80 research outputs found
The politics of monetary sector cooperation among the Economic Community of West African States members
No full textThe author tries to explain why monetary cooperation and integration have been difficulty to achieve among member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He shows how different interest groups--both members and nonmembers--have over time influenced policies and positions on various ECOWAS member states. Unfortunately, most negotiations for cooperation among ECOWAS member states have a much better monetary cooperation and integration program, mainly because of France's active support and participation in negotiations, mediation, and consensus building. Unfortunately, Nigeria-which has been the main force behind bilingual regional integration in West Africa--has a different agenda from France. Its promotion of a bilingual economic grouping in West Africa was in part an attempt to reduce France's influence in West Africa, so France is unlikely to allow economic and monetary cooperation and integration along Nigerian lines. The fact that Nigeria is still a weak state does not help. The choice for francophone West African countries is therefore between closer ties with France--which has provided development aid, ensured currency convertibility, and guaranteed monetary stability in those francophone countries--and closer ties with Nigeria (which has done none of the above for itself, much less for its neighbors). The increasing convergence of macroeconomic indices among ECOWAS member countries--which is essential for monetary cooperation and integration--has come about largely because of events outside of ECOWAS or because of externally (International Monetary Fund) imposed structural adjustment programs. France's support is essential for the development of a meaningful ECOWAS.Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Earth Sciences&GIS,Economic Theory&Research,National Governance,Fiscal&Monetary Policy,National Governance,Trade and Regional Integration,Earth Sciences&GIS,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Economic Theory&Research
Heterolingualism and Transnational Poetics in Melatu Uche Okorie's Short Fiction
No full textInternational audienceThis chapter explores short fiction by Nigerian-born Irish author Melatu Uche Okorie against the backdrop of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 which commemorated key events in the founding of the Irish state. It argues that Okorie’s texts throw into sharp relief the relationship between national identity and forced migration and raise crucial questions on Ireland’s national representation as a multicultural country. As they represent the experience of migrating to Ireland and navigating the dehumanising system of Direct Provision, they reflect on the possibilities and failures of building a transnational community. The first part of the paper discusses the notion of heterolingualism, analysing the legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s “rotten English” in the experimental language of Okorie’s short stories. The second part explores Okorie’s aesthetics of resistance as based on a rhizomatic and heterogeneous conception of language and narrative. Finally, the third part reflects on the complex ways in which Okorie’s writing asks for a reconceptualisation of the reading and understanding process of the migration experience.Cette contribution propose une analyse des nouvelles de l’autrice irlando-nigériane Melatu Uche Okorie dans le contexte de la « décennie des centenaires » (2012-2023) qui a commémoré plusieurs événements fondateurs de l’État irlandais. On s’attache à montrer que l’écriture d’Okorie met en lumière les relations entre identité nationale et migration forcée tout en interrogeant la représentation de l’Irlande comme un pays multiculturel. Ses nouvelles décrivent l’expérience de la migration en Irlande et la vie des demandeurs d’asile dans les centres de rétention provisoire en montrant les défis et les difficultés de la construction d’une communauté transnationale. Cette contribution examine, d’abord, la notion d’hétérolinguisme et l’influence de « l’anglais pourri » de Ken Saro-Wiwa sur la langue expérimentale des nouvelles d’Okorie. Elle explore ensuite l’usage rhizomatique et hétérogène de la langue et de l’écriture narrative d’Okorie comme porteur d’une esthétique de la résistance. Elle conclut en réfléchissant sur la manière dont l’écriture d’Okorie demande une reconcep
The Ethics and Aesthetics of Humour in Contemporary Transcultural Migration Narratives: Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life”, and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”
No full textThe voice of the immigrant in Western societies is being heard in the first person in contemporary literature. Therefore, the experience of emigration is no longer or, at least, not necessarily told from the privileged perspective of the white man or woman. And the short story is being a recurrent favourite genre for sharing with readers the diverse causes that force a man or a woman to abandon his/her native land, as well as the conflicts that emerge in the countries of reception. Collections such as The Things I Would Tell You (2017) by Sabrina Mahfouz, or This Hostel Life (2018) by Melatu Uche Okorie, among many others, are offering interesting examples of transcultural renderings of the experience of migration. The purpose of the present contribution is to focus on the use of irony and humour as ethically committed strategies for deploying the possibilities as well as the limits of conviviality in contemporary societies. I study the representative examples of two stories, Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life” (included in the homonymous collection by the author), and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”, published in Mahfouz’s collective volume. These two stories are aesthetically brilliant instances of the ethical potential of humour when offering a transcultural view of contemporary migrations that overcomes the limitations of traditional multicultural and intercultural treatments of the topic
