ŃDUÑỌDE: CALABAR JOURNAL OF THE HUMANITIES is a peer-reviewed and refereed international journal of the Faculty of Arts, University of Calabar. It is a multidisciplinary Journal published biannually (January and July). It is inviting original research papers focusing on theories, trends, methods and applications that reflect the interdisciplinary perspectives of the human and social sciences. It challenges, provokes, and excites thinking, ideas, debates and discussions on potential topics of contemporary relevance in Archaeology, Anthropology, Communication/Media Studies, Cultural Studies, English Studies, Fine and Applied Arts, History, International Studies, Law, Leisure Studies, Linguistics, Literary Studies, Modern Languages (French, Spanish, German), Philosophy, Pragmatics, Religious Studies, Sociology, Sports, Theatre Arts, Tourism and Translation Studies.

Good governance is an index of human development. What constitutes good governance is holistic and gender issues are key components in the formation and practice of governance. In pre-colonial Africa, governance is inclusive of men and women. In the pre-colonial era, it could be argued that women had spheres of power and powerlessness. In most post-colonial societies of Africa, it is a rarity to accord women positions in government. Yet, the United Nations Conferences held in Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985), Beijing (1995) and New York (2000), all had drafts and resolutions to change inequalities and vulnerabilities women encounter in public and private spaces. What are the issues to understand in the inclusion or exclusion of women in governance of African states and societies? This book explicates the experiential issues in gender, politics and governance. The 'known' are the stereotypes accorded to women as weak and unfit to take strategic roles in public life. Scholars across disciplines have debunked this perception. The known constantly linger in perpetuity because the development plans of African states fail to understand what it takes to have women empowered in all ramifications.

This book examines the structures and processes of political decision-making and governance in Nigeria. Since Nigeria returned to elected government in 1999, it has been observed that several factors account for the differences between the design of statutory structures and processes of political decision-making and how they operate in reality. In other words, there are wide gaps between statutes and practice of political decision-making. However, the nexus between the two remains largely understudied by political scientists. Instinctively, political scientists assume that informal influences in political decision-making are aberrations, episodic or temporary. This book is designed to interrogate the nexus between the formal and non-formal dimensions of the dynamics of political decision making in Nigeria and also provide evidence about the actual functioning of governmental structures in Nigeria. The thesis of the book is that the non-formal dimension of political decision making as evidenced in rising ethno-political patronages, religious sentiments, clientelism and factionalism, are interacting with formal decision-making structures in ways that largely undermine the latter and, by extension, the democratic system. The book pursues this thesis by examining the roles of actors and institutions including, electoral choices made by voters, legislations, which perhaps is the most fundamental form of political decision-making, policies made by the executive and administration, as well as decision making within political parties, since parties are sites for articulating and aggregating issues on which decisions are to be made.

This book presents over 40 cases of bamboo development across 22 major bamboo-industry countries and explores the knowledge gained from their successes and failures. It synthesises experiences and exchanges with country experts from international training courses and consultations, study tours, and seminars. Each case includes observations and summaries of discussions related to the development of bamboo-based industries in a healthy, sustainable way, and the facilitation of strategic and balanced development of bamboo in different global regions. Industrial and artisanal bamboo growing and processing is expanding worldwide and this book brings together key experiences to help inform future developments. This book provides an analysis of bamboo plant features, including strong renewability, fast-growing, and high biomass production. It also reviews important ecological functions of bamboos, such as water and soil conservation, carbon sink and storage, and adaptation to climate change, as well as addressing the diversified culture of bamboo and key issues affecting the sector. Highly illustrated and in full colour throughout, this book is an essential resource for all those interested in bamboo, from private sector investors to governmental and development agencies, academic researchers and students.

This book examines the imperative role of global environmental governance, and the need to incorporate corporate environmental accountability and mechanisms for enforcement, to effectively address the global environmental crisis. The author, Felix Moses Edoho, Sr., examines the issues at the various global, national, and regional levels. In Part I the book examines the issues at the global level and looks at the impact of transnational corporations (TNCs) and globalization on the global environmental crisis. Furthermore, it also examines the efforts of the United Nations in initiating global environmental architecture to tackle the crisis. Part II considers the issues at the national level and focuses on Nigeria. The author explores Nigeria’s regulatory and institutional framework for environmental governance and implementation. Lastly, at the regional level in Part III, the discourse centers on how decades of oil exploration and production have unleashed monumental ecological tragedies in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria due to the lack of corporate environmental accountability. This book will be of great interest to academics and students who are interested in broadening their knowledge of environmental governance and policy in developing countries. It will also be of value to environmental regulatory agencies and public administrators, development professionals, and TNCs.