Many American, European and Asian universities have embraced the Digital Humanities, popularly referred to as DH, as evolving trends in Arts and Humanities in the 21st century world. It has enabled the hybridism of qualitative and quantitative methodologies for humanities researches where computer-based tools are deployed for the analysis of humanistic data. However, the DH scholarship, which is an interface among science, technology and the humanities studies, has little scholarly awareness in sub-Saharan African universities, and Nigerian universities in particular. This paper, which adopts historical approach and critical distant reading as research methodologies, provides an overview of the digital humanities scholarship, its applicability in all fields of humanities, its adaptability to curation, archiving, analysis, visualisation, and its various computermediated tools. I went further to buttress some impediments to DH scholarship in Nigeria and to propose how Digital Humanities Association of Nigeria (DHAN), which has been recently launched with its temporary headquarters at the University of Lagos, could be used to provide public and scholarly enlightenment on digital humanities discourses, promote the pedagogy of Digital Humanities in Nigerian universities and offer some technical support for Digital Humanities Summer School. I have used Computer-Assisted Literary Analysis (CALA) to demonstrate how computer software could be used in the postcolonial analysis of African literary texts. By my critical literary analysis, Kourouma’s anthroponyms and toponyms are revealed to be postcolonially charged; the frequency of historical names demonstrated the level of culpability of all political figures implicated in the Ivorian crisis by the author in his war narrative.

The scientific restrictions and scholastic dominance during the dark ages raised so many questions in the minds of thinkers. These questions led to a shift from a restricted pattern of thought to a liberal pattern where human beings started believing that they can solve their problems. This line of thought ushered in humanism. Humanism is an attitude or doctrine which upholds human agency and dignity in problem-solving. It also promotes existence as a mode of living over dependency on the supernatural to solve the problems of man. Morality which is a generally accepted rules or principles of right conduct in a society becomes relative in relation to humanism. This is because a considerable proportion of objectivity is accorded to morality through religion. Religion, in turn, gives a formidable consideration to the supernatural which humanism pays minute attention to. Placing these on a scale, this paper is aimed at demonstrating that humanism has done more harm than good by promoting moral relativism. Until a convincing alternative or substitute is provided to the idea of religion, it still remains the best available answer to the challenge of moral relativism. The historical, descriptive, expository, analytic and evaluative methods will be used for this research.

Ian Hacking’s claim that reality is a human creation seems paradoxical and requires further investigation. A paradox is that statement which can only be true if it is false and false if it is true. It offers a counterintuitive conclusion or outcome, claiming that two apparently contradictory ideas are true. Often, paradoxes are intractable in the sense that their questions seem unanswerable and difficult, yet leading to some deeper truth. The relevance of philosophy in our science-intoxicated world hinges on its ability to investigate paradoxical situations in life. An investigation into the Hackinian position on reality seems to represent no boundary thesis between idealism and realism. Hence, this paper argues that reality may not be as Hacking, who was predominantly trained in the analytic tradition, has posited. The paper advances strong arguments to conclude that Hacking’s position concerning the human creation of reality is a paradox.

Language contact situation manifests differently in different linguistic environments. This may result from how the languages in contact interact. This paper examines language shift and its implications on the Igbo language. The Labovian approach to language study is applied in this paper. Two methods of data collection were adopted. One is audio recording of natural interactions between the researchers and some of the respondents. Two is a surreptitious audio recording of speech events between and among the respondents, all in different domains. The analytical method used in this research is content analysis. The results show that English is the dominant language predominantly used in the study area. The Igbo language is observed to be under threat and may be assimilated by the dominant English as there is a shift towards English. This indicates that in future, if urgent steps are not taken, a different variety of English may become the language used in the study area. Another implication of this language shift on Igbo is the loss of cultural values and identity of the people.

