Papers for Vol.1, No.2
Papers for Vol.1, No.2
Cover Page
Preliminary Pages
NEW ROUND OF SOCIAL TENSIONS, AND REMEMBRANCE OF WOLE SOYINKA’S SEASON OF ANOMY
Thinking the present social tensions in Nigeria, there is a sense of a new chapter. There were earlier chapters, like the tensions over Sharia Law in the 1980s and the regional and ethnic rivalries that culminated in civil war in the 1960s. Newness here is as in mythopoiesis where the surface properties of a component of an old or received myth are substituted, without affecting the total significance of the myth. The result is that there is underlying sameness in the novelty. This is what occasions for this paper remembrance of Wole Soyinka’s Season of Anomy in the functionality of a proverb. Season of Anomy is a work in which a converging pattern of actions, some in pursuit of profit motive, some in the way of exercise of power and domination, still others in selfless community-building efforts culminate in a vast and lethal explosion. This is anomy, but it is coming in season. The time of the reign of this particular chaos will pass – till a full cycle; and then begins again. This paper will draw from Northrop Frye’s archetypes of literature and Michel Foucault’s theory of similitude to elucidate the capacity of a literary work to function as a proverb.
AMECHI N. AKWANYA
ILLOCUTIONARY ACTS IN SLANG EXPRESSIONS USED BY UNDERGRADUATES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA
Slang expression is one of the linguistic elements that have attracted the attention of language scholars in recent time. Slang is the language (words, phrases, and usages) of an informal register that members of particular in-group favour (over a standard language) in order to establish group identity, exclude outsiders, or both. There are contextual characteristics that define the deployment of slang expressions by students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Explication of these features has not been the subject of any linguistic investigation. This study, therefore, discusses the illocutionary acts in slang expressions used by undergraduates of UNN. Data for the study were tap-recorded naturally occurring conversations done by the students in their halls of residence which contained the slang expressions. This aided the analysis of the slang expressions within their contexts of use in interactions. The data were classified and analysed using John Searle’s classifications of illocutionary acts. The data gathered revealed that illocutionary acts such as assertives and directives often characterise the students’ use of slang expressions in their daily conversations. The students rarely deploy slang expressions as commissivess and expressives. Slang expressions were not deployed as declaratives by them. Thus, the students use slangs expressions as assertives preponderantly in their conversations.
OMOTOSHO MOSES MELEFA & CHIAMAKA BEATRICE ILO
THE PLIGHT OF MIGRANT WOMEN IN SELECTED NOVELS OF ADIMORA-EZEIGBO AND UNIGWE
Migration has continued to attract the interest of scholars and critics of Nigerian literature, especially as Nigerian migrants are constantly victims of xenophobia. The migrants, particularly the women, are grossly objectified and insufferably abused, both nationally and internationally. There have been spates of incarcerations, killings and deportation of migrant women in different parts of the world: Italy, Malaysia, Libya, to mention but a few. There have also been records of deaths and harrowing experiences of female migrants in the Mediterranean Seas and the Sahara Desert. It is against this backdrop that this study adopts Post-colonial Feminism to analyse the motivations and experiences of the female migrant characters as post-colonial subjects in the Diaspora. Female characters from Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street and Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s Trafficked are studied in order to ascertain the extent to which the cultural environment, legacies of colonialism and neo-colonialism interplay to influence the decisions taken by these women. It is discovered that the woefully pathetic plight of migrant Nigerian women is a product of a disordered psyche induced by the socio-political, economic and cultural realities prevalent in postcolonial Nigeria. This study recommends that women empowerment and sustainable developmental policy implementation can help to curtail the psycho-emotional realities that are capable of misleading young Nigerian women.
CHINYERE OTUU EGBUTA & IRO ANYA LEKWA
DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS: QUANTIFYING THE VALUE OF YOUR DATA
Due to invention of newer and complicated technologies in the 21st century there is need to guard your data as every data has priceless value. Every vital information is a potential target as every data is of premium value to an attacker. Protection of personal data and privacy is the key to preventing online attacks and frauds. This paper takes a cursory look into personal data, Laws on Data and Privacy, the conceptions and misconceptions of uploading our daily lives online, including means of leaving snippets of our personal information online for cyber attackers. Digital footprint which is a trail of data you create while using the Internet adds to an individual’s online repute and can be accessed by corporations with no affiliations or correlations with the individual. In other to ensure data security, Mobile Banking Apps should integrate Two-Step Verification (2SV) and Two-Step Verification or Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) should be designed for additional online security.
