Bokkos Journal of Humanities Research (BOJOHRE)
Bokkos Journal of Humanities Research (BOJOHRE) is an annual publication of the Faculty of Arts, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Email : bojohre@plasu.edu.ng
INTERROGATING MASCULINITY IN FEMINIST FICTION: A STUDY OF MALE REPRESENTATION IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S DREAM COUNT (2025)
Feminist writers and critics have consistently engaged with and condemned toxic masculinity, a theme frequently reinforced through the character sketches of the male figures and their devastating behavioural effects on women. The general contention in most feminist discourse is that man is the archenemy of woman, a binary opposition that has generated an unending debate in gender studies. Unarguably, we live in a world that valorises patriarchy, where men's perspectives typically dominate. However, Adichie’s men particularly in Dream Count (2025) are primarily depicted through the restricted lens of the female characters, creating a single-narrative fixated on masculine flaws. This study adopts a qualitative methodology, drawing on Afro feminisms as its theoretical framework, to examine masculinity and the portrayal of male characters in Chimamanda Adichie’s Dream Count (2025). The study agrees that men exhibit the full spectrum of masculine toxicity, but also contends that feminist writers are more preoccupied with the castration of men rather than redeeming masculinity. The study concludes that the onus of gender reconstruction must be shared through intentional, localised efforts. It calls for a conscious intervention by women principalities who are strategically in a position to re-socialise their sons, brothers, nephews, and cousins by instilling new, equitable values during the foundational stages of gender construction.
OLUWATOYIN, Adam Olamilekan OLUWATOYIN, Adam Olamilekan
Copyright (c) 2026 Bokkos Journal of Humanities Research (BOJOHRE)
AN ANALYSIS OF STYLISTIC DEVICES IN HEBA FOLK COMIC BALLAD
A ballad is one of the oldest forms of oral poetry found in many cultures in Nigeria. It is one of the categories of Hǝba folksongs that have survived. Though the ballad selected for this study has been documented, the sociocultural experiences embodied in it need to be understood. Therefore, this study analyses the song with a view to uncover how the performer’s choice of language contributes to the meaning of the overall content and the effects created. Being a secondary and non-numerical data, textual analytical method with a qualitative approach was adopted. The analysis was hinged on the formalist stylistic model in order to focus on the text and its effects on the readers. The results showed that the setting of the ballad is an ancient town in Hǝba community which is depicted in the opening stanza. The plot of folksong is propelled through four characters. The sequencing and progressing of the story from the beginning, to the climax and the resolution are clear and straight forward. The analysis also revealed that the use of simple vocabulary and syntactic structures enhanced clarity and the narrative pace of the folksong. Poetic devices employed to convey meanings and create desired effects include: simile, repetition, parallelism, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, imagery and ideophones.
Cletus Emmanuel Sharndamas Cletus Emmanuel Sharndamas
MEDIA REPORTAGE AND THE PROMOTION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA’S DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMMEDIA REPORTAGE
This paper elucidates how to promote good governance through quality media reportage, separation of power, intra-party democracy and quality representation as the tripod upon which a progressive democracy stands. The paper a conceptualization of these terms, the lessons for Nigeria and the way forward. It adopts the development media theory to give the work a theoretical base. The study concluded that good welfare package, effective training of journalists, and the use of modern investigative techniques could go a long way in helping the media play its role in promoting collegiality in governance in Nigeria. It is recommended that the mass media be socially and politically responsible in reporting government related issues to promote good governance in Nigeria.
THE RISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON HUMAN CAPACITIES
The accelerating development and diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have generated intense scholarly and public debate regarding their implications for human capacities. While some scholars argue that AI enhances human productivity, cognition, and creativity, others contend that it contributes to cognitive atrophy, diminished critical thinking, and weakened social interaction. Using qualitative method and deep content analysis, this paper critically interrogates the cognitive decline thesis by examining whether AI is genuinely eroding human capacities or merely transforming them within evolving socio-technical systems. Moving beyond dominant Western epistemological frameworks, the study incorporates African and Nigerian philosophical perspectives to reconceptualize intelligence, personhood, and knowledge production. Drawing on relational ontology, communal epistemology, extended mind theory, and decolonial thought, the paper argues that the impact of AI is culturally mediated and context dependent. Rather than a straightforward decline, AI engenders a reconfiguration of human capacities, redistributing cognitive functions while amplifying certain forms of intelligence. However, real risks persist, including over-reliance, ethical disengagement, epistemic marginalization, and socio-economic inequality. The paper concludes by advocating for a human-centered, culturally grounded, and ethically informed approach to AI integration in human activities.
