The Nation Newspaper

Tag: research

  • ‘Policy reform needed for aged’

    Policy reforms are needed to ensure Nigeria cope with the growing care demands the elderly, the Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO),Dr Gloria Elemo, has warned.

    Speaking at a symposiumwith the theme: Nutrition and health of the  elderly, organised by FIIRO and Dave Omokaro Foundation  (DOF) in Lagos,  Mrs  Elemo  said   the number of elderly above 60  in Nigeria  will rise greatly by  2020, thereby causing increasing demand for health and social services.

    She said prompt action can save many lives, adding that better management of long-term health conditions will reduce the need for hospital or residential care.

    He said many elderly have been living without social support from friends and relations, saying loneliness can affect physical wellbeing thus “it can be as damaging to older persons.”

    Executive Director, DOF, Dr  Emen Omokaro  said there could be a range of community specialist health and care services to support primary care teams to keep people out of hospitals.

    She said it is important to prepare health providers to meet the specific needs of older people, such as training in old age care, preventing and managing age related chronic diseases including mental, neurological and substance use disorders.

    Others are designing sustainable policies on long term and palliative care and developing age-friendly services and settings.

    She said the elderly need  health services offered from local settings and their homes.

    To achieve this, she called on the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to design services for older people to ensure that the right care is delivered in the right place by teams with the skills to meet the health and care needs of people with age-related problems.

    She said although most of the elderly are retired yet they could make important contributions to society as family members, volunteers and active participants in the workforce.

    Nutrition expert, Prof Tola Atinmo, who chaired the occasion, said early intervention and better services in the community will give older people what they need and want.

    He said any move to put the needs and wishes of older people at the centre of their health care is welcomed.

    He said adults are also vulnerable to physical neglect and maltreatment.

    Elder maltreatment, he said, could lead to physical injuries and long-lasting psychological consequences, such as depression and anxiety.

    Patients   with depressive symptoms, he mentioned have poorer functioning and this is   common among the elderly.

    Atinmo said the symptoms of depression in the elderly are often overlooked and untreated because they coincide with other late life problems.

    “Whether it be depression, chronic illness or dementia the nation has a duty to act so older people have the best possible quality of life,” he said.

  • VC decries non-patronage of research findings

    VC decries non-patronage of research findings

    The Vice-Chancellor, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai, Prof Ibrahim Kolo, has blamed the stunt in the country’s economic growth on non-patronage of research findings churned out by the universities.

    He accused development agencies of not putting the findings to use.

    Kolo, who spoke while opening the institution’s third inaugural lecture delivered by Olusegun Olorunsanya, a professor of Animal Production, said academics and researchers have become discouraged about conducting research that is not put to use.

    The vice chancellor lamented that several research produced by universities had perished over the years for lack of patronage by the concerned sectors of the Nigeria economy.

    “Ours is to make the research, we make available our findings and it is left for the development agencies to put the research findings into use. These agencies are being contacted accordingly to sell our knowledge to them for them to buy into the package of knowledge we have,” he said.

    Kolo pointed out that despite several contacts, such agencies were yet to express interest in the university’s research findings adding: “you know Nigeria is such a difficult country unlike other places where you see agencies putting research findings to use.”

    In the lecture titled: Meat for belly, belly for meat, Prof Olorunsanya allayed the fears of the audience about eating meat because of the threat posed by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).  He noted that domestic animals do not carry the virus and urged people not to avoid eating them.

    To forestall frequent clashes between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers, he recommended that government at various levels should establish adequate grazing reserves to allow for the raising of more animals for meat.

    Olorunsanya also stressed the need to upgrade local animals with exotic breeds through artificial insemination to optimise animal production in the country.

    Meanwhile, the former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, has praised the management of the university for academic feats it has recorded within its short time of existence and for promoting the image of the university.

    Speaking when he received Prof Kolo and other principal officers on the occasion of his 73rd birthday, Babangida said: “I am happy and proud of the good things that you are doing and how you have positively portrayed my name within and outside the country”.

    He promised to support the university.

    During the visit, the VC conferred on him the institution’s Grand Honorary Fellowship award and expressed gratitude to him for allowing the university to use his name and also for his financial and moral support.

    Kolo attested that Babangida’s name hads opened several doors for the university.

    He assured the former military leader that the university will continue to maintain high standards in education of students in the provision of manpower to Niger State and the country.