NNUBIA NANCY OGBUEFI
LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL VITALITY: AN EXAMINATION OF ‘ALEKWU’ IN CRIME CONTROL AMONG OROKAM PEOPLE OF BENUE STATE
Language is an indispensable tool for societal development; it gives human beings a sense of identity. It is also a vehicle through which cultural identity is transmitted; hence, language and culture are inseparable. Crime is a devaluation of societal norms and traditions. As people and cultures differ, so also are the divergences in criminality associated with the different cultures. Crime is an integral part of a society; it permeates every sector of a community. Orokam – an autonomous community in the present-day Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State – is not an exception. Orokam community highly upholds ‘Alekwu’ spirit which is believed to be an ancestral deity used to checkmate crime among the people. Alekwu, being the assemblage of the spirits of the ancestors or progenitors in Orokam, is highly revered for it ensures that peace, justice and fairness reign in the community. However, Alekwu is dreadful for it controls criminal activities among the indigenous people of Orokam. Enough awareness about its functions has not been known to both natives and non-natives of Orokam. This paper identifies and examines the activities of Alekwu in crime control. It also examines when, where and how Alekwu operates, and who are the victims of Alekwu as well as why they are victims. The descriptive research method was employed in the analysis. This paper equally x-rays the pedagogic relevance of this study to English as a Second Language (ESL) practitioners.
AKOGWU JAMES ABAH, SEGUN GODWIN LAMIDI & LAMANA MATTHEW GBAAIKYO
THE AWAKENING WOMAN AS A MODEL OF RESISTANCE IN NERVOUSCONDITIONS BY TSITSI DANGAREMBGA
African writers have utilized fiction as a mirror to reflect prevalent cultures in our society that enforce the indignities meted out to women, denying them agency of their body and how women resist such oppression. This study focuses on Tsitsi Dangarembga’s illustration of gender relations, gender violence and the awakening of women in Nervous Conditions. In particular, the study considers how literary representation of gender violence reveals a connection to the gendered ordering of our society regardless of the female character’s position on the socio-economic ladder. This paper uses feminist theory to enrich the literary analysis of the selected texts, drawing on the tenets of ending undue discrimination and victimization of women in cultures underpinned by patriarchal ideologies. Consequently, the study suggests that the brutal instances of gender violence and the reaction of women to them are merely extreme manifestations of discursive and structural gender oppression that shapes every aspect of the female characters’ lives.
LYDIA CHINASA UME
TRAFFICKING AND HUMAN DIGNITY: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF AKACHI ADIMORA-EZEIGBO’S TRAFFICKED
Human trafficking for commercial sex exploitation is a heinous crime against humanity. This modern-day slavery is particularly targeted at women and children and constitutes a greater percentage of the fastest growing criminal industry in the world today. The trafficked victims are often seen as mere chattels and are therefore objectified and treated as merchandise. They are deceived, drugged, coerced or even kidnapped before being trafficked. This study, however, critically analyzes Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s Trafficked and examines the ingrained social injustice in Nigeria and how the writer projects the image of the dehumanized woman. Using feminist and post-colonial theory, it gives an understanding of how systems of social inequality are created and sustained. It argues that the new wave of migration and the growing commodification of the female body sustain the increase in trafficking for sexual exploitation. Findings from this research further reveal that poverty, social inequality, exclusion, gender discrimination and power imbalance culminate in the increased vulnerability of these victims. The research identifies the causes of human trafficking and categorically states that it is an affront to human values and contrary to the principles of freedom and human dignity. It equally reinstates that the protection of humans particularly children and women from trafficking must be placed in the broader context of the promotion and protection of human rights. And in order to combat and eradicate this epidemic and social injustice, this paper concludes that state legislation with stiff penalties that criminalize this nefarious and barbaric act must be institutionalized.
EMMANUELA UZOMA ASADU & VICTOR CHINEDU ASADU
POLITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF RHETORIC IN HATE SPEECHES IN NIGERIA
Hate speech is a prevalent phenomenon in Nigerian politics. As an aspect of political discourses, political actors engage in hateful discourses in order to showcase political and cultural sanctity. This paper examines rhetoric in hate speeches in Nigeria through the analytical lens of Van Dijk’s political discourse analysis. Data for the study were obtained from Nigerian online media and Twitter. The study reveals that hate speeches in Nigeria follow the repetition, addition, deletion and substitution rhetorical components of Van Dijk’s political discourse analysis. From the analysis, it was revealed that certain words were repeated as a means of emphasising out-group’s negative deeds as seen in Hate Speech 5 (HS5) and HS8. As a means of de-emphasising the in-group’s bad deeds, certain words were deleted for partisan reasons (HS4, HS13) whereas metaphors (HS3, HS5, HS6, HS10, HS11) with negative semantic imports serve as substitutes when describing the out-group. The study concludes that by over-emphasing the deficiencies of out-group members through the rhetorical device of repetition, ethnic tensions are entrenched and the hope of peaceful co-existence vanishes into thin air.
