Advances in Law, Pedagogy, and Multidisciplinary Humanities
Advances in Law, Pedagogy, and Multidisciplinary Humanities (ALPAMET) is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to exploring the intersections between law, education, and the humanities. The journal provides a platform for scholars, practitioners, and educators to share innovative research, critical analysis, and theoretical perspectives that contribute to the understanding and advancement of these fields. ALPAMET covers a broad range of topics including legal theory and practice, educational philosophy and pedagogy, and interdisciplinary studies in the humanities such as history, literature, philosophy, and cultural studies. By fostering dialogue across these disciplines, the journal aims to deepen the analysis of societal issues, promote academic discourse, and propose solutions to contemporary challenges in law, education, and the humanities. The journal welcomes submissions that blend theoretical insights with practical implications, and encourages cross-disciplinary approaches that address the complex and evolving dynamics of the modern world. ALPAMET seeks to advance knowledge and contribute to both academic scholarship and practical applications in law, education, and the broader humanities.
Fakultas Sastra Universitas Muslim Indonesia
The God of the White Man and the Gods of Our Fathers”: Missionary Education, Cultural Alienation, and the Making of Efik Christian Identity, 1846–1960
The arrival of Presbyterian missionaries in Calabar in 1846 initiated a century-long process of educational transformation that fundamentally reshaped Efik society. Mission schools taught literacy in English and Efik, introduced Western curricula, and trained a new elite that would go on to play significant roles in the colonial administration, the nationalist movement, and the postcolonial state. But mission education also had profound cultural and psychological effects that have received less scholarly attention. This paper examines mission education as a process of cultural alienation, arguing that the curriculum, pedagogy, and disciplinary practices of Presbyterian schools systematically delegitimised Efik religious traditions, social institutions, and ways of knowing while valorising Western Christianity and culture as universal and normative. Drawing on mission archives, school records, and oral histories with descendants of early mission school students, the paper traces the experiences of the first generations of Efik Christians who navigated between the world of the mission school and the world of their ancestors. It analyses the psychological and cultural costs of this navigation, including the internalisation of negative evaluations of indigenous culture, the estrangement from extended family and community, and the production of a Christian identity defined in opposition to traditional religion. The paper argues that the effects of mission education continue to shape Efik Christian identity in the present, contributing to the Pentecostal assault on indigenous religion while also generating counter-movements that seek to recover and revalue ancestral traditions. The study contributes to the literature on mission education, cultural imperialism, and the psychology of colonisation.
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Social Welfare Services and Stakeholder Interventions for Survivors of Child Abuse in Lagos State, Nigeria: An Assessment of Service Availability, Roles, and Effectiveness
This article draws on a broader qualitative thesis to examine two of its core objectives: (i) identifying the social welfare services available to survivors of child abuse and their expected roles, and (ii) assessing the roles played by stakeholders and the effectiveness of the interventions they provide. Using an exploratory qualitative design, data were generated through one Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with eight parents and guardians of child survivors and eight Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with policymakers, social welfare officers, law enforcement, health, non-governmental organisation (NGO), and community leadership representatives in Lagos State. Data were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke's six-step procedure. Findings show that available services cluster around five functions: psychosocial counselling and protection, inter-agency referral, medical and forensic examination, judicial representation and advocacy, and monitoring/follow-up. Stakeholders performing these functions operate through a multi-sectoral, referral-based system anchored by community leaders as first-contact coordinators, welfare officers as case managers, health institutions as medical-evidentiary partners, and the judiciary as the accountability mechanism. Institutional responsiveness to referred cases was rated positively by most respondents, yet post-intervention monitoring and follow-up were consistently described as weak, inconsistent, and under-resourced, revealing a system that is reactive rather than preventive. Interpreted through Ecological Systems Theory and Social Support and Protection Theory, the findings show that effectiveness is not a fixed institutional attribute but a conditional outcome shaped by inter-agency coordination, funding, and workforce capacity. The article recommends the formalisation of standardised follow-up protocols, investment in case-tracking infrastructure, and strengthened inter-agency coordination mechanisms to convert an already functional referral architecture into a sustainably protective system.
Policy on Paper, Crisis in Practice: An Examination of the Implementation Gap in Early Childhood Care and Development Education in Cross River State, Nigeria
Early Childhood Care and Development Education (ECCDE) is globally recognized as foundational for lifelong learning and human capital development. In Nigeria, the National Policy on Education formally integrates ECCDE into the Universal Basic Education framework, establishing clear guidelines and minimum standards. Yet a persistent implementation gap separates policy promises from classroom realities. This paper examines this gap through a case study of Cross River State, drawing on national data, empirical studies conducted within the state, and comparative evidence. The analysis reveals five interconnected dimensions of the crisis: chronic underfunding leading to severe infrastructure decay, with 67 percent of ECCDE centers exhibiting cracked walls, leaking roofs, and unsafe electrical wiring; inadequate teacher supply, poor professional qualifications, and demoralizing working conditions that drive high turnover; weak monitoring and enforcement of the National Minimum Standards; low community awareness and parental engagement; and fragmented governance across federal, state, and local levels. Evidence from Akpabuyo Local Government Area shows that even where teachers are formally qualified, the play-way approach and mother-tongue instruction are inconsistently applied. Infrastructure decay is directly associated with increased teacher turnover intention and reduced child learning outcomes. While initiatives such as the Citizens’ Academy and Education Marshals demonstrate political will, they have not been systematically scaled. The paper concludes that closing the implementation gap requires a coordinated strategy including a statewide infrastructure audit, establishment of a dedicated State ECCDE Agency, mandatory professional certification for caregivers, technology-enabled monitoring, and community-based awareness campaigns.
