Nigerian newspapers

Nigeria has stringent legislation against same-sex identified people and their supporters. Scholarly attention on same-sex relationships in the Nigerian context has mainly been on the legalistic and sociological perspectives, with little attention paid to how language serves as a means of illegitimising same-sex sexualities in the Nigerian media. This study, therefore, examines illegitimation strategies in the representation of same-sex sexualities in news reports of selected Nigerian newspapers. van Leeuwen’s theory of legitimation and Critical Discourse Analysis were adopted as the framework, for their contextual approaches to language. A total of 80 news reports on same-sex sexualities from four purposively selected Nigerian newspapers ( Vanguard, The Punch, Nigerian Tribune and The Sun) were randomly sampled. The newspapers were selected based on their preponderant coverage of reports on LGBT people between 2013 and 2015. Journalists used experts’ authority, role-model/personal authority, authority of tradition, conformity, moral evaluation and analogy to legitimise discrimination against non-heterosexuals in news reports. This paper argues that the media are instrumental in the continuous violence against non-heterosexuals in Nigeria.

Interaction patterns in architecture studios and lecture rooms in the Nigerian university context: implications for gender mainstreaming in architectural education

Interaction patterns in architecture studios and lecture rooms in the Nigerian university context: implications for gender mainstreaming in architectural education

Beyond Religion: Promoting Arabic Language Education in Nigeria's Diverse Society

The promotion of Arabic language education in Nigeria's societies has been a topic of scholarly interest and debate. This paper delves into the multifaceted dynamics of Arabic language training in Nigeria, specifically its cultural, non- secular and academic implications. The paper appreciably examines the demanding situations, possibilities and capability impacts of promoting Arabic language schooling in a diverse society like Nigeria, in which a couple of languages, cultures and religions coexist. This paper outlines the significance of Arabic language education within the Nigerian context, delves into the cultural and religious dimensions, and explores the capacity implications for the academic landscape. It also highlights the important views and analytical frameworks employed in the scholarly landscapes to elucidate the complexities and nuances surrounding the advertising of Arabic language education but a reflected picture of commitment to embracing its cultural tapestry and harnessing its functionality for boom and improvement.

Quantitative assessment of aflatoxin exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk associated with consumption of select Nigerian staple foods

Aflatoxin contamination of staple grains and legumes has been linked to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other adverse health outcomes, constituting a substantial public health concern globally. Low-resource food environments in sub-Saharan Africa are often under-regulated and are particularly vulnerable to adverse health and nutrition outcomes associated with aflatoxin exposure. This study identifies levels of HCC risk in the northern Nigerian adult population, leveraging a systematic review of available evidence on aflatoxin contamination in Nigerian maize, groundnut, rice, cowpea, and soybean. Estimated dietary intake (EDI) was computed using publicly available dietary consumption data and a probabilistic quantitative risk assessment was conducted to determine the relative risk of HCC associated with consumption of selected aflatoxin-contaminated commodities. In total, 41 eligible studies reporting aflatoxin contamination were used to model the distribution of aflatoxin concentrations in Nigerian commodities. EDIs for maize, groundnut, rice, and cowpea exceeded the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) level of 1 kgbw-1 day-1, with maize yielding the highest mean EDI (36.7 kgbw-1 day-1). The quantitative risk assessment estimated that 1.77, 0.44, 0.43, 0.15, and 0.01 HCC cases per year/100,000 population were attributable to aflatoxin exposure through maize, groundnut, rice, cowpea, and soybean, respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that aflatoxin concentration, dietary consumption levels, consumption frequency, and other variables have differing relative contributions to HCC risk across commodities. These findings constitute a novel multi-study risk assessment approach in the Nigerian context and substantiate existing evidence suggesting that there is reason for public health concern regarding aflatoxin exposure in the Nigerian population.

Government Debt Sustainability and Investments in Nigeria: Trends and Risk Thresholds amidst Macroeconomic Swings