The Ethics and Aesthetics of Humour in Contemporary Transcultural Migration Narratives: Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life”, and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”
No full textThe voice of the immigrant in Western societies is being heard in the first person in contemporary literature. Therefore, the experience of emigration is no longer or, at least, not necessarily told from the privileged perspective of the white man or woman. And the short story is being a recurrent favourite genre for sharing with readers the diverse causes that force a man or a woman to abandon his/her native land, as well as the conflicts that emerge in the countries of reception. Collections such as The Things I Would Tell You (2017) by Sabrina Mahfouz, or This Hostel Life (2018) by Melatu Uche Okorie, among many others, are offering interesting examples of transcultural renderings of the experience of migration. The purpose of the present contribution is to focus on the use of irony and humour as ethically committed strategies for deploying the possibilities as well as the limits of conviviality in contemporary societies. I study the representative examples of two stories, Melatu Uche Okorie’s “This Hostel Life” (included in the homonymous collection by the author), and Fadia Faqir’s “Under the Cypress Tree”, published in Mahfouz’s collective volume. These two stories are aesthetically brilliant instances of the ethical potential of humour when offering a transcultural view of contemporary migrations that overcomes the limitations of traditional multicultural and intercultural treatments of the topic
CONTRIBUTORY PENSION SCHEME AND CONSUMPTION DECISIONS OF NON-DURABLE GOODS AMONG RETIRED FEDERAL CIVIL SERVNATS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA
No full textThe neglect suffered by retirees recently and the attendant consequences necessitated this research aimed at investigating the impact of contributory pension schemes on post-retirement consumption decisions of non-durable goods of retired federal civil servants in Anambra State. A sample of 500 respondents was drawn from two communities in the state, each from two local government areas of each senatorial zone of Anambra State, through stratified random sampling technique and purposive sampling technique, respectively. A test of the reliability of the research instruments was done using the Cronbach Alpha test statistic on a sample of 50 respondents for pilot testing which shows that it is more significant than 0.7, indicating that the research instruments were reliable. Data for the study were analysed using descriptive statistical tools and logistic regression techniques. Significant findings indicate that contributory pension scheme savings have a likelihood of positive and significant contributions to the consumption of non-durable goods. Similarly, further findings also indicate that higher education, higher income level, large family size, socio-economic responsibilities, unemployment, high-income level and poor health status are factors that have the likelihood of significantly influencing post-retirement consumption of non-durable goods in Anambra State. The study recommends, amongst others, the payment of living wage to workers to enable them to save and invest while still in active service so as not to depend solely on their contributory pension scheme when retired. JEL: J26, H55, D12, G22, I38, C83, D14, J14 Article visualizations
Iron stores in regular blood donors in Lagos, Nigeria
No full textAdewumi Adediran,1 Ebele I Uche,2 Titilope A Adeyemo,1 Dapus O Damulak,3 Akinsegun A Akinbami,4 Alani S Akanmu1 1Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; 2Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria; 3Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria; 4Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Lagos State University, Ikeja, Nigeria Background: Apart from challenging the bone marrow to increase its red cell production, thereby producing more blood for the donor, regular blood donation has been shown to have several benefits, one of which is preventing accumulation of body iron which can cause free radical formation in the body. This study was carried out to assess body iron stores in regular blood donors. Methods: A total of 52 regular (study) and 30 first-time (control) volunteer blood donors were studied prospectively. Twenty milliliters of venous blood was drawn from each subject, 5 mL of which was put into sodium ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid specimen bottles for a full blood count, including red blood cell indices. The remaining sample was allowed to clot in a plain container, and the serum was then retrieved for serum ferritin, serum iron, and serum transferrin receptor measurement by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Mean hemoglobin and packed cell volume in the study group (13.47 ± 2.36 g/dL and 42.00 ± 7.10, respectively, P = 0.303) were not significantly higher than in the control group (12.98 ± 1.30 g/dL and 39.76 ± 4.41, respectively, P = 0.119). Mean serum ferritin was 102.46 ± 80.26 ng/mL in the control group and 41.46 ± 40.33 ng/mL in the study group (P = 0.001). Mean serum ferritin for women in the study group (28.02 ± 25.00 ng/mL) was significantly lower than for women in the control group (56.35 ± 34.03 ng/mL, P = 0.014). Similarly, men in the study group had a lower mean serum ferritin (48.57 ± 45.17 ng/mL) than men in the control group (145.49 ± 87.74 ng/mL, P = 0.00). The mean serum transferrin receptor value was higher in the study group (1.56 ± 0.88 µg/mL) than in the control group (1.19 ± 0.38 µg/mL, P = 0.033). Conclusion: These findings suggest that hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, and serum iron levels are not significantly affected by regular blood donation and that regular blood donors appear to have reduced iron stores compared with controls. Keywords: blood donors, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum iron, transferrin receptor