Gonsum Christopher Longji Gonsum Christopher Longji
AFRICAN MIGRATION PANACEA AND THE INTEGRATION OF NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA SINCE 1994
For over a century, cross border movement of people has been ongoing between Nigeria and South Africa. The study adopts document analysis to investigate migration between Nigerians and South Africans. The study relied on oral interviews of former exiled South Africans, and former members of the National Action Against Apartheid, Newspaper reports, archival sources and written literature. The study found that Nigerians started immigrating to South Africa as early as 1905, and South African white Missionaries from the Dutch Reformed Church came to Nigeria in 1907, on the invitation of the Sudan United Mission, for evangelical work. It also found that the missionaries from South Africa were assigned the Benue region of Nigeria for missionary evangelical work. Additionally, the study established that Nigeria spent its resources in the fight against apartheid. In doing that, Nigeria did not only engage apartheid South Africa alone but used the instrument of diplomatic relation in canvassing support on the international scale through the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the formation of the OAU which was largely funded by the Nigerian government. This study argues that although the migration phenomenon existed for over a century, the two countries are still unable to integrate for positive gains. Although the instrument of power lies in the hands of the black majority, the economy is still largely controlled by the white minority South Africans. This paper discusses the possibility of South Africa and Nigeria championing the possibility of economic and political integration of the two countries and argues that migration can be an instrument for uniting the entire Africa if the proper policies are put in place. The study concludes that rather than engaging in the Afro-phobic attacks against fellow Africans in South Africa, the panacea for Africa unity lies in the integration of the two countries.
Longmam Geoffrey Pienswang Longmam Geoffrey Pienswang
DECONSTRUCTING “THE LAND IS GREEN”: AN EXAMINATION OFECOLOGICAL DISCOURSES IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
The relationship between language and the environment has received prominence in recent times across the globe for obvious reason of the threat to mankind caused by the activities of man on the ecology. The environment is threatened because of the quest to industrialize and harmful practices in the environment which destabilize the ecology. The clear and present danger has raised awareness on the need for nations and peoples in the whole wide world by environmental campaigning organizations to beware of the looming threats to our planet. Ecolinguists have joined in raising awareness over the threats to ecology, thereby raising the bar for a global action in order to save planet earth. This study attempts to appraise the ecological awareness campaigns put in place by the Plateau State government in conserving the environment. News reports, campaigns, and public discourses can influence the thinking of citizens and thereby serve to correct harmful practices. This study uses Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to highlight the relationship that exists between language and ecology and as language use can affect the ecology. Moreover, SFL contains tools for Marxist practical and analytical tools to explore ecological discourses. Therefore, using Marxist ecological concept as the ecosophy, we adopt the analytical tools of cohesion and appraisal of SFL to analyze the language features in some news reports selected from The Nigeria Standard newspaper on the environment in Plateau State. The analysis will show how the Marxist ecological concept is publicized and how it influences citizens’ ecological awareness through language.
THE INTERSECTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY ON HUMANS, LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND COMMUNICATION
This study aims to offer a thorough review of the advancements of technology, focusing particularly on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI). on humans, language processing and communication. The rise of AI – powered language technologies, has propelled the advancements towards widespread acceptance, integrating them into daily communication and professional routines. This transformation holds significant implications for social interactions and knowledge dissemination. Also, importantly are the social dimensions, underlying the dispersion of technical solutions for maintaining a stable environment. However, the dominance of these technologies poses great dangers in most aspects of human life. The dominance of these technologies not only limit information access in language processing and communication but also risk promoting idleness, indolence, joblessness, biases, social surveillances, stagnating individual skills, intellect, originality and creativity to be dexterous. This study operates on “Linguistic Co-evolution,” which posits that as humans increasingly rely on AI to process, edit, and generate language, the feedback loop between human intent and machine output creates a synergistic shift in language evolution. Employing a multidisciplinary framework, this research integrates computational linguistics, sociolinguistics analysis, and behavioral experiments. The study employs mixed methods to examine the intersection of AI on human language and communication. Data collected from secondary sources are analyzed using content analysis. The method involves reviewing and interpreting existing literature to identify major themes, patterns, benefits, challenges, and ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence and human language processing. The findings are presented in a systematic and explanatory manner. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the overt reliance on AI-generated responses creates a “credibility paradox” where the benefits of efficiency are undermined by social distrust when the use of AI is perceived as a barrier to authentic engagement. While AI serves as a powerful facilitator of information exchange, it simultaneously imposes a computational logic upon social interactions that may erode the messier, yet vital, aspects of human nuance. Future policy and design must focus on “Human-Centric AI Design,” which preserves cognitive agency and linguistic variety, ensuring that AI enhances, rather than replaces, the complexity of human connection.
