FACULTY OF ARTS

This study examines the enduring impact of colonialism on Nigerian identity, with particular attention to its influence on education, language, and culture. Using postcolonial theory, it critically analyzes Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, comparing how the protagonists’ experiences reflect broader struggles within
postcolonial society. The research reveals that both characters, in their pursuit of education and opportunities abroad, encounter alienation, cultural dislocation, and identity conflict. Their experiences highlight how colonial legacies continue to shape self-perception and belonging. The study highlights the enduring nature of identity conflicts shaped by colonial history and shows how literature reflects these ongoing struggles in Nigerian society.

This study examines the multifaceted nature of polygamy and its socio-psychological implications as portrayed in Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives and Ayobami Adebayo’s Stay with Me. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Nigerian society, both novels dismantle the traditional facade of the polygamous household to reveal a complex web of competition, domestic politics, and the profound struggle for female agency.

Shoneyin utilizes a satirical lens to expose the toxic rivalries and secrets inherent in Baba Segi’s household, highlighting how the structure of polygamy often forces women into deceptive survival strategies. In contrast, Adebayo offers a more somber exploration of how the pressure for male progeny and the introduction of a second wife can destabilize a modern marriage, leading to tragic emotional and physical consequences. By employing a comparative analysis, this research explores themes of infertility, patriarchal dominance, and the subversion of traditional gender roles. Ultimately, the study argues that while polygamy is often framed as a cultural or religious stabilizer, the narratives of Shoneyin and Adebayo reveal it to be a catalyst for systemic trauma, yet also a space where women negotiate power and identity in unexpected ways.

This study examines the Impoliteness strategies employed by Netizens during online discourse in Nigeria.
Drawing on Jonathan Culpeper's Framework, the research identifies the frequently used Impoliteness strategies in online interactions. This study is based on screenshotting Impolite comments in regards to the post of president Muhammadu Buhari's death. By applying Culpeper's Impoliteness strategies to the data, the results of this study were obtained. The findings reveals that commenters commonly employ mock/ sarcasm Impoliteness, negative Impoliteness and bald on record Impoliteness. Furthermore, the study examines the functional roles of impoliteness, focusing on its affective, coercive, and entertaining functions. These functions highlight how impoliteness is used to express emotions, assert power, or provoke amusement at the expense of others.

This paper examines the representations of women predicament and protest in Julie Okoh's In Our Own Voices and Irene Isoken Salami's More Than Dancing. This research work adopts the feminism theory to potray how the play represents women. Julie Okoh in In Our Own Voices and Irene Isoken Salami in More Than Dancing present violence against women and cultural prejudice against women and articulate protest as response against women predicament through mass mobilization, women empowerment, and defiance.

This study examines the psychological dimensions of acting and their impact on the emotional and mental well-being of Nigerian actors. Acting is approached not merely as an artistic craft but as a psychological complex process involving emotional regulation, empathy, identity negotiation and self-awareness. The research is motivated by the observation that, despite the global recognition of performance psychology, Nigerian actors operate within an emotionally demanding context that lacks institutional psychological support of formal de￾rolling mechanisms. The study adopts a mixed-method design combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. Emotion regulation theory and rule theory provided the theoretical framework. The research concluded that acting in Nigeria constitutes a form of substantive emotional labor requiring both artistic skill and psychological resilience. While Nigerian actors demonstrate remarkable adaptability, the lack of training for psychological recovery exposes them to long￾term emotional strain. The study recommends the integration of psychological literacy, the rolling practices and counselling support into Nigerian acting curricular and production environment,the research contribute to a broader understanding of acting as both a creative and psychological negotiation between self and character

This study examines the concept of lexical relations in Ibibio, a Lower Cross language spoken in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It explores the semantic interconnections that exist among lexical items in the language, focusing on the relationships of synonymy, antonymy, polysemy, hyponymy, and meronymy. The study is anchored on the structuralist theoretical framework, which posits that meaning is relational and that words derive significance from their place within a linguistic system. Data were gathered through descriptive and analytic methods, drawing from native speakers’ intuitions and examples found in natural Ibibio usage. The analysis reveals that lexical relations in Ibibio are context-dependent and culturally motivated rather than absolute, reflecting deep connections between linguistic structures and sociocultural realities. For instance, synonymous words in Ibibio are often differentiated by pragmatic and situational nuances, while antonyms may display complementary or gradable features. The study further shows that polysemy in Ibibio is influenced by metaphorical and metonymic extensions, and that hierarchical relations like hyponymy and meronymy play a crucial role in lexical categorization and meaning organization. Overall, the research contributes to the understanding of Ibibio semantics, highlighting the interdependence between language, thought, and culture. It also underscores the need for more descriptive studies of African languages to enrich the global body of linguistic knowledge

Between 2015 and 2024, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia underwent a monumental socio-economic and diplomatic pivot, driven by its ambitious Vision 2030 blueprint. Central to this transformation has been an unprecedented multi-billion-dollar investment in global sports. This paper evaluates Saudi Arabia’s strategic deployment of sports as an instrument of soft power and public diplomacy during this pivotal decade. Utilizing a qualitative case-study methodology framed by Joseph Nye’s conceptualization of soft power, the study investigates the mechanisms through which the Kingdom has sought to reshape its international image, diversify its hydrocarbon-dependent economy, and foster global political goodwill. The analysis reveals a multi-layered approach characterized by the aggressive acquisition of elite foreign clubs, the domestic integration of world-class sporting icons, and the securing of hosting rights for high-profile mega-events. The study finds that while these initiatives have effectively repositioned Saudi Arabia as an indispensable hub in global sports governance, they have also generated a distinct soft power paradox—manifesting as deep international polarization and widespread accusations of "sportswashing." Ultimately, this paper underscores the complexities of state-backed sports diplomacy, demonstrating that while financial capital can swiftly command global attention, translating that presence into enduring cultural attraction remains a contested geopolitical endeavor.

Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi and Ahmed Yarima's The Trials of Oba Ovonramwen focus on fear and how its engineer tragic outcomes. This research explores themes like fear, colonialism and resistance in these plays. Using tenets of affect theory, it portrays how fear as an emotion can lead to negative impact. It investigate how the emotion of fear shape the tragic events in both historical plays, and the non-fictional personality; Ovonramwen Nogbaisi. This essay highlights the consequences of fear, how it led to war between the British colonialists and the Benin warriors and eventually the exile of Oba Ovonramwen. Its employs qualitative research methods which focus on non-numerical data to have a full understanding of experiences, opinions and behaviours. This research concluded that fear is not a passive emotion but an active emotion.

This study presents a morpho-syntactic analysis of the internal structure of Urhobo personal names. While existing scholarship has often focused on the cultural and semantic significance of these names, a significant gap remains in the systematic description of their grammatical architecture. This research, therefore, aims to examine the morphological processes and syntactic patterns that underlie the formation of Urhobo personal names. The study is framed within the Item-and-Process model of morphology and the Principles and Parameters theory of syntax. Data comprising 100 personal names were collected from native speakers in Jesse town and school registers in Delta State, Nigeria, and were subjected to linguistic analysis. The findings reveal that Urhobo names are predominantly complex linguistic constructions rather than simple labels. Morphologically, they are formed primarily through compounding and the productive use of nominalizing prefixes (e.g.,Á-, Ò-, È-). Syntactically, a majority of names are shown to be desententialized forms, originating as full clauses (e.g., Óghènéguédjókè meaning "We give account to God") that conform to the Subject-Verb-Object word order of the language. The analysis also identifies governed morpho-phonological processes like vowel elision at morpheme boundaries. The study concludes that Urhobo personal names are rule-governed, systematically generated from the language's grammatical system. It recommends further research into the sociolinguistics of naming, comparative Edoid onomastics, and detailed phonological analysis. This work contributes to African linguistics by providing a formal grammatical account of naming practices and serves as a resource for Urhobo language education and preservation.

The study examined code-switching and code-mixing as a sociolinguistic medium in Nigeria music industry, with a specific focus on Davido and Zinoleesky. The method used for this study is the secondary method of data collection. The main sources of data were selected songs by Davido and Zinoleesky, which were chosen based on their popularity and rich use of mixed languages. The lyrics of these songs were collected from a trusted online platform; Spotify and popular lyrics websites. The Markedness Model Theory framework by Myers-Scotton (1993) was used for the analysis of the study. The findings revealed that code-mixing is a major part of Davido and Zinoleesky’s music, helping them connect with different kinds of listeners across Nigeria. They often switch between English, Pidgin, Yoruba, and sometimes Igbo to express emotions, share cultural ideas, and reflect real life in a way that feels natural and relatable. English and Pidgin help them reach a wide audience, while Yoruba and Igbo add local flavor, deep meaning, and emotional power. Their use of slang, street language, and everyday expressions shows that they are part of the youth culture and understand what their fans go through. 12 This switching and mixing of languages also reflects the multilingual and urban lifestyle of many Nigerians, especially in cities like Lagos. Through code-switching and code- mixing, the artists show pride in their roots, relate to the struggles of ordinary people, and keep their music fun, catchy, and meaningful.The study examined code-switching and code-mixing as a sociolinguistic medium in Nigeria music industry, with a specific focus on Davido and Zinoleesky. The method used for this study is the secondary method of data collection. The main sources of data were selected songs by Davido and Zinoleesky, which were chosen based on their popularity and rich use of mixed languages. The lyrics of these songs were collected from a trusted online platform; Spotify and popular lyrics websites. The Markedness Model Theory framework by Myers-Scotton (1993) was used for the analysis of the study. The findings revealed that code-mixing is a major part of Davido and Zinoleesky’s music, helping them connect with different kinds of listeners across Nigeria. They often switch between English, Pidgin, Yoruba, and sometimes Igbo to express emotions, share cultural ideas, and reflect real life in a way that feels natural and relatable. English and Pidgin help them reach a wide audience, while Yoruba and Igbo add local flavor, deep meaning, and emotional power. Their use of slang, street language, and everyday expressions shows that they are part of the youth culture and understand what their fans go through. 12 This switching and mixing of languages also reflects the multilingual and urban lifestyle of many Nigerians, especially in cities like Lagos. Through code-switching and code- mixing, the artists show pride in their roots, relate to the struggles of ordinary people, and keep their music fun, catchy, and meaningful.