Afe Babalola University Based Journals
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The Impact of United Nations Peacekeeping Missions on Conflict Resolution in Sub-Saharan Africa
Full text linkThe persistent prevalence of armed conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa has necessitated the continuous deployment of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions aimed at maintaining peace and facilitating post-conflict recovery. Despite these efforts, the region remains plagued by violence, state fragility, and recurring crises, raising critical questions about the actual impact of UN peacekeeping missions on conflict resolution. This study investigates the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations in resolving conflicts and fostering sustainable peace in Sub-Saharan Africa. Anchored in liberal institutionalism and conflict transformation theory, the research assesses the extent to which UN interventions have achieved their intended goals. Employing a qualitative, case study approach, the study draws on secondary data from UN reports, academic literature, and policy analyses. It examines four key missions: MONUC/MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo, UNMISS in South Sudan, MINUSMA in Mali, and MINUSCA in the Central African Republic. The findings reveal mixed outcomes: while the missions have contributed to civilian protection, humanitarian support, and the reduction of open hostilities, they have often fallen short in addressing the root causes of conflict, facilitating political reconciliation, and achieving long-term peace. Key challenges identified include mandate ambiguity, limited resources, lack of local ownership, and complex political environments. The study concludes that while UN peacekeeping missions play a critical role in stabilising conflict zones, their effectiveness in achieving comprehensive conflict resolution remains constrained by operational, structural, and political limitations. To enhance their impact, the study recommends clearer mandates, stronger collaboration with regional organisations such as the African Union, greater investment in peacebuilding, and increased inclusion of local actors in the peace process. The paper contributes to ongoing debates on global peacekeeping practices and offers insights for policymakers and international actors involved in African conflict resolution
Matrescence and the Patriarchal African Culture: A Critical Analysis of Buchi Emecheta's The Joys Of Motherhood
Full text linkThis study examines the concept of matrescence, the developmental process of becoming a mother within the context of patriarchal African culture, as depicted in Buchi Emecheta's seminal novel The Joys of Motherhood (1979). This study, through literary analysis, examines how traditional African patriarchal systems impede and constrain the formation of women's maternal identities, examining how motherhood can both empower and oppress women at the same time. Using close reading methods and theories about how women change when they become mothers, this research looks at how cultural expectations about maternal sacrifice affect women's independence and psychological growth. The study focuses on Emecheta's main character, Nnu Ego, to understand how women form their identity as mothers in societies that both honour and limit motherhood. The research uses feminist and postcolonial approaches to examine the complex relationship between what culture expects from mothers and women's personal freedom. The findings show that motherhood is complicated, it can both restrict women and give them power, as traditional gender roles both limit and create opportunities for women to act independently. This research adds to academic discussions about gender, culture, and maternal identity in postcolonial African literature, providing clear insights into how feminist theory and cultural representation work together in contemporary literature.
 
A Review of Babafemi Ojudu’s Adventure of a Guerrilla Journalist: An Autobiography (2024)
Full text linkCartographies of Exploitation: Multi-Scalar Governance and Structural Violence in Nigeria’s Child Trafficking Networks
Full text linkThis study interrogates the structural and geopolitical determinants of child trafficking in Nigeria, situating the phenomenon within globalized circuits of informal labour and the logics of structural violence. Employing a mixed-methods design—comprising geospatial analysis, 600 household surveys, and 32 semi-structured interviews across Benue, Edo, Borno, and Lagos States—the research uncovers trafficking’s spatial concentration in infrastructurally neglected rural hinterlands, peri-urban margins, and high-mobility transit corridors. Poverty is identified as the primary structural driver, exacerbated by chronic unemployment, educational disenfranchisement, and multi-dimensional precarity. The study foregrounds the role of contested multi-scalar governance: while institutions such as NAPTIP operate within formal legal frameworks, traditional authorities often exercise competing normative power, reproducing culturally sanctioned forms of complicity. Typologies of trafficking uncovered reflect Nigeria’s insertion into transnational labour markets, with victim trajectories frequently culminating in the Gulf States and Europe—underscoring the embeddedness of global capital in exploitative shadow economies. Rather than framing trafficking as discrete criminal deviance, the study theories it as an epiphenomenon of deeper structural pathologies: spatial injustice (the peripheralisation of rural zones), normative complicity (entrenched patriarchal clientelism), and systemic developmental exclusion. The study calls for spatially differentiated and survivor-centered policy interventions that integrate anti-poverty frameworks, devolved governance mechanisms, and locally anchored accountability systems. Ultimately, it argues for a reconstitution of Nigeria’s global political-economic entanglements—via SDG-aligned cooperation and robust enforcement of the Palermo Protocol’s transnational justice provisions—as preconditions for dismantling the generative mechanisms of child trafficking
Comparative Study of Nutritional Composition of Unfortified and Fortified Fermented Prosopis Africana Seeds
Full text linkProtein malnutrition is a significant challenge in many African countries. This contributes to inadequate nutritional security, resulting in alternative approaches to enhance plant-based foods' protein and mineral content and improve overall dietary health. Prosopis africana is one of the lesser-known perennial leguminous plants that play a key role in West African cuisine. Fermented P. africana seeds are said to be a rich source of protein, fatty acids, minerals, and some other vital nutrients. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the nutritional composition of fermented seeds of P. africana fortified with garlic and ginger. One (1 kg) of raw P. africana seeds and 500g of Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale were obtained, composited in different ratios (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, and 70:30), and fermented for 5 days. The fermented seeds were evaluated for microbial, proximate, and mineral composition, antioxidant properties, and vitamin C content. Among the formulations, 70% fermented seeds of P. africana fortified with 30% garlic showed the highest protein, fiber, and ash content, while 80% fermented seeds of P. africana fortified with 20% garlic exhibited the highest carbohydrate content and antioxidant properties. Zinc is the most abundant mineral found in all samples. 100% fermented seeds of P. africana have a major quantity; calcium, manganese, and copper were found in minute amounts. During the period of fermentation, the following microorganisms were isolated: Micrococcus sp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus sp, Enterococcus sp, Proteus sp, Klebsiella sp, Lactobacillus sp, and Pseudomonas sp in which Bacillus and Mucor species were predominant, alongside Micrococcus, Lactobacillus, and Aspergillus niger. These results demonstrate that fortifying fermented seeds of P. africana with ginger and garlic enhanced their nutritional profile, making it a healthier alternative to traditional seasoning salts and animal protein