This paper is a careful examination of the dynamic nature of culture and the cultural evolution of festivals, which are the major vestige and by-product of culture. The study utilised the literary or analytical methodology which enabled the researcher to garner relevant information from critical materials and interviews. The study examined the evolution of the Igue Festival of the Benin Kingdom. Three stages of evolution were clearly discernable, namely: the ancient, the modern and the global. The study concluded by asserting that if properly managed, organised and reinvented, the Igue Festival has the potential of developing into a substantial industry and cultural Olympiad, ensuring economic wealth, development and self-reliant growth.

Writing in school is challenging, especially for English as a second language learners. Many learners have acquired different kinds of attitudes towards the learning of writing in schools. That is evident even in their preferences. This work, therefore, investigated students’ preference in essay writing and the factors responsible for their choice. Two hundred first year students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, were randomly selected from four different departments in the university and four essay topics: factual and fictional were administered to them in the Use of English course. An interview was also conducted on the students to know the reason for their choice of essay. The scripts were sorted according to their essay types. It was observed that the students who chose to write the narrative essay were more in number, followed by expository essay, then descriptive essay and, lastly, argumentative essay. The findings revealed that most students run from factual essay writing such as expository, descriptive and argumentative essays. The survey further gathered from the students who have preference for fiction that the essay is easier to learn and is less technical to write, that they like story telling because of the fun. The paper concluded that the preference for fiction indicates lack of adequate skills in factual writings. It also suggests that majority of the students devote more time to watching home movies which are mainly fiction and have little to contribute to the development of their critical ability (Freedman, 1999). The study, therefore, recommended that more attention should be given to the teaching of factual writing to students at all levels of education, especially in the secondary school before they encounter various academic writings in the tertiary institution. Moreover, process approach to second language writing pedagogy should be adopted in schools to enable students enjoy learning the act of writing in the classroom.

The study reviewed some incidences of migration and refugee crises in Nigeria and the role that the Church plays in relieving the suffering of the victims of these crises. Migration and refugee crises in this study are involuntary displacement of people from their homes to other unintended vicinities for want of safety and survival. Most times these crises are caused by natural and man-made disasters such as floods, wars, insurgency, to mention but a few. These calamities ipso facto have rendered communities, towns, villages, and cities devastated, and their inhabitants dispersed and made homeless, abject, and their lives threatened. The paper aimed at investigating how the Christian Church in Nigeria has, in the recent past, encountered these crises, and to challenge the Church to be better informed and equipped to improve on this soul-saving scheme by adopting methods and approaches that could combat, minimize or eradicate where possible, the causative factors of some of these disasters and their effects on victims. The study adopted an investigative approach. It revealed that the Christian Church in Nigeria was not fully committed to solving migration and refugee crises in Nigeria, in the recent past, and there were scanty publications or news on her activities on migrants and refugees. Recommendations are made to Christian Church leaders to educate and encourage their Church members on the importance of caring for migrants and refugees, and to publish such activities in the media.

Across the globe, entrepreneurship has been recognized as an active means of inspiring greater economic growth and sustainable development. This is usually done through the creation of greater employment opportunities, the improvement of local techno-industrial base for foreign exchange remunerations. The employment of John Dewey’s perspective on the aim of education as our point of departure, is informed by his pragmatic principle. Dewey’s pragmatic cum democratic methodology to schooling finds expression on childcentred education which considers the seats of learning on the interest-needs of the child as interpreted or contextualized in the light of societal needs within the labour market. Scholars, researchers and pundits hold the view that since entrepreneurship education has been discovered to be a vital instrument to students’ development of entrepreneurial expertise and attitudes which positively prepares them towards starting their own future businesses “inter-disciplinary curriculum”, or a curriculum that aims at relating multiple subjects which encourages students to easily pursue their areas of interests as well as helps them to develop the ability to construct their own paths for acquiring and applying knowledge is very necessary in schools. Dewey opines that school insistence on mastery of facts and disciplining of bodies has led to the production of passive students who lack the ability to contribute actively to economic growth. In this light, the essay argues that entrepreneurial studies, if incorporated into the school curriculum, is a viable tool for a nascent state that is aspiring for economic growth. Thus, the study recommends that entrepreneurial studies should be included at all levels of education so that students will be equipped with the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed in the labour market and for self-reliance.