Early Childhood Care and Development Education (ECCDE)
English Language Proficiency and Digital Entrepreneurship in Nigeria: A Systematic Synthesis of Linguistic Barriers and Pathways to Inclusive Growth
The digital economy in Nigeria is expanding rapidly, yet its benefits are unevenly distributed across a linguistically diverse population of over 500 languages. This study synthesises existing empirical evidence to examine the role of English language proficiency as a catalyst for digital entrepreneurship and inclusive economic growth in the post-pandemic era. Drawing on a systematic synthesis of four empirical studies conducted across three geopolitical zones in Nigeria, the analysis reveals a strong positive correlation between English proficiency and entrepreneurship skills (r = 0.86, r² = 0.74), indicating that English language ability accounts for 74 percent of the variance in entrepreneurship skills. However, qualitative contextual data reveal significant exclusionary obstacles: 60 percent of entrepreneurs report ongoing difficulties with English communication, 66.7 percent struggle with digital language during online commerce, and over 60 percent of digital learners regularly avoid complex English content. The study finds that English proficiency is essential for accessing global digital markets, but a monolingual approach to English is not conducive to inclusive growth. The findings are interpreted through Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory and the Zone of Proximal Development, which illuminate how digital entrepreneurs operate beyond their linguistic scaffolding and require structured support to bridge the gap. The study recommends bilingual digital interfaces, simplified English for digital education, infrastructural investment, and targeted English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programmes. The paper contributes to the growing literature on language, digital transformation, and economic inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa.
A Stylistic Analysis of Language Use in Mtn And Glo Facebook Advertisements: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach
— This study examines the stylistic features and linguistic choices employed in selected MTN and Glo advertisements on Facebook, with particular attention to how language and visual resources are deployed to communicate and persuade target audiences. The study adopts a qualitative descriptive research design and is anchored on M. A. K. Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), specifically the ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions. Data comprise two purposively selected Facebook advertisements, one from MTN promoting a Ssocial media data bundle and one from Glo promoting bulk data for retailers. The advertisements were subjected to close textual and visual analysis, focusing on lexical choices, grammatical structures, imperatives, slogans, direct address, imagery, typography, colour, and layout. Findings reveal that both advertisements make deliberate use of linguistic and visual resources to attract attention, communicate product benefits, establish relationships with audiences, and encourage consumer action. The MTN advertisement adopts an informal, youthful, and socially oriented style, while the Glo advertisement employs a professional, business-oriented, and transactional style. The study demonstrates that Halliday’s three metafunctions provide a productive framework for explaining how advertising language represents experience, constructs advertiser-audience relationships, and organises messages for clarity and persuasion. The study concludes that the effectiveness of GSM advertising lies not only in the information conveyed but also in the strategic integration of linguistic and visual choices, and recommends that advertisers prioritise audience-oriented language, multimodal coherence, and the application of SFL in advertising research and pedagogy.
Lexicogrammatical Analysis of Niyi Osundare’s “The Leader and the Led”
This study presents a comprehensive lexicogrammatical analysis of Niyi Osundare’s poem “The Leader and the Led,” utilizing Michael Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as its theoretical framework. The analysis examines the poem’s ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions to uncover how Osundare’s linguistic choices construct a powerful critique of authoritarian leadership while proposing an alternative model based on service and collective responsibility. Adopting a qualitative descriptive design, the study systematically analyzes the poem’s transitivity patterns, mood and modality structures, thematic progression, cohesive devices, and clause complex relations. The findings reveal that the poem’s initial stanzas rely heavily on material processes to portray animal-leaders as agents of domination, while the closing stanzas shift to relational processes that redefine leadership as an identity of service. Interpersonally, the poem employs declarative mood and imperatives to establish a prophetic voice that engages the reader in moral deliberation. Textually, thematic consistency, lexical repetition, and parallelism create cohesion and reinforce the poem’s central binary between false and true leadership. Logico-semantic relations of projection create ironic distance from the leaders’ claims, while adversative enhancement marks the poem’s ideological pivot. The study concludes that Osundare’s lexicogrammatical artistry is not merely decorative but functions as the engine of his social critique, demonstrating how grammar itself can challenge power structures. The paper recommends the integration of SFL-based approaches into literary pedagogy and encourages further comparative analyses of African poetry.