  • Varsities asked to step up research

    African agricultural universities should carry out more research that would increase production thus ensuring food security and poverty reduction on the continent

    The Executive Secretary, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) Prof Adipala  has said.

    Speaking at the end of the organisation’s fourth biennial conference,  Maputo, Mozambique, he said  the  universities  have  provided the technologies to support farmers on the continent to boost food production.

    Ekwamu said: “We have a wonderful opportunity to not only influence its future direction strategically but also across the continent as a whole.”

    The conference attracted nearly 700 participants from 45 countries, including Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission; Mrs Graca Machel, Member of the International Panel of Elders and Former Minister of Education, Mozambique, two AU commissioners, 10 ministers, 34 vice chancellors, and university principals and deans, as well as many graduate students studying across the continent.

  • ‘Marketing research is huge’

    ‘Marketing research is huge’

    Marketing Research is key to the success of brands, yet most companies do not consider it important. In this interview with ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI, the Managing Director, Millward Brown Nigeria, Mrs. Ugo Geri Roberts, speaks on branding, marketing research and investments.

    Is Nigeria doing well in marketing research?

    You know, no success is an accident. Nigeria is an evolving economy, and even in European countries where research has evolved, it is always like that. You have to start somewhere. I guess it is the same everywhere. Here in Nigeria as practitioners of research, I don’t think we are where we should be. There are yet several remaining untapped grounds. Right now, we see research as a global terrain, just what global agencies are doing for clients. But remember that just as global clients in other climes started somewhere small, they were not always this big, which is what we are trying to pass across to our middle level organisations, and then to the smaller organisations that look, do not just look at research in terms of what is in it. No! Look at it in a futuristic and strategic way.

    Research is like a small compass that gives you direction when you are out there in the middle of a vast sea; the compass is there directing you so you don’t get lost. We are saying “take another look at research and see it not as when one goes to the market to buy something and get results immediately”. You might not see the result immediately, but you need it if you must stay ahead, if you must stay fresh, if you must stay relevant. As a brand, you need research to tell you where you are at every moment in time we think brands need research.

    How can the government encourage research?

    The truth is the government can’t force anybody to do research. It is not done. Organisations are entities, you can’t force them. But I think what the government can do is to encourage them. Again, we have observed that the terrain is very porous allowing everyone to come in. You see all manner of people jump into Nigeria with their brief cases and want to conduct research. And when they come they do it and run out the same way they came in. And I ask myself why I can’t do the same in South Africa, for example. If I go to South Africa I am not allowed to moderate, there are some things I can’t do. But there is nothing like that on ground to restrict here. Anyone can just come in with their accent. All they do is pick someone on the street, stay by the road side do what they like. So, we need the government to put policies in place. The same principle should apply here to also enable us grow.

    Looking at the Nigerian research market, is it good enough to attract foreign investments?

    Everybody knows me as a passionate Nigerian without apologies. My answer will be yes. You could begin to talk to me about safety issue, about poverty level, but am really not moved by that, because the question I will always ask is, if you talk about poverty level, people will tell you about the 70 per cent living below poverty line in the rural areas, leaving 30 per cent in control of the economy. What is the size of that 30 per cent that is not living below one dollar a day? You will join 10 countries to get that 30 per cent in some regions. You as an investor, why look for reasons, you can’t come when you have a ready made market; just hit the ones that are there. You know the middle class is growing, they will come on board. So, I will tell you yes, Nigeria is a fertile ground for investors.

    Milward Brown Nigeria has just opened a multi-million naira office complex. Isn’t that an indication of confidence in the market?

    Yes, it is. What is about to happen is just not going to be me and the staff we have here, our Sub-Saharan boss will be here; our Africa and Middle East Managing Directors will all be here for the grand opening. That speaks a lot for the event. For them to leave their busy schedule and fly down to Nigeria, I don’t think we should just trivialise it. So, I will say it is going to be big; it is a demonstration of our commitment to the economy. They know that Nigeria is big, it is central to our operation in Africa. You and I know that we are the biggest economy in Africa, so I think that the world is taking us seriously, and Millward Brown is not left out. We are interested in Nigeria and that is very important to us. We want to grow the market and help brands fulfill their dreams; we want to be in the centre of Nigeria’s marketing research projects.

     

  • Resuscitating research

    Resuscitating research

    •Nigeria begins to link up its tertiary institutions

    THE recent launch of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) represents a long-awaited solution to one of the most persistent challenges confronting the Nigerian tertiary education system: effective and efficient collaboration between local researchers and their foreign colleagues.

