Al Chukwuma Okoli - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Al Chukwuma Okoli
PanAfrican journal of governance and development, Aug 30, 2022
This paper analyzes the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the Nigerian populace from the standpo... more This paper analyzes the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the Nigerian populace from the standpoint of how the socio-positional backgrounds of people accounted for their differential vulnerabilities in that regard. By way of a qualitative analysis that relied mainly on a desk study, the paper posits that the lockdown was over-securitized and anti-people, considering the gale of police brutality and violation of human rights that attended the process. The paper makes a case for a moderately de-securitized lockdown regime that is implemented based on incentivized moral suasion rather than coercion.
Journal Publication, 2023
This paper proffers an art-speech of the farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria from the standpoint of t... more This paper proffers an art-speech of the farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria from the standpoint of the conceptual ceramic's exposition. Using the figurative construct of 'senior citizen' and the visual art form of conceptual ceramics, this paper creates a sort of metaphorized analogy that depicts an allegory of Nigeria's perennial farmer-herder crisis scenario, where the wellbeing of the citizenry appears to have been subordinated to those of the herders and their herds. The uncommon ceramic art approach that negates traditional production methods has been explored in this study to interrogate the outlined concerns. This process includes the pinching of plastic clay, placing it in the palm, rolling the clay with both palms into a stick-like shape, placing the stick at the foot of the fingers, tightly compressing the clay by closing the fists, and finally releasing the clay to reveal the product. This style that has been termed fragmented clay palm press terracotta on canvas proved effective and fluid enough to achieve the essence of this study. The intriguing situation of Nigeria's socio-political metaphor vis-à-vis the prevailing farmerherder conundrum is explored in an attempt to foreground the existential irony that this awkward situation portends.
Academia Letters, 2022
Scholarship refers to intellectual devotion and resourcefulness. It is essentialized by the quest... more Scholarship refers to intellectual devotion and resourcefulness. It is essentialized by the quest for learning, teaching, and research. The essence of scholarship is the generation and regeneration of knowledge for the purposes of knowing, science, technology, and innovation. Scholars are those that devote themselves to active search for pure and applied knowledge. They are traditionally found in the academe, where they teach, research, and mentor crops of learners in various fields of human episteme. 1 Scholarly outputs does not end with knowledge production. They are, more importantly, intended for human consumption through individual and corporate utilization. The growing demand for such outputs by individuals, firms and governments in today's fast burgeoning global knowledge economy has created an impetus for the commercialization and commoditization of scholarly services across the world. Hence, various scholarly services are bought and sold with high premium. This has given rise for the quest for intellectual consulting among the academia. There are different types of scholars, as there are different traditions of scholarship in Nigeria. Categories in this respect range from the traditional to the unorthodox patterns. Table 1 is instructive in this regard.
Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal, 2018
This study aims at evaluating the strategic implications of the East China Sea Air Defense Identi... more This study aims at evaluating the strategic implications of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone for regional security. On November 23, 2013, China announced the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone on her East Sea axis. This was in its determination to assert control over disputed maritime territories, and to respond to the United States' Asia Pivot role geared towards containing and encircling China on one hand, and support for Japan's remilitarization on the other hand. In its declaration, China demanded that all aircraft transiting the zone must comply with the identification rules, threatening that non-compliance will attract emergency defensive action. This move was necessitated by the imperative for safeguarding Chinese sovereignty, territorial and airspace security, as well as to maintain flight order in pursuit of self-defense. The manner in which the Chinese ADIZ was declared, particularly its coverage that goes beyond Chinese airspace,...
