Lagos Notes and Records

Preliminaries and Contents

2023-12-06T19:19:30+00:00

Editorial

I announce the publication of Lagos Notes and Records, Volume 28, 2022, a special edition devoted to the COVID-19 pandemic experience.

Coronavirus took the world by storm at a time when humanity was least prepared for it, and has since redefined every facet of our
life and living: work, relaxation, education, health, food security and religiosity. While many suffered huge losses, of lives and incomes, some made fantastic gains and broke new grounds during the pandemic. This volume is a codification of the cerebral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, containing eight well-researched articles analyzing various humanistic interventions in the COVID-19 phenomenon.

I heartily recommend these articles to the academic community with the assurance that they will be worthy additions to humanty's store of knowledge.

Lastly, I congratulate the Editorial Team for another job well done.

Professor Olufunke Adeboye

Editor-in-Chief

Wider Message Coverage: How Far has Music and Cartoon Animations Helped during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown among the Low-Income Earners in Lagos, Nigeria?

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Managing information outbreak during the COVID-19 Pandemic was one of the concerns of
the Federal Government of Nigeria through the different social media platforms. Daily
information dispensing details of death from COVID-19 raises concern about staying alive.
However, hope was not lost as different channels of creating awareness for COVID-19
prevention were made available via the arts. This study, examines how wide the information
on awareness about preventive measures on COVID-19 gets to the residents of the multitenanted apartments in Lagos, Nigeria. The study uses an online survey via Twitter and a
questionnaire; the study sought answers to the research questions that examine if previous
epidemic outbreaks receive more comprehensive coverage using music, examining the roles
of music and cartoon animation in creating awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic
lockdown. The study finds out that music and cartoon animations played the significant role
of sensitization; of particular interest was the music that tells a story of hand-washing, using
hand sanitizers, and maintaining social distancing. This was evident in a cartoon animation
aired over the Cable News Network (CNN) and also, the cartoon animation produced during
this research project served the purpose of awareness. The respondents also affirmed further
that music brings a positive vibe adding that, positive emotions were displayed when people
listen to music. The researchers created the level of awareness primarily when jingles and
cartoon animations were produced in respondents. This study expresses the belief that music
and cartoon animation served the dual purpose of information awareness and social
cohesion.

Coronavirus-Induced Shift in Classroom Discourse: A Linguistic Study of Blended Learning in Nigeria

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A major impact of COVID-19 in the educational sector in Nigeria is the expansion of
interactive space. Web-based teaching and learning have risen exponentially owing to
the risks associated with traditional discourse modes during the COVID-19
pandemic. Globally, virtual classrooms have become a child of necessity to sustain
and maintain safety while learning. In Nigeria, the directive by the Nigerian Centre
for Disease Control (NCDC) and the strict enforcement of the “stay-at-home” rule
made it almost impossible for traditional face-to-face classroom engagement to
continue. As a result, a hybrid approach was adopted with emphasis however on webbased teaching. The study used both quantitative and qualitative method to examine
the discursive shifts in learning experience and modality of communication induced
by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study interpreted the data using simple percentages
and Gualberto and Kress’ Social Semiotic Literacy Theory. Findings from this study
revealed that the digital learning has linguistically enhanced students’ literacy skills
and the several challenges encountered during the digital learning process were
predicated on the inadequacy of infrastructure and subsequently led to health
monitored and safeguarded face-to-face learning. The paper concluded that there is a
significant shift in learning mode during COVID-19 from traditional classroom to
digital learning. It also purported that these platforms have impacted teaching and
learning outcomes for college students in a developing country such as Nigeria.

Law Enforcement Capabilities and COVID-19 Safety Precautions: Synergy for Health Emergency Amelioration for Global Peace and Security

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Law enforcement is crucial for national peace and security; and it is hereby defined as the
various organs of government that are involved in ensuring compliance with the laws of the
land. The outbreak of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019 served as a litmus
test for the efficacy of various law enforcement agencies. This manifested in the enforcement
of safety protocols such as lockdown of social-economic activities, washing of hands in
private and public places, wearing of face masks, maintenance of social distancing, banning
of social gatherings and other inherent social safety procedures. Aside the loss of lives,
domestic violence and other security challenges, lack of established law enforcement
capabilities worsened peoples` conditions during the period. Therefore, this paper assesses a
significant relationship between law enforcement capabilities and COVID-19 safety
precautions for achieving global peace and security. The paper adopts qualitative research
method; data were sourced secondarily through the content analysis of peer-review journals,
edited text-books, and credible online resources. The findings showed that effective
enforcement of the COVID-19 safety precautions will reduce the spread of COVID-19, and
this enhances global peace and security. The paper recommends positive collaborations
among law enforcement agencies coupled with good governance to tackle COVID-19 for
global peace and order. Ultimately, this paper will be useful to individuals, government at
various levels, World Health Organisations and other stakeholders involved in Corona Virus
monitoring and mitigation.