Mercy Timothy Yerima Mercy Timothy Yerima
RELIGION, CULTURE, AND WOMEN'S POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT:A STUDY OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICSIN NORTHERN NIGERIA
Women's political participation in Northern Nigeria remains constrained by the intersecting forces of religious authority and cultural normativity, yet the precise mechanisms through which these forces operate across diverse forms of civic engagement remain inadequately theorized and empirically under-examined. This study investigates how Islamic religious discourse and patriarchal cultural norms shape, restrict, and, in specific contexts, facilitate women's political engagement in Northern Nigeria, with particular attention to participatory pathways beyond formal electoral candidacy. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study draws on sixty in-depth interviews with women political activists, religious leaders, and community elders, as well as twelve focus-group discussions conducted with women's organizations, youth groups, and mixed-gender community associations across urban and rural settings in three purposively selected states. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, guided by feminist political theory, social norms theory, and constructivist approaches to religion and political behaviour. Findings reveal that religious institutions function not as monolithic barriers but as contingent forces whose enabling or constraining effects depend on doctrinal framing, clerical leadership orientation, and the degree to which women's participation is rhetorically anchored in Islamic values of justice ('adl), communal welfare (maslaha), and public service. Cultural norms similarly operate as dual structures: while they restrict women's candidacy and formal leadership through patriarchal household arrangements and gendered spatial norms, kinship networks, women's associations, and faith-based community organizations provide informal yet consequential platforms for voter education, mobilization, and policy advocacy. The study contributes to theories of gender and democratization in sub-Saharan Africa by demonstrating that women's political agency is contingent, negotiated, and context-specific shaped by the interaction of education, economic autonomy, social networks, and interpretive religious leadership. These findings challenge monolithic framings of religion and culture as static barriers and offer evidence-based recommendations for faith-sensitive, locally adapted governance reforms.
Kayode Stephen Olaiya Kayode Stephen Olaiya
LINGUISTIC STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LINGUISTIC STUDIES: A STUDY OF GOMBE STATE UNIVERSITY, NIGERIA
This study examines the perception of linguistics studies in higher education with specific focus on Gombe State University (GSU), Nigeria, in order to determine whether the programme is perceived as progressive or deprogressive by students. Linguistics plays a vital role in understanding language structure, communication, culture, and social interaction, especially in a multilingual society like Nigeria. Despite its importance, concerns remain regarding students’ perceptions, relevance of the curriculum, and future career prospects associated with linguistics studies. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and employed a structured interview as the main instrument for data collection. A purposive sampling technique was used to select twenty undergraduate students from the department of languages and linguistics across 100 to 400 levels. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis, guided by Tyler’s Objective-Based Evaluation framework, which focuses on evaluating educational programmes based on their objectives, learning experiences, organisation, and outcomes. Findings from the study reveal mixed perceptions among students. While a majority of respondents view linguistics studies at GSU as progressive due to exposure to analytical skills, applied linguistics, and interdisciplinary opportunities, some students perceive the programme as deprogressive, citing challenges such as difficult course content, limited practical exposure, and unclear career pathways. The study also shows that senior students (300–400 level) tend to have more positive perceptions compared to junior students, largely due to increased academic exposure and understanding of applied areas of linguistics. The study concludes that linguistics studies at GSU show signs of progress but still require improvement to enhance relevance, student motivation, and employability. It therefore recommends increased practical-oriented teaching, better career orientation, and stronger integration of interdisciplinary and applied linguistics components to strengthen the programme and improve students’ perceptions.
Abdullahi Usman Garko Abdullahi Usman Garko
EXPLORING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND TRADITIONS THROUGH COSTUME AND MAKEUP: UNPACKING THE NZEM BEROM FESTIVAL
This research work investigates the significance of traditional costumes in the Nzem Berom festival as a representation of Berom cultural identity. The research explores how these costumes embody symbolic meanings, differentiate the Berom people from other ethnic groups in Nigeria, and preserve Berom heritage and traditions. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentary analysis. Data collection took place in Jos South metropolis, Plateau State, Nigeria, among Berom community members, elders, and festival participants. Findings reveal that traditional costumes worn during the Nzem Berom festival are imbued with symbolic meanings reflecting Berom history, mythology, and cultural values. These costumes distinguish the Berom people from other ethnic groups, highlighting their unique cultural practices and traditions. Moreover, costumes play a pivotal role in preserving Berom heritage and traditions. However, concerns surrounding commodification, commercialization, gender dynamics, sustainability, and inclusivity threaten the cultural significance of costumes. Addressing these challenges is crucial to preserving Berom cultural heritage. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on cultural identity, traditional costumes, and festival studies. Its findings provide valuable insights for cultural practitioners, policymakers, and researchers seeking to understand complex relationships between culture, identity, and tradition.
Danbello Ibrahim Ahmadu Danbello Ibrahim Ahmadu
Pamfey Stella Nerrat Pamfey Stella Nerrat
DISAMBIGUATION OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A STUDY OF POLITICS TODAY ON CHANNELS TELEVISION
This study examines ambiguity in Nigerian political interviews, focusing on Channels Television's "Politics Today" program. It uses a qualitative approach based on discourse analysis to examine how ambiguity is introduced, addressed, and disambiguated in televised political discourse. The theoretical framework is grounded in a socio-pragmatics approach, incorporating theories of disambiguation, audience interpretation, and rhetorical framing to examine how ambiguators and disambiguators operate in televised political discourse. The data include seven recorded episodes, broadcast between February 17 and 24, 2025, transcribed verbatim and anonymised for analysis. The research identifies functions and strategies through discourse analytical coding, which identifies the roles of both interviewer and interviewees. The study found clarifying questions, contextual references, emotional appeals, and rhetorical questions, which promote specificity and accountability as interviewer’s strategies while interviewees, were found to use ambiguity to avoid concrete commitments, preserve party unity, and manage public perception, often through vague or emotionally charged statements. The study concluded that while disambiguation can increase clarity and commitment, it also has manipulative potential. This study contributes to theories of political communication and have implications for media literacy and governance in Nigeria.