African Journal on Terrorism, 11(2), 2021
This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bo... more This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bourgeoning incidence of banditry in that context. It situates kidnapping within the material context of violence-criminality dynamics in a fragile state. The paper posits that the scourge of kidnapping currently afflicting the wider northern Nigeria reflects the logic of criminal opportunism in a jurisdiction where the state lacks the coercive capabilities to deter criminal indulgence and impunity. In such a context, banditry has reproduced itself into strands of violent crime of which kidnapping is a veritable dimension. Plugging opportunities for kidnapping, destroying its reward system, as well as ensuring deterrence of its committal through stringent sanctioning of perpetrators would go a long way in bringing about the desired respite. This would entail, among others, de-incentivizing the kidnapping enterprise through a pragmatic community policing system that ensures effective protection of the vast forested and rural landscapes that dot Nigeria’s remote hinterlands.
This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bo... more This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bourgeoning incidence of banditry in that context. It situates kidnapping within the material context of violence-criminality dynamics in a fragile state. The paper posits that the scourge of kidnapping currently afflicting the wider northern Nigeria reflects the logic of criminal opportunism in a jurisdiction where the state lacks the coercive capabilities to deter criminal indulgence and impunity. In such a context, banditry has reproduced itself into strands of violent crime of which kidnapping is a veritable dimension. Plugging opportunities for kidnapping, destroying its reward system, as well as ensuring deterrence of its committal through stringent sanctioning of perpetrators would go a long way in bringing about the desired respite. This would entail, among others, de-incentivizing the kidnapping enterprise through a pragmatic community policing system that ensures effective protection of the vast forested and rural landscapes that dot Nigeria's remote hinterlands.
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Armed banditry is prevalent in Nigeria. It has competed with insurgency for the soul of Nigeria’s... more Armed banditry is prevalent in Nigeria. It has competed with insurgency for the soul of Nigeria’s national security. Contemporary trajectories of armed banditry in Nigeria have been full of complications. One of the complications is the emergence of crime lords who engage in a self-aggrandizing but also socially sensitive criminal career. This paper seeks to explore the phenomenon of ‘crimelordism’ as a new trend in armed banditry in Nigeria. Utilizing a mixed qualitative method, the paper posits that the prevalence of grossly under-governed territorial spaces, especially in the countryside and borderlands of Nigeria, has created a vacuum of security that is being exploited by criminal kingpins to establish enclaves of criminality where they wield and exercise quasi-territorial powers. The paper submits that ‘crimelordism’ holds critical implications for Nigeria’s national security in view of its ruinous impacts.
Open Political Science
The paper seeks to explore the transformative essence of intellectual feminism in Africa, with pa... more The paper seeks to explore the transformative essence of intellectual feminism in Africa, with particular reference to the contributions of Amina Mama. Following textual and contextual exegeses of works by or on the focal scholar-activist, as well as insights drawn on extant literature on aspects of her gender/feminist engagements/scholarship, the paper posits that Amina Mama has made significant transformative contributions in various sites of intellectual feminism, especially in the areas of intellectual resourcing, academic leadership and mentoring, as well as strategic scholarly activism/advocacy. Among other things, the study intends to set an agenda on how to effectively link feminist scholarship to practice in an effort to mainstreaming social transformation in Africa.
AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations
Africa’s existential situation in the prevailing global order is such that no state thereof can a... more Africa’s existential situation in the prevailing global order is such that no state thereof can afford to take national sovereignty too seriously. Apart from the myriad of structural challenges imposed on the continent by globalization, Africa is faced with a gamut of political and economic problems that can only be meaningfully addressed through some form of strategic multilateral collaboration. Africa’s aspiration to economic sovereignty has been constrained by the structural conditionalities of globalization, which have kept the continent overly weak, dependent and underdeveloped. The constraint is so immanent that individual African states can hardly afford even the relative sovereignty to harness a strategic balance in the fast ossifying asymmetries of interdependence that characterize the contemporary global political economy. It is posited in this paper that the remedy for Africa lies in the ability of her states to transcend their disempowering territorial-cum-nationalistic ...