Factors influencing CD4 cell count in HIV-positive pregnant women in a secondary health center in Lagos, Nigeria
No full textAkinsegun A Akinbami,1 Abidoye Gbadegesin,2 Sarah O Ajibola,3 Ebele I Uche,1 Adedoyin O Dosunmu,1 Adewumi Adediran,4 Adekunle Sobande2 1Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, 2Department Of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine, Lagos State University, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; 3Department of Haematology and Immunology, Ben-Carson School of Medicine, Babcock University, Ilisan, Ogun State, Nigeria; 4Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria Background: Immunity in pregnancy is physiologically compromised, and this may affect CD4 count levels. It is well-established that several factors affect CD4 count level in pregnancy. This study aimed to determine the mean and reference range of CD4 count in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive pregnant women in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out at antenatal clinics of the Maternal and Child Center of a secondary health center in Lagos State, Nigeria. Records of HIV-positive pregnant women at various gestational ages, including CD4+ cell count at booking, packed cell volume (PCV) at booking and labor, gestational age at delivery, and infant weight and sex were retrieved. The descriptive data was given as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Pearson's chi-squared test and correlation were used for analytical assessment. Results: Data were retrieved for a total of 143 patients. The mean age was 31.15±3.78 years. The mean PCV was 31.01%±3.79% at booking and 30.49%±4.80% during labor. The mean CD4 count was 413.87±212.09 cells/µL, with a range of 40 to 1,252 cells/µL. The mean infant weight was 3.05±0.45 kg, with a range of 2 to 5 kg. Age of the mother, gestational age, and PCV at booking were not statistically significantly associated with CD4 count. Conclusion: Maternal age, gestational age, and PCV at booking had no significant effects on CD4+ cell count levels in pregnancy. The mean CD4+ cell count of HIV-positive pregnant women in Lagos is 413.87±212.09 cells/µL. Keywords: mean value, reference range, HIV-pregnant women, immunity, pregnanc
Digitizing Africal local content : The way forward
No full textThis paper sought to expound on how the African local content can be preserved and
transmitted to the larger world via a successful digitization process by providing answers
to four major questions as follows: What is local content? Why do we need to digitize our
local content? How do we digitize local content? And how do the digitized local content
help in preserving and transmitting African literary and cultural heritage to the world at
large? Furthermore, recent initiatives at digitizing and transmitting local content were
highlighted while constraints to digitizing and transmitting African local content were
also identified. However, the paper concluded and made recommendations on how
Nigeria can join the rest of Africa in improving and promoting our local content in the
Global Information Infrastructure (GII), which is seen presently to be minimal
Serum homocysteine and disease severity in sickle cell anemia patients in Lagos
No full textEbele Uche,1 Oluwaseun Adelekan,2 Akinsegun Akinbami,1 Vincent Osunkalu,3 Kamal Ismail,1 Ann Abiola Ogbenna,3 Mulikat Badiru,1 Adedoyin Dosunmu,1 Esther Oluwole,4 Omolara Kamson51Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria; 2Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, General Hospital Marina, Lagos, Nigeria; 3Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; 4Department of Community Health and Primary Care, College of Medicine University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria; 5Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, NigeriaPurpose: Hypercoagulability in sickle cell anemia (SCA) may be responsible for the increased development of vascular occlusion in certain organs as well as acute pain episodes. The causes of hypercoagulability in SCA are multifactorial and include raised homocysteine levels. This study, therefore, aimed to determine serum homocysteine levels in SCA patients in steady state and to correlate its levels with SCA disease severity.Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done among SCA patients in steady state attending the Haematology Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). Matched age and sex HbAA controls were also recruited. Serum homocysteine of each participant was done with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and disease severity score assessed in every SCA patient using clinical and laboratory parameters.Results: The mean value for homocysteine in the study group (SCA patients) was 19.80±19.75 μmol/L whilst that of the control group was 9.16±4.29 μmol/L. Thirty-nine out of 96 (46.6%) SCA patients had elevated homocysteine levels (>15 μmol/L) whilst all 96 participants in the control group had normal homocysteine levels. The difference in the means in the two groups was statistically significant with p=0.001. Majority (62.5%) of the SCA patients had a mild disease (severity score ≤3). There was a significant correlation between serum homocysteine levels and disease severity scores with p=0.04; χ2,=4.04.Conclusion: Homocysteine levels were significantly higher in HbSS patients compared with matched HbAA controls and showed a positive correlation with disease severity scores in the SCA patients.Keywords: sickle cell anemia, disease severity, homocystein
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