Wulashik Lucius Dafaan Wulashik Lucius Dafaan
Wakkai Hosanna Husseini Wakkai Hosanna Husseini
THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSOS) AND POLITICAL PARTIES IN SAFEGUARDING CIVIL BEHAVIOR DURING ELECTIONS IN PLATEAU STATE
Elections are fundamental to democratic governance, but their credibility and peaceful conduct largely depend on the behaviour of political actors and citizens throughout the electoral process. In Plateau State, Nigeria, electoral periods have often been characterized by tension, hate speech, voter intimidation, political violence, and other forms of uncivil behaviour that threatens democratic stability and social cohesion. This article examines the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and political parties in safeguarding civil behaviour during elections in Plateau State. The paper explores how CSOs contribute through voter education, election monitoring, advocacy for peaceful participation, conflict prevention, and the promotion of democratic values, while political parties are assessed based on their responsibility in candidate selection, issue-based campaigns, adherence to electoral rules, and discouragement of violence among supporters. Using a qualitative approach based on secondary sources, including scholarly articles, policy documents, electoral reports, and media publications, the study analyses the extent to which these actors influence electoral civility and the electoral processes in Plateau. The findings reveal that while CSOs have made significant contributions toward promoting peaceful elections and civic responsibility, political parties often undermine these efforts through inflammatory rhetoric, electoral malpractice, and weak internal democratic practices. The study concludes that strengthening collaboration between CSOs, political parties, electoral institutions, and security agencies is essential for sustaining peaceful and credible elections in Plateau State. It recommends stronger enforcement of electoral laws, increased civic education, institutional support for CSOs, and greater party accountability to enhance democratic culture and civil electoral behaviour.
Kwopnan Ibrahim Bulus Kwopnan Ibrahim Bulus
Judith Gampimwa Bulus Judith Gampimwa Bulus
Akuandna, Iliya Felix Akuandna, Iliya Felix
COMMUNITY STORYTELLING NETWORK AND ENGAGEMENT FOR PROMOTING STRONG RESILIENT AGENCY AGAINST CONFLICT IN JOS, NIGERIA
The study examines the dynamics of communication infrastructure in communities that have experienced conflict. It explores how people come together during conflict to form a strong force through enhanced coordination, foster trust and mitigate or escalate conflict. This aims at using the communication infrastructure theory that attributes the power of a community to solve its problems. The theory advocates the use of the available communication resources at its disposal and explores how communication networks within communities influence civic engagement, social cohesion and community resilience. This study proposes that a well-developed communication infrastructure can significantly enhance the ability of communities to address social issues, including conflict and can be a strong force that can aid in the escalation of conflict. Qualitative research design was employed, 8 semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions with residents in Dadin Kowa and Gyel communities of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. Findings show that residents’ strong engagement in community storytelling creates strong, resilient agency through the formation of community vigilante groups, which serve as a watchdog against external forces in case of a breakout of violent conflicts.
THE ALGORITHMIC TRAP OF SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF DEEP DIVE JOURNALISM IN NIGERIA
The digital age has advanced the relay of information on digital platforms, although with some attendant implications on journalism practice. The penchant for engagement on social media platforms appears to have marginalized professional news with journalistic perspectives that gives media audiences’ immersive experiences. This has resulted in placing undue pressure on digital journalists to meet up with engagement demands of the social media at the detriment of professionalism. The research was set out to exact how social media algorithms and content affect the journalistic values of news content on social media handles in Nigeria’s digital space. The research took its theoretical standpoint from the spiral of silence theory and the mediatisation theory of the mass media. The study was anchored on the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. The review and discussions of the research revealed that the flow of journalists’ prowess is experiencing less visibility on the social media, in addition to the fact that social media algorithms are heavily anchored on engagements. The discussions also revealed that editorial integrity on social media is blurred, due to the value placed on sensationalism over context on social media algorithms. The discussion further revealed that media audiences who look out for deep dive journalistic experiences are often demoralized when social media narratives trigger their emotions with summarized news stories. The research recommended that the deployment of signature journalism, the integration of multimedia elements and the use of AI technology for the enhancement of visibility for deep dive digital experiences could serve to breach the algorithmic trap.
THE TASK OF LITERARY THEORY: SMALL SCALE ANALYSIS OR UNIVERSAL GENERALIZATIONS?
This article examines the two long-existing contending positions in the task of Literary Theory: whether it should restrict itself to the analysis of specific objects or go beyond that by providing universal generalisations that focus on large scale projects. Having examined various views of scholars, writers and researchers and critics, like Arnold, Richards, Waugh and Bressler, the paper traces the root of literary theory and is able to identify some connections between the two arguments. The study finds that both approaches play significant roles within the contexts they are placed. Both ways are aimed at providing, promoting and upholding the value and relevance of literary theory in particular and the world at large to a greater height. Therefore, the study concludes that both approaches should be used where necessary as there is a contentious relationship between the two that unveils conceptual and empirical yardsticks for analysis. Doing away with one could create an aporia that may lead to the return of the repressed.