Revista Brasileira de Estudos Africanos
Este artigo é um comentário que interroga o fenômeno de déficits democráticos na Quarta República... more Este artigo é um comentário que interroga o fenômeno de déficits democráticos na Quarta República da Nigéria, com base em uma análise exploratória de fontes secundárias. A essência do governo é a realização do bem público. O governo democrático é aclamado como o mais adequado para determinar e implementar tal mandato. Aliás, essa não foi uma experiência geral nas democracias do mundo. As sucessivas administrações democráticas na Quarta República da Nigéria deixaram muito a desejar em relação ao cumprimento de seu mandato democrático por meio de representação adequada e boa governança. Séries de eleições produziram diferentes culturas de supostos representantes das pessoas. No entanto, as condições existenciais do povo não foram tocadas de maneira a justificar que esses representantes governem na instância do povo, e muito menos representem seus interesses e aspirações. Os grandes déficits de democracia a esse respeito justificaram a submissão deste artigo ao efeito de que a democrac...
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions
This paper examines the phenomenon of Skolombo in Calabar (Nigeria) in relation to the challenge ... more This paper examines the phenomenon of Skolombo in Calabar (Nigeria) in relation to the challenge of urban subalternism in that context. This is against the backdrop of the evolution of the Skolombo into a rising urban subaltern category involved in the underworld and ant-social activities. By means of exploratory and conversational discourse that relies on extant literature as well as insights from personal communications, the paper posits that Skolombo phenomenon represents an existential struggle by abandoned and rejected street children who are surviving against structural societal victimization. Away from home, these children have found the streets, not only an inevitable abode but also a space for opportunistic survival. Over the years, they have evolved a pattern of street living characterized, among other things, by restiveness, touting, gangsterism, and criminality. Associated with this pattern of existence is an emerging subaltern identity that highlights a crisis of urbani...
Conflict Studies Quarterly
Nomadism has been an age-long mode of pastoralism. Over the centuries, the practice has thrived a... more Nomadism has been an age-long mode of pastoralism. Over the centuries, the practice has thrived amidst certain socio-ecological dialectics which has in luenced its essence, including con lict and insecurity, climate change, urbanization, as well as changing patterns of land-use systems. Embedded in the practice of nomadism is the phenomenon of transhumant migration whereby pastoralists undertake a seasonally amenable geo-spatial sojourn in search of pasturable ields, resulting to both trans-local and trans-national migration. This pattern of migration has become a veritable source of security and livelihood threats in some parts of Africa in the contemporary times. This study explores the nexus between nomadic migrancy and rural violence in northern Nigeria against the backdrop of the degenerating complexion of nomadism in that context over the recent years. By means of a descriptive analysis, predicated on secondary sources and anchored on the 'ungoverned spaces' thesis, the study sets forth to establish how nomadic migrancy has accentuated and/or complicated the incidence of rural violence in the focal area. The study posits that non-regulation of nomadic migration and pastoralism by the Nigerian government has provided an opportunity for the perpetuation of violent crimes, such as rural banditry and herdsmen militancy in the focal area. The study makes a case for a pragmatic securitization of Nigeria's border and immigration governance systems as the way forward.
Brazilian Journal of International Relations
Tourism is an important aspect of the contemporary international commerce. It accounts for a sign... more Tourism is an important aspect of the contemporary international commerce. It accounts for a significant share of the foreign exchange of many nations, especially those with a thriving tourism sector. While scholarly works abound on the economic, cultural and social values of tourism, there has been a debate as regards the utility of tourism as an enabler for peace. This paper interrogates the pacific import of international tourism against the backdrop of the growing significance of the tourism sector globally. By way of a qualitative analysis of secondary data, anchored on the theory of internationalism, the paper interrogates the tourism-peace nexus in the light of emerging insights, positing that international tourism holds potentials that could be leveraged towards promoting international peace and stability. Recebido em: março/2019 Aprovado em: janeiro/2020.