Linguistic Features of Selected AI-Generated Short Stories
The increasing deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in creative writing has generated substantial interest in the linguistic qualities of machine-produced literary texts. This study examines the linguistic features of selected AI-generated short stories, with particular attention to syntactic structures, lexico-semantic choices, figurative expressions, and graphological organisation. Adopting a qualitative descriptive design grounded in corpus stylistics, the study analyses twenty short stories generated using three open-access large language models (ChatGPT-4, Claude 2, and Google Gemini) between January and March 2025. The analysis draws on the theoretical frameworks of stylistics and Systemic Functional Grammar. Findings reveal that AI-generated stories demonstrate considerable linguistic consistency across multiple levels of textual organisation. Syntactically, the texts rely predominantly on declarative structures, paratactic sentence patterns, parallelism, and anaphoric repetition, producing a measured but formulaic narrative rhythm. At the lexico-semantic level, vocabulary is organised around recurring semantic fields including isolation, time, memory, technology, and loss, with limited lexical innovation beyond conventional literary associations. Figurative expressions, particularly metaphor, simile, and personification, are employed frequently but tend to follow established literary patterns rather than generating novel conceptual mappings. Graphologically, the stories maintain orderly paragraphing, standard punctuation, and conventional formatting, alongside occasional orthographic irregularities characteristic of machine generation. The study concludes that while AI can reproduce many conventional linguistic features of literary prose with remarkable fluency, its textual patterns remain relatively consistent, formulaic, and constrained by the probabilistic architecture of language models. These findings carry implications for stylistic theory, digital literary studies, and the pedagogy of creative writing in an era of machine-generated text. The study recommends that future research adopt comparative frameworks that directly examine human-authored and AI-generated texts using identical prompts to more precisely delineate the linguistic boundaries between human and machine creativity
“Africa’s Giant” or “Regional Hegemon”? Nigeria’s Ambivalent Role in ECOWAS and the Politics of West African Integration, 1999–2025
Nigeria has long been described as the “Giant of Africa,” a status that implies both capability and responsibility for regional leadership. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, Nigeria has played a central role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), leading peacekeeping interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and, more recently, The Gambia, while also shaping regional trade negotiations and institutional development. However, Nigeria’s regional leadership has been persistently ambivalent and contested. Smaller West African states have periodically expressed concerns about Nigerian domination, while Nigeria’s own domestic challenges, including insecurity, economic volatility, and political instability, have constrained its capacity for sustained regional engagement. This paper examines the evolution of Nigeria’s role in ECOWAS since 1999, arguing that Nigeria’s regional policy reflects a fundamental tension between hegemonic ambition and domestic constraint. Drawing on hegemonic stability theory and the literature on regional powers, the paper analyses Nigeria’s contributions to ECOWAS peacekeeping, its influence over regional trade negotiations, and the domestic political and economic factors that have shaped its regional engagement. The study contributes to debates on regionalism, hegemony, and the foreign policy of emerging powers, and offers a framework for understanding the conditions under which regional powers can translate potential into effective leadership.
Debt Recovery and Bank Performance in Nigeria: Evidence from Panel Data Analysis
High non-performing loan levels continue to threaten the profitability and stability of Nigerian banks, yet the empirical link between debt recovery practices and bank performance over an extended period remains underexplored. Anchored in credit rationing theory of Stiglitz and Weiss and the psychological theory of credit recovery, the study used panel data from seven Nigerian banks (2004–2023, 140 observations). Four credit recovery indicators, NPL ratio, loan loss provisions, debt recovery rate, and write-off ratio—were regressed against net income and ROE using a Random Effects panel model, selected via Hausman and unit root tests. Loan recoveries (β = 0.106, p = 0.047), write-offs (β = 0.145, p = 0.002), and loan loss provisions (β = 0.419, p = 0.000) all had significant positive effects on net income, with the model explaining 42.7% of the variation (R² = 0.4272). it concludes that credit recovery, write-offs, and provisioning practices significantly enhance Nigerian bank performance, confirming that credit risk management is a key driver of profitability rather than a mere compliance exercise. The study offers rare two-decade panel evidence jointly assessing recoveries, write-offs, and provisioning in Nigerian banking, provides empirical support for credit rationing theory in an African context, and reveals a strategic role for write-offs in balance-sheet management, an area prior studies have largely overlooked.it is recommended that Nigerian banks should strengthen proactive loan recovery mechanisms, such as enhanced credit monitoring systems, dedicated recovery units, and data analytics for tracking delinquent loans, while adopting transparent, strategic write-off policies and maintaining forward-looking, IFRS 9–aligned provisioning standards to sustain profitability and manage credit risk effectively.
Comparative Analysis and Insights into The Criminal Justice Systems of Nigeria and Ghana
Nigeria and Ghana share an English common-law heritage, yet differences in political structure and institutional capacity have produced distinct criminal justice outcomes. This article compares their legal frameworks, institutions, reform efforts, operational challenges, and cross-border cooperation mechanisms while identifying practices that could strengthen justice administration. It adopts comparative and doctrinal approach, examining relevant constitutions, statutes, judicial decisions, policy reports, institutional publications, and scholarly literature. It reveals Nigeria introduced significant reforms through the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, the Police Act 2020, and the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019. However, federal fragmentation, uneven implementation, prolonged pre-trial detention, inadequate funding, corruption, police misconduct, limited legal aid, and slow technological adoption constrain their effectiveness. Ghana’s unitary structure supports more consistent implementation, stronger legal-aid arrangements, non-custodial sentencing, alternative dispute resolution, and e-justice initiatives. Nevertheless, Ghana continues to face judicial misconduct, unequal access to justice, resource constraints, and limited acceptance of restorative justice. Both countries also encounter difficulties in extradition, information sharing, and regional responses to transnational crime. Effective reform requires consistent implementation, adequate resources, stronger institutional independence and oversight, expanded legal aid, wider use of restorative and non-custodial measures, judicial digitalization, and deeper regional cooperation.
