Research
Gender and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) In Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects
In contemporary civilized Nigeria, the Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) has become a household name used in offices and at homes to access, receive and retrieve information. Many innovations in the world today are as a result of the exposure and access to the world of the ICTs and people all over the world can access any other parts of the world to receive information about anything that borders on their interest in life. Women in their quest for empowerment and societal recognition have adopted and accepted ICT as an instrument for their advancement and empowerment. This is manifested in their previous two world conferences in Nairobi, 1985 and Beijing, 1995, where among several areas of concern, the role of the media in subordinating women featured prominently. But unfortunately, despite the much emphasis placed on the use of ICTs in Nigeria, women are often underrepresented in terms of access and use. It is against this background that this paper examines the challenges and prospects of ICT utilization among women in Nigeria. These challenges include lack of infrastructure, education and skills; urban-bias; and sociocultural and economic challenges.The study concludes that to address these gender gaps in ICTs in Nigeria, all hands must be on deck to change women’s attitudes towards ICT use by overcoming technophobia;women should be provided with educational and economic empowerment; government ICT policies and programs must address the needs of women;and the civil society should be part and parcel of this crusade for the betterment of women and the society at large.
Secularization and Development in Africa: A Terrific Facade
This article highlights secularization debate; identifying its major variants; critiquing the idea with particular reference to Peter Berger’s rendition; and presenting his recent position on the debate. The paper then provides a snapshot of development from the Western perspective, examining the relationship between religion and development, showing how it differs from an African perspective. The paper argues that,the Western models of development are not compatible with Africa because they are alien, incompatible with the norms and values of most Africans, and notably, neglect or relegate several important aspects of the people’s culture, including the role of religion in development.Thus, when African leaders embrace and applaud the Westernbased idea of secularized development at the expense of the subalterns, who do not feel the impacts of these superficial developments, it becomes a terrific façade. The article concludes by proposing a bottom-up approach to development conception and implementation in non-Western society, notably Africa, asserting that it has to beconsidered as a process compatible with the people’s realities, reflecting their values, including religion and culture generally.
A Sociological Analysis of Civil Society Success in International Development Project
This paper examines the various determinants of civil society or NGOs success in the international development project. Civil society is a broader concept that consists of all the social groups and social relationships in which humans are embebbed, including family, community, social movements, religious organizations, schools, ethnic groups, clubs, professional associations, PTAs, etc. It refers to the quality of people’s social life which includes safety, improved healthcare, mortality, civility, respect for diversity, and so forth. Several scholars have identified various determinants for civil society success, notably in developing nations. These include NGOs’ intermediary role; serving as a source for feed-back and integration; and cooperation among competing organizations. Others attribute the success to accountability; collaboration with international activist groups; diffusion of ideas through rapid communication carried out and advanced by certain ‘rooted cosmopolitans;’ and availability of funds from international donors. The article examines scholars’ centripetal and centrifugal on the subject matter and highlights some implications. It concludes that civil society contributes to the international development project through ensuring democracy by mobilizing the public, creating awareness, political participation, advocacy campaigns, and struggle for political rights. It finally posits that, the determinants for civil society/NGO success in international development project are multidimensional, advocating for a development model that recognizes the role of religious organizations as civil society actors in order to have a meaningful, compatible, and sustainable development model.