Conflict Studies Quarterly
This paper examines the complications of SALWs in the context of armed con lict with particular r... more This paper examines the complications of SALWs in the context of armed con lict with particular reference to the Liberian civil war. Using an exploratory analysis that relied on documentary data, as complemented by insights from Key Informant Interview (KII), the paper observed that the incidence of SALWs proliferation was one of the factors that complicated the Liberian crisis. The paper posits that the complications of SALWs proliferation in Liberia during and after the National crisis (1989-2003) posed a threat to the country's national security. The threat is evident in the collateral impact of armed violence that characterized the Liberian crisis as well as the wave of armed criminality that has punctuated the country's history in the aftermath of the crisis. In the light of its dire effects vis-à-vis sustainable peace, security and stability, this paper submit that SALWs proliferation has posed a threat to Liberian national security both in the con lict and post-con lict eras.
Small Wars & Insurgencies
Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria has exposed women (girls, ladies, and mothers) to a c... more Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria has exposed women (girls, ladies, and mothers) to a complex jeopardy. While some women have suffered untimely widowhood or child-lack as a result of the Boko Haram onslaught, others have suffered death, forced abduction, and allied assaults on the main and side lines of the insurgency. Often times, women have faced direct violence that essentially degrade their humanity. This is evident in the deployment of women as war-front sex slaves, human shields, and suicide bombers by the insurgents. The virtual expendability of women in the context of Boko Haram insurgency has been vividly demonstrated by the gale of female suicide bombings in Nigeria over the recent years. By means of a textual and contextual analysis of library sources and/or documentary data, as well as an adroit application of the theory of objectification, this study posits that, in addition to suffering collateral vulnerabilities, women have equally been instrumentalized as objects of terror in the context of Boko Haram insurgency. The paper further argues that the ‘weaponization’ of women’s bodies as bomb vessels and human shields by the insurgents highlights the height of women’s corporal victimization and objectification in contemporary asymmetric warfare. Thus, in addition to its complicated humanitarian outcomes that have adversely affected the society at large, Boko Haram insurgency has led to the corporal abuse and dehumanization of women in particular. Keywords: Boko Haram, gender, insurgency, objectification, women, victimhood.
International Affairs and Global Strategy, 2014
This paper interrogates Nigeria's anti-gay sentiment and law in the context of the contemporary g... more This paper interrogates Nigeria's anti-gay sentiment and law in the context of the contemporary global gay rights controversy. By way of qualitative discourse, predicated of the secondary sources, the paper posits that the Nigerian anti-gay sentiment/law is a reflection of deep-seated socio-cultural cum ideological complexes of the generality of Nigerians visa -vis gay practice. The paper observes that the gay rights/law controversy in Nigeria adumbrates a clash of democracy and culture, which holds strategic implications for the country's national interest and aspirations.
European Scientific Journal, Mar 31, 2014
This paper explores the contradictory character of liberal democracy with particular reference to... more This paper explores the contradictory character of liberal democracy with particular reference to its contemporary manifestations. By way of qualitative analysis of secondary sources, the paper posits that the practice of democracy has been fraught with contradictions and that such contradictions (such as mobocracy, civil licentiousness and restiveness) have engendered conditions that tend to negate the essence and purpose of the practice. From the perspective of the Arab Spring and Ukrainian crisis, the paper contends that the contradictions of democracy, as exemplified in mob rule and civil restiveness, have belied the assumption that liberal democracy is the ultimate socio-political order. The paper submits that the prospect of resolving the contradictions of liberal democracy lies in the return to republicanism which depicts the original intent of the democratic concept and practice.
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2014
This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in Nigeria with a view to underscore its implica... more This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in Nigeria with a view to underscore its implications for national security. This is against the backdrop of the rising incidence and prevalence of the crime in contemporary Nigeria. By way of qualitative analysis, predicated on secondary sources, the paper posits that kidnapping has been motivated and sustained by criminal quest for material accumulation. The paper adds that the situation has been compounded by the growing trend of criminal impunity in Nigeria wherefore the government's capacity to sanction and deter crime is abysmal. The paper observes that kidnapping portends dangerously for Nigeria's national security in view of its untoward impacts and implications. The paper submits that crimes like kidnapping would continue to prevail in Nigeria until pragmatic measures are taken to deter their occurrence as well as penalize their commission.
