Advances in Law, Pedagogy, and Multidisciplinary Humanities

Rethinking Islamophobia: A Transnational Crisis of Identity for the Potential Terrorist

Benjamin Okezie Kalu — 2024-09-25

This paper explores the complex dynamics of Islamophobia as it relates to the construction of the “potential terrorist” identity. Islamophobia, driven by media narratives, political discourse, and global security concerns, often labels Muslims as inherent threats, reinforcing the stereotype of the “potential terrorist.” This stigmatization creates a transnational identity crisis for Muslims, particularly those who feel marginalized or alienated by society's perceptions. The paper critically examines how this identity crisis can push individuals towards radicalization by exacerbating feelings of isolation, distrust, and hostility toward systems that vilify them. By analyzing the historical roots of Islamophobia and the role of global events such as 9/11 and the subsequent “war on terror,” the paper argues that the branding of Muslims as potential terrorists is a socio-political construct. Drawing on scholarly insights, the paper underscores the need to rethink these narratives, as they fail to address the underlying causes of terrorism, such as political grievances, socio-economic disenfranchisement, and Western foreign interventions in the Muslim world. The paper further investigates how global policies, surveillance, and media portrayals reinforce the “potential terrorist” identity, often leading to discrimination, racial profiling, and even violent backlash against Muslim communities. In response, the paper advocates for a reevaluation of security discourses and calls for approaches that prioritize deconstructing Islamophobic stereotypes, promoting inclusivity, and addressing the legitimate grievances that may drive some individuals towards extremist ideologies.

Philosophy of Apologetics: A Post Smorgasbord Nuturing of Sylvanus Iniobong Udoidem’s PHILOSOPoetry

Stephen Nyeenenwa — 2024-09-25

Philosophy is primarily concerned with the clarification of concepts and terms in daily usage. However, the results are different when words are concealed or shrouded within the mysterious cocoon of poetry, or if they are enwrapped in poetical rendition. This is because poems generally don’t only capture the opulent essence of existence, but utilizes the immanent tools and devices like simile, metonymy, synecdoche, metaphor, symbolisms and pun, which were lavishly utilised by Professor Sylvanus Udoidem, the PHILOSOPoet; and by which he sought to reveal the nature of GOD in his rhythmic renditions of poetry. In this work, we look at how he unleashed his philosophical defence of the authority and origin of Christianity – apologetics. The post prandial intuition portrayed by this work shows that even in retirement, the food the PHILOSOPoet prepared with his intellectual acumen/delectation has refused to whittle down, but rather continues to swell like a tidal flow, sometimes overflowing its banks, and at other times, simply cutting below the knee so that even a newt can wade across the vast acreage of his collections and philosophical sagacity. We will here seek to re-interpret and re-discover his PHILOSOPoetry in such coherent way that it would mandate GOD’s existence, prompt and promote the whole essences of the Almighty, to whom he was a wholly dedicated and served eruditely and sedately for over four decades. We will drop sail by situating his works within his calling as a Priest, Erudite Reverend Father, a philosopher par excellence and an icon, whose faith and believe remains a shining beacon of hope in a dimly lit religious verandah. This work will serves to re-establish and spur us to like, Rev. Father Prof. Udoidem, reignite our love for the spiritual and seek to know GOD with increasing fervour and motivation.

Religious Organisations and Corporate Social Responsibility during Covid-19 Lockdown: A Survey of Christians in South-Southern Nigeria

Etop Okon Akpan — 2024-09-27

This study was designed to appraise religious organisation’s corporate social responsibility efforts during the COVID-19 lockdown in the South-South Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to determine the corporate social responsibility obligations of religious organisations in south-southern Nigeria, how the religious organisations were dispensing their social responsibility obligations to the citizenry during the COVID-19 period, how often these social corporate responsibility obligations met the expectations of the citizen, the effects of corporate social responsibility on behavioural change of church membership. The descriptive survey research method was adopted with the questionnaire as the research instrument. The South-South region of Nigeria constituted the population of the study while a sample size of 400 respondents from the Taro Yamane formula were selected. However, 381 copies of the questionnaire were returned and certified as appropriate for the study. The study adopted the proportional sampling techniques. The findings of the study revealed that a majority of the respondents (57%) received assistance from various religious organisations during the lockdown though there were significant disparities in their areas of interest. The study concluded that the CRS initiatives of the religious organisation positively influenced their images and fostered a sense of care and compassion which led to new member enrolment. It was recommended among others that religious organisations should improve the timeliness of their support during emergencies while such initiatives should be carried out with more transparency.