Aesthetic Intelligence as Governance Infrastructure: Movement, Colour and Objects in Anaañ Data Protocol
Governance is commonly associated with written law, bureaucratic institutions, and archival records. This association privileges text and marginalises other modes through which societies regulate behaviour, allocate rights, and assert authority. Among the Anaañ of south-eastern Nigeria, governance is also enacted through aesthetics. Movement, colour, and objects operate as protocols that determine who may perform, who may witness, and who may know. This article proposes the concept of aesthetic intelligence to describe this phenomenon. Aesthetic intelligence refers to the use of sensory and material forms, including dance, chromatic application, and regalia, as systems of data governance. These systems encode law, mark jurisdiction, and enforce restrictions. They function without writing and persist across generations. Three Anaañ protocols illustrate this argument: the movement of awieagwo, the soldiers for defence of Anaañ sovereignty; the application of nnom, kaolin used in ritual access; and the regalia of Ekpo, the Anaañ mask protocol. Analysis of these cases demonstrates that aesthetics are not ornamental but infrastructural.
Sacred Groves and the Spirits of the Forest: Indigenous Religious Conservation Ethics and the Crisis of Biodiversity Loss in Cross River State, Nigeria
The sacred groves of Cross River State, known among the Ejagham as Mfam forests and among the Boki as Nfam groves, represent one of Africa's most significant indigenous conservation systems. These forest patches, protected by religious taboos and ancestral sanctions, have preserved old-growth forest, protected watersheds, and provided habitat for endangered species including the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and the drill monkey (Mandrillus leucophaeus) for centuries. However, the rapid expansion of Pentecostal Christianity, commercial agriculture, and logging since the 1990s has placed these groves under unprecedented pressure. This paper examines the indigenous religious ethics that underpin sacred grove conservation, the threats these groves currently face, and the consequences of their destruction for biodiversity and community well-being. Drawing on fieldwork in Ejagham and Boki communities, interviews with grove custodians, Pentecostal pastors, and conservation officials, and vegetation surveys comparing grove and non-grove forest, the paper argues that the loss of sacred groves represents not only an ecological crisis but a religious and cultural one. Effective conservation in Cross River State requires engagement with the indigenous religious traditions that have protected these forests for generations.
Feminist Epistemology and the Problem of Testimonial Injustice: Nigerian Women's Accounts of Sexual Violence and the Crisis of Credibility
The politics of gubernatorial succession in Nigeria has been profoundly shaped by the phenomenon of godfatherism, in which outgoing governors exercise decisive influence over the selection of their successors. Ebonyi State, created in 1996 in southeastern Nigeria, provides a particularly instructive case study of this dynamic. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, the state has experienced three gubernatorial transitions, each marked by the active involvement of the incumbent in determining who would follow him. Martin Elechi, governor from 2007 to 2015, anointed David Umahi as his successor. Umahi, in turn, selected Francis Nwifuru to succeed him in 2023. This article traces the dynamics of these transitions, analysing the mechanisms through which outgoing governors have ensured the election of their chosen successors and the consequences of this pattern for democratic governance. Drawing on elite interviews, media archives, and electoral data, the study argues that the godfather model of succession, while effective in the short term, contains inherent instabilities. The interests of godfathers and godsons diverge once the successor assumes office, generating conflicts that have shaped Ebonyi’s political landscape. The article contributes to the literature on political succession, patron-client politics, and democratic consolidation in Africa by demonstrating that godfather politics is not a stable equilibrium but a contested and evolving phenomenon.
Godfathers, Godsons, and the Limits of Political Succession: An Analysis of Gubernatorial Transitions in Ebonyi State, 2007–2023
Abstract— The politics of gubernatorial succession in Nigeria has been profoundly shaped by the phenomenon of godfatherism, in which outgoing governors exercise decisive influence over the selection of their successors. Ebonyi State, created in 1996 in southeastern Nigeria, provides a particularly instructive case study of this dynamic. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, the state has experienced three gubernatorial transitions, each marked by the active involvement of the incumbent in determining who would follow him. Martin Elechi, governor from 2007 to 2015, anointed David Umahi as his successor. Umahi, in turn, selected Francis Nwifuru to succeed him in 2023. This article traces the dynamics of these transitions, analysing the mechanisms through which outgoing governors have ensured the election of their chosen successors and the consequences of this pattern for democratic governance. Drawing on elite interviews, media archives, and electoral data, the study argues that the godfather model of succession, while effective in the short term, contains inherent instabilities. The interests of godfathers and godsons diverge once the successor assumes office, generating conflicts that have shaped Ebonyi's political landscape. The article contributes to the literature on political succession, patron-client politics, and democratic consolidation in Africa by demonstrating that godfather politics is not a stable equilibrium but a contested and evolving phenomenon.
Postcolonial Reading of Matthew 2:13–23 in the Context of Migration and Xenophobia
This study is a postcolonial interpretation of Matthew 2:13-23 in relation to the problems of migration in the world in general, and Nigeria in particular. The study holds that the account of the flight of infant Jesus with his parents to Egypt could not only be interpreted as a fulfillment story relating to salvation history but could also be read in a socio-political context, particularly in terms of existential threat, forced migration, and divine solidarity with the vulnerable. The article adopts a conceptual and analytical approaches, relying on relevant literature on postcolonial politics, migration, xenophobia and the Nigerian migration experience. It makes the point that Matthew's story of the infancy reveals existential threat and violence against the vulnerable by rulers who misuse and abuse power. It also questions the actions of various nations, states and communities that criminalise and mistreat migrants, but do not take into consideration the political, economic and social factors for migration. The study maintains that the Nigerian Japa syndrome, for example, tells the story of a people whose life is characterised by existential crises, struggles and the desperate quest for survival, dignity of labour, enhanced livelihood. The study proposes hospitality model in rethinking migration policies to ensure justice, protection, and shared humanity.