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015
PanAfrican journal of governance and development, Aug 30, 2022
This paper analyzes the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the Nigerian populace from the standpo... more This paper analyzes the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the Nigerian populace from the standpoint of how the socio-positional backgrounds of people accounted for their differential vulnerabilities in that regard. By way of a qualitative analysis that relied mainly on a desk study, the paper posits that the lockdown was over-securitized and anti-people, considering the gale of police brutality and violation of human rights that attended the process. The paper makes a case for a moderately de-securitized lockdown regime that is implemented based on incentivized moral suasion rather than coercion.
Journal Publication, 2023
This paper proffers an art-speech of the farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria from the standpoint of t... more This paper proffers an art-speech of the farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria from the standpoint of the conceptual ceramic's exposition. Using the figurative construct of 'senior citizen' and the visual art form of conceptual ceramics, this paper creates a sort of metaphorized analogy that depicts an allegory of Nigeria's perennial farmer-herder crisis scenario, where the wellbeing of the citizenry appears to have been subordinated to those of the herders and their herds. The uncommon ceramic art approach that negates traditional production methods has been explored in this study to interrogate the outlined concerns. This process includes the pinching of plastic clay, placing it in the palm, rolling the clay with both palms into a stick-like shape, placing the stick at the foot of the fingers, tightly compressing the clay by closing the fists, and finally releasing the clay to reveal the product. This style that has been termed fragmented clay palm press terracotta on canvas proved effective and fluid enough to achieve the essence of this study. The intriguing situation of Nigeria's socio-political metaphor vis-à-vis the prevailing farmerherder conundrum is explored in an attempt to foreground the existential irony that this awkward situation portends.
Academia Letters, 2022
Scholarship refers to intellectual devotion and resourcefulness. It is essentialized by the quest... more Scholarship refers to intellectual devotion and resourcefulness. It is essentialized by the quest for learning, teaching, and research. The essence of scholarship is the generation and regeneration of knowledge for the purposes of knowing, science, technology, and innovation. Scholars are those that devote themselves to active search for pure and applied knowledge. They are traditionally found in the academe, where they teach, research, and mentor crops of learners in various fields of human episteme. 1 Scholarly outputs does not end with knowledge production. They are, more importantly, intended for human consumption through individual and corporate utilization. The growing demand for such outputs by individuals, firms and governments in today's fast burgeoning global knowledge economy has created an impetus for the commercialization and commoditization of scholarly services across the world. Hence, various scholarly services are bought and sold with high premium. This has given rise for the quest for intellectual consulting among the academia. There are different types of scholars, as there are different traditions of scholarship in Nigeria. Categories in this respect range from the traditional to the unorthodox patterns. Table 1 is instructive in this regard.
Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal, 2018
This study aims at evaluating the strategic implications of the East China Sea Air Defense Identi... more This study aims at evaluating the strategic implications of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone for regional security. On November 23, 2013, China announced the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone on her East Sea axis. This was in its determination to assert control over disputed maritime territories, and to respond to the United States' Asia Pivot role geared towards containing and encircling China on one hand, and support for Japan's remilitarization on the other hand. In its declaration, China demanded that all aircraft transiting the zone must comply with the identification rules, threatening that non-compliance will attract emergency defensive action. This move was necessitated by the imperative for safeguarding Chinese sovereignty, territorial and airspace security, as well as to maintain flight order in pursuit of self-defense. The manner in which the Chinese ADIZ was declared, particularly its coverage that goes beyond Chinese airspace,...
African Journal on Terrorism, 11(2), 2021
This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bo... more This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bourgeoning incidence of banditry in that context. It situates kidnapping within the material context of violence-criminality dynamics in a fragile state. The paper posits that the scourge of kidnapping currently afflicting the wider northern Nigeria reflects the logic of criminal opportunism in a jurisdiction where the state lacks the coercive capabilities to deter criminal indulgence and impunity. In such a context, banditry has reproduced itself into strands of violent crime of which kidnapping is a veritable dimension. Plugging opportunities for kidnapping, destroying its reward system, as well as ensuring deterrence of its committal through stringent sanctioning of perpetrators would go a long way in bringing about the desired respite. This would entail, among others, de-incentivizing the kidnapping enterprise through a pragmatic community policing system that ensures effective protection of the vast forested and rural landscapes that dot Nigeria’s remote hinterlands.