Armed Banditry and Terrorism in Northwest Nigeria: Interrogating the Legal, Ethical and Security Strategies

Alex Abang Ebu — 2024-09-28

In recent years armed banditry is fast becoming a new normal life in Nigeria and the Northwest regions security challenges in particular has rapidly risen into a theatre of wars and this has triggered the movement of illicit activities of terrorists groups into the North Central region of the country. This paper examined the growing incidence of armed banditry and how it affected human security in the North West geographical zone of Nigeria with the view to ascertaining a sustainable roadmap to tackling armed banditry, kidnapping and insurgency in Nigeria. The study is methodologically structured using the doctrinal approach in data collection and this has to do with both primary and secondary sources. Research findings revealed that deployment of aerial and techno-driven surveillance, strengthened collaborative efforts of security agencies and telecom operators, a robust adoption of community participatory policing strategy can significantly minimize criminal activities in the affected region. Its findings equally found that armed banditry is driven by unemployment among youths, political interest by politicians, porous international borders and poverty among others. The paper submitted that, banditry insurgency and kidnapping within the region requires a multipronged approaches with both the municipal and international community working in collaboration to overcome the armed groups, protect the population across the vast ungoverned territory and exterminate the nexus of jihadist network and to dislocate the probable plans of the Islamic insurgencies in the central Sahel as well as the decade old Boko Haram insurgencies in the lake Chad region of North West Nigeria..

African Political Philosophy: Theories of Power, Justice, and Governance

Ebikisei Stanley Udisi — 2024-10-10

African political philosophy encompasses various conceptions of power, morality, justice, and governance, often prioritising communal harmony, balance, and reciprocity over individual interests. African political philosophy also addresses the legacies of colonialism and slavery, informing perspectives on justice, governance, and development. The study employed the critical analysis method. The study critically analyses African political discourses, including identity and unity, development, liberation, democracy, nation-building, and sovereignty. The study posits that cultural diversity, which acknowledges the blending of cultures, languages, and values, must serve as the foundation for African identity and unity. The article also critiques the modernisation model of development, advocating for a balanced approach that incorporates government intervention and control. The study concludes that African perspectives on justice, governance, and development are shaped by a thorough analysis of historical injustices. Africa needs to find a middle ground between embracing liberalism and implementing a controlled market economy in order to move forward. The continent must embrace the appropriate methodology, implement the correct economic ideology, and allow for necessary political interventions.

Religion as a Common Dominator in Human Society, the Gains and the Losses: The Nigerian Experience

Celestina O Isiramen — 2024-10-10

This article examines the function of religion in Nigerian Society, emphasizing its contribution to social cohesion, moral guidance, and communal identity. Religion enhances societal welfare, ethical governance, and communal assistance while exerting social, educational, and humanistic impacts. Nonetheless, the paper underscores the detriments linked to religion, such as sectarian conflicts, intolerance, as well as politicization, which exacerbate political and ethnic divisions. It reveals the factors contributing to Nigeria's religious landscape's intricacy, including religious extremism, prejudice, and economic challenges arising from religious obligations. The research advocates for more interfaith communication to leverage the beneficial aspects of religion while mitigating its adverse effects.

Communication Strategies as Catalysts for Enhanced Rice Farming in Nigeria

Mayen Edoho Udotai — 2024-10-20

Rice is one of the most consumed staple foods in the world. It is cultivated in almost every country at both commercial and subsistence levels mostly at the rural agrarian areas. However, production of rice in Nigeria is relatively low and unable to meet local consumption thereby resulting in high importation of the produce to augment domestic needs. One of the major reasons identified as being responsible for the low production of the local rice is lack of information on modern farming methods. This paper focuses on communication strategies as catalysts to communicate information on modern farming practices to boost local rice production in Nigeria. It is a review work based on secondary data and the theoretical framework is premised on diffusion of innovation theory which describes how innovations are communicated through certain channels over a period of time among members of a social system. The paper reveals that access to adequate information on modern agricultural practices helps in knowledge acquisition, enhances production and guarantees food security. It is recommended that policy initiators and change agents should deploy effective communication strategies that would elicit rice farmers’ acceptance, adoption and sustenance of innovations to enhance their production capacities to meet demands.

A Critical Analysis of Eti-Owo in Ibibio Ethics

Princewill Udoh — 2024-10-20

This paper critically analyses the concept of Eti-owo (good person) in Ibibio communitarian ethics. Rooted within the afro-communitarian ideology, Ibibio communities determine who is considered Eti-owo (a good person) by adjudging a person’s adherence to community standards, norms, traditions and values as well as significant contributions towards the development of the community. The bestowment of this status is usually done by the community through a chief or an elder, who is revered as a wise person. Most often than not, this status is conferred upon wealthy individuals who have contributed significantly in community development. The Eti-owo status cannot be self-assigned or subjectively determined. This promotes absolutism in supremacy of communitarian collective identity over individuality in conferring this status. Nonetheless, the over reliance on antiquated doctrines as sine qua non in determining and bestowing the Eti-owo status on a person raises concerns. Within the trajectory of contemporary views, reliance on these doctrines may not align in totality to what makes one Eti-owo (a good person). This concern necessitated this study to raise the philosophical question: how can the Eti-owo ideology be modified to reflect contemporary realities where absolutism does not have a space to situate its existence; where individualism plays a role in determining who Eti-owo is? This paper used the critical and analytic methods of philosophical investigation in its attempt to address this concern. The paper introduced the idea of a subjective-communal good which will reduce the extremism or absolutism of the communal judgment in assessing Eti-owo within the contemporary Ibibio communitarian purview.

