EKPOMA REVIEW

NIGERIA AND THE QUESTION OF CLIMATE JUSTICE

2023-05-20T20:07:40+00:00

The world has witnessed series of natural disasters that are driven by climate change, and in most cases, the result of anthropogenic activities. Nigeria, alongside other countries of the world, faces the threatening consequences of climate change and other forms of environmental degradation. This paper, which takes the form of a case study, is a response to the question of the general level context of Nigeria's struggle with the challenges of climate change. It has analyzed Nigeria's Natio nally Determined Contributions (NDC) through the lens of climate justice, considering the wider policy frameworks at the national level. It, therefore, touched on the national effort towards keeping 1.5C alive, transition to green energy, the provision for food sovereignty, the capacity of the government to nance for mitigation, adaptation, losses and damages, and nally, the promotion and protection of the roles and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in the preservation of biodiversity. This paper applied a hybrid methodology, which includes collection of data from national and international sources, and from the empirical research of Nigerian scholars. These were analyzed critically and presented thematically. It submits that, while the Nigerian state is doing her own bit in the direction of climate justice, there is still much to be done, which require more national commitment and international collaboration.

COLLECTIVE EPISTEMOLOGY AND THE PRIVILEGE OF THE COMMUNITY IN AFRICAN SOCIAL EPISTEMOLOGY

2023-05-20T20:07:40+00:00

This article demonstrates the logic and viability of collective subjects in African social epistemology. It exposes the epistemology of collective subjects as one of the central issues in social epistemology. The question of collective subject proves a difculty for traditional epistemology because of its individualistic approach. Traditional epistemology privileges the individual over a group or collective. However, social epistemology which is a more uid form of epistemology discusses the uidity of subjects beyond individual persons as knowers. The complexity of regarding a group or collective as a knower involves a lot of implications. This paper critically takes on some of the engaging objections against collective subjects. This paper exposes philosophical perspectives on the community and on this rational ground, takes the community, as an example of collective subject to discuss the philosophy of collective epistemology both from social epistemology in the West and African social epistemology. It holds that the naturalist-structualist view of the community which communitarianism is grounded on is well-reasoned. It defends the communitarian view of the community as a doxastic agent and shows that it does not undermine individual freedom or rationality as advanced by critics of communitarianism, rather, it enhances it. It concludes that the privilege of the community in social epistemology and particularly, African social epistemology, is grounded on epistemological and ontological predisposition, yet, the community can be regarded as an epistemic agent, without diminishing the epistemic integrity of the individual. It holds that the individual knows through the community, which makes the individual's scope to know more holistic. This paper adopts expository and analytic methods in its approach.

CONSTRUCTIVIST SCHOOL IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND SECURITY STUDIES

2023-05-20T20:07:40+00:00

Before the advent of Constructivism, the conventional theories enjoyed some form of intellectual monopoly in the eld of international relations sometimes aggravating to some form of intellectual arrogance, borne out of the assurance of the truth and validity of their grand theorems and aided by the explanatory power of the sciences. Constructivism on the other hand came in a subtle manner to reveal the inherent aws and structural deciencies contained within those dominant theories. Indeed, it has been said by many scholars that no theory is complete in itself, and there is always room for revision and expansion. This critical launch on Realism, Liberalism, and to some extent, Marxism (together regarded as the conventional theories), was quite necessary in order to inject some form of intellectual vigour to the eld of International Relations and Security Studies that were gradually becoming rigid and comatose as a result of the somewhat subtle perceptions of the impeccability of the conventional grand theories. Adopting a historical and analytic approach, this paper attempts to unravel the unique role of the Constructivist School in the reassessment and understanding of international relations and it's sub discipline, Security Studies. The paper also illustrates some of the contributions of constructivism to the policy formulation of States and International Bodies.

RESIGNATION AS A JURIDIC ACT: THE QUESTION OF UNJUSTLY INFLICTED GRAVE FEAR IN CANON 188 CIC

2023-05-20T20:07:40+00:00

Every office holder in the Church has rights which are well protected by the Code of Canon Law. In protecting the right of a person, the Church also protects the common good of the Church by ensuring equity in ecclesiastical governance. This paper sought to analyse the validity of resignation as a juridical act vis-à-vis grave fear, highlighting a point that a juridical act is only valid when it is performed with freedom and consciousness. However, the deciency of the required freedom and consciousness is dependent on the degree to which grave fear is inicted. The paper, thus, argued that a resignation from ofce could result from grave fear but the fear must never be unjust if the resignation is to be valid. But how do we determine whether grave fear is just or unjust? With a delineation of two main modes of unjust fear, quoad substantiam and quoad modum, we undertook a study of Can. 188 CIC by which we note that a threat that inicts grave fear is just provided that it is inicted for the exercise of a right or an obligation; to attain a just end, the salvation of souls.