Banditry, Displacement, and the Remaking of Rural Livelihoods: the Political Economy of Forced Migration in Northwestern Nigeria
— The escalation of armed banditry in northwestern Nigeria since 2018 has generated one of the country's most severe displacement crises, forcing over 300,000 people from their rural communities across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, and Sokoto States. While existing scholarship has focused on the immediate humanitarian dimensions of this crisis and on the military and policy responses of the state, considerably less attention has been paid to the long-term reconfiguration of rural livelihoods among displaced populations. This article examines how forced migration induced by banditry has reshaped agricultural practices, labour markets, and land tenure systems in both source communities and host areas. Drawing on a political economy framework and the concept of forced immobility, the study employs a mixed-methods design combining a household survey of 300 displaced and host-community households across three local government areas in Zamfara and Katsina States with in-depth interviews with community leaders, agricultural extension workers, and local government officials. Findings reveal that displacement has precipitated a fundamental restructuring of agrarian livelihoods characterised by the collapse of household food production, the transformation of land access from customary to monetised arrangements, the erosion of communal labour systems, and the emergence of new patterns of dependency on humanitarian assistance and urban informal economies. The study further demonstrates that displacement does not affect all households uniformly. Differential access to social networks, financial capital, and off-farm skills produces divergent livelihood trajectories, with some households achieving partial recovery while others descend into chronic vulnerability. The paper concludes that displacement is not merely a temporary disruption but a process of profound economic restructuring with lasting implications for food security, rural governance, and the political economy of the region. Policy implications for livelihood restoration programmes that address the structural causes of vulnerability are discussed.
Monday Sit-at-Home in Southeastern Nigeria: A Contradiction to the Objectives of the Indigenous People of Biafra
Among the strategies through which the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has sought to express its grievances against the Nigerian state, the Monday sit-at-home order in the southeastern region has emerged as the most contradictory to the movement's stated objectives. IPOB is a separatist movement whose principal aims are to secure the independence of the defunct Republic of Biafra and to promote the welfare of the predominantly Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. This study critically interrogates why the movement initiated a protest strategy that has manifested as a self-inflicted wound upon the very population it claims to protect. While some scholars view the Monday sit-at-home as a legitimate tactic for achieving the movement's goals, and others interpret it as a protest against the marginalisation of the Igbo in Nigeria, this paper argues that it constitutes a self-imposed economic and social burden on the people, frustrating their livelihoods and damaging their political standing. The study adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on primary and secondary sources analysed qualitatively. Findings reveal that the sit-at-home order has resulted in substantial economic losses, disruption of educational activities, increased insecurity, and the erosion of the movement's non-violent credentials. The paper proposes alternative strategies more aligned with IPOB's objectives, including stakeholder engagement, the establishment of regional orientation institutions, and sustained educational campaigns. It concludes that any strategy which violates the welfare of the people it purports to serve demands discontinuation.
The Bakassi Aftermath: Sovereignty, Displacement, and the Remaking of Littoral Boundaries in Cross River State, 2008–2026
The 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment awarding the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon is widely regarded as a landmark in African international boundary jurisprudence. Yet the socio legal and political reverberations of this judgment continue to unfold more than two decades later. This study examines the multi scalar boundary transformations triggered by the cession of Bakassi, focusing on three intersecting borderlands: the international boundary with Cameroon (the Bakassi cession itself), the inter state maritime boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom (the contested 76 offshore oil wells), and the re drawn coastline of Cross River State following the loss of its littoral status. Drawing on legal document analysis, archival research, media reports, and civil society testimony, the study investigates how displaced indigenous communities, state governments, and international legal regimes navigate, contest, and renegotiate these overlapping boundaries nearly two decades after the ICJ ruling. The study advances two central arguments. First, the Bakassi cession did not resolve boundary contestation but merely relocated and transformed it, producing new forms of conflict at different scales: administrative cartographic violence at the inter state level (the “erasure” of Cross River from the derivation map) and humanitarian crisis at the community level (the displacement of indigenous fishing populations). Second, the governance vacuum created by the cession has generated what may be termed a “jurisdictional paradox”: the territory is legally Cameroonian but its displaced population remains politically Nigerian, creating a population rendered stateless in all but formal legal status. The findings carry profound implications for literatures on borderland governance, critical cartography, and the political economy of resource extraction in Africa.
Putting Finnegan on Trial: Anaañ Ekoñ And Affioñ Drama as Evidence Against Orientalist Generalisation and Colonial Epistemic Violence
Arnold B. Udoka Abstract— This paper puts Ruth Finnegan’s 1970 universal claim that “drama does not exist in Africa” (Finnegan, 1970, p. 508) on trial. Finnegan did not write on Anaañ drama at any time and never cited John Cowan Messenger’s Anaañ ethnography. In this discourse, she encounters Messenger’s evidence for the first time in the academic court. Read through Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) and Gayatri Spivak’s epistemic violence (1988), her universal delegitimisation is exposed as discourse produced through selective ignorance, not data. Her Eurocentric criteria constructed African cultures, including Anaañ, as absence by measuring performance against European proscenium theatre, despite Messenger’s 1959 documentation of Ekoñ [Messenger’s “Ekong”] and Affioñ [Messenger’s “Affiong/Offiong”] among the Anaañ/Oron. Messenger recorded Ekoñ with staged conflict, role-played characters, plot, arena staging, audience judgment, and social control. He also recorded Affioñ, teenage courtship drama enacted through dance with plot, character, and conflict. In Anaañ language, the people are Anaañ and the drama is Affioñ, meaning “the moon.” Messenger maintained colonial naming and orthography for academic consistency in 1962 and 1971 publications. This paper introduces Messenger’s Anaañ evidence into the discourse for the first time to refute Finnegan’s universal claim that “drama does not exist in Africa” (Finnegan, 1970, p. 508). African scholarship delivers the counter-verdict: Ogunbiyi (1981) asserted “Ibibio [Anaañ] drama [Ekoñ and Affioñ] surpasses... modern European drama” (p. 23). Contemporary Ekoñ and Affioñ performance confirms Messenger. The implication is methodological: African theatre studies must reject universal claims about “Africa” and center specific ethnographies like Anaañ Ekoñ and Affioñ. The subaltern speaks in Anaañ by its right name.
