Browsing by Author "Omobowale, A. O."

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Contextual reflections on COVID-19 and informal workers in Nigeria
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020) Omobowale, A. O.; Oyelade, O. K.; Omobowale, M. O.; Falase, O. S.
Purpose – The index case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was reported on 27 February 2020. Subsequently, the exponential increase in cases has brought about the partial and total lockdown of cities, the closure of all schools and the shutdown of government offices in order to curtail the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 and its subsequent drastic curtailment policies have implications on vulnerable groups, especially, informal workers who constitute about 70% of the active working population in Nigeria. This reflective discourse critically engages the plight of informal workers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – The research was guided by the epistemology of pandemic interpretationism. It engages contextual reflections of the plight of economically vulnerable informal workers in Nigeria. Data were collected from secondary sources while rapid case studies were conducted with ten informal workers in Lagos and Ibadan. Afterwards, data were contextually analysed. Findings – Economically vulnerable informal workers in Nigeria have contextually interpreted COVID-19 as an elite disease, imported into Nigeria by the wealthy. In addition, the mass population views COVID-19 containment measures such as lockdowns, movement restrictions and stay-at-home orders as elitist policies, which are aimed at protecting the wealthy and frustrating the poor and economically vulnerable who live on the fringes of poverty. Many informal workers have slipped below the poverty line while struggling to supply livelihood needs, as they were unable to earn daily income and cannot access palliatives. Consequently, they are of the opinion that “Hunger Virus is deadlier than Corona Virus”. Originality/value – This paper is a contextual reflection on the plight of economically vulnerable informal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and movement restrictions in Nigeria. It presents pandemic interpretationism as an epistemological guide and reflectively examines the poverty impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian informal sector via contextual analyses of secondary data and rapid case studies. The paper uncovers various COVID-19 livelihood experiences and the responses of the informal workers; furthermore, it provides policy recommendations.
Ember-months and disaster beliefs in Nigeria
(Ebonyi University Press Abakaliki, 2011) Omobowale, A. O.; Akinade, H. O. J.; Omobowale, M. O.
Local government administration is widely regarded as government closest to the people of the grassroot. It performs vital functions such as: political education, mobilization of the people for popular participation in governance, vehicle for political accountability, among others. The struggle to bring about a local government system in Nigeria has been a long drawn one. Efforts have geared towards moving the system from local administration to local government with functional political and economic autonomy. Yet, local government administration is confronted with issues and challenges such as: federal and state government’s interventions in the constitutional apportioned responsibilities of local government. The paper argues that for local government administration to realize its lofty goals, the country should return to true federalism, enthrone positive leadership, pursuit of economic self-reliance through internally generated revenue, and embrace attitudinal and behavioural changes to achieve good governance.
Harnessing associational networking and social capital for development in West Africa
(Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria., 2016) Omobowale, A. O.; Omobowale, M. O.; Olutayo, M. S.; Akinade, H. O.
Within the past three decades, widespread poverty has accompanied Western influenced neoliberal policies often camouflaged as vital development initiatives (e.g. SAP and privatization programme). Still, within the same period, the continent has witnessed spontaneous emergence of numerous associational groups; created through social networking for the utilization of social capital for the satisfaction of individual and group development needs as strategy against poverty. These associations are usually in form of cooperative, welfare, town and/or friendship groups. It is important to note that a basic feature of the associations, especially, in terms of social networking for social survival is related to the communal value of African societies as against the modernist/Western preference for individuality. The aim of the article is to examine the relevance of associational groups to the development of West Africa with the primary objective of presenting a possible policy position on harnessing associational networking and social capital for development in West Africa.
King Sunny Ade: Liberal Sexuality, Reproductive Health and the Paramour
(Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2016) Omobowale, M. O.; Akanle, O.; Akintunde, A. A.; Omobowale, A. O.