SOPURUCHI CHRISTIAN ABOH, VIVIAN NKECHINYERE ONUOHA & ONWUKA NCHEGE KALU
ENHANCING CLOUD COMPUTING SECURITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY USING ADVANCED WEB TECHNOLOGIES
Cloud computing is gradually replacing normal standalone computing. Almost all data processing today are done online with the assistance of cloud computing. Cloud computing offers numerous advantages to organizations such as cost savings, flexibility in capacity, time savings and effective use of computing resources, yet these focal points are most likely going to be undermined by the failure to ensure appropriate data security. There is urgent need to enhance data security since information kept online are prone to hacking especially in this digital age that cybercrimes is constantly on the increase. This project is aimed at enhancing cloud computing security using advanced web technologies. To achieve this, existing cloud computing security mechanism and technologies will be adopted. A model called CloudX was developed in this research work to handle web security. CloudX is a cloud-based security system that encrypts file paths, locks files and directories. Quick response code (QR) which is a form of authentication will be used to grant access to the cloud to curtail the breaches by unauthorized users. A user does not only need username and password before accessing his/her files. Identity management and authentication is a critical step towards securing the securing sensitive data in the cloud. Two different encryption algorithms; Attribute-based encryption (ABE), and advanced encryption standard (AES) will be utilized to build up the model to enhance these security flaws in the cloud. Each encryption algorithm has its pros and cons over the other in the role of data security. Several web development technologies were employed in the development of this software. They include: HTML5, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, AJAX and MySQL. Security and privacy being the two major factor that inhibits the growth of cloud computing were able to be enhanced through CloudX.
MODESTA EZEMA & NWAFOR CHRISTIAN IZUCHUKWU
“PURPLE” AS A SYMBOLIC COLOUR OF ACTIVIST RESPONSIVENESS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF TEXTUAL POLITICS IN ADICHIE’S PURPLE HIBISCUS
Owing to the disruption of colonization, there emerged a superfluity of literary productions from the erstwhile colonies that outperformed the worth of the Eurocentric paradigms. Among such emergent English literatures from the former colonies, African literature has an undeniable status of commendable creative imprint. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a prominent Nigerian writer par excellence who has established a sought-after place in literary world, more with the definite politics that she initiates than for her resourceful capability. Her unveiling novel Purple Hibiscus portrays the Nigerian societal life with flawless clarity, a traditionalized spiteful order of life where the position of woman is inevitably subjugated and silenced. The protagonist character Kambili, a girl of subdued disposition, functions as a representative of Nigerian womanhood. African feminism is an attempt to include the gushes of African women in its theoretical proclivity. Adichie follows the traditions in Purple Hibiscus, as is put forward by various scholars and contributors to African feminism.
OLUCHI CHRIS OKEUGO
CAUSES OF EXAMINATION DISHONESTY BY CONSUMERS OF POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION IN ENUGU, NIGERIA
This study evaluates the causes of examination dishonesty by consumers of post-primary education in Enugu, Nigeria. The consumers’ actions and inactions have implications for educational development in any nation. The study objective was to ascertain the causes of examination dishonesty among consumers of post-primary education in Enugu, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Examiners of external and internal examinations in post-primary schools in Enugu, Nigeria were the target population for the study. A sample size of 246 was chosen from this population. A structured questionnaire was the instrument for data collection, while the t-test was used for the hypothesis test at 5% level of significance. The hypothesis test reveals that inadequate preparation, environmental influence and poor infrastructure in schools are the significant causes of examination dishonesty among consumers of post-primary education in Enugu, Nigeria (tcal = 3.262, P = 0.031 < 0.05). Following the finding, the study concludes that examination dishonesty among consumers of educational services in Enugu, Nigeria are caused by a combination of personal attributes of the consumers and group/societal influences.
RALUCHUKWU IFEOMA IFEDIORA & CHUKA UZOMA IFEDIORA
IGBO CULTURAL VALUES: THE ISSUE OF GLOBALIZATION
Globalization has been an issue in developing countries, of which Igbo people are no exception. This issue of globalization has created a lot of misconception in the mind of the populace. Western norms and practices are gradually being transported across the globe as the acceptable way of behaviour. This phenomenon has had its positive and negative impacts since its inception. Igbo cultural values have been relegated to the background through the impacts of globalization. The Igbo seem to be fighting colonialism but have identified themselves most intimately along with all the other ethnic groups in Nigeria with the culture of the white man they have been fighting due to globalization. These call for an immediate cultural revival in Igbo land. This paper will attempt to examine the extent globalization has affected the cultural identity of Igbo people.