FEMINIST DISABILITY NARRATIVES AND THE SILENCED SUFFERING OF INVISIBLE CAREGIVERS IN OLA ROTIMI’S HOPE OF THE LIVING DEAD
Critical scholarship on Ola Rotimi’s Hope of the Living Dead (1988) has thoroughly examined the play’s representation of leprosy, the political agency of disabled characters, and the intersections of ableism with postcolonial governance. Despite this rich body of work, one group remains conspicuously absent from scholarly attention: the female caregivers whose unacknowledged labour sustains the institutionalised lepers and makes their collective resistance possible. This article addresses that critical silence by mobilising Feminist Disability Studies (FDS) as a theoretical lens, enriched by African feminist perspectives on care and social reproduction. Through close textual analysis informed by feminist care ethics, existing scholarship on invisible labour, and original quantitative analysis of speaking turns and stage time, the study examines how female characters-Hannah, Mama Musi, the Hospital Matron, and others-endure what the article distinguishes as diegetic silence (limited speech within the playworld), narrative silence (the text’s refusal to represent interiority), and critical silence (scholarship’s failure to attend). The findings demonstrate that these women perform not only physical and emotional care but also essential political and organisational labour, including mediation, translation, collective motivation, and direct confrontation with colonial authority. Nevertheless, the play’s dramaturgical architecture systematically marginalises their experiences, producing a condition of “invisible visibility” in which their labour is essential yet their suffering remains unvoiced. By recovering these silenced narratives, this analysis makes an original contribution to the emergent field of African feminist disability criticism and advances an intersectional understanding of care, dignity, and resistance in postcolonial African drama.
Ruth Olubunmi Adeniyi Ruth Olubunmi Adeniyi
RECLAIMING THE PLATEAU MINDSCAPE: MEMORY, TERRITORY AND POWER IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF JOS PLATEAU AND ITS ADJOINING LOWLANDS
The historiography of the Jos Plateau and its adjoining lowlands has been shaped largely by colonial administrative records, missionary ethnographies, and externally driven archaeological interpretations. While these sources remain indispensable, they have often fragmented Plateau history by privileging colonial territorial boundaries, fixed ethnic typologies, and extractive political economies over indigenous epistemologies. This article advances the concept of the Plateau mindscape the historically grounded interplay of memory, territorial and power as the frame work for reconstructing Plateau history from within. Drawing on oral traditions, spatial memory, indigenous political institutions, archaeological synthesis, and critical archival analysis, the study demonstrates that memory functioned as a living archive structuring authority, land relations and social order. It argues that colonial and post-colonial intervention reconfigured but did not erase these indigenous systems, producing layered and competing narratives of identity and belonging. By centering indigenous epistemologies, this article challenges static historiographical models and presents plateau history as a dynamic negotiated process in dialogue with Professor Monday Yakiban Mangvwat’s periodization, this study extends his legacy by offering reflexive indigenous centered historiographical framework for understanding the Jos plateau and Nigeria’s middle belt.
Dawulung kyennaan Michael Dawulung kyennaan Michael
RECENTERING THE CLASSIC: COMPARATIVE WORLD LITERATURE FROM AFRICA, LATIN AMERICA, AND ASIA
This article rethinks the literary classic through a comparative reading of six major texts from Africa, Latin America, and Asia: Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood, Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Jorge Luis Borges’s The Aleph, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, and Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. It argues that these works should not be treated as regional supplements to an already established canon, but as texts that reshape the meaning of literary greatness itself. Through comparative analysis, the article shows that their durability lies in the way they transform ritual, memory, political violence, intimacy, and historical pressure into enduring literary forms. The African texts reveal ritual crisis and postcolonial betrayal as powerful modes of tragic and political knowledge. The Latin American texts explore totality, repetition, and infinity through mythic and experimental narration. The Asian texts show how emotional interiority, domestic fragility, and caste-marked experience become major forms of ethical reflection. The essay concludes that the classic is best understood through renewable interpretive life, formal density, and transregional resonance rather than inherited prestige alone. It also proposes a more inclusive critical approach to reading world literature today.
Oladipupo Olakiitan Abolanle Oladipupo Olakiitan Abolanle
PLATFORMISATION, AUDIENCE AGENCY, AND FILM ACCESS IN NIGERIA:TECHNOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STREAMING BEHAVIOUR
The global audio-visual industry is changing due to digital convergence, which has affected how films are made, shared, and watched. The rapid expansion of streaming services like Netflix, Showmax, and iROKOTV have disrupted traditional viewing habits, granting audiences unprecedented access to local and international content. Despite their growing appeal, the adoption and use of streaming services remain constrained by infrastructural and economic challenges. This study explores the deeper implications of streaming services on audience behaviour focusing on how platformisation affects media infrastructure and audience decision-making in Nigeria. Employing a textual approach, the study draws from secondary data and the Diffusion of Innovations Theory to explore audience engagement with streaming platforms. It finds that while streaming services provide audiences with more control and content choices, they also limit this control through algorithms, subscription costs, and data issues. It concludes that challenges, like poor internet access and high costs, affect audience engagement. The study suggests that improving streaming access in Nigeria requires addressing infrastructural problems and platform governance.