COVID-19 and the Nearness of Armageddon: Sense-making the Fear and Hope through Biblical Historiography

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Armageddon is the Biblical war of the Great Day of God to end all unrighteousness. It is
doomsday for peoples and nations in opposition to Jehovah. This paper examines COVID-19
as one of the composite signs that Armageddon is near. It finds that the outbreak of
Coronavirus heightened fear and hope globally. For some, the pandemic was a dreaded sign
that the end of the world is near; and in others it increased optimism that deliverance is near.
Using the historical research methodology, this paper makes sense of this fear and hope
drawing lessons from Biblical antecedents. It will demonstrate the COVID-19-induced life
changing spiritual lessons Nigerians must learn before Armageddon strikes. Nigeria is a
secular State with a highly religious population. But most Nigerians are ironically irreligious
in deeds. The high incidences of corruption and human factor decay in Nigeria belie the
people’s acclaimed piety. Nigerians worship God fervently; but their fear of death and
Armageddon reveasl the spiritual pandemic plaguing Nigeria. Therefore, while virologists
and epidemiologists battle to protect the physical health of humanity from COVID-19; the
Humanities must engage its spiritual health imperatives. Hence, the paper concludes that
post-COVID-19 new normal must go beyond wearing facemasks, regular hand-washing and
sanitising. It must include personality change and spiritual restitution. These are critical for
turning the fear of Armageddon to hope of salvation in Nigeria and beyond.

Big Brother Naija Lockdown: The Nigerian Youth Populace and the Reflection of the Social Self

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When one reflects on the day-to-day livelihood of the average Nigerian youth, it begs the
question of whether Nigeria has in turn been “faithful and loyal” to its citizens when the
latter have pledged to do so for the development of the acclaimed giant of Africa. Citizens, in
the context of this paper, solely refer to the Nigerian youth who constitute half of the total
population; with an age range that runs between 15 and 34 years. The country, though not
oblivious of the agile youth as its bedrock for present and perpetual sustenance, has been
unable to provide for the immediate and consequently the imminent future needs of its youth;
leaving the gargantuan part of the class underemployed or unemployed, as a result of
glaring, unfavorable socio-economic decisions that transcend from jaundiced political
activities. Hence, the emergence of the coronavirus in December 2019 dealt a double, intense
blow to the Nigerian youth who, prior to the economic wrenching pandemic, could hardly
sustain himself on his paltry earnings in an inauspicious social environment. For the
Nigerian youth, therefore, the Lockdown presents the opportunity for a more intense
reflection of the self and social identity, such that the well-acclaimed Big Brother Naija,
Season Five Lockdown Edition, sets off a social identity paradigm for the young populace.

Art and Artist in Pandemic: Four Notable COVID-19 Precipitated Virtual Art Exhibitions in Nigeria

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COVID-19, the code name of the disease caused by a Coronavirus, was first announced in
December 2019 by China and declared a world pandemic in 2020. Among several measures
to curb and eradicate the disease was the enforcement of a lockdown. Lockdown impacted
the socio-cultural and economic lives of people worldwide. The internet became the only
space where everyone connected. Many professionals and entrepreneurs responded by
finding alternative avenues to enable the sustainability and survival of their professions.
Among these that were grossly affected are artists worldwide, who responded to the demands
of the times in different ways. One aspect of art practice that was affected was gallery-based
art exhibitions which led to the emergence of increase in virtual art exhibitions. This paper
documents and reviews four selected outstanding virtual art exhibitions from the numerous
that took place and were precipitated by COVID-19 lockdown. From observation of fifteen
notable exhibitions, four exhibitions were purposively selected for study for this paper. The
parameters for the selection of the four were: the types of technologies used for the
exhibitions such as CUDA-X, Multi-Instance GPU (MIG) and platforms such as EGX
Platform, Virtual GPU, Jetson, GeForce, RTX and NVIDIA Drive; the variety and
geographical spread of the locations of both the participating artists and viewership; the
media used for the execution of the artworks and areas of specialization of the artworks
(painting, sculpture, photography, multi-media and digital); the professional status of the
organisers and curators and artists; only group not solo exhibitions and only exhibitions
originating from Nigeria. Apart from observation, the methodology for the investigation
carried out for this study included interviews with the curators and some of the exhibiting
artists and the critical examination of the artistic components, features, technologies and
platforms. The effects of these virtual exhibitions and their possible impact on contemporary
art in Nigeria were assessed through the participants and viewers data collected from the
organisers and literature search online. The study revealed that the launch of virtual art
exhibitions is a gain for art and artists worldwide, Nigeria inclusive. Such achievements are
in artistic ethics, art education, art practice, patronage, art technology and information. The
data collected on viewership showed that virtual art exhibitions will enlarge the borders of
Nigerian contemporary art and artists internationally by their recognition, increase in
patronage and promotion. The exhibitions also opened extensive explorations into advanced
technologies that are highly beneficial to the development of Nigerian contemporary art. The
direction of the art vis-a-vis forms, styles, genres, media and movements is one aspect to
watch out for in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Coronavirus: One word, Many Pronunciations among Nigerians

