Programme: Policy and Strategic Studies

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    The misconstruction of enemy images in war reporting: The insight narratives on Israel-Hamas conflict
    (Global Change, Peace & Security Volume 35, 2023 - Issue 3, 2025-02) Osimen Goddy U.; DELE-DADA MOYOSOLUWA PRISCILIA; Osere Nkem Janefrances
    The media plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions during conflicts, particularly through the construction of enemy images. In the case of the Israel-Hamas conflict, war reporting has reinforced hostile narratives, contributing to the escalation of violence. With the use of secondary sources of data, this study explores how enemy images are constructed through selective media framing, biased language, and the portrayal of both Israel and Hamas in starkly oppositional terms. By comparing Western, Israeli, Palestinian, and regional media outlets, the study identifies key patterns in the use of emotionally charged narratives, political rhetoric, and imagery. It also highlights the implications of such representations, including the justification of military actions, dehumanisation of the adversary, and the manipulation of international perceptions.
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    Sustainable development goals implementation in a post‐colonial African State: Any future for the African Continental Free Trade Area?
    (Sustainable Dvelopment Volume33, Issue1, 2024-09) Chidozie Felix C.; Osimen Goddy U.; Bhadmus Joy; Newo Oluwamurewa
    This paper examined the prospect of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement in the context of the SDGs. It took its bearing from the contemporary structure of most African states, arguing that the reality of the continent's postcolonial condition could impede the implementation of the AfCFTA. Its refrain is that studies on how Nigeria and South Africa, as regional powers, have used their economic and political influence to advance the SDGs' implementation throughout Africa, using different South–South development frameworks are few. In other words, the institutionalization of a strategic collaboration agenda through a Nigeria-South Africa-coordinated African response to the new powers, in the area of timely implementation of the SDGs is lacking. This study affirms that for the AfCFTA to be successful, it is incumbent on the regional hegemons to build a suitable institutional framework and governance structure that upholds the rule of law and encourages harmonization, consistency, and predictability.
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    Political Leadership and Humanitarian Crisis: The Aftermath of Rwanda Conflict and the Challenges of Democratic Sustainability in Africa
    (Journal of Somali Studies : Research on Somalia and the Greater Horn of African CountriesVol. 12, No. 1, 2025) Osimen Goddy U.; Udoh Oluwakemi D.; Daudu Basil Osayin; Odukoya Jonathan Adedayo; Chidozie Felix C.
    Political leadership and humanitarian crises have had a huge impact on the democratic sustainability of many African states since gaining independence from their colonial masters in the 1960s. Political leadership, humanitarian crises, and democratic sustainability are strongly interconnected as the quality of leadership during a crisis can either strengthen or weaken democratic systems. Good leadership prevents crisis, while bad leadership leads to anarchy, thereby endangering democratic principles and processes. The ideas of political leadership, humanitarian crises, and democratic sustainability unfold in the case of the Rwandan conflict and its aftermath, thereby making the country a case study for the rest of the world. This is well described using the Political Leadership theory in this study. The objectives of the study are to: (i) examine the Rwandan conflict/genocide and Rwanda’s political sphere between 1998 and 2022; (ii) interrogate the role of leadership in the recovery of Rwandans from the humanitarian crisis they faced; (iii) highlight the policies and structural changes made by the government of Rwanda, particularly the reconciliatory and peacebuilding mechanisms initiated in the aftermath of the Conflict; and (iv) examine how political leadership, humanitarian crises, and democratic sustainability have contributed to the current state of affairs in the continent of Africa. Thus, the study adopted a qualitative case study design to evaluate political leadership, humanitarian crises, and the challenges of democratic sustainability in the context of post-genocide Rwanda. The study revealed, among others, that Rwanda’s leadership overcame the humanitarian crisis via leadership quality, indicating that strong institutions, effective leadership, and the rule of law are key to sustaining democracy in African states.