This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bo... more This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in northern Nigeria within the context of the bourgeoning incidence of banditry in that context. It situates kidnapping within the material context of violence-criminality dynamics in a fragile state. The paper posits that the scourge of kidnapping currently afflicting the wider northern Nigeria reflects the logic of criminal opportunism in a jurisdiction where the state lacks the coercive capabilities to deter criminal indulgence and impunity. In such a context, banditry has reproduced itself into strands of violent crime of which kidnapping is a veritable dimension. Plugging opportunities for kidnapping, destroying its reward system, as well as ensuring deterrence of its committal through stringent sanctioning of perpetrators would go a long way in bringing about the desired respite. This would entail, among others, de-incentivizing the kidnapping enterprise through a pragmatic community policing system that ensures effective protection of the vast forested and rural landscapes that dot Nigeria's remote hinterlands.
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Armed banditry is prevalent in Nigeria. It has competed with insurgency for the soul of Nigeria’s... more Armed banditry is prevalent in Nigeria. It has competed with insurgency for the soul of Nigeria’s national security. Contemporary trajectories of armed banditry in Nigeria have been full of complications. One of the complications is the emergence of crime lords who engage in a self-aggrandizing but also socially sensitive criminal career. This paper seeks to explore the phenomenon of ‘crimelordism’ as a new trend in armed banditry in Nigeria. Utilizing a mixed qualitative method, the paper posits that the prevalence of grossly under-governed territorial spaces, especially in the countryside and borderlands of Nigeria, has created a vacuum of security that is being exploited by criminal kingpins to establish enclaves of criminality where they wield and exercise quasi-territorial powers. The paper submits that ‘crimelordism’ holds critical implications for Nigeria’s national security in view of its ruinous impacts.
Open Political Science
The paper seeks to explore the transformative essence of intellectual feminism in Africa, with pa... more The paper seeks to explore the transformative essence of intellectual feminism in Africa, with particular reference to the contributions of Amina Mama. Following textual and contextual exegeses of works by or on the focal scholar-activist, as well as insights drawn on extant literature on aspects of her gender/feminist engagements/scholarship, the paper posits that Amina Mama has made significant transformative contributions in various sites of intellectual feminism, especially in the areas of intellectual resourcing, academic leadership and mentoring, as well as strategic scholarly activism/advocacy. Among other things, the study intends to set an agenda on how to effectively link feminist scholarship to practice in an effort to mainstreaming social transformation in Africa.
AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations
Africa’s existential situation in the prevailing global order is such that no state thereof can a... more Africa’s existential situation in the prevailing global order is such that no state thereof can afford to take national sovereignty too seriously. Apart from the myriad of structural challenges imposed on the continent by globalization, Africa is faced with a gamut of political and economic problems that can only be meaningfully addressed through some form of strategic multilateral collaboration. Africa’s aspiration to economic sovereignty has been constrained by the structural conditionalities of globalization, which have kept the continent overly weak, dependent and underdeveloped. The constraint is so immanent that individual African states can hardly afford even the relative sovereignty to harness a strategic balance in the fast ossifying asymmetries of interdependence that characterize the contemporary global political economy. It is posited in this paper that the remedy for Africa lies in the ability of her states to transcend their disempowering territorial-cum-nationalistic ...
