‘Vote not Fight’: Examining music’s role in fostering non-violent elections in Nigeria

African elections are unique in several respects; in ethno-religiously divided nations, elections are often decided on the basis of candidates’ ethnic or religious affiliations rather than political ideologies. In Nigeria for example, campaigns differ greatly from what is obtainable in other countries. For example, music plays a huge role in the outcome of elections in Nigeria. It also significantly determines whether or not the elections will be violent or non-violent. This is because music evokes emotions and connects with people in a personal and intimate way. This study critically examines the two-edged nature of music’s effect on society and offers some evidence to demonstrate that music can help in fostering peace in the society particularly as it concerns peaceful elections. Adopting an ethnographic research methodology, the article’s argument draws on examples from Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, countries where the medium of music was fittingly utilised to promote peaceful non-violent elections.Keywords: elections, music, non-violence, peace, violence, Nigeria

Examining the potential of Conditional Cash Transfer for stemming Cape Flats Gang violence: A Directional Policy research project

Many low and middle-income countries have either implemented or considered conditional or unconditional cash transfers to poor households as a means of alleviating poverty. Evidence from pilot schemes in many developed and developing economies, including those in Africa, suggests that cash transfers do not only alleviate poverty; they also promote social cohesion and reduce the propensity for violent responses. For example, studies have shown a direct impact of cash transfers on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). In some studies, the rate of IPV (including emotional violence) was significantly reduced when one of the partners was a beneficiary of cash transfer. However, there are limited studies on the potential of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) for stemming gang violence. Our study contributes to filling this gap. We examine here the possibilities of conditional cash transfers for stemming intractable gang-related violence in the Cape Flats

The Effects of Soret and Dufour on a Steady MHDFree Convection Flow over an Inclined Porous Plate with Viscous Dissipation

This paper deals with the effects of Soretand Dufouron a steady MHD free convection flow over an inclined porous plate with viscous dissipation. The models were non-dimensionalisedand the following parameters arise in the flow: Soret number Sr, Dufour number Du, Prandtl number Pr, magnetic parameter M, Schmidtl number Sc, radiation parameter R, permeability of porous medium K, thermal Grashof number Gr, solutalGrashof number Gm, Eckert number Ec and inclination angle . The influences of these parameters which control the flow were analysedand given a place in this work. The dimensionless governing equations of flow field are solved numerically by collocation weighted residual method. The effects of various parameters on the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are discussed and displayed graphicall

Adoption and use of plagiarism software by postgraduate students in universities in South-west, Nigeria

Over the years, there has been an increase awakening on plagiarism and the need to curb it, especially among postgraduate students. Hence, the need for them to have a good knowledge of plagiarism software. This study investigates the adoption and use of plagiarism software among postgraduate students in universities in South-west Nigeria. Employing a survey research design and random sampling, thirty-four postgraduate students from each of the universities were selected. The findings of the study revealed a moderate level of awareness among the respondents regarding the availability of plagiarism software. The frequency of use was also found to be low, indicating a gap between awareness and active engagement. Challenges such as subscription costs, inadequate knowledge of software usage, and issues pertaining to power supply and file restrictions were highlighted by the respondents. Despite these challenges, the study revealed a strong motivation among students to employ plagiarism as a means to avoid academic misconduct, adhere to research ethics, and refine their writing skills. In order to address the identified challenges, this study proposed strategies such as comprehensive training programs, improved access to power supply, and efforts to minimize subscription costs. The study concludes by stating the need for universities and educational institutions to prioritise initiatives that support the effective use of plagiarism software, and to address the identified challenges through initiatives such as enhanced training and improved infrastructure which can help to bolster students\u27 engagement with plagiarism software as well as foster a culture of academic integrity and ethical research practices

Prison libraries, intellectual freedom and social justice in Nigeria

This paper deployed a systematic review to examine prison libraries and intellectual freedom towards attaining social justice in Nigeria. Information resources used cover the periods of 2010 and 2020 to articulate the necessary development in prison libraries, intellectual freedom and social justice in Nigeria. Search engines such as Google scholar, Semantic Scholar, and RefSeek were used to retrieve information and through different queries yielded several results but very few of them were selected to fit in the study due to limited studies directed to address the focus of this study particularly in the Nigeria scenario. Information obtained were subjected to content analysis following relevant themes of the research questions and relevant information obtained were subjected to analysis using a systematic review approach of relevant articles and information to achieve the major objectives of the study. Results were presented with respect to the research question of the study. The findings revealed that prison inmates in Nigeria have several information needs which include current affairs, legal information, religious information, health information, psychological information, recreational information, vocational information, educational information. recreational information and also financial needs. Despite the huge needs of these inmates, prison libraries provide very few, restricting access to majority to inmates. This could pose significant effect on inmates in the long run particularly in the prison and after serving their prison punishment hence, affecting the attainment of social justice society in Nigeria and also the attainment of SDG. To this end, the study recommends that various information needs are to be considered and met by prison libraries towards ensuring intellectual freedom and ensuring a social justice community and prison libraries should be provided with several needed facilities and funds that could make it possible to meet the intellectual freedom of inmates towards ensuring a social justice society

The Kinetics of Ascorbic Acid Degradation in Ogbono Soup during Cooking

Degradation kinetics of ascorbic acid was investigated in ‘ogbono’ soup during cooking at different temperatures between 60oC and 80oC. The results confirmed that mixed order kinetics (of zero- and first-order model) is adequate in describing the degradation reactions. The rate constant increased with temperature according to an Arrhenius-type relationship. The activation energy was 34KJ/mol and at the average temperature of the range tested, the rate constant was 4.2 x 10-4/hr. Keywords: Ascorbic acid, Cooking, Degradation, Irvingia gabonensis, Mixed order kinetics

Sensory Evaluation of Ogbono (Irvingia Gabonensis) Soup Formulations

Particle size of dikanut seeds milled using attrition and hammer mills were submitted for sensory evaluation in three ogbono soup formulations.   Sensory attributes of the freshly prepared ogbono soup classified by the three formulas, percent dikanut concentration and temperature of soup preparation were assessed.   Consumer test showed preference for Oguntona’s formula and consumer’s acceptability was optimized when dikanut concentration lies between 10 – 11%.  Objective measurement (consistency index) correlated well with subjective response (overall acceptability).   A model was developed relating consistency index to temperature of preparation and dikanut concentration. Keywords: Dikanut seeds, soup, sensory formulation

COVID-19 and Teleneurology in Sub-Saharan Africa: Leveraging the Current Exigency

tion residing in rural areas that have poor access to medical experts. Despite having a ridiculously huge, underserved population, very few African countries currently have any form of sustained and organized telemedicine practice, and even fewer have dedicated tele-neurology services. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be one of the most significant disruptors of vital sectors of human endeavor in modern times. In the healthcare sector, there is an increasing advocacy to deliver non-urgent care via telemedicine. This paper examined the current state of tele-neurology practice and infrastructural preparedness in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, there is over 70% mobile phone penetration in most of the countries and virtually all of them have mobile internet services of different technologies and generations. Although the needed infrastructure is increasingly available, it should be improved upon. We have proposed the access, costs, ethics, and support (ACES) model as a bespoke, holistic strategy for the successful