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    Cyberbullying and Social Media
    (Combatting Cyberbullying in Digital Media with Artificial Intelligence, 2023) Daudu Basil Osayin; Osimen Goddy U.; Shuaibu Kennedy
    Through the use of Internet, the world has become a global village, connecting diverse people, cultures, and countries together. Technology has made remarkable and transformative changes in human lives and societies, boosting the economies of nations. However, some people have taken advantage of this to perpetuate cybercrimes, and one of such cybercrimes is cyberbullying (online abuse), which manifests itself in various forms such as pranking, impersonation, hacking, fake news, among others. The negative impacts of cyberbullying on African digital space and Africa at large are disheartening, and the possibility of dealing with this monstrous online crime in Africa has not yielded much positive results due to insufficient technological infrastructures, personnel, and knowledge. Cyberbullies use social media to enhance their nefarious activities, reaching out to their gullible victims with ease. As such, our lead questions are as follows: How is cyberbullying perpetuated in African digital space? What impact does cyberbullying have on Afrocentric society? How best can cyberbullying be dealt with in African digital space? In this chapter, we critically examine cyberbullying and social media in light of African digital space, the communication means adopted by cyberbullies and their implications for African digital space and Africa at large. We, therefore, argue for artificial intelligence knowledge production and application as a potential solution to combating cyberbullying in African digital space
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    The Geneva Convention on Laws of War and the Sudan Armed Conflict
    (International Journal of Social Service and Research Vol. 03, No. 07, 2023-06) Osimen Goddy U.; DELE-DADA MOYOSOLUWA PRISCILIA
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    Political Restructuring, Federalism and Democratic Sustainability in Nigeria
    (Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development Vol.9, No.21, 2018) Osimen Goddy U.; Aghemelo Austine Thomas; Oyewole Oyindamola O.
    Nigeria has undergone a long process of restructuring in terms of the number of geo-political administrative areas called states or regions constituting the country. This process is popularly referred to as “state creation”, that is the process whereby new geo-political units/constituents known as “states” in most federations are created out of existing or old ones. The outcome of this process is usually an increase in the number of states constituting the Nigerian federation. Nigeria is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with well over 250 ethno linguistic groups, some of which are bigger than many independent states of contemporary Africa. The Nigerian federalism is a creation of the British. Before the arrival of British colonialists, the area now known as Nigeria was inhabited by peoples who belonged to different Empires, kingdoms and societies, which were traditionally administered. The arrival of British and other European explorers, merchants and religious missionaries introduced slave trade and conflicts and then consequently bringing a new system of governance that executed the organized and transparent institutions and governments that had existed before the balkanization of Africa. This suggests that the formation, evolutionary process and unification of Nigerian political and administrative systems did not represent the interest and aspirations of the natives or ethnic groups. The early pre-independence constitutional development is an example of this misrepresentation of the native consent on what type of system Nigeria will run- whether a federation, a confederation, unitary or not. After the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria in 1914, the country was more or less run as unitary colony with twenty four provinces (12 in the North and 12 in the South) until the establishment of the federal order by the Richards constitution of 1946. Thereafter, ethnic politics (otherwise known as tribalism) and regionalism have become definitive features of Nigeria federalism. The aim of this paper was therefore, to examine the origins and sequences of events on restructuring that creates the contemporary Nigerian state including the structure and features of Nigerian Federalism and it traces. The paper revealed that some of the challenges facing Nigerian federalism are; revenue sharing formula among the tiers, state creation, resource control and power sharing. This all have cumulated in placing the democratic rule in the country at a disadvantaged position. Consequently, the dividends of democracy have seized to reach the hands of the common people. It is on the bases of this some policy recommendations were made.
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    Reconstructing culture and building societal values in the global era: The imperative of mother-tongue in elementary schools curriculum in Africa
    (Research Journal in Advanced Humanities Volume 6, Issue 1, 2025) Osimen Goddy U.; Ehibor Oremire Judith; Daudu Basil Osayin; Alofun Grace Olufolake
    Every tribe has a unique culture of which language is a distinctive feature. The relationship between language and culture is fundamental, as a native language provides access to understanding a community’s way of life. Language is a key connector for people, regardless of status or background, and an essential part of cultural identity. In Africa, indigenous languages, or mother tongues, play a crucial role in preserving culture, fostering social engagement, upholding societal values, and promoting national unity. However, colonial influence has led to the adoption of foreign languages like English and French as official languages in many African countries, overshadowing native languages. This shift has caused African youths, particularly in Anglophone and Francophone countries, to lose interest in their native languages, preferring foreign languages and Western lifestyles instead. This trend is exacerbated in schools, where English or French is the primary mode of communication. Adopting a critical analysis, the paper laid much emphasis on reconstructing culture and building societal values in the global era. Findings reveal that language and culture are correlated, and the African continent is faced with the problem of code-switching or mixing of languages. The paper, therefore, advocates for the inclusion of mother tongues in elementary school curricula to address the decline in interest in native languages and the rising issue of code-switching or mixing of languages.