Exploring the Impact of Sports And Culture on Students in Delta Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria
The study utilized a structured questionnaire titled “Sports and Culture Impact Questionnaire (SCIQ)” as the primary instrument for data collection. The questionnaire comprised four sections. Section A gathered demographic information such as age, gender, institution, and year level. Section B measured sports participation, focusing on the frequency, type, and level of involvement using a 5-point Likert scale. Section C assessed cultural engagement by examining participation in activities such as music, dance, drama, festivals, and language clubs, including self-perceived cultural identity. Section D evaluated student outcomes through self-reported academic performance, social cohesion, and psychological well-being. To ensure content validity, the instrument underwent expert review by two lecturers in Physical and Health Education and two lecturers in Sociology and Cultural Studies. Their feedback helped refine the clarity and relevance of the items, ensuring alignment with the study’s objectives. Reliability was confirmed through a pilot study conducted with 30 students from a non-selected tertiary institution. Cronbach’s alpha values were satisfactory: 0.82 for sports participation, 0.79 for cultural engagement, and 0.85 for student outcomes, all exceeding the recommended 0.70 threshold. Data collection followed a systematic procedure. Institutional approval was first obtained, and informed consent was secured from all participants. Trained research assistants administered and retrieved the questionnaires in classrooms and campus common areas, with each participant completing the instrument within 15–20 minutes. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 28. Descriptive statistics summarized the demographic characteristics and key variables, while inferential statistics—including Pearson correlation, multiple regression, t-tests, and ANOVA—were used to test relationships and group differences, with significance set at p < 0.05..
Metaphysical Foundation of Bekwarra Epistemology: A Study of An Indigenous Knowledge System in Cross River State, Nigeria
The dominant discourse in Western epistemology has long proceeded on the assumption that knowledge claims can be isolated from metaphysical commitments. This paper challenges that assumption by examining the metaphysical foundations of knowledge among the Bekwarra people of northern Cross River State, Nigeria. The Bekwarra, a minority ethnic group with a population estimated at approximately 150,000, possess a distinctive worldview that has been understudied in African philosophy. Drawing on primary ethnographic sources, oral traditions, and existing scholarship, the study demonstrates that Bekwarra epistemology is inextricably grounded in a distinctive metaphysical framework characterised by three irreducible strands: creative determinism rooted in the supreme deity Okah and the progenitor Agba; reactive interference mediated by spiritual entities such as Nndum and the Igbatorobi cult; and representativeness expressed through naming practices, nicknames, and the Agwunihe philosophy of land ownership. The paper argues that these metaphysical commitments are not pre logical or proto scientific but constitute a coherent, internally consistent system that generates genuine knowledge. This has profound implications for cross cultural philosophy, for it suggests that what counts as knowledge in any tradition is shaped by what that tradition takes reality to be. The paper concludes that a truly global epistemology must take seriously the metaphysical diversity of human thought and cannot privilege a putatively neutral, disembedded conception of rationality.
Symbiosophies: In Dialogue with African, Eastern, and Western Philosophies of Mutual Dependence Beyond Universalism and Relativism
This study advances Symbiosophy or Symbiosophies, a groundbreaking philosophical paradigm coined and espoused by Elias Ifeanyi E. Uzoigwe, as a transformative framework for reimagining intercultural philosophy in an age of profound global interdependence. At its core lies the argument that mutual dependence is not merely a social ideal but the foundational principle of reality, knowledge, and ethical life. Against the homogenizing tendencies of universalism and the fragmenting impulses of relativism, Symbiosophies articulates a relational philosophy in which human existence, personhood, and moral responsibility are fundamentally co-constituted. The study aims to develop a robust comparative paradigm for understanding how African, Eastern, and Western philosophical traditions conceptualize interdependence, coexistence, and human flourishing. Specifically, it examines convergences and divergences among African communitarianism, Eastern relational metaphysics, and Western dialogical and ecological thought; critiques the limitations of universalist and relativist models; and formulates Symbiosophies as a global philosophy for intercultural dialogue. Employing a Symbiosophic-comparative-hermeneutic methodology, the study integrates textual analysis, intercultural interpretation, and philosophical reconstruction. Its findings reveal a profound, though often under-theorized, convergence across traditions: reality is relational, knowledge is dialogical, and ethics arises from interconnected existence. Symbiosophies offers a non-hegemonic model of pluralistic universality, one that preserves cultural particularity while enabling shared ethical horizons via dialogical reciprocity and relational accountability. By redefining universality as relational and relativism as dialogically accountable, it emerges as a vivacious 21st-century philosophy. The study concludes by recommending Symbiosophies as a foundational framework for comparative philosophy, global ethics, intercultural solidarity, peacebuilding, environmental stewardship, sustainable coexistence, and policy discourse aimed at fostering epistemic justice in an increasingly interconnected world.