‘Live and Let Live’ is a liberal, ethical and political principle upheld in the African traditional society which appears to have been lost through time. It is encapsulated in African culture and is embodied in its songs, proverbs, folktales and poems. This principle involves the existential requirement to live an authentic life, fully and freely, and to allow others live likewise. As an ethical paradigm, it believes there can be no genuine conflict resolution unless the mind is refined and cultivated. And. as a political paradigm, it sees the people as the greatest resource of a country, and critically examines societal values and practices for peaceful co-existence. This paper is concerned with a philosophical exposition of this traditional ethical/political concept which is an attempt at its rediscovery and re-application in contemporary times. It is also a portrayal of African oral ethics as an indispensable tool for inculcating the values of tolerance, non-violence, good neighbourliness and good conduct as panacea for conflicts. The research methods adopted in this paper are philosophical, historical, analytical and expository. This involves the exposition of African oral ethics as it relates to conflict resolution and the application of secondary means of data collection.

Women in the African society have known social, cultural and political dispossession over the past decades. The socially and culturally constructed norms and expectations that shape what and how women should think and perform in the society have implications for their empowerment and subsequent development generally. The overall pattern of gender norms favours men in the distribution of power, resources and opportunities. Cultural traditions, norms, and expectations have often perpetuated gender inequality, causing physical and psychological harm to millions of women across Africa. In this paper, through the tenets of Raymond Williams’ ideology on Cultural Materialism, an analysis of Unoma Azuah’s Sky High Flames, depicts a young African woman’s typical problems in traditional African society: the domestic labour required of girls, the practical harsh reality of preparing for a lifetime of drudgery, the requirement to fulfill social expectations by marriage, the attainment of social status through childbirth, the expectation that wives will accede to the prescribed sexual standards in marriage, and the power politics in sexual relations between men and women. The paper discovers that the contemporary woman in Africa is fed up with some of these norms that attempt to stifle her as such norms hinder her development and emphasises the need to look into such unfavourable conditions which are the positions of the oppositional group. The paper concludes that there should be a just gender system in which there are no asymmetries of access to the allocation of status, power and material resources in especially contemporary African society.

This paper investigates the discursive strategies implemented by President Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria, in his 2018 New-Year national broadcast, with a view to deconstructing the ideological underpinnings of textual representations in the goodwill speech. Studies that strictly focused on the analysis of the President’s inaugural speech are numerous, but scholarly investigation into his speech on political restructuring is rare. The study, therefore, adopts van Dijk’s Socio-cognitive Approach of Critical Discourse Analysis as theoretical framework, focusing on his model of “Ideological Square”. President Buhari’s 2018 New-Year speech constitutes our data for this study. Our findings, thus, revealed how Buhari’s discourse configurations are intended to tacitly project, reproduce and maintain his ideological disposition–the inviolability of the centrist federation. He deployed preponderantly the other-inclusive pronominal “We” (33%) and “Our” (32%) approximately as in-group ideological impositions in the speech that serves a political necessity, giving Nigerians a sense of political inclusiveness in his own government. He emphasised the necessity of continuing patience among Nigerians by using hyperbolic constructions such as attributive adjectives and adverbs of degree as discourse mechanism of projecting his concealed ideological orientations. Contrary to his campaign manifesto, Buhari employed discursive tactics that depicted him as a patriot of centrist federalism. This paper, therefore, concludes that the President’s tacit discursive constructs to subtly dissuade the ubiquitous campaign for political restructuring clearly signalled that Nigeria is still under a de facto military regime.