    Funded with US $10 million from the World Bank, NgREN seeks to provide broadband interconnectivity between Nigerian universities. This would enable them to collaborate on research projects much more closely than has hitherto been the case. The network is expected to significantly enhance their ability to be involved in global research collaborations which have increasingly become the norm.

    The importance of a successful NgREN intervention cannot be underestimated. The huge obstacles which stand in the way of effective, relevant and functional research are among the most formidable of the many problems facing the tertiary education sub-sector. Unlike their peers in other parts of the world, researchers in Nigeria find it extremely difficult to ensure that their research can be speedily integrated into the nation’s development projects. In the fields of food-processing and fabrication, for instance, laboratories and workshops in universities across the nation are full of inventions and improvements that are fated to become useless, simply because the world was not able to hear of them.

    NgREN should change that situation for the better. By providing a high-performance national backbone among member universities, it will enable real-time data video and other connections among them, thereby reducing the need to travel and physically meet to exchange ideas. Nigerian researchers will now be able to discuss their work with colleagues, obtain assistance more easily, and publicise their research findings more widely. By significantly reducing the frustrations involved in the research process, NgREN could help in reinvigorating an essential part of the nation’s development.

    The new initiative is also very likely to play an important role in improving the world ranking of Nigerian universities as it will make them more visible in cyberspace and elsewhere. By bringing Nigerian researchers into close contact with their counterparts from other countries, NgREN would also help to raise local standards of education and research to globally-recognised levels.

    If the new facility is to function at optimum levels, all parties must ensure that all necessary elements are in place. Participating universities will have to ensure that the relevant infrastructure such as power, computer laboratories and trained staff are available. Just as importantly, government funding of these and other tertiary institutions has to be adequate to meet their needs. This is particularly important in the light of the debilitating strike by polytechnic teachers which crippled all activity in the sector for the better part of one calendar year.

    Nigeria would also be better-positioned to benefit from initiatives like NgREN if greater effort is made to integrate collaborative research into all aspects of educational activity. Increased funding should be made available specifically for joint research efforts involving different institutions. Funding should be provided for tertiary institutions to acquire the information technology vital to networking. More training should be provided for staff and students in such institutions to enable them utilise such technology fully.

    Now that the initiative seems to have gotten off to an auspicious start, it is hoped that more tertiary institutions are brought into it, and deliberate efforts are made to ensure that the products of the resultant collaborations are fully utilised to the nation’s advantage.

  • Varsity research Foundation gives grants to groups

    Varsity research Foundation gives grants to groups

    The University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UI-RF), has awarded a collaborative research grant of N10 million to be disbursed over  three years to seven research groups within the university.

    The groups will focus on four thematic areas- agriculture, energy, health and water resources.

    The leaders of the groups are: Dr. Omolade Oladele; Prof. James Olopade; Prof. E.O Agbedana; Prof. A.A Aiyelari; Prof. Adeboye Olatunbosun; Dr. Abiodun Claudius-Cole and Prof. Moshood Tijani.

    In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Isaac Adewole, said the UI-RF marks an important chapter in the evolution of the university as a research intensive institution, adding that it highlights the dedicated effort at providing support for research as a platform to realise the university’s vision.

    The university, he said, has created UI-RF with an important overarching objective, which is to provide unique opportunities for the staff to participate in interdisciplinary, leading-edge research funded by the university as well as international funding agencies.

    Prof. Adewole said: “The expectation is that efforts of the UI-RF in meeting these objectives will enable individual staff member to be more responsive to states and national needs that could be met through the research programmes, training and services. More importantly, it will enhance the ability of UI to continue to succeed in effort to deliver the best education and training for students.”

    He urged benefactors to be frugal on how they spend the money, as they all would be accountable. He enjoined them to work as a team and justify the purpose of the grant.

    Also the Chairman of UI-RF board, Chevalier Itsueli, said the board will task itself to make UI achieve more firsts by producing the first post-doctoral research positions at the institution within the next 12 months.

    “We must commercialise at least, one research finding from this portfolio within the same 12 months. We must create a Think-Tank to define and direct our national ethos, in that same time frame. We must provide our home within the next 24 months,” he assured

  • Be committed to biotech research, Fed Govt urged

    The Federal Government has been urged to demonstrate  more   commitment  to biotech research, development and innovation (RDI) incentives as the sector  faces fresh challenges of producing  food to meet the demand of an increasing population.