Hanmakyugh, Msugh-Ter Teddy Hanmakyugh, Msugh-Ter Teddy
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND INDEPENDENT POWER GENERATION IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE AZURAAND OSSIOMO IPP PROJECTS
The study assessed the impact of Azura and Ossiomo Independent Power Plants within the purview of the Public-Private Partnership arrangement in Edo State, which was conceived due to the failure of the public sector's inability to provide electricity for the population of Nigeria. To achieve the goal of this paper, the study throws up three research objectives. To have a robust understanding of the subject matter of discourse, the researcher reviewed relevant literature in the area of the study and provided robust comments on it. The paper, through the use of secondary data, adopted the Public Choice Theory as a lens through which this study was analysed. Furthermore, the study established that Azura and CCETC Ossiomo are PPP-driven IPPs that have improved electricity generation reliability in Edo State with strong developmental outcomes that have contributed to the national grid and contributed to 22 to 24-hour power supply in the coverage areas. The study further established that the dollarisation of the value chain of Edo Azura and Ossiomo IPPs, breach of the Joint Venture agreement by the actors to the Edo IPPs agreement, remain the governance and contractual agreements that have, in recent times, affected the performance outcomes of these IPPs. The study further espoused some challenges that are associated with Azura and Ossiomo IPP in Edo State. The study concluded appropriately and recommended the de-dollarisation of the Edo IPPs value chains, renegotiation of the joint venture agreement between Edo State Government and CCETC Osssiomo power plants management, among others.
Fred Osahon Okunmahie Fred Osahon Okunmahie
A MORPHOSEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF WANU PERSONAL NAMES
This study examines A morphosemantics analysis of Wanu personal name. The objectives of the study includes; to identify Wanu personal names, examine the semantics properties in Wanu naming system, explore the morphological formations of Wanu personal names, investigate three types of naming system in Wanu and to reveal cultural themes/values expressed through naming. Thus, the study adopts three theories (Morphosemantic, leipzing glossing rules and ethnolinguistic). The data were sourced via informant consultation and Wanu literatures, 80 names both male and female were analysed. However, the findings found that Wanu personal names are classified into three groups; 1.birth-order or twins name indicating a child’s birth position as twin and sex as in (Adata/Adagba =male twins); 2.pet names (Adam= my father) and 3.christening or circumstantial names presenting the circumstances surrounding a child’s birth as in (Waseku= beloved queen). The findings revealed that Wanu names replicate themes of divine reverence, resilience, lineage pride, kinship, wealth, bravery, gratitude, and survival. It was also revealed that christening or circumstantial names are predominantly applicable pattern in Wanu speech community. Morphologically, structural components such as noun-based compounds, verb-based compounds, and pronoun based, preposition-based compounds, and adjective-based compounds and their sub-categories were identified. The work has contributed to knowledge by giving insight on how Wanu personal names are formed and how meaningful the names are. More so, the study will serve as a reference materials and it recommends the documentation of indigenous naming practices to preserve linguistic heritage.
MILITANCY AND FEMALE HEROIC RECONFIGURATION IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA: AN ECO-FEMINIST DISCOURSE OFAHMED YERIMA’S LITTLE DROPS
This paper is an eco-feminist discourse of Ahmed Yerima’s play Little Drops with regards to female heroic reconfiguration in the militant Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The aim of the paper is to examine the phenomenon of militancy in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and how it reconfigures the females towards heroism, through the lens of Yerima’s play Little Drops. Being a textual analysis, the paper adopts qualitative research approach, with the primary text Little Drops as the primary source of data, and other reference materials in print and on the internet as secondary sources of data. Close reading and critical analysis and writing are employed as methods of data analysis in this paper. Some of the key findings in this paper show that, Yerima sees collective action by women as key towards female heroic reconfiguration. Also, the paper finds out that Yerima through this play sees a filial connection between women and the natural environment. Hence, they share in the pains of plunder and devastation of the environment. Again, the study finds out that Yerima uses his play Little Drops for a radical dismantling of patriarchal tradition in order to achieve female heroic reconfiguration in a militant environment of the Niger Delta and other such militant eco-systems. The paper concludes that Yerima’s Little Drops as a literary drama is quite apt in conscientizing women on how navigate towards survival as heroines in militant environments.
Rwang, Shadrach Deme Rwang, Shadrach Deme
GLOBAL POWER POLITICS AND THE IRAN CONFLICT: STRATEGIC LESSONS FOR AFRICAN SOVEREIGNTY AND CONTINENTAL AUTONOMY
Power disparities characterize the global order and great powers seek hegemony through military power, strategic alliances and information domination. The escalation of tensions between the US, Israel and Iran has sparked off a revival of questions about agency, imperialism and the developing world as pieces in a grand game. This paper seeks to assess the geostrategic consequences of the War on Iran and its potential implications for the autonomy of African states. The conflict in Iran is far from confined to the Middle East, and demonstrates how regional conflicts have become sites of global power struggles, producing economic and political reverberations across the world. This paper shows how qualitative analysis of academic articles, policy reports and geopolitical analysis from 2020 to 2026, analyze how Realist and Dependency Theories account for Africa's vulnerability to power dynamics. The analysis will reveal how nominal independence is rendered meaningless in the absence of functional infrastructure, how security partners threaten national sovereignty, how dependence on external import economies makes states fragile and how the continent's disunity ensures Africa has no significant say in global decision making. Ultimately, the paper makes a case for restructuring Africa's role in the world through strengthening its institutions, internal capacity building, concentrated development investment and non-alignment so as to ensure genuine security.