JOY NNEKA UCHENYE EJIKEME
“THE FORGOTTEN TREASURE IN THE MIDST OF WANTS”: AN ASSESSMENT OF IGBARIAM FARM SETTLEMENT SCHEME IN EASTERN NIGERIA, 1961 – 1979
The 1946 constitution of Nigeria was the first to regionalize political power in Nigeria, followed by the 1951and 1954 constitutions; the later deepened the forms and shape of regional government in Nigeria. It was also the constitution that systematized the revenue system thus making derivative principle the cardinal revenue allocation format for the three regions. This economic principle spurred the colonial government to modify her agricultural policies as well as the regional governments of Nigeria at independence for a ‘sustainable and reliable economy.’ The Eastern regional government under Dr. M.I. Okpara inspired by the Israeli Moshavim Farm Settlement Scheme, pioneered the establishment of farm settlements in Abak, Erei, Boki, Igbariam, Ohaji, Ulonna and Uzo-Uwani areas of the region. These farm settlements were to stem rural-urban migrations, generate revenue, curb social vices and create employment opportunities. Sadly, the huge expectations its establishment raised were dashed following the horrendous Nigeria-Biafra Civil War and official neglect after the war as a result of the oil bloom of the 1970s and the systematic and total reliance on oil by successive governments. There appears to be lack of enthusiasm among scholars’, leaders and governments in the Region to push for the revival of the Farm Settlements across the Region and the rest of Nigeria. Ironically, scholars have neglected this area of scholarship over time thus making extant literature scarce. This work hopes to fill this obvious gap in historical knowledge by reappraising the achievements and challenges of Igbariam Farm Settlement between 1961-1979. Using archival sources for the interpretation of the study area, newspapers, journals, personal diaries and other extant secondary sources, the research suggests a reappraisal of Igbariam Farm Settlement Scheme in the defunct Eastern Nigeria. In this regard, qualitative and quantitative methodology will be used in the course of the interpretation of results. The theory of individual/opportunity nexus and population theory will be employed to ascertain which of the two will be dominant in the study as regards to the present economic situation in the country.
ISIANI MATHIAS CHUKWUDI & UCHE AUGUSTINE IGWE
MOOD AND MODALITY IN PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI’S 2020 NEW YEAR LETTER TO HIS COMPATRIOTS
President Buhari’s New Year letter is yet to be dissected, probably, due to its currency. His previous political speeches have been generating interests among critics. The present study is meant to contribute to this growing interest. The aim of the present study is to interrogate the deployment of the choices of mood and modalities in constructing interpersonal relationships in his letter. To achieve this aim, the analysis was placed under the crucible of Halliday’s Mood and Modality Theory (2001). Data was collected through a random sampling method from Voice of Nigeria Online Newspaper (2020). The data sampled for analysis were extracted from nine out of a total of twenty-two paragraphs: each three paragraphs were extracted from the beginning, middle and end. The reason was to account for even distribution of data. The research design of quantitative analysis was adopted to account for the frequency of occurrence. Descriptive method of analysis was adopted to account for the interpersonal meanings negotiated in the letter. The results showed that President Buhari deployed declaratives (97.9%), imperatives (2.1%); the ‘will’ modal (80%), can (15%) and shall (5%). We conclude that the varied use of these linguistic elements have implicature for different interpersonal meanings. Key words: Discourse Analysis, mood, modality, New Year speech, and political discourse
IFEYINWA DAVID-OJUKWU GOODLUCK KADIRI & FLORENCE O. ORABUEZE
AFRICAN AESTHETICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY IN TANUREOJAIDE’S POEMS
Critics such as Charles Nnolim have contended that defining African aesthetics is problematic because African literature is perceived by the world as new and still developing. Nevertheless, Achebe and others insists on African literature as art that is meant to correct the misrepresentation of Africans by Europeans and the rest of the world. It is against this backdrop that this study examines African aesthetics in Tanure Ojaide’s poems. Foregrounding of the meaning of African aesthetics, this study demonstrates Ojaide’s use of poetic justice to portray African art as a utilitarian tool. In this study, we find that African aesthetics such as the worship of gods, the condemnation of bad governance and warnings of environmental degradation of the Niger-Delta area features prominently in the folklores and poems by Ojaide. As a result, Ojaide’s use of traditional African aesthetics in his poems draws the world’s attention to the deplorable situation of the Niger-Delta as he further advocates for justice on behalf of his people.