The core idea behind government debt is to fund fiscal deficit, which is anticipated to drive economic investments. To a larger extent, this is not the case, as evidenced in the Nigerian context, where debt has risen so high with investment levels declining, thus questioning the government's ability to manage and sustain its debt to pursue vital investment needs. This study aimed to investigate the threshold effect of debt sustainability on investments amidst macroeconomic swings from 1981 to 2020. In this regard, the threshold autoregressive regression (TAR) was used because it gave information on the optimal threshold of debt sustainability that would attract investments. Also, the Granger causality test was carried out to show the direction of causality among the variables. This paper concentrated on debt service to revenue and total debt stock to GDP as debt sustainability measures while investment was decomposed into public, private, and foreign investments. The paper yields that, based on the multivariate TAR analyses, the main threshold variables, that is, debt service to revenue and total debt stock to GDP, had a non-linear relationship with public, private, and foreign direct investments amidst changes in macroeconomic variables such as exchange rate, inflation, and monetary policy rate. The threshold coefficient of debt service to revenue indicated that public and foreign direct investments declined during low thresholds while private investment increased. However, the opposite prevailed when debt service to revenue exceeded the threshold values. However, the Granger causality test showed that debt service to revenue Granger caused total debt stock to GDP and exchange rate Granger caused debt service to revenue ratio, implying that exchange rate swings could affect the government's ability to service debt which in turn explains the non-linear relationship between debt sustainability and investments. Hence, it was concluded that Nigeria's lack of debt sustainability was associated with revenue generation, which explains why the models did not follow a linear path.

Extractive sector governance: does a nexus of accountability render local extractive industries transparency initiatives ineffective?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative’s (NEITI) ineffectiveness in delivering public accountability to Nigerian citizens. Although this failure is recognised in prior literature, the authors contend that NEITI’s role is obscured by one-sided links to external factors.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual framework presented in this study is built around Dillard and Vinnari’s (2019) distinction between different accountability systems and Brown and Dillard’s (2020) complimentary insights on the technologies of hubris and humility. The analytical framework draws from Grant and Keohane’s (2005) modes of accountability, which the authors use to articulate conflicting accountability demands (to-whom and for-what) of NEITI’s operating relationships. Combined, the authors analyse official documents, media, reports and interview responses from members of NEITI’s National Stakeholders Working Group.FindingsThis study surfaces a variety of intersecting interests across NEITI’s operational relationships. Some of these interests are mutually beneficial like that of Donors and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Others run counter to each other, such as NEITI’s relationship to the Presidency which illustrates a key source of NEITI’s ineffectiveness. In discussing these interests, the authors articulate their connection to NEITI’s design as an accountability system and its embedded limitations.Originality/valueThe authors provide incremental understanding of prior insight regarding NEITI’s ineffectiveness by drawing attention to its fundamental design as an accountability system and its failure to deliver public accountability. To illuminate these failures, the authors also map NEITI’s competing accountability demands – the nexus of accountability – to demonstrate the complex socio-political reality within which NEITI is expected to operate. The authors posit that NEITI’s ineffectiveness has as much to do with NEITI itself, as it does with external factors like the quality of information disclosed and the unique Nigerian context.

Examining Nigeria's Political Structure (NPS) as a Vehicle for Criminality, Corruption and Anti-National Development

This study intends to develop a standard political structure in the Nigerian context that is national, economic, and social-political development oriented. Again, this study contributes to the deficiencies in the past literature on political science regarding political structure and good governance. There is a global paradigm shift in the citizens' acceptability of political decisions and promises, especially in Nigeria. The concept of emilokanism is an anti-democratic political structure. The downscale of citizens' trust in the government keeps decreasing. The U.S. citizens' trust in government dropped from 77% in the 1960s to 54% in 2001 and then went down to 17% in 2019. However, European and Asian countries are not left out. Nigeria is not exceptional in this drop in government trust among citizens due to the so-called political structure. Nigerian Leaders are the viruses eating deep into the mechanism and framework of the country. The cost of running a corrupt government is much higher than running a corrupt-free nation. In this article, the authors employed a scoping review of studies on political studies, political structure, good governance, political corruption, and politics to demystify the repulsive nature of political structure in Nigeria and provide recommendations for a more refined architecture. The findings revealed that one of the significant reasons for corruption among Nigerian political leaders is the political structure. Nigeria's political system gives room for corruption and thereby economically enslaves her citizenry.

“They Covet Fields and Houses … and Seize Them”: Interpreting Micah 2:2 in Light of Economic Deprivation for Holding on to Power in Nigeria

Micah 2:2 condemns the injustice of land grabbing in eighth-century Israel. Contrary to the traditional perception that each clan’s land belonged to it as a permanent inheritance, by the eighth century BCE land had become a commodity that could be bought and sold, or even seized. The article examines Micah 2:2 in the context of public elections in Nigeria where, having been pauperised by the ruling class, the electorate yield themselves to politicians who exploit them to keep themselves in power. Employing the historical-critical and descriptive methods, the article concludes that the Micah passage speaks to the Nigerian context in the sense that just as the economic exploitation of the peasant farmers violated the theocratic order, in Nigeria this attitude is inimical to democratic rule and the good of the people.