Exploring Human Resource Practitioners’ Experiences of Using the Public Employee Performance Management Information System (PEPMIS) in Managing Employee Performance in the Public Service
The Public Employee Performance Management Information System (PEPMIS) was introduced in Tanzania to strengthen employee performance management across the public service. Despite wide implementation, limited attention has been given to how Human Resource (HR) practitioners experience the system within everyday institutional contexts. This study examined practitioner experiences across five dimensions: system usability, organisational support, user competence and training, technical challenges, and effectiveness in supporting the full performance management cycle. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the Job Demands–Resources Theory, a qualitative interpretivist design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with twenty-five purposively selected HR professionals. Findings reveal that usability is undermined by slow responses, complex navigation, and inconsistent functionality. Organisational support is weakened by limited leadership involvement, poor coordination, and inadequate technical assistance. User competence is compromised by insufficient practical training, while technical challenges stem from weak infrastructure and unreliable connectivity. Although PEPMIS enhances documentation and transparency, its effectiveness is undermined by a misalignment between system demands and institutional capacity. The study concludes that effective digital performance management requires stronger organisational commitment, improved infrastructure, and sustained user capacity development.
Human Resource Practitioners’ Experiences
The Application of International Treaties in Nigeria: A Panacea to the Unending Legal Debacle of Intestate Succession
The practice of intestate succession has undergone significant evolution, with recent developments highlighting concerns about human rights and the importance of respecting an egalitarian society. The practice in Nigeria, especially with the application of customary law, is shrouded in the discrimination of rights; in all of these, women are mostly affected, considering their copious vulnerabilities. It is in light of these concerns that Nigeria needs to adopt and implement international best standards. Why should Nigeria adopt and implement these international best standards? What are the potential premiums accruing to the implementation of international treaties centered on promoting minority rights, like those affecting women and children? These are some of the key questions answered in this article. The methodology used for this research is doctrinal. It relied on primary and secondary sources such as legal texts, judicial decisions, journals, the internet, international treaties, and conventions to analyze the interplay between domestic and international legal frameworks in addressing the rights of women and children in inheritance matters. The findings reveal that, despite constitutional guarantees of equality, Nigerian customary and religious practices often undermine women’s and female children’s rights to inheritance. Judicial interventions have provided some relief by invalidating discriminatory customs, but such relief remains inconsistent and limited. The research further demonstrates that international treaties—such as the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), the African Charter, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) offer normative frameworks that, once domesticated, can serve as binding legal instruments to protect women’s inheritance rights and harmonize Nigeria’s fragmented legal order. The article concludes that effective domestication and implementation of key international treaties, particularly CEDAW and the African Charter, will empower courts to expunge discriminatory customary practices and ensure that domestic succession laws align with Nigeria’s international human rights obligations. The study recommends enhanced judicial training, legislative reforms, and public sensitization to facilitate the consistent protection of women’s rights and promote fairness and equality in intestate succession.
The Place of Measurement and Evaluation in National Policy of Education in Nigeria Educational System
This study examined the place of measurement and evaluation in the National Policy on Education in Nigeria’s educational system. The study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population of the study consisted of 5,420 educational stakeholders, while a sample of 542 respondents was selected using a 10% sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Measurement and Evaluation in National Policy on Education Questionnaire (MENPEQ). The instrument was validated by experts and tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha, which yielded a coefficient of 0.82. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions, while z-test statistics were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that measurement and evaluation play a significant role in ensuring quality assurance in Nigerian education. It was also found that measurement and evaluation significantly influence curriculum implementation in schools. Furthermore, the study revealed that effective measurement and evaluation improve educational outcomes when properly implemented. However, several challenges such as inadequate teacher training, poor funding, large class sizes, and lack of assessment materials were found to hinder effective implementation of measurement and evaluation in Nigeria’s educational system. The hypotheses tested showed that measurement and evaluation have a significant effect on quality assurance, curriculum implementation, and educational outcomes. The study concluded that measurement and evaluation are essential components of the National Policy on Education and are critical for improving educational quality and accountability in Nigeria. It was recommended that government should strengthen teacher training, improve funding, and enhance the use of modern assessment tools to improve evaluation practices in schools.
The Discourse of the Human Person and Its Eschatology in Urhobo Ontology: A Philosophical Perusal
This paper provides an in-depth analysis of issues concerning the human person and its eschatology in Urhobo ontology, with specific interest in how the Urhobo people of Southern Nigeria conceive and understand the concepts of existence, death, and destiny. The study addresses the perceived neglect of holistic African perceptions in the analysis of the human person, particularly in relation to the concepts of personhood and the afterlife. The essence of this study is to highlight traditional African beliefs that provide a moral and communal framework shaping scholarly discussions as they relate to life and death. In Urhobo thought, personhood is conceived as a unity of body, spirit, and destiny. The study also highlights how their eschatological beliefs provide a moral and communal framework that shapes both life and death. Employing the methods of philosophical analysis and hermeneutics, the paper argues that the Urhobo view death not as an end but as a transition into Erivwin, the spiritual realm, and that moral conduct, communal belonging, and proper burial rites determine one's ultimate destiny. Ancestorhood is considered the highest fulfillment and attainment of the human person, serving as both a moral ideal and an eschatological goal. The paper concludes by affirming that Urhobo ontology offers a holistic perception of the human person, where morality, communal living, and destiny are inseparable, contributing importantly to global philosophical reflections on the themes of life and the afterlife.