    The Deputy National President (Administration and Operations), Prince Ike Ubaka, said biotechnology still remains a cornerstone of  the  agricultural  sector  in terms  of economic competitiveness.

    To help farmers achieve greater income, Ubaka told The  Nation that the  need  for  researchers to collaborate  with  farming  communities  to  produce through improved yields   that  can  be  accepted  within a locality.

    He  spoke on the need  to improve  extension services cover a broad range of skills and crops and to effectively support smallholders to grow almost anything.

    To commercialise farming, he   said  farmers  require good practice in crop production, post-harvest handling and a sound business model. This, he  said, the  extension service  should provide.

    Ubaka canvassed the provision of specialist extension services by the private sector to work to ensure farmers improve food security and the investments benefit women and small farmers as well as investors.

    To meet the food security needs of a growing population, he said the  government needs to forge stronger, more robust partnerships across sector and bring all necessary stakeholders together to meet the  challenge of  food  production.

    He said the battle to end hunger and poverty is achievable, but no one can do it alone, calling  for  collaboration to  bringing local connections, expertise, passion and private resources to ensure

    Small farmers have access to input, information and services they need to grow a better future.

    Chief Operating Officer, The Centre for Cocoa Development Initiative, Robo Adhuze, said providing  farmers with access to knowledge and affordable, quality agricultural input, would help them to grow a better future for their families and communities.

    He  said the  government  has made a tremendous progress to offer  input, seeds and other materials to  farmers in some value chains

  • UI inaugurates research foundation

    UI inaugurates research foundation

    The University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UIRF) has been inaugurated to serve as a platform to foster cutting-edge research, nuture talents among staff, and maintain a high scholastic environment necessary to meet the mission of the university.

    Speaking at the inauguration held at Senate Chamber, UI, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Isaac Adewole, said UIRF is to boost the university’s effort to support high quality staff, who would deliver research results and services to meet the university’s mission.

    According to him, the foundation was approved in December 2012 by the development committee of the university, while the Senate also approved it for final take off same month.

    Adewole, who disclosed that the foundation will take off with N100 million grant, pointed out that for UIRF to succeed, its board members need to be transparent, committed, and raise funds at national and international level.

    “We are the first university in the country to set up this type of foundation. The foundation will focus its N100 million research grant on food security, renewable energy, health and infrastructure,” he said.

    The Chairman Board of UIRF, Chevalier Itsueli, hopes the foundation would groom future leaders on research platforms, empowering them with knowledge and expertise useful for addressing national challenges in a unique way.

    “We are the largest economy in Africa but we don’t seem to have a direction yet, but UI can assist the nation to address this within the next 12 months. We need to make researches for the benefit of mankind. We must take the gown to the world by creating inventions and commercialising them for the socio-economic development of the country.”

    Itsueli charged its members to solicit for funds for researches in all sectors of the economy to attain the Vision 20:2020 for the country.

  • Don urges cutting edge research

    Don urges cutting edge research

    Worried by the rising state of poor research output across the country, the immediate past Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, has called on Nigerian universities to embark on cutting edge research for solving immediate problems facing the nation.

    He made the remark during a public lecture entitled: Fostering university- industry linkages in Nigerian universities: The RMRDC experience held at the Caverton Lecture Theatre of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

    Prof Onwualu said every university should maintain a research grant scheme, equip laboratories and have a functional university research committee and establishment of university-industry linkage office to be manned by competitive staff.

    He said such office should consult with different faculties and assist staff in conducting regular training and seminars.

    Prof Onwualu urged the government to formulate and implement appropriate policies to facilitate university-industry linkage, stressing that the recently approved Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology should be implemented with adequate funding.

    On industries operating in Nigeria, he urged them to emulate their foreign counterparts by establishing laboratories and workshops on university campuses or Industrial Parks for them to use the facilities for commercial work, and research oriented projects.

    Prof Onwualu said the economic problems confronting Nigeria could be solved through judicious application of science, technology and innovation.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof Musbau Adewumi Akanji, who was represented by the Deputy VC (Academic), Prof Abdullahi Bala, said entrepreneurship was an important component of development in any community. He urged graduates of the university to be job creators than seekers.

    Prof Onwualu donated books on various fields of research to the university library.