One phenomenon of post-modernity is the mobility of adherents of religions from one religion to another; and this seldom attracts the interest of scholars to do scholarly investigation on the phenomenon towards ascertaining its effect on societal harmony and development or otherwise. This paper explores the phenomenon of switching religion with a major focus on the movement into and out of Islam in Edo State; a religiously plural society. The paper adopts the rational choice theory, coupled with the social inertia and strains theory of religious switching. It found out that besides the theological reasons of religious mobility, socialization, geographical mobility, exogamy and socioeconomic problems line up among the factors that orchestrate switching. The research further established that in a plural society like Edo State, it serves some benefits in terms of marital engagement and harmonious religious interactions. The paper recommends effective policy measures on the part of the Government that will address the socioeconomic problem of poverty which is the bedrock pushing individuals to switch for religious succor. Also, it calls for policy measures that would stem the media publicity of religious possibilities of unverified miracles. The paper posits in submission that religion, in spite of the postulation of scholars that it will dwindle with the development of science and technology, still flourishes and serves useful benefits for societal growth and development when explored and managed properly through the understanding of its dynamics as a force of societal cohesion.

The study is an attempt to revisit the generalization that circumfixes are far-less common and productive in English than in other languages. The specific objectives of the study include: to highlight and establish the spread of circumfixes in English and determine the distinctive characteristics of circumfixes using descriptive research method. Data were generated through recorded verbal conversations and existing extant literatures in English grammar. Contrary to previous views, the study found that circumfixation is dominant, widespread, productive and a universal phenomenon in English as in many other languages. This affixational process, from the findings, is derivational, class-changing and category-preserving. Circumfixes apply on content (lexical) words and not grammatical words as found in some other languages. The study concludes that earlier generalizations about nonexistence and unproductivity of this affixational process were based on the traditional view of the phenomenon and not from the Binary Branching hypothesis.

Young people are easily fascinated and influenced by what they view on the screen, especially contents that do not conform to the expected behavioural norms of the society. This paper sets out to establish the influence of music videos on the behavioural patterns of students of Government Secondary School, Jama’a, Zaria, Kaduna State. The study objectives are to examine the level of students’ exposure to viewing music videos, identify the type of music video contents viewed by secondary school students and determine the influence of music videos on the behavioural patterns of secondary school students. The theoretical framework deployed for this study is the social learning theory by Albert Bandura (1977) that postulates that there is a clear connection between what is seen on the screen and what is enacted in real life through learning. The study is a survey research. The instrument used to elicit data for this research was questionnaire. The targeted population is students of Government Secondary School, Jama’a in Zaria, Kaduna State, with a sample size of 332 respondents. Findings of this study revealed that viewing music videos is predominant among secondary school students in Zaria and they watch music videos daily. It also discovered that secondary school students prefer watching hip-hop music videos more frequently than other music categories which expose them to certain contents that are alien to the norms of the Nigerian society. Furthermore, the study established that exposure to viewing unsupervised and unrestricted music videos which portray contents that are unsuitable for young minds have negative influence on their behavioural patterns. The study recommends that parents and guardians should be active in monitoring and scrutinizing the type of music videos viewed by children, especially hip-hop music.

In the context of brutality, domination over others, deceptive tendencies in the provision of leadership amidst apathy and impunity, one wonders if the understanding of the terms shalom (peace) and tsedeq (justice) remains the crux of social interaction in the Nigerian society. The experience of some states and communities lately, in the hands of terrorists, namely, Herdsmen, who are unleashing pains and agony on the Nigerian citizenry, proves the point that the understanding of the concept of shalom (peace) is an aberration. The passive attitude of the Federal Government of Nigeria in proffering a permanent solution to this national carnage also reveals that the understanding of the concept of tsedeq (justice) in leadership is a misnomer, for it seems killers have not been arrested and prosecuted as justice demands. The paper, which is mainly an inductive study, seeks to re-echo the need for the Nigerian citizenry and leadership to respect the sacredness of life, giving shalom (peace) and tsedeq (justice) a chance. This paper, through an inductive study, projects God’s standard on the issue of shalom (peace) and tsedeq (justice) as taught in the Scriptures. From the findings of the study, the nuances of Shalom and Tsedeq in the Scripture have not changed and the understanding of the duo ever remains paramount, in social interactions and peace building among humans in general.