AN EXISTENTIAL-LOGICAL ANALYSIS OF FALLACIES ON THE HUMAN PERSON

2023-05-20T20:07:40+00:00

In everyday discourse, arguments, which are expected to be logical and reasonable, are used to advance positions and to make statements. However, some arguments are known to be illogical and are generally referred to as fallacies which are errors in reasoning. These informal fallacies are known to have a psychological dimension in the pattern of illusions and deceptions that violate argument rules used in rational thinking or argumentation. The problem this paper deals with is that these fallacies are deceptive and unfortunately are sometimes deliberately used to deceive and mislead others. The deliberate intention to deceive, mislead or induce someone or people to accept a claim undermines human dignity and cannot allow for genuine dialogue and authentic communication. The question of the effect of fallacies in human communication and relationship has raised concerns. Using the existential theories of Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel, and Karl Jaspers, this paper seeks to give an existential analysis of the inuence of informal fallacies on the human person. Through the expository and analytical method, this paper concludes that the deliberate use of fallacies in communication and relationships to deceive others is an affront to human dignity and militates against authentic existence. By learning to recognize fallacies and having a critical thinking disposition, we can avoid being deceitful and being misled by others.

TESTIMONIAL KNOWLEDGE AND THE EPISTEMIC VALUE OF YORÙBÁ PROVERBS

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

Despite the relatively late recognition as a source of knowledge and justification, testimony plays a significant role in our epistemic endeavours. The paper argued that testimony is a common practice in epistemic endeavours. Due to its social character, testimony provides a unique dimension to knowledge acquisition. This paper explored the social character of testimonial knowledge and argued that testimony is an inevitable practice to give or receive pieces of information within the day-to-day experience. Affirming the commonplace of testimony in our epistemic practice, Hume opines that there are no species of reasoning more common, more useful, and even necessary to human life, than that which is derived from the testimony of men, and the reports of eyewitnesses and spectators. Situated within Yorùbá conceptual scheme, the paper identied further that proverbs play a significant role in testimonial knowledge among the Yorùbá. Through a historical survey and critical analysis of the Yorùbá conceptual scheme, it is evident that proverbs serve as a reservoir of wisdom and guide for the practical living among the people. Furthermore, they contain philosophical issues that cut across epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, and aesthetics. This is in support of the interest of advocates of social epistemology that society and culture influence our epistemic standard, and that knowledge is defined by people's experience within a particular scheme. Therefore, the paper concluded that less arguably, proverbs are veritable instances of knowledge particularly as they share the basic structure of epistemic testimony.

METAPHYSICS AND THE ONTOLOGY OF BEING AMIDST THE LOGICAL POSITIVISTS' CRITICISM

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

The ontological quest of what truly constitutes the nature of reality has been a major preoccupation of metaphysics from time immemorial. This is because metaphysics is a science of being. The paper states that the notion of being is surrounded by some conceptual issues like act and potency, cause and effect, essence and existence, substance and accident, time and space, and so on. All of these are said to be perennial problems in the history of philosophy. The paper argues that the principles of metaphysics are different from the methods of the natural sciences reason being that the natural sciences have four characters i.e Specic, Public, Objective, and Impersonal. A close look at the four character of science shows that the natural sciences deal with the reality of the physical world whereas metaphysics adopts a more holistic approach to reality because it considers both the material and the non-material aspects of reality. This paper further argues that metaphysical postulations have lingered on in history and as such philosophers in the different epochs of philosophy have tried to proffer solutions to the problem of being. There is no doubt that while metaphysicians try to proffer solutions to the nature of being, logical positivists and other members of the Vienne circle are against metaphysical assumptions and postulations. They claim that metaphysical assertions are nonsensical and as such should be committed to the ames because they contain sophistry and illusion. This paper concludes that despite these criticisms from the logical positivists, metaphysics as a science of being is very much relevant to humanity. The method to be adopted will be analytical, expository, and prescriptive.