Shades of Diasporic Experiences in London: A Reading of Samuel Selvon’s the Lonely Londoners and Buchi Emecheta’s Second-Class Citizen

In recent times, given the rising spate of economic crunch bedeviling many African states, there has been a surge in migration to developed countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, etc. Often, the migrants travel out with lofty expectations about these foreign lands but get disappointed and end up doing debasing jobs just to survive. Many scholars have engaged diasporic experiences as an evolving concept in postcolonial literature but there is yet more room for exploration especially in the Nigerian context where the ‘japa’ syndrome seems to be gaining frightening momentum. Thus, this paper, adopts a postcolonial theoretical framework in examining the dimensions of diasporic experiences portrayed in Samuel Selvon’s the Lonely Londoners and Buchi Emecheta’s Second-Class Citizen. Selvon and Emecheta, in their novel, portray the dreams, aspirations, and expectations of immigrants as well as the dynamic experiences that completely alter their lives. The study, therefore, in the examination of the primary texts, highlights the myriads of problems encountered by immigrants in the novels; some of them include climate change, racism, accommodation, employment, taxation, the high cost of living, and discrimination. The essay concludes that foreign climes like London are not beds of roses and shows that immigrants are sometimes, subjected to conditions that may be worse than their experiences in their home countries. The paper recommends that the British government and indeed nations that have attained the status of developed countries, intensify efforts to reduce the plethora of problems encountered by immigrants living in the United Kingdom.

Discursive constructions of Gay(s), Homosexual(s) and Homosexuality in selected Nigerian and South African Newspapers: A Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis

Same-sex relationship is a critical topic globally, especially as non-heterosexuals often get marginalized both overtly and covertly. Previous studies on same-sex sexualities in the African context have examined the discursive construction of non-heterosexuals, with little attention paid to the comparative reading of how gay people are discursively constructed in two contextually different African countries. Therefore, this study examines the usage patterns of three labels, gay, homosexual, homosexuality, that are commonly used to denote same-sex sexualities in selected Nigerian and South African newspapers. To do so, corpus-based critical discourse analysis is conducted to detect convergence and divergence of such usages since the countries have opposing laws on same-sex relationships. Similar semantic prosodies were found. However, differing prosodic features show that heteronomativity is mainly emphasized in the Nigerian corpus, while this is sometimes challenged in the South African corpus. The overall conclusion is that there could still be some homophobic tendencies in both the Nigerian and South African contexts as shown by the media representations.

A Survey of Environmental Performance Enhancement Strategies and Building Data Capturing Techniques in the Nigerian Context

The need to improve the performance of Nigeria’s office buildings is due to, energy challenges, increasing population, changing user needs, and climate change. With the expansion of several Nigerian cities, existing buildings constitute a significant portion of the building stock, and improving their environmental performance could be more cost-effective than reconstruction. The use of simulation packages to assess alternative retrofitting enhancement scenarios is a straightforward approach. However, in Nigeria it is often challenging to get appropriate information to facilitate this type of evaluation; many buildings were not built to their original specifications, and when available, the records are often in a poor state due to deterioration. Studies that aimed at enhancing a building’s performance hardly stated the acquisition of the required building information. This paper investigates current practices and future possibilities of improvement measures and data capturing of existing buildings using a questionnaire survey of 133 building professionals in Benin City. The inter-relationship between energy efficiency, the environment, and building design with a high potential for meaningful retrofit to mitigate energy inefficiencies is known but not fully utilized. The collected thought on current practices signifies the need for developing a more economical and reliable methodology for data capturing and evaluation.

The Challenges of the Girl Child in Stan-Collins Ubaka`S A Cry of Innocence

One of the most topical engagements in the contemporary African literature is the girl child issue against the backdrop of gender discourse. Numerous campaigns have been going on securing the rights of the girl child. Obviously, many writers have contributed copiously to the campaign, especially in the Nigerian context. Stan Collins Ubaka in his novel, A Cry of Innocence has made a remarkable reference to the circumstances bedeviling the girl child in a typical African setting. Against this background, this paper examines the challenges of the girl child in the Nigerian context with reference to Stan Collins Ubaka’s A cry of Innocence. The author may have many other themes but this paper approaches the novel from the perspective of gender discourse; while interrogating the challenges confronting the girl child in Nigeria despite the provisions of the child rights act which was enacted in 2003. This study adopts descriptive design and qualitative method in its analysis. The findings reveal the experiences of a girl in a typical African cultural background characterized by myths, suspicion, mistrust and injustice; it is such situations that compel the girl to tell lies, be discriminated against, and feel lonely; commit `suicide, experience various abuses, assaults, and psychological trauma. This paper concludes that the parents of the girl child, especially the mother has the primary responsibility of protecting, safeguarding and preserving the dignity and future of the girl child; although the roles of religious institutions and the society are also undermined. According to this paper, if the rights and dignity of the girl child is preserved and protected, she would be able to contribute to the economic, social and political development of her nation in particular and the globe in general.