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Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a disease that affects the respiratory tract. Since the emergence of
this disease in Wuhan province of China towards the end of 2019, it has spread to all parts of
the world including a multilingual nation, Nigeria with over 500 languages. Articulation of
foreign medical terms is not always easy among the basilect English speakers in Nigeria.
Consequently, the interactions and discussions of Coronavirus have generated various
pronunciations that this study is set to examine. A total of 50 short real-life videos and audio
clips made up of 30 adult males, 17 adult females, 2 teenagers (1 male and 1 female) and 1
pupil were gathered online. The data were analyzed using the socio-phonetics method.
Results show that the word Coronavirus has eighteen pronunciation types among Nigerians.
Strategies employed in trying to adapt to the pronunciation of Coronavirus includes sound
substitution, sound deletion, sound insertion, and other forms of neologism. This study has
established various phonetic interventions in the COVID-19 discourse in Nigeria. The study
concludes by advocating for official adaptation of medical terms such ‘Coronavirus’ and the
‘likes’ into local languages.

Education in the Throes of the Pandemic: Digital Pedagogical Responses of Visual Arts during the Covid-19 Lockdown in Nigeria

2023-12-06T19:19:31+00:00

Starting with a series of conspiracy theories on social media and the attendant apprehension
generated by a forced lockdown on the economy-cum-restriction of movement, COVID-19
arrived Nigeria in “grand style”. Many businesses were forced to fold up, downsize or
reinvent to remain relevant within the economy. Educational institutions witnessed a
complete lockdown as students were instructed to stay at home until further notice, while
alternative learning modes were devised. In the visual arts, the lockdown triggered an array
of responses, adapting existing digital tools in art teaching, mentorship and practice. This
paper discusses some of these under three headings, namely; art business and management,
art exhibitions, and technology-driven art practice. Using participant observation and
unstructured interviews, the study examines the form, content, mode of delivery and impact of
the pedagogy. The analysis shows significant impact as viable teaching and mentorship
modules in the visual arts that should be retained in continuum. The paper adds to our
knowledge, the impactful free online teaching and mentoring programs on art, organized by
individuals in Nigeria during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Fictional Interventions on Covid-19 Pandemic: Can It be Armageddon?

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Supplications and counter-supplications to God
You’re the Alpha and Omega, Omega and Alpha } 2x
Can Coronavirus be the superhighway to Armageddon?
Can it be the foretold end-time spiritual Judgement?
Of the gathering of Kings in the Book of Revelation?
Greetings and Doxology to the Seven Churches of Asia
Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum
Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia
Laodicea.

Yesterday, Today

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Yesterday
Was a surfeit of conceited farts
Paradise on bubble, arpeggios of
Satieties thrummed the air
Titillations of coital palate, loud
Cannons of cranial feats.
The string pullers? Lords of instant
Extinction and supersonic surfers of
The superhighway…
Some blared deific trumpet of scions
Of Cupid, others
Their Terminator physique, many more
gods’ bits of wood
Revelled in the tintinnabulation of
gold coins
with its power spin-offs…
Yes, Gods roamed the earth
and their worshippers buried
suppliant tapers
to gain themselves Nirvana

There’s a TINGLING IN MY THROAT: IS that you CORONA?

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It's the tenth day of the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. It‟s been a dreadful ten
days, and I‟ve just exhausted my stock of groceries. The government told us to prepare for
a fourteen-day lockdown in the first instance. I prepared. I purchased enough food stuff and
toiletries to last fourteen days. There are at least four more days to endure the "stay at
home‟ order. If we are lucky. The Lagos state government is threatening to extend the lockdown
“if Lagosians don‟t behave themselves.” I‟m an obedient Lagosian. I obey the rules. I endure the
anxiety and paralysing fear of getting infected. There are rumours that the virus could be
airborne. So I shut my windows and cascade in sweat, even when there‟s no electricity to power
the fan or air conditioner that have become basic necessities. These measures, as tough as they
are fail to take away the fear in me. Each time I feel a tingling in my throat, I ask: Corona, is that
you? I jump around panicking, and pace about my room until I collapse into bed in exhaustion. I
have been sufficiently educated to know that the virus comes stealthily with tingling. Then, it
makes your throat itch, and consolidates its invasion by making you sneeze and cough before it
takes total possession of your lungs. I self-regulate, stifling any sneezes and coughs attempt to
betray my discipline. Traitors. Although I‟m far away from the instruments for testing, each time
I feel a tingling in my throat, I tell myself repeatedly that Corona will not invade my lungs.