Revista Brasileira de Estudos Africanos
Este artigo é um comentário que interroga o fenômeno de déficits democráticos na Quarta República... more Este artigo é um comentário que interroga o fenômeno de déficits democráticos na Quarta República da Nigéria, com base em uma análise exploratória de fontes secundárias. A essência do governo é a realização do bem público. O governo democrático é aclamado como o mais adequado para determinar e implementar tal mandato. Aliás, essa não foi uma experiência geral nas democracias do mundo. As sucessivas administrações democráticas na Quarta República da Nigéria deixaram muito a desejar em relação ao cumprimento de seu mandato democrático por meio de representação adequada e boa governança. Séries de eleições produziram diferentes culturas de supostos representantes das pessoas. No entanto, as condições existenciais do povo não foram tocadas de maneira a justificar que esses representantes governem na instância do povo, e muito menos representem seus interesses e aspirações. Os grandes déficits de democracia a esse respeito justificaram a submissão deste artigo ao efeito de que a democrac...
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions
This paper examines the phenomenon of Skolombo in Calabar (Nigeria) in relation to the challenge ... more This paper examines the phenomenon of Skolombo in Calabar (Nigeria) in relation to the challenge of urban subalternism in that context. This is against the backdrop of the evolution of the Skolombo into a rising urban subaltern category involved in the underworld and ant-social activities. By means of exploratory and conversational discourse that relies on extant literature as well as insights from personal communications, the paper posits that Skolombo phenomenon represents an existential struggle by abandoned and rejected street children who are surviving against structural societal victimization. Away from home, these children have found the streets, not only an inevitable abode but also a space for opportunistic survival. Over the years, they have evolved a pattern of street living characterized, among other things, by restiveness, touting, gangsterism, and criminality. Associated with this pattern of existence is an emerging subaltern identity that highlights a crisis of urbani...
Conflict Studies Quarterly
Nomadism has been an age-long mode of pastoralism. Over the centuries, the practice has thrived a... more Nomadism has been an age-long mode of pastoralism. Over the centuries, the practice has thrived amidst certain socio-ecological dialectics which has in luenced its essence, including con lict and insecurity, climate change, urbanization, as well as changing patterns of land-use systems. Embedded in the practice of nomadism is the phenomenon of transhumant migration whereby pastoralists undertake a seasonally amenable geo-spatial sojourn in search of pasturable ields, resulting to both trans-local and trans-national migration. This pattern of migration has become a veritable source of security and livelihood threats in some parts of Africa in the contemporary times. This study explores the nexus between nomadic migrancy and rural violence in northern Nigeria against the backdrop of the degenerating complexion of nomadism in that context over the recent years. By means of a descriptive analysis, predicated on secondary sources and anchored on the 'ungoverned spaces' thesis, the study sets forth to establish how nomadic migrancy has accentuated and/or complicated the incidence of rural violence in the focal area. The study posits that non-regulation of nomadic migration and pastoralism by the Nigerian government has provided an opportunity for the perpetuation of violent crimes, such as rural banditry and herdsmen militancy in the focal area. The study makes a case for a pragmatic securitization of Nigeria's border and immigration governance systems as the way forward.
Brazilian Journal of International Relations
Tourism is an important aspect of the contemporary international commerce. It accounts for a sign... more Tourism is an important aspect of the contemporary international commerce. It accounts for a significant share of the foreign exchange of many nations, especially those with a thriving tourism sector. While scholarly works abound on the economic, cultural and social values of tourism, there has been a debate as regards the utility of tourism as an enabler for peace. This paper interrogates the pacific import of international tourism against the backdrop of the growing significance of the tourism sector globally. By way of a qualitative analysis of secondary data, anchored on the theory of internationalism, the paper interrogates the tourism-peace nexus in the light of emerging insights, positing that international tourism holds potentials that could be leveraged towards promoting international peace and stability. Recebido em: março/2019 Aprovado em: janeiro/2020.