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    An Unnecessary War of Fame: The East and West NATO’s Enlargement Strategies and the Geopolitics of Russo- Ukrainian Conflict
    (International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies Volume 9, Issue 4, 2022) Osimen Goddy U.; Ade-Ibijola Aderemi Opeyemi
    Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the most critical geopolitical crises the world leaders are facing currently. And is being seen as one of the most serious test of European security in the recent time, and its presents a serious challenge as to understanding of President Putin‟s geopolitical intentions while, these grievances included the long-simmering dispute over the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the legitimacy of Ukrainian identity as well as their statehood. It reflected a worldview Putin had long expressed, emphasizing the deep-seated unity among the Eastern Slavs-Russians and Ukrainians who they both trace their origins to the medieval KyivanRus commonwealth-and suggesting that the modern states of Russia and Ukraine should share a common political destiny now and in the future. Owing to that view is the claim that distinct Ukrainian identity is the product of foreign manipulation mostly, by Russia‟s acclaimed imperial rivals; using Ukraine as part of an “anti-Russia project. Consequently, the paper revealed that NATO is not only Russia‟s problem but, Russia‟s ambitions to extend beyond preventing Ukrainian NATO membership and encompass a more detailed aspiration to dominate Ukraine politically, militarily, and economically triggered the current conflict in Ukraine. The paper further revealed that Russia is almost certain to flop in its bid to establish lasting control over its neighbors owing to external factors, mostly the West and the nonconformist nature of Ukraine government. Therefore, concludes that if Russia must feel fully secure with regard to Ukraine, Ukraine must be territorially truncated or geopolitically neutralized by Russia. Then, if neutralization is not feasible as a strategy, Russia must renewed stability, though, this option would largely depend either on the West agreeing in renewed Russian control of Ukraine, or on Russia accepting the loss of Ukraine. It is most likely that a non-cooperative result will emerge at the end of the day, in which Russia may limit its military activity, but will continue to ensure that Ukraine cannot do what is desired to achieve or join Europe-west- NATO world.
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    Armed Banditry and Mass School Abductions in Northern Nigeria: Implications for National Security
    (Canadian Social Science Vol. 18, No. 4, 2022) Osimen Goddy U.; Daudu Basil Osayin
    Security threats in Nigeria, due to activities of armed bandits/extremist such as kidnapping school children for ransom is one of the major prevalent insecurity issues that threaten to collapse government structures in the country. Nigeria is currently groaning under the yoke of the jihadist/Islamic movement, secessionist’s movement and all manners of criminalities. The recent spate of abductions and mass kidnapping of school children represents one of the existential threats to the future of education in northern Nigeria. The problems have provoked serious concerns across the nation, has called for urgent and holistic resolution. It has continued to be precarious, volatile and highly unpredictable, therefore creating untold fear on the people in the region; exacerbate the close down of many schools, food crisis situation, sexual molestation/slavery, and increasing wave of Internally Displaced Persons. Government’s response to the challenges has generally been ineffectual, uncoordinated and poorly executed. This paper, therefore, examines the mainstream of armed banditry, hostage taking/kidnapping in northern schools and their security threats to Nigeria. This paper anchored on “Failed state theory” and data were sourced through secondary means and analyzed qualitatively. The paper revealed that lack of education, mass illiteracy and lack of employment opportunities are among the root causes of the criminalities, banditry, and terrorism in northern Nigeria. Hence, government cannot be passive about this security challenge. It is obviously clear that government has failed in her duty to provide basic needs and has also failed to defend and protect her people. Therefore, government should address the root causes of insecurity in the northern Nigeria including overhauling the security architecture system among other policies geared towards eliminating structural imbalance in the region.
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    The Rising Insecurity In Nigeria: Interogating The Linkage Between Poverty And Banditry
    (Educational Administration: Theory and Practice 30(5), 2024) Oladoyin Anthony Mayowa; Osimen Goddy U.; Adi Isaac; Dada Omolara
    Security creates an environment in which people in an economy can set goals and invest in their future and where social bonds and institutions are strengthened, which leads to economic growth and development. The paper went into detail about the rise of insecurity in Nigeria and how security threats and banditry are linked to the country's high poverty level. Even though poverty is not the only reason why people in Nigeria engage in banditry and other related crimes. Poverty was identified as a major cause in the paper. Other reasons cited include religion and a lack of education, both of which may be indirectly related to poverty. According to the study, banditry has direct consequences such as the destruction of lives and property and the displacement of people, as well as indirect consequences such as a decrease in foreign investment, a widening in the production gap of food items, a spike in food prices, deterioration of educational institutions, and loss of confidence of local and foreign investors, among others. Banditry is worsening Nigeria's poverty situation. The study concludes that insecurity threatens not only the affected Northern region of Nigeria, but also the country's overall growth and development. To address the insurgency problem in Nigeria, the government should focus not only on combating insecurity through militancy, but also on developing human capital and empowering the youth.