“GRATIALOGY”: TOWARDS AN EXISTENTIAL THEORY OF GRATITUDE ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SEMINARY FORMATION

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

Gratialogy, is the discourse on gratitude, expresses greatly, the pertinence of the attitude of gratitude. This is quite apt, given the fact that in our world today, there is an increasing depreciation in the expression of gratitude among people. It is important to note that gratitude to God should not only be rendered in good times, but in bad times alike. St. Paul says in 1 Thess. 5:18 that “In all things, give thanks.” The idea of Gratialogy, therefore, introduces us to the undying importance of Gratitude in Seminary formation. We shall in this paper, apply it to humanity and the four areas of formation or as I like to call it, the Tetra-Inseparable Formative Process, which is the Human, the Spiritual, the Intellectual, and the Pastoral areas of Seminary formation. We shall learn through this paper how gratitude gives birth to people who are able to build good relationship with others, and with God. We will also be introduced to how gratitude equips one with good intellectual implements to ward off ignorance and build a stronger faith. This seeks to critically expose the human person in general and seminarians in particular on the need to be thankful at all times. The goal of this theological enterprise will be facilitated through the use of the expository method.

THE RELEVANCE OF SYNOD IN THE CHURCH VIZ-A-VIZ SYNOD ON SYNODALITY

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

The path of Synodality is very crucial to the Church in our time because it constitutes the essential dimension of the Church. Although, this dimension is kergymatically aimed, our time demands the adoption of modern techniques to combat the widening gap in the church, especially between the laity and clergy, and the laxity towards evangelization. Hence, the current Synod on Synodality is targeted toward bridging the gap between the people and her minister. Having realized the effect of the laity in modern time evangelization, participation, communion, and mission, it appears to be a means through which the people can exercise the variety and ordered richness of their charisms, and their vocation, since the notion of Synodality refers to the connection and participation of the whole People of God in the life and mission of the Church. This mission ought not to be relegated to those in the clerical and religious state alone but should be a collaborative effort with the people. This work seeks to theologically analyze the new Synod on Synodality and its prospective fruits for the Church.

THE NEXUS BETWEEN MORALITY AND POLITICS

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

In the midst of the present political dispensation in Africa, in which issues of justice, equality and fairness are been called to question, the issue of the connection between morality and politics is been brought to the limelight again, considering the fact there are a lot of practices going on the political landscape in Nigeria today that are totally at variance with the norms and prerequisites for the conduct of such actions. The basic principle is that people must practice leadership with integrity and values. Contemporary political practices show that there is a large number of active political issues as a foundation for right and proper conduct of state politics. For instance, in Nigeria, issues such as corruption, vote buying and selling, campaigns bereft of ideas and main issues, certicate forgery and numerous doubts about the integrity of political actors occupy the centre stage of the political life. A thorough consideration of the issues mentioned above calls for reassessment of the way politics is fast being separated from morality, which has led to the popular saying that “politics is a dirty game.” Due to this anomalies that are prevalent today, this paper calls for the stringent implementation of the ethos of political engagement be they electoral or constitutional. The assessment is that religious institutions might play a crucial role in the formulation of rules that can inuence the political establishment, when making policy decisions and implementing them. The paper shall adopt the expository and analytic approach in accomplishing its task.

“TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?”: THE YEARNING FOR EFFECTIVE AND TRUE LEADERSHIP IN LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

The problem of bad leadership is one that cuts across virtually all nations within the earthly space; and the effect it generates is one that affects the well-being of humanity at large; from economic challenges to security problems, and even to psychological challenges that affect the general well-being of the human person. However, the problem of man is man, because nothing happens without the involvement and cooperation of man, and if the world is to be a better place where the general well-being of man is being taken care of, competent individuals must be elected. The Scripture which is “basic instruction before leaving earth” presents us with gures of history and models of authentic leadership, particularly our Lord Jesus Christ, the leader per excellence. In it, we are presented with the attributes of an authentic leader. This paper therefore bothers on the ideals of choosing and electing the right leaders in light of the gospel, and provides answer to the prevailing question asked by many today: “to whom shall we go?” This paper by its very nature is political, sociological, philosophical, psychological, and theological.

BOOK REVIEW

2023-05-20T20:07:41+00:00

Man has been perpetually sentenced to eternal quest for knowledge in the court of nature, waiting to be liberated by the man who is desirous of learning. The insatiability of the mind yearning for revitalization of antiquities, and newness of existing corpus of “episteme” would keep residing on the chariots of improvement until creativity is made manifest and innovation thus become evident. This is exactly what happens in the recycling process of thoughts, ideas and knowledge; the essence of which is not to condemn that which is already done but rather to revisit keenly into the treasury of knowledge in order to make that which is good better, and that which is better, best.