The paper focuses on the theme of corruption in Julie Okoh’s ‘Who Can Fight the Gods?’ The play exposes various forms of corruption in a university setting such as examination malpractice, the university’s bursar misuse of the institution’s subvention and unnecessary and excess demands by the visitor to the university. These corrupt practices exemplify the situation in the Nigerian society. The play is, therefore, a call to Nigerians to view the corrupt state of the nation so that steps can be taken to curb the menace. Some of the recommendations for fighting corruption in the play include: the need for individual citizens to develop personal integrity, education of the young ones against corruption and the need to promote good leadership. The play depicts the fact that, though the Nigerian state is very corrupt, the situation is not hopeless if there is a concerted effort by all segments of the Nigerian society to fight corruption in the nation.

Indigenous dance performances are windows to a people’s way of life and its performance especially in African. It reflects sociological and environmental realities of a particular period. The Imo State Council for Arts and Culture popularly referred to as the ‘Omenimo’ troupe, charged with preservation of performative culture of Imo State have witnessed contemporary challenges stemming from the perceived ‘stagnant’ chorographic idioms in her performances. This research observed that choreographic idioms in ‘Omenimo’ performances do not fill the aesthetic vacuum of the contemporary nature of today’s audiences. However, using the formalist theory and observation methodology, the findings of this paper suggests, among others, the blend of contemporary aesthetic idioms into the choreographic and performative philosophies of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture (ISCAC). Also, adopting formalist consciousness will aid ‘Omenimo’ troupe towards creating new dance forms that will be at par with societal realities and dynamics, increase their dance and movement vocabularies and performances, as well as add to her image boost in Owerri and its environs.

The sustenance of the environment is one of the cardinal teachings of the Hindus tradition and, in this regard, the Hindus tradition points out clearly that a good environment is indispensable for a healthy life. This work seeks to explore some of the fundamental teachings of Hinduism that point to the implications of the relationship between human beings and their environment. For instance, the dharma ecology explains the mechanism for creating respect for nature and the consequences of not doing so. Essentially, this relationship and its corresponding consequence functions in line with the Karmic law of nature. The essence of this paper is to create awareness on the impending disaster that may result from the abuse of the eco-system such as the extinction of the earth’s plants and animal species that may result from the current destruction of forests and coral reefs, and the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer, which will expose life to excessive ultraviolet radiation that is damaging to genetic materials. This work used the qualitative method of research involving secondary method of data collection such as written literature, internet materials, among others. Interestingly, education and sensitization through networking and advertising can be used in enhancing the knowledge on how to relate favourably with the eco-system.

Theatre and Performance as well as other activities that have theatrical nomenclature are capable of showcasing the socio-economic conditions of the people in a given society, besides all other intents. It is, therefore, pertinent in this context to consider how theatre and performance can be utilized as a concept in addressing and redressing the socioeconomic situation of the people in a deliberate attempt to make a better society. This work incorporated the efficacy of Theatre for Development (TfD) in awakening the consciousness of the society and its citizens, and recommends their usage for socioeconomic development. The work serves as an inspiration to theatre practitioners and performing artists to channel their creative activities towards the socio-economic challenges that the people face in a given society in an effort to contribute their quota to societal development. The significance of this work is that it aims at exploring the advantages of theatre and performance in the context of Theatre for Development, which is also known as Community Theatre, in proffering solutions to some socio-economic problems bothering the society, mostly African countries. In conclusion, this work has proved that theatre and performance should not be viewed from the perspective of fantasy but on the viability of exposing and developing the socio-economic aspect of nationhood.