Koro ti Lo: Popular deconstruction of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southwestern Nigeria
(Springer, 2022) Omobowale, M. O.; Falase, O. S.; Oyelade, O. K.; Omobowale, A. O.
Migration and environmental crises in Africa
(Oxford University Press, 2018) Omobowale, A. O.; Akanle, O.; Falase, O. S.; Omobowale, M. O.
Newspaper stands as centers of social consciousness in Nigeria
(Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, 2013) Omobowale, A. O.; Omobowale, M. O.; Akinade, H. O. J
The existing interaction between newspaper stands and Nigerian readers transcends market exchange. It is rather a place for engendering social consciousness among a people, desirous of being abreast of up-to-date information, but lacking requisite finance. Thus, a practice which evolved out of peoples’ financial incapability has become a catalyst for the congregation of individuals at newspaper stands to access news at minimal cost, for social interaction and possible social consciousness. This depicts a public sphere where people have “shared interest”. Thus, the newspaper stand presents as public sphere where shared public interest reported in newspapers ignites deliberative discourses which hugely impacts social consciousness among discussants and listening by-standers.
Oju and Inu: solidarity in the informal market space in Ibadan, Nigeria.
(SAGE Publications, 2019) Omobowale, M. O.; Omobowale, A. O.
Informal markets provide employment for a large spectrum of Nigerians. These markets provide access to livelihood for those willing to work within the market environment and operate within its rules. A major normative value, which also spells out the ethics in the informal market space, is solidarity-in-completion. Indeed, traders are in competition, but they also solidarize for individual and market progress. This article examines the context of solidarity in informal markets in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study was guided by the Asuwada theory of sociation, which explains the context of solidarity as ethical in traditional societies. Qualitative data were collected through 12 key informant interviews, 60 in-depth interviews, six focus group discussion sessions, and 12 case studies. Access to space and retention of such space in the market is structured by the local contexts of oju and inu relations that determine and contextualize solidarity, and normative solidarity regulates competition among traders.
Scholarly publishing in Nigeria: the enduring effects of colonization
(Routledge, 2019) Omobowale, A. O.; Akanle, O.; Akinsete, C.
The context of children in Yoruba popular culture
(SAGE Publications, 2019) Omobowale, A. O.; Omobowale, M. O.; Falase, O. S.
The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria describes children as the heritage of the society because children occupy a special place in societal survival and continuity. Children are esteemed and appreciated. Thus, the embedded culture propagates the essentiality of children, the need for proper socialisation and internalisation to make a responsible being (Omoluabi). Also, children are prioritised above material wealth, and the essentiality of child wellbeing and education is emphasised in aspects of popular culture such as oral poetry, proverbs, local songs and popular music among others. Using extant elements of Yoruba popular culture which have remained dominant, this article contextually examines the value of children among the Yoruba
The covid-19 pandemic and everyday life: the relations of lockdown, social distancing, face masking, discreet salutation and hand hygiene in Nigeria
(Serbian Sociological Association, Belgrade, 2020) Omobowale, A. O.; Falase, O. S.; Oyelade, O. K.; Omobowale, M. O
This paper provides a contextual discourse on the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent reality of taken-for-granted nuances using the epistemology of everyday sociology. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global disease that has virtually affected all facets of life. Nigerian government has moved swiftly to curb the pandemic through containment protocols of lockdown, social distancing, face masking, discreet salutation and hand hygiene. As social actors continue to interact amid the pandemic, they construct and reconstruct the world around them through the social interpretations and contextual meanings derived from these containment protocols. The taken-for-granted nuances and meanings embedded in these micro interpretations allow social actors to take interpretive actions based on the meanings attached to COVID-19 pandemic and the containment protocols.
Vulgar lyrics in Nigeria’s twenty-first-century popular music: St. Janet and Olamide (Badoo)
(Springer International, 2017) Omobowale, A. O.; Busari, D. A.; Omobowale, M. O.; Falase, O.S.