An Analysis of Environmental Pollution Laws and Regulations in Nigeria
The Nigerian environment faces a multitude of severe pollution challenges, including pervasive oil spillages, continuous gas flaring, desertification, drought, climate change impacts, escalating municipal waste generation, and gully erosion. These persistent problems are exacerbated by rapid population growth and the relentless exploitation of natural resources. In response, the Nigerian government has enacted a suite of environmental pollution prevention laws and established regulatory bodies designed to abate environmental degradation. This paper examines the concept of the environment and its components, defines pollution and its various types, and investigates the primary causes of environmental pollution in Nigeria. It provides a critical analysis of the key environmental pollution prevention laws and regulations, evaluating their effectiveness in stemming the tide of environmental degradation. The analysis reveals that while a comprehensive legal framework exists on paper, its effectiveness is critically undermined by outdated provisions, weak enforcement mechanisms, constitutional limitations, and a lack of political will. The paper advocates for significant legal and policy reforms, including the strengthening of institutional capacity, enhanced public participation, and a renewed commitment to the sustainable use and conservation of natural resources to achieve a more effective environmental enforcement regime in Nigeria.
A Corpus Based Analysis of Explicitation and Neutralization Strategies in ECOWAS French Translations of Nigerian Political Discourse
This paper investigates the translation strategies employed in rendering Nigerian political discourse into French for dissemination within the Economic Community of West African States. Using a corpus based approach, the study examines a specialized collection of ECOWAS official documents, policy briefs, and communiqués translated from English Nigerian political texts into French between 2015 and 2023. The analysis focuses on two principal translation strategies: explicitation, whereby implicit information in the source text is made explicit in the target text, and neutralization, whereby culturally specific or politically charged terminology is rendered more neutral or generic. The findings reveal systematic patterns in how Nigerian political concepts, particularly those rooted in local idioms, proverbial expressions, and culturally specific institutions, are transformed in translation. Explicitation strategies are frequently employed to clarify opaque cultural references for a diverse West African francophone audience, while neutralization strategies are deployed to manage politically sensitive content and to conform to the diplomatic register of ECOWAS discourse. The study contributes to the growing field of African translation studies and offers insights into the linguistic mediation of political communication in multilingual regional organizations.
A Critical Evaluation of the Four Cardinal Dimensions of Prosperity Gospel: Spiritual Prosperity, Material Prosperity, Social Prosperity, and Social Well-Being – A Case Study of the Dunamis International Gospel Church
The central problem addressed in this study arises from the apparent imbalance in prosperity teachings, which often place greater emphasis on material and physical well-being than on the primary message of salvation and discipleship. The primary objectives of this study are to identify and analyze the four cardinal dimensions of prosperity as taught in Dunamis Church, to appraise their theological and biblical foundations, and to assess their impact on the spiritual and social lives of members and the broader society. The research adopted a qualitative methodology, utilizing a case study approach that combined doctrinal analysis, textual interpretation, and review of relevant theological literature. The study is grounded in the Prosperity Theology framework, which posits that faith, positive confession, and covenant obedience are the keys to comprehensive and all inclusive prosperity. The findings reveal that Dunamis Church presents a complete view of prosperity that incorporates spiritual growth, financial achievement, social influence, and overall well being. While this comprehensive approach has empowered many faithful economically and socially, it also risks promoting the problematic teaching that God's blessings are measured solely by material achievements. The study discovers that placing excessive emphasis on material achievements may unconsciously weaken Christian values of humility, service, and redemptive suffering. Through case studies and interdisciplinary insights, the study concludes that Prosperity theology as taught and practiced in Dunamis Church encompasses both strengths and weaknesses. Its emphasis on faith, productivity, and human flourishing aligns with the biblical vision of abundant life, yet it requires theological balance to maintain the preeminence of spiritual transformation over material achievement. The study recommends that theologians and preachers of the Gospel should communicate messages that emphasize a more Christocentric understanding of prosperity, one that incorporates salvation, stewardship, and social responsibility. It also calls for profound theological education among Prosperity Gospel preachers to teach the Gospel that promotes both spiritual maturity and social justice in the Church.
Effect of Blended Learning Approach on Students’ Academic Achievement in Mathematics in Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State
This study investigated the effect of blended learning approach on students’ academic achievement in Mathematics in Delta north senatorial district of Delta state. Three research questions and hypotheses were each raised to guide the study. The scope of the study covered the effect of blended learning approach on students’ academic achievement in SSS2 Mathematics in Algebra and Probability. The study is delimited to public secondary schools in the senatorial district. The design of the study was a quasi experimental design of pretest-posttest control group. The population of the study comprised all Senior Secondary School 2 (SSS 2) students in public secondary schools in the nine local government areas of Delta north senatorial district in the 2024/2025 academic session. The population of the study was 3,473 candidates. A multi stage sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of 225 SSS2 Mathematics students (105 males, and 120 females). Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) was used for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was 0.79 obtained using Kudar-Richardson formulae 20 (KR-20). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and independent sample t-test were employed to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the result revealed that students exposed to the blended learning approach performed better than those exposed to the conventional lecture method. The findings also showed a significant difference between male and female students exposed to blended learning approach in favor of male students, and no interaction effect between instructional methods and sex. Based on the findings of this study, blended learning approach should be practiced thoroughly by Mathematics teachers as the method has been proven effective in enhancing students’ Mathematics academic achievement.