The Oxford Handbook of Nigerian History


Book Description

This book reads the narrative of the national politics alongside deeper histories of political and social organization, as well as in relation to competing influences on modern identity formation and inter-group relationships, such as ethnic and religious communities, economic partnerships, and immigrant and diasporic cultures







Global Perspectives on Catholic Religious Education in Schools


Book Description

This book shares global perspectives on Catholic religious education in schools, chiefly focusing on educational and curriculum issues that take into account the theology and the pedagogy which support learning in connection with Catholic religious education. Further, it offers insights into the distinctive contribution that Catholic religious education makes to religious education and education in general across diverse schooling contexts. Bringing together insights from leading scholars and experts on Catholic religious education around the globe, the book offers an essential reference guide for all those involved in researching, planning and designing curricula for Catholic religious education, as well as developing related theories in the field.







Which Way Nigeria?


Book Description

Nearly four decades after Sunny Okosun posited, Which Way Nigeria? Victor Udo serves up a geopolitical literary gem that should be required reading for Nigerian students, policy makers, and civil servants. Which Way Nigeria? navigates post-colonial political and diplomatic conditions, class structure and economic organization, Nigerian culture and the diversity of its ethnic groups, and the environment. Writing from a place of unrelenting patriotism for his homeland, Udo outlines his framework Comprehensive Sustainable Development Planning and Implementation (CSDPI) praxis, through which Nigeria’s structural, leadership and development challenges can finally be overcome. Often referred to as the Giant of Africa, Nigeria is the most populous country on the continent and the seventh most populous country in the world. With more than 90 million of its population under the age of eighteen and the world's eighth largest oil producer, Nigeria is on the precipice of becoming a dominant force in the global economy. But its success has been undermined in recent decades by ethnic and religious conflict, political instability, rampant corruption and an ailing economy. Udo relies on his expertise as a foremost authority on climate change mitigation as a path towards global sustainability, thoughtfully scrutinizing the critical interdependence of politics, society, technology and the environment. A collective call to action for fellow patriots, Which Way Nigeria? illuminates the resilience of nearly 200 million Nigerian citizens with incredible unrealized potential. Masterfully examining the geopolitical context of a fragmented contemporary Nigeria, Udo offers solutions for a path forward that will elevate his homeland and establish it as a unified global force in which all citizens can prosper.




Learning Spaces in Africa


Book Description

With a key UN Sustainable Development Goal for 2030 being to make basic education available to all the world’s children, Learning Spaces in Africa explores the architectural, socio-political and economic policy factors that have contributed to school design, the main spaces for education and learning in Africa. It traces the development of school building design, focusing on Western and Southern Africa, from its emergence in the 19th century to the present day. Uduku’s analysis draws attention to the past historic links of schools to development processes, from their early 19th century missionary origins to their re-emergence as development hubs in the 21st century. Learning Spaces in Africa uses this research as a basis to suggest fundamental changes to basic education, which respond to new technological advances, and constituencies in learning. Illustrated case studies describe the use of tablets in refugee community schools, "hole-in-the wall" learning and shared school-community learning spaces. This book will be beneficial for students, academics and those interested in the history of educational architecture and its effect on social development, particularly in Africa and with relevance to countries elsewhere in the emerging world.




Repositioning Higher Education in Nigeria


Book Description

Published for the National Universities Commission in Nigeria, this book is the outcome of a National Summit on Higher Education, which took place in Nigeria in 2002. The summit was convened by the Ministry of Education with the support of Unesco. Its purpose was to thrash out the issues pertaining to the improvement and repositioning of the higher education system in Nigeria, so that is may better respond to the country's needs. The resultant work is a multi-contributory publication covering the breadth and depth of the problems implicated in the higher education system. The papers address for example: the purpose of higher education in a developing country context; the state of universities in Nigeria; management and funding of higher education; the relevance and delivery of curricula; disciplinary, social and religious concerns; and the role of ICTs and new initiatives such as distance learning and virtual library projects. The contributors propose recommendations for improvement, including: the necessity of high- level government interest in education reforms; the importance of university autonomy and academic freedom; the need for both the public and private sectors to support higher education; the need for substantial hikes in government funding for higher education; the participation of stakeholders in policymaking for higher education; and the precondition of good government and democracy for the success of the sector.




Social Psychology and Social Change in Nigeria


Book Description

Governments in the developing nations of Africa invest much of their countries’ scarce resources in social and economic development programs, often without much evaluation of the programs or any knowledge of the potential outcomes. Social Psychology and Social Change in Nigeria offers a critical analysis and evaluation of government development social policies and programs, written by a social psychology government consultant who has been involved with such programs for over fifteen years. The analyses and evaluations are conducted using social psychology methods and techniques, including experimental and longitudinal studies, field surveys, and national opinion approaches. Programs and public policies selected for study in the book are those that are guided by social psychology theories and principles, such as the contact hypothesis, ethnic orientation, attitude, behavior and value change, social mobilization, environmental health, and strengthening the youth and women entrepreneurs' contributions to national development. It is the author’s hope that this book will be the first of many such studies, thus helping to improve the outcomes of economic development programs in Nigeria and other African nations.