Review and Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Maintenance Planning: A Case Study of Egbin Power Plant
Full text linkThis study applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to optimize maintenance project selection at Egbin Power Plant, Nigeria. It addresses the need for a systematic approach beyond reactive methods by integrating four criteria—Economic, Performance, Technical, and Criticality—each with defined sub-criteria. Expert elicitation was conducted with eight professionals (Maintenance Managers, Operations Superintendents, Planning Engineers, and HSE Officers), and their judgments were aggregated using the geometric mean method. Validation through sensitivity analysis (weight perturbations, Monte Carlo simulations, tornado diagrams) and cross-method comparison with TOPSIS confirmed the robustness of results. Hydrogen Plant Overhaul (HPO) emerged consistently as the top priority, demonstrating novelty in contextual adaptation to Nigerian thermal power plant maintenance planning
Integration of Pyrolysis with other Thermochemical Processes for Sustainable Hydrogen Production: A Review
Full text linkThis study focused on exploring the integration of pyrolysis with other thermochemical processes as an alternative strategy for an efficient production of hydrogen. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process that involves the decomposition of organic waste matter in the absence of oxygen to produce gaseous products, liquid and solid residues. Combining pyrolysis with gasification, steam reforming or carbon capture will lead to the increased efficiency in hydrogen production as discovered from the consulted literature study. This approach is not limited to increase in hydrogen output; it however, contributes to reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through the use of renewable feedstock like agricultural biomass. Thus, the synergies between the thermochemical; processes help in the optimization of energy recovery and the generation of valuable products. However, despite these aforementioned benefits, there are still challenges associated process integration, energy efficiency as well as the scalability. Thus, continuous research and advancement in technology using other thermochemical processes would be key contributors to a sustainable hydrogen production as well as cleaner energy in future
Mechanical and Microstructural Performance of Concrete Incorporating Expanded Polystyrene as Partial Coarse Aggregate Replacement
Full text linkThe increasing demand for lightweight and sustainable construction materials has led to the search for alternative aggregates in the production of concrete. This current study investigates the performance assessment of concrete strength with expanded polystyrene (EPS) as a partial coarse aggregate replacement. Concrete mixes were prepared with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 varying percentage replacement of granite with EPS. Fresh and hardened properties were assessed through the slump, compressive, split tensile, and flexural tests at both early and late ages. Microstructural characterization was conducted using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and EDX to evaluate the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and pore distribution. The results obtained showed that the addition of EPS at varying percentages produced a lightweight concrete usable for non-structural and some structural applications. An inverse relationship was observed between strength performance and EPS content, with higher replacement levels resulting in reduced strength. The optimal strength level was achieved at 5% EPS replacement. SEM and EDX analysis revealed weaker bonding in the ITZ at higher EPS contents, contributing to a reduction in strength, but also demonstrated improved energy absorption and ductility. It was concluded that EPS can be used in lightweight concrete production while promoting waste recycling and sustainable construction practices
Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Sports Development in Post-Colonial Lagos: The Israel Adebajo and Flaming Flamingo Story
Full text linkThe transformation of Lagos from a fishing economy in the pre-colonial era to a sprawling and economically vibrant mega-city in the post-colonial period owes much to the agency of indigenous political mobilisers, merchants, entrepreneurs, proponents of religions, sports patrons, arts, and educationists, among other personalities whose life histories intertwine with the ideals of the city. This essay explores the contributions of Israel Adebajo, one of the figures who transformed the social and economic skyline of Lagos after independence. Israel Adebajo was an entrepreneur, a sports enthusiast and patron, and a socialite, who was one of the drivers of the development of football in Lagos in the second half of the 20th century. This essay argues that, like many other individual change agents, whose footprints appear fleetingly in the historiography of the development of the city, the contributions of Israel Adebajo, particularly in the context of football, are waiting to be written into the history of Lagos in the 20th century, and as a testament to the significance of biographies in the construction of micro-history
Nollywood as a Repository of Yoruba Historical and Cultural Identity: A Study of Tunde Kelani’s Ti Oluwa Ni Ile
Full text linkThis paper examined the intricate relationship between historical culture, Nollywood (with specific reference to the Yoruba movie industry), and Yoruba identity. It explored how Yoruba films serve as repositories of Yoruba cultural heritage, language, and traditions. Specifically, this study analyses Tunde Kelani’s 1991 movie Ti Oluwa Ni Ile to provide insight into Yoruba life and worldviews as reflected through cinema. The research discusses the film’s portrayal of Yoruba customs, traditions, language, and elements of mythology, while also addressing the criticisms and challenges surrounding cultural representation in Nollywood. Using a qualitative approach anchored in historical analysis, the study interpreted how Ti Oluwa Ni Ile functions as an archive of Yoruba values such as respect for elders, integrity, and the virtue of hard work—principles that define Yoruba identity. The paper concluded by emphasizing the film’s significance to younger generations in an increasingly globalized world. For many, it offers a lens through which to reconnect with their cultural past and better understand the moral and communal values that underpin Yoruba life