This study examined human trafficking in the light of United Nations (UN) declarations as it concerns Ikwerre society of North Eastern Niger-Delta. Human trafficking is viewed as a menace and the most endemic source of human dehumanizing in every society. Human trafficking has become a menace and a major epidemic in Nigeria. This accentuates the issue of victimization, mistreatment and merchandizing of its victims who are mostly women and children that are exposed to exploitative sexual and commercial labour. It is tantamount to lifetime of waste, underdevelopment, underachievement and regrets. The methodology adopted includes the use of books, journals, unpublished works, internet sources and other available literature. The study revealed that Ikwerre Society is patriarchal in nature which accounts for women’s disposition to totally succumb to the authority of men. This has promoted gender imbalance and made women to see themselves as inferior to men. On the other hand, the patriarchal nature of the culture of Ikwerre societies has made men to develop a master-servant relationship with the womenfolk, thereby promoting gender-based violence, with women at the receiving end. There are certain stereotype roles women play in Ikwerre Society, which make them subordinate to men and constrain their ability to exercise their rights. There is a high-level illiteracy among most of the victims of human trafficking in Ikwerre Society that has fueled the ignorance that trafficking is modern day slavery and should be stopped. It has been observed that the UN, in an attempt to eradicate human trafficking and its negative tendencies recommended, through the United Nations Human Rights and Human Trafficking Commission (UNHRHTC), a number of conventions and declarations through its Articles that guarantee everyone’s right to life, liberty, absence of discrimination, security and protection of fundamental human rights. Unfortunately, these declarations/conventions/articles are not domesticated in Ikwerre traditional society. Thus, this paper is of the view that these laws, if domesticated in Ikwerre Society and at the federal, state and local government levels, will help eradicate human trafficking in our society. The paper, therefore, recommends that the government, in line with nongovernmental organizations, should promote strategies towards eradicating human trafficking which is still rife in the guise of modern day slavery in Ikwerre Society. The paper also recommends, among others, that in making laws and policies that promote the status of women towards self-actualization, efforts should be made in ensuring their enforcement even in rural areas like the Ikwerre Traditional Society.

In this 21st century, the global landscape is a patchwork of faiths. Religious expressions are heading in various directions at the same time, and political conflicts involving religions are assuming great importance on the world scene today. All religions teach that one should not hurt others, should not lie, should not steal, should not usurp others’ rights, should not be greedy, but rather should be unselfish, considerate and helpful to others. Corruption, on the other hand, is the behavior that deviates from the formal rules of conduct governing the actions of someone in position of public authority because of private motives such as desire for wealth, power and/or status. The focus of this paper is to theoretically examine the compatibility of religion with corruption, or otherwise, and how religion can be used as an instrument to curb corruption and its excesses in Nigeria. The methods adopted in this paper include: historical, analytical, observational and evaluative. The paper discovers that religion is not compatible with corruption but that the practitioners can be corrupted. It recommends that religion should be clearly separated from the politics and economy of the nation in order to avoid a dangerous mix up. Finally, the paper concludes that Nigerians must allow what they learn from their various religious doctrines to mold and transform their characters and lifestyles positively. Arising from the results of the fight against corruption so far, it is obvious, that it requires more than the rule of law to win the battle because it is also a moral one. Key Words: Compatibility, Corruption, Ethico-Moral, Nigeria, Religion.

In Northern Nigeria, radio has, over the years, proven to be an effective medium of communication because of the wide listenership it enjoys in the region. This also makes radio a readily available communication medium in the hands of national and international non-governmental organizations, targeting northern Nigeria as the focus of their development interventions. For example, organizations like BBC Media Action Nigeria, Population Media Centre (PMC), and United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), among others, have at various points in time deployed radio drama to communicate behaviour change in Northern Nigeria. In a bid to expand the frontier of participation in radio drama process, BBC Media Action Nigeria recently devised a creative way of reaching out to some target communities in North-Eastern Nigeria on polio immunization through a creative way of doing radio drama called ‘Madubi Live’. In Madubi Live, radio drama is taken away from the radio stations and performed (recorded) live in community arenas, thereby giving the local people the opportunity to participate in the discussion of key issues on polio disease and immunization. Anchored on participatory communication theory. This paper interrogates the level and nature of local people’s participation in this process, considering the volatile security atmosphere in North- Eastern Nigeria, a region that has been plagued by Boko Haram insurgency since 2009 and the ongoing Fulani herdsmen/cattle rustlers’ attacks on communities. One major finding herein is that despite the security challenges in the region, the initiators of Madubi Live and community respondents have found the risk of the initiative worth taking. The paper concludes by arguing that the lingering shortcomings of ‘Madubi Live’ and atmospheric challenges notwithstanding, it is a noble strategy that has redefined the scope of people’s participation in radio drama process.