Citizenship, The Nigerian Diaspora and the Quest for Inclusion in Nigeria’s Electoral Process

Philip Terzungwe Vande — 2024-10-30

Nigerian citizens living outside the country’s borders have always been denied their civil rights to vote and be for. Although diaspora election has become popular in modern democracies around the world, the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Law made it impossible for the Nigerian diaspora to participate in the electoral process, especially, to vote and be elected, unless they return to Nigeria. This study relied on secondary data to examine the Nigerian diaspora’s aspirations for inclusion in the Nigerian electoral process. The study stated that the right to vote in the diaspora is a universal human right, but denied the Nigerian diaspora. It also found that there are approximately 17 million Nigerians in the diaspora who are constitutionally barred from participating in the electoral process of their home country from outside the country. The study, therefore, recommended amending Nigerian legal instruments to remove residency criteria for participation in the electoral process. This enfranchises the Nigerian diaspora and ensures their inclusion and participation in the electoral process. Again, the Independent National Electoral Commission should set up a voting unit in every Nigerian embassy and commission to facilitate diaspora voting in general elections. This should be preceded by the introduction of the electronic voting system so that the results can be easily transmitted. It was also recommended that the Nigerian diaspora should intensify their mobilization and advocacy towards the National Assembly and the Presidency to achieve the goal of inclusion in the Nigerian electoral process.

Assessing EU-Francophone Africa Collaboration: A Systematic Review

Mbey Etete Gregory — 2024-11-06

Over the years, the EU’s soft power has phenomenally grown and spread in the world to the extent that many critics arguably view the Union as a superpower or one of the major global players in today’s world. EU’s global influence is seen in the fact that it is the second largest economy in the world and has continuously represented a very active partner in the development of many sub-regions in the world, including Africa. In effect, the EU has not only been a model for African economies. Through its multiform collaboration with the Black continent, the EU has sought to directly or indirectly affect the lives and growth of specific, if not all African countries. From initiatives aimed at pushing for democracy, peace and economic stability in Africa to infrastructural development and social reforms in Africa, the EU has proved to be a key partner in the socio-political and economic development of Africa. This essay sets out to examine EU policies and programs which in one way or the other have affected the political, economic and socio-cultural sectors of Francophone African countries. The paper specifically looks at the extent to which Francophone African countries’ collaboration with the EU has improved or hindered the progress of African States in terms of political autonomy, economic and technological development and educational and socio-cultural development. The paper is thus divided into three main parts. The first part provides a brief presentation of the EU highlighting its growing influence in the world. The second part critically explores EU presence in Africa and indexes of its impact on the life of African nations. The third part focuses more specifically on the impact of EU-Africa collaboration on Francophone African countries.

Analysis of Three Forms of Power by Joseph Nye.

Esheya Greg — 2024-11-06

The politics of international relations since the end of the Second World War have been preoccupied with the business of mitigating chances of war among nations. The Liberal tradition proposed three solutions to this effect, including democracy, economic interdependence, and international institutions. Neoliberalism, championed by Joseph Nye and Keohane advancing the liberal course, upholds the existence of anarchy within the international system but insists that that does not prevent cooperation. This led them to develop the notion of complex interdependence. It is within the ambience of this principle of complex interdependence that Joseph Nye developed his idea of three types of power. This work therefore is set to examine these three forms of power. According to him, there is hard, soft, and smart power. The data for this research is collected through library research. By analysing Nye’s three forms of power, it was discovered that Nye introduced the third type or concept, smart power, as a means of smuggling hard power through the backdoor to override soft power. Acknowledging the defects of soft power, the paper is of the opinion that there will be greater peace in the international arena if nations can deploy the resources of soft power in their engagements. However, nations with greater military and economic resources are more prone to deploying their military might in settling international disputes than their soft power resources. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Nye has given those with greater military powers a soft landing to deploy their hard power by the tool of smart power, which he argues can be deployed under contextual intelligence.

Echoes of Extremism: Understanding Boko Haram’s Roots and Transnational Dynamics in the Lake Chad Basin

Charles Berebon — 2024-11-28

Boko Haram, officially known as Jama’atul Ahlus Sunnah Lidda’wati wal Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad), emerged in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, in 2002. The group’s ideology, centered on rejecting Western education and governance, quickly morphed into violent insurgency. Over time, Boko Haram's operations expanded into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, creating a transnational security crisis in the Lake Chad Basin. This study examines the multidimensional factors underlying the group’s rise, persistence, and regional expansion. It argues that a nexus of religious extremism, socioeconomic deprivation, and weak governance has fueled Boko Haram’s growth. Moreover, similar vulnerabilities in neighboring Lake Chad Basin countries have facilitated the group’s transnational reach. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing the systemic conditions enabling the insurgency's survival.