LINDA JUMMAI MUSTAFA & JOSHUA USMAN
COGNITIVE SEMANTICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE TERMS IN SELECTED NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES
The paper examines the cognitive semantics of lexical units in the Tiv and Igbo languages using survey design.. The findings show that indigenous languages lack adequate terms for abstracts and highly scientific related scenes or objects unlike the source language. The Igbo uses more of descriptive forms in representing lexical units unlike Tiv. However, the Tiv lexicon has an optional parameter in the formation of lexical units for most technical scenes. Finding also shows that both languages share some level of similarities in morpho-semantic and cognitive arguments on related scenarios. The Schematic analysis shows that to understand the semantics of climate change in indigenous languages; one requires further investigation into the cognitive nature of the climate science and frames to be able to integrate meaning in indigenous languages. The paper recommends for further researches in other indigenous languages so that they can play invaluable roles in climate change discourse.
DAVID TARHOM WAYAS
INFLUENCE OF CRIMINAL AND VIOLENT MINDED INTERESTS ON NIGERIAN TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS: THE QUESTION OF MORALITY IN A POPULOUS RELIGIOUS SOCIETY
Criminality and violence appear to be globalized world issues in the 21st century. In the Nigeria context, occurrence of crimes and violence has risen to an alarming degree. With the young and old in various functional capacities in Nigeria becoming embodiments of crime and violence, it would seem proper to classify the two phenomena as entrenched culture in contemporary Nigerian social experience. This research aims at exploring the negative effects of allowing criminal and violent minded interests to pollute Nigerian traditional institutions. In the same breath, it explores the unfortunate paradox of increasing level of immorality in a populous highly religious country like Nigeria. The paper then recommends that traditional institutions should be protected against criminals and violent-minded individuals, among other things. Materials for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Historical method of research was adopted. Data collected were analyzed with phenomenological and descriptive style of data analysis.
EMMANUEL IKENNA OKAFOR
THE DISPOSSESSED IN A. N. AKWANYA’S PILGRIM FOOT: A COLLECTION OF POEMS
The poetic collection, Pilgrim Foot: A Collection of Poems, was published by Rev. Fr Prof. A. N. Akwanya in 2005 to mark the silver jubilee of his priestly ordination. It is a ninety-three-paged work divided into six parts with a total of forty-one poems. This research seeks to unveil the fact that the journey of the pilgrim, which is an allusion to the Biblical journey of the three wise men to Bethlehem in order to witness the birth of the savior, Jesus Christ, is not the same. Ironically, the journey of the present pilgrim, who is the speaking voice in the poems, does not take the reader into a holy land but into the heart of a failed state and a dysfunctional family which is made possible as a result of failed leadership. The voice unveils to the reader a panorama and a plethora of dispossessed human beings that inhabit the state and the family systems. This study shall also examine the literary language with which the poet clothes and foregrounds his thematic preoccupation with the issue of dispossession, using nineteen poems randomly chosen from the six parts that the poetic collection is made of.
F. O. ORABUEZE
PLURALISATION STRATEGIES IN THE URHOBO LANGUAGE
This work examines plural markers in Ùrhòbò. The specific objectives are to identify plural markers in Ùrhòbò and to examine how plural nouns, pronouns, adjectives and plural compound nouns are formed considering their positions. This study adopts the descriptive approach in analysing data. Concerning data collection, the study used introspection to generate data for analysis. This work identifies four plural markers in Ùrhòbò. These include: vowel mutation, zero morpheme marker, cardinal number marker and post nominal marker. The identified markers occur as affixes and free morphemes in the language and they bring about change at the initial position of the word. The study further reveals that plural formation in Ùrhòbò is done by changing the initial vowel of the lexical item, mostly nouns and pronouns in the singular form to plural in Ùrhòbò. The finding also reveals that prefixes at initial position change to form plurality in Ùrhòbò. Some words in Ùrhòbò do not change both in singular and plural form (zero morpheme markers).The study proves that the plural morpheme of Urhobo is basically /e/ or /i/ and it is phonologically conditioned by the vowel harmony rule of the language. Thus, all + ATR vowel occupying word initial position in a noun changes to /e/ in their plural form. In describing a small or little quantity, the prefix ‘emera’ is used while the process of describing large quantity ‘plenty or much’, a suffix /buebu/ is used. The essence of plurality in Ùrhòbò is to show that a lexical item can appear more than one. The study encourages further researches on other aspects of Urhobo morphology as this work only looks at an aspect of inflectional morphology in Urhobo.