  • For a result-oriented research

    For a result-oriented research

    Author: Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), E. Nlerum, F.Amadi.
    Title: Legal Empiricism and Writing Skills
    Publisher:Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. (NIALS 2014).
    Pages: 308
    Chapters: 14
    Reviewer: Osatohanmwen O.A Eruaga (Mrs)

    Legal research and its research methodologies are essential for the continuous engagement of issues to discover new areas in the development of not only the legal profession, but other related fields. A prominent characteristic of legal scholarship is the ability to conduct relevant and logical theoretical research that are translated in written words in order to inform, persuade and instruct in relevant areas. Legal Empiricism and Writing Skills, a book by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), thoroughly interrogates the issues surrounding engaging legal research, research processes and the dissemination of research results

    In Chapter One titled: “Preparing Successful Research Grant Application: Outlines of a Guideline”, Professor Obiorah painstakingly simplifies the art of preparing research grants applications. He reveals that a research grant application with a strong literature review section, with equally strong research questions, which display the importance of asking the questions and engaging in the proposed research, is most likely to sway the funder to award the grant applied for. His contribution in this area is absolutely brilliant, considering the fact that he not only provided the guidelines for a grants application, but makes available, in pages nine to 37, a sample of a successful research grant application.

    Professor Animi Awah’s “Restatement of Customary Law as a Research Outlet”, which is Chapter Two of the book, is a presentation of a meticulously researched proposal for the restatement of Customary Laws. The contributor showcases her in-depth knowledge of the subject matter of the proposed research by considering the meaning and nature of Customary Law as well as judicial attitude to written evidence of customary law in Nigeria. She concludes by affirming that the result of the research would no doubt be a phenomenal research outlet on issues relating to Customary Law.

    The objective of every research work is to make the relevant contribution and a reseach work that fails in this objective is totally useless for that purpose.

    Uchechukwu Ngwaba in Chapter Three titled: “Literature Search and Review” discusses certain issues to be considered when conducting literature searches and reviews such as styles and techniques to be adopted. He, however, before attacking these issues gives an appropriate definition to the terms literature searches and literature reviews on page 73 and discusses their importance to legal research on pages 76-80.

    Fummi Bammeke in “Collating and Processing Field Data”, Chapter Four of the book, addresses another fundamental research process- collating and processing of field data. She opines that although the processing of data is said to begin with the coding of data, it does in the real sense begin with the collation of the right data. Her scholarly contribution also considers the steps in processing field data.

    Research outlets are of high importance to a researcher because without them, proper research cannot be undertaken.

    Emmanuela Maduka in Chapter Five, looks at Research Skills and Research Outlets. Having established the relationship between these two concepts on page 103, she examines some research skills and techniques, which a researcher can adopt so as to properly utilise various research outlets and subsequently examines the various research outlets available to a researcher. The writer goes further to provide certain guidelines that would aid in the conduct of effective researches. The chapter is a very expository piece and a must read especially for persons who are engaging in the art of legal research for the first time.

    Research generally is geared at the discovery of new ideas, proffering explanations for an occurrence or to expand on previous opinions. A researcher making use of research materials must always determine the extent of reliability of such materials. This is one of the main thematic issues Gary Kelechi Amadi examines in Chapter Six, titled: Research Evaluation, Findings and Reports, brings to limelight, the main types of legal research evaluation, while assessing what a legal research should consider in the evaluation of research materials. The writer does, however, not pay much attention to other aspects of his topic to wit: Research findings and Research reports as he only addresses these two aspects in three rather short paragraphs.

    In Chapter Seven, Fummi Bammeke addresses the topic “ Research Findings and Report”, where she provides a step-by-step guideline on how research outcomes can be transformed from findings to disseminated through reports for use by the target audience. This chapter can be considered another must read for persons who are at the stage of producing research findings to reports.

    Irekpitan Okukpon-Adesanya, carefully examines the research procedure engaged in conducting Annotation of Laws in Chapter Eight titled: “Research Procedure in the Annotation of Laws”. She explains the importance of annotations in page 143 where she states that “it helps the reader to reach a deeper level of engagement and also promotes active reading”. The writer then examines the procedure adopted in carrying out Annotations of Laws in Nigeria, which is currently being carried out by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), as well as the challenges faced in conducting the Annotations. By considering the process of annotation of laws in the United States before going into the procedure of Annotation of Laws in Nigeria, she provides a veritable ground for comparison of how annotation is carried out in both jurisdictions.