Challenges of implementing management accounting innovations: Evidence from the field

This study investigates the challenges of implementing innovative management accounting techniques, referred to as strategic management accounting (SMA), the interrelationship among the challenges and the impact of the challenges on SMA usage intensity. From the analysis of survey data obtained from listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria, the result supports the conclusion that SMA implementation challenges are interrelated. However, lack of top management support and low awareness/lack of knowledge are contributory to most of the implementation challenges. The challenges discouraging the intensive use of SMA are the perception that SMA implementation is unnecessary as strategy issues are already integrated in other functions within the organization, high implementation cost and problems relating to information flow between departments within the organization. The current study contributes to knowledge in the sense that it is the first (to the researchers’ knowledge) to examine specifically the interrelationship among SMA implementation challenges in the Nigerian context, thereby drawing attention to the need to consider the challenges to embracing management accounting innovations holistically. Knowledge of SMA implementation challenges could help explain the low adoption rate of SMA in developing countries. Such knowledge might be helpful in providing a robust response to the challenges of implementing management accounting innovations.

Christian response to the challenge and effects of religious Pluralism on Christian Missions in Nigeria

Pluralism is a contemporary challenge that describes the inescapable realities of the 21st Century. Gradually but increasingly, Christian belief that Christ is the way, the truth, the life, and the only authentic way to God, is challenged by many religious scholars, philosophers, and individuals. Consequently, Christianity is seen by some as one of many legitimate paths to God. The trend has caused some negative effects on Contemporary Christian missions and this must be tackled. The study was motivated by the researchers' observation as a Missiologist that most Christians in the local Churches and theological institutions seem to have lost interest in viewing Christ as the absolute reality. The paper argues that despite the commitments of Nigerian Christians towards Missions, the effects of religious Pluralism, if left unaddressed, can destroy the goal of Christian Missions. Four research questions are pertinent to this paper. First, what is religious Pluralism? Second, what are the forms or manifestations of Religious Pluralism in Nigeria? Third, how does religious Pluralism affect Christian Missions in Nigeria, and lastly, in which ways can the Church confront the challenges and effects of religious Pluralism on Christian Missions in the Nigerian context? For the paper's objective to be achieved, descriptive and historical research methods were used while findings were reported qualitatively. The historical process gathered data from books, Journal articles, and internet sources that give information on the subject under review while three respondents were interviewed using purposive random sampling. Findings revealed that religious Pluralism is not a hypothetical phenomenon but an empirical reality threatening the Christian faith and its missional activities in Nigerian. Intentional discipleship and use of strategic mission strategies are recommended as tools to combat the trend.

Unemployment and Economic Growth: Testing the Validity of Okun’s Law in Nigeria

This study explores the dynamic relationship between unemployment and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the context of the Nigerian economy from 1991 to 2021. Guided by Okun’s Law, which posits a negative correlation between these two variables, rigorous econometric analysis was employed to investigate their empirical validity in the Nigerian context. The results of the analysis demonstrate a statistically significant and negative relationship between the unemployment rate and GDP growth. Specifically, a one-percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate is associated with a substantial decrease in GDP growth of approximately 2.5 percentage points. These findings affirm the relevance of Okun’s Law in Nigeria, highlighting the significant effect of unemployment on economic performance. The study also provides valuable insights for policymakers, offering evidence-based recommendations to guide the formulation of effective macroeconomic policies, including targeted measures to reduce unemployment and enhance economic forecasting.

Assessment of the Feud between the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Architects

This paper explores the history, causes, and effects of the unending feud between the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) on architects and architectural practice in the country (Nigeria). It tries to provide and carefully looks into the analysis of the establishment, the roles, and the functions of these organizations and examines their impact on the professional development and regulation of architects in the country, it also provides an overview of the architectural profession in Nigeria, examines the origins and development of ARCON and NIA, analyzes the factors contributing to their feud, and explores the consequences of this discord on architects and the architectural industry as a whole. These are archived through the exploration of relevant literature, official documents, and a review of interviews with key stakeholders where possible as it aims to shed light on the evolution of these organizations and their influence on architectural practice in Nigeria, it also seeks to present a detailed account of the significance and influence of ARCON and NIA on the architectural profession within the Nigerian context. By understanding the intricacies of this feud, policymakers, architects, and stakeholders can work towards finding a resolution that fosters a harmonious professional environment conducive to the growth and development of architecture in Nigeria.