Conflict Studies Quarterly
This paper examines the complications of SALWs in the context of armed con lict with particular r... more This paper examines the complications of SALWs in the context of armed con lict with particular reference to the Liberian civil war. Using an exploratory analysis that relied on documentary data, as complemented by insights from Key Informant Interview (KII), the paper observed that the incidence of SALWs proliferation was one of the factors that complicated the Liberian crisis. The paper posits that the complications of SALWs proliferation in Liberia during and after the National crisis (1989-2003) posed a threat to the country's national security. The threat is evident in the collateral impact of armed violence that characterized the Liberian crisis as well as the wave of armed criminality that has punctuated the country's history in the aftermath of the crisis. In the light of its dire effects vis-à-vis sustainable peace, security and stability, this paper submit that SALWs proliferation has posed a threat to Liberian national security both in the con lict and post-con lict eras.
Small Wars & Insurgencies
Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria has exposed women (girls, ladies, and mothers) to a c... more Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria has exposed women (girls, ladies, and mothers) to a complex jeopardy. While some women have suffered untimely widowhood or child-lack as a result of the Boko Haram onslaught, others have suffered death, forced abduction, and allied assaults on the main and side lines of the insurgency. Often times, women have faced direct violence that essentially degrade their humanity. This is evident in the deployment of women as war-front sex slaves, human shields, and suicide bombers by the insurgents. The virtual expendability of women in the context of Boko Haram insurgency has been vividly demonstrated by the gale of female suicide bombings in Nigeria over the recent years. By means of a textual and contextual analysis of library sources and/or documentary data, as well as an adroit application of the theory of objectification, this study posits that, in addition to suffering collateral vulnerabilities, women have equally been instrumentalized as objects of terror in the context of Boko Haram insurgency. The paper further argues that the ‘weaponization’ of women’s bodies as bomb vessels and human shields by the insurgents highlights the height of women’s corporal victimization and objectification in contemporary asymmetric warfare. Thus, in addition to its complicated humanitarian outcomes that have adversely affected the society at large, Boko Haram insurgency has led to the corporal abuse and dehumanization of women in particular. Keywords: Boko Haram, gender, insurgency, objectification, women, victimhood.
International Affairs and Global Strategy, 2014
This paper interrogates Nigeria's anti-gay sentiment and law in the context of the contemporary g... more This paper interrogates Nigeria's anti-gay sentiment and law in the context of the contemporary global gay rights controversy. By way of qualitative discourse, predicated of the secondary sources, the paper posits that the Nigerian anti-gay sentiment/law is a reflection of deep-seated socio-cultural cum ideological complexes of the generality of Nigerians visa -vis gay practice. The paper observes that the gay rights/law controversy in Nigeria adumbrates a clash of democracy and culture, which holds strategic implications for the country's national interest and aspirations.
European Scientific Journal, Mar 31, 2014
This paper explores the contradictory character of liberal democracy with particular reference to... more This paper explores the contradictory character of liberal democracy with particular reference to its contemporary manifestations. By way of qualitative analysis of secondary sources, the paper posits that the practice of democracy has been fraught with contradictions and that such contradictions (such as mobocracy, civil licentiousness and restiveness) have engendered conditions that tend to negate the essence and purpose of the practice. From the perspective of the Arab Spring and Ukrainian crisis, the paper contends that the contradictions of democracy, as exemplified in mob rule and civil restiveness, have belied the assumption that liberal democracy is the ultimate socio-political order. The paper submits that the prospect of resolving the contradictions of liberal democracy lies in the return to republicanism which depicts the original intent of the democratic concept and practice.
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2014
This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in Nigeria with a view to underscore its implica... more This paper examines the phenomenon of kidnapping in Nigeria with a view to underscore its implications for national security. This is against the backdrop of the rising incidence and prevalence of the crime in contemporary Nigeria. By way of qualitative analysis, predicated on secondary sources, the paper posits that kidnapping has been motivated and sustained by criminal quest for material accumulation. The paper adds that the situation has been compounded by the growing trend of criminal impunity in Nigeria wherefore the government's capacity to sanction and deter crime is abysmal. The paper observes that kidnapping portends dangerously for Nigeria's national security in view of its untoward impacts and implications. The paper submits that crimes like kidnapping would continue to prevail in Nigeria until pragmatic measures are taken to deter their occurrence as well as penalize their commission.
Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015