Valentine Ayokhaude Gabriel Valentine Ayokhaude Gabriel
Obiageri Angelina Odife Obiageri Angelina Odife
Akoji Richard Oklagba Akoji Richard Oklagba
EXPLORING THE BEAUTY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF TONE IN YORÙBÁ LANGUAGE TEACHING
Tone is a fundamental feature of the Yorùbá language, playing vital linguistic, communicative, and aesthetic roles in meaning-making and cultural expression. This study explores the beauty and significance of tone in Yorùbá language teaching, focusing on its phonological structure, communicative functions, and cultural relevance in oral traditions such as poetry, proverbs, music, and songs. Despite its importance, tone is often inadequately emphasized in formal language instruction, resulting in ambiguity, misinterpretation, and poor communicative competence among learners. The study is grounded in three theoretical frameworks: Autosegmental Theory, Sociolinguistic Theory, and Language Pedagogy Theory. Autosegmental Theory provides the phonological foundation by explaining tone as an independent suprasegmental feature that interacts systematically with other phonological elements in Yorùba ́̀. Sociolinguistic Theory is adopted to explain the role of tone in social interaction, cultural identity, and oral traditions, while Language Pedagogy Theory provides the instructional basis for examining effective methods of teaching and preserving tonal accuracy. These theories are considered suitable because they collectively address the structural, cultural, and educational dimensions of tone in Yorùbá language teaching. Using a descriptive and analytical approach, data were drawn from classroom interactions, instructional materials, and Yorùbá oral texts. Findings reveal that tone functions both as a meaning-bearing linguistic feature and as an artistic device that enhances rhythm and cultural depth. The study recommends systematic tone instruction through auditory training, visual tone marking, and the integration of oral literature to improve learners’ proficiency and preserve the richness of the Yorùbá language.
Awoláoyè Sunday Ọláyínká Awoláoyè Sunday Ọláyínká
Abégúndé Òjó ko ̣́láwọlé Abégúndé Òjó ko ̣́láwọlé
EGBALIGANZA 2026: FASHION AND THE REINVENTION OF EGBA IDENTITY AT THE LISABI FESTIVAL
This paper examines Egbaliganza 2026 within the wider frame of the 39th Lisabi Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as a contemporary site where history, fashion, memory, and economic aspiration converge. Rather than treating the event as mere spectacle, the study reads it as a serious cultural performance through which Egba identity is preserved, restaged, and strategically projected to local, diasporic, and international audiences. The paper argues that Egbaliganza does not replace the older ritual and historical force of Lisabi Day; rather, it works from within that tradition, expanding its visual vocabulary through textile display, runway presentation, heritage branding, digital circulation, and artisan-centred cultural enterprise. Drawing on Homi K. Bhabha's theory of hybridity and Judith Butler's theory of performativity, the discussion shows how Egba identity is negotiated in a space where indigenous symbols, contemporary tailoring, curated elegance, and global media visibility meet. The study also engages recent reportage and official festival materials together with scholarship on the Lisabi Festival, Yoruba dress, adire, and African fashion networks. It finds that the 2026 edition sharpened three interrelated developments: first, it intensified the festival's visual and symbolic emphasis on dress as historical language; second, it foregrounded local production and cultural economy through its insistence on Egba heritage textiles and artisanal labour; and third, it transformed the festival into a more explicit transnational platform by drawing delegations, investors, media actors, and tourists into the symbolic centre of Abeokuta. The paper concludes that Egbaliganza 2026 demonstrates how a traditional festival can remain recognisably rooted whilst simultaneously becoming a persuasive instrument of reinvention, soft power, and cultural self-fashioning in the twenty-first century.
Michael Olamide Okekunle Michael Olamide Okekunle
Yvonne Ikpemhinoghena Ewedemi Yvonne Ikpemhinoghena Ewedemi
Folahan David Iyiola Folahan David Iyiola
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF CULTURAL INTERACTIONS: A STUDY OF DIKIBIN SETTLEMENT, NIGERIA
This study investigates the settlement history and cultural dynamics of Dikibin, an ancient hilltop site in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. By employing archaeological survey and excavations of both a Rock Shelter and an Open Field Settlement within the abandoned Dikibin hill top settlement, the study reconstructs a multi-phase chronology of human occupation. Findings reveal an initial period of insular, utilitarian pottery production, which was later disrupted by a significant "horizon of change" marked by the sudden appearance of complex decorative motifs, specifically Incision and strip roulette. This shift suggests that external cultural interactions potentially through trade, migration, or intermarriage acted as catalysts for settlement reorganization and technological changes. The study concludes that the Dikibin community was a dynamic society that strategically utilized its landscape, transitioning from a cautious, vertically organized rock shelter-based life to an integrated, multifaceted settlement system.