    Chapter Nine, written by Professor Olarenwaju Fagbohun, titled: “Academic Supervision” is geared towards providing some insight as to what is expected of an instructor, coach or trainer of a researcher undertaking scholarly specialisation. He begins by examining the concept of academic supervision followed by the challenges that may arise in providing it. Fundamental responsibilities of the supervisor as well as the student are also identified in this chapter. In three annexures, the writer provides questions and guidelines to aid an academic supervisor in taking a research student. Professor Fagbohun’s scholarly work on the subject matter of the chapter reveals sheer brilliance and a profound understanding of the role of an academic supervisor.

    In Chapter 10 titled: “ Introduction to Legal Writing”, the writer, Obiamaka Gloria Araka, examines the principles and structure of good legal writing. In page 188, the writer rightly states that the poor legal writing skills of some scholars, judges, legal practitioners and law students does not speak well of the legal profession. Her interrogation of the subject matter brings to fore, the importance of having good writing skills.

    The completion of a graduate programme requires the writing of a dissertation, to demonstrate the student’s knowledge of a particular field. Dr. Wyseman Ubochioma in Chapter 11 titled: “ Crossing the Bridge of a Graduate programme: A Practical Guide to Writing a Dissertation in Law with Ease”, looks at the steps in writing as well as the parts of a well written dissertation. Through this chapter, the writer reveals that writing a good dissertation in law “is one that requires skills and supreme work ethics” (Pg.228).

    In Chapter 12 titled: “ English and the Practice of Law in Nigeria: Command of English and Advocacy” the writer E.A Adedun, recognises the fact that English language occupies the center stage as the official and professional language in Nigeria (Pg. 229) but the use of English language in Law is directed to legal experts as opposed to the general public.

    Chapter 13 titled: “The Hallmarks of a Legal Opinion”, is written by Ayuli Jemide. In this chapter, the writer after considering some historical and jurisdictional connation of the concept of legal opinion, goes on to examine the hallmarks of a good opinion. She concludes by reiterating that a good legal opinion must reach a specific conclusion as “it is not proper for a legal opinion to end with a flat non-committal conclusion”. Ayuli Jemide’s interrogation of the topic was an apt and precise representation of what the subject matter entailed.

    Alex Izinyon (SAN) in Chapter 14 x-rays “Brief Writing at the Court of Appeal/ Supreme Court”. He undertakes a brief historical excurion into how brief writing became a part of the process in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court before discussion the meaning purpose and importance of a brief of argument to the Appellate Courts.

     

    Comments

    The book is neatly clothed in a red and green cover, with the title written in red ink. The 308-page book is divided into 14 chapters each written by individual writers. It is jointly edited by the Director-General Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), Dr. Francisca Nlerum, Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies) and Gary Kelechi Amadi (Research Fellow, NIALS,

    Legal Empiricism and Writing Skills implores the use of narrative, analytical and expository methodologies. The book, authored by 14 scholars, embodies a combination of expert reasoning in the various chapters and the consistency in the consortium of ideas by the writers. It is worthy of commendation. The book convincingly brings to light the essence of legal research, the processes involved in legal research and the importance of legal writing skills. It fulfills the promises made by the editors in the book’s preface to address new and existing challenges in the skills needed in research and writing for lawyers and non-lawyers. The academic content of the book is greatly enhanced by references made in some cases, to the legal systems of other countries, copious examples and samples where necessary.

    Observations

    The chapter progression and arrangement contribute significantly to ensuring the reader understands the book. Although a few chapters lacked indepth discussions on the titles assigned, other chapters made up for the deficiency by the sheer brilliance with which they were addressed.

    It was noticed that some chapters in the book contain typographical errors relating to the use of quotation marks, ellipses and paragraphs which made reading of some pages unnecessarily tedious. The frequency and similarity in the errors contained in the chapters convinced the reviewer that errors could not have originated from the legal scholars.

    The typographical errors notwithstanding, the book as a whole, is compellingly exhaustive of the subject matter of legal research and writing skills, thus making anyone engaging in research, who has not read and re-read it, to be technically and academically malnourished.

    Recommendation

    With over 10 years of conducting the course on Legal Writing Skills for Lawyers in the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, the book is no doubt a compilation of tried and tested knowledge in the field of legal research methodology and writing skills. This is a very enlightening and informative literature, which aptly fills the gap created by the absence of relevant authorities for people in active practice of law, judges, academia and even persons in non-legal fields, seeking skills needed in research and writing .