Patience Nanep Ladan Patience Nanep Ladan
CREATING FOLKLORIC CONTENT THROUGH DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHICAL APPROACH: EXAMPLE OF BEAUTIFUL PLATEAU PROVERBS ON FACEBOOK PAGE (https://www.facebook.com./profile,php?id=100083592271368&mibextid=ZbWKwL)
The question of modes and approaches to the theory and practice of digital folklore in Africa has remained a concern to both ethnographers and folklorists. Hence, this paper proposes a digital ethnographical approach to creating digital folkloric content in the new media using Facebook as a case in point. It should be noted that ethnography, being a way of practising research by a written description and narration of a people after observing their daily lives, also has a longing for adaptation in the digital space. Thus, with the example of Beautiful Plateau Proverbs a compendium of 2D animated proverbs from the myriad ethnic groups of Plateau State in North-Central Nigeria published on an eponymous Facebook Page, the study suggests how both digital folklore and digital ethnography research can become more meaningful when engaged through an inter-disciplinary mode. It is the mission of this research to identify key ideas in off line cultures such as language, music, semiotic symbols as a way of presenting actual cultures while also showcasing rhetorical aspects of folklore on the cyber space. Hopefully, this means of creating folkloric content will enrich virtual experiences of online audience.
CONQUEST AND THE IMPOSITIONOF CHIEFTAINCY IN EGGON LAND AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
This study is centred on the socio-political history of Eggon land and seeks to critically examine the stages of transformation, from the colonial subjugation to the advent of a centralized political authority with the entrenchment of colonial rule in the area, especially from the first quarter of the 20th twentieth) century. The paper therefore contends that prior to the colonial imperial contact; indigenous African societies have evolved a dynamic socio-political system and boisterous institutions that ensure adherence to cultural values and orderliness for the enthronement of a peaceful and harmonious society, contrary to the Eurocentric view of a stateless society without a centralized authority. Thus, the Eggon evolved several of these institutions that invariably shaped their rich cultural heritage. The paper also examines the pattern of colonial conquest and enthronement of colonialism and its consequent implications, as well as post-colonial developments in the area that triggered a series of socio-political changes, especially the transformation of the traditional decentralized political authority to the indirect or emirate model of a centralize political authority. This gradual transformation however, gave rise to the emergence of chiefdoms that eventually crystalized in the creation of the “Aren” Chieftaincy stool. More so, the ensuing political changes at that period reinforce the consolidation of the Aren chieftaincy institution and the profound impact it exerted in the society.
ANALYSIS OF SEMIOTIC FEATURES OF COSTUMES IN KANNYWOOD CULTURAL MOVIES
This paper examines the use of costumes in some selected Kanywood movies (movies that are mainly based on the lives and people of Northern Nigeria) from the perspective of semiotics. Semiotics is the systematic study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior. It explores how meaning is generated, transmitted, and interpreted through different forms of human expression, including language, visual imagery, gestures, and material culture. Two Hausa movies are purposively selected and analysed. The paper adopts the fusion of the Kress and van Leeuwen’s theory of grammar of visual design with Ryan’s notion of prototypical narrativity conditions as its theoretical framework. The study finds out that costume functions as a critical semiotic resource in Hausa cultural cinema, operating beyond its superficial aesthetic role to communicate layered meanings about identity, hierarchy, gender, and spirituality. The paper concludes that costumes are not mere embellishments for adornments for scenes and characters but very crucial tools for communication and creation of cultural awareness and thus it recommends that further researches be carried out on the socio-semiotic and narrative dimensions of Nigerian cultural cinema. Future studies could undertake a comparative analysis of costume used in African film industries to highlight regional variations and transnational influences in visual narrativity.
A CRITICAL DISCOURSE STUDY OF INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BABY BOOMERS AND GENERATION X WITHIN THE JUKUN TAKUM CONTEXT
Language functions not as a mere communicative tool but also as a medium through which ideologies, social structures, and cultural values are produced and reproduced within societies. This paper examines the intergenerational communication between Baby Boomers and Generation X within the Jukun Takum context. This is important because of the contemporary sociocultural changes that threaten indigenous discourses across the globe, and this study seeks to establish this assertion within the Jukun Takum context. In order to achieve this, excerpts were extracted from the recordings of conversations between Jukun Baby Boomers and Gen. X, and were subjected to Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Model of Critical Discourse Study. The paper also draws on recent scholarship on African indigenous discourse, sociolinguistics, and Jukun communication patterns. Findings suggest that intergenerational communication among the Jukun Takum people is undergoing significant transformation as a result of modernization and socio-cultural change, leading to tensions, adaptations, and ideological redefinitions between Baby Boomers and Generation X. The study concludes that strengthening indigenous language use is essential for sustaining intergenerational communication and cultural continuity.
Adi Shimoudi Jonathan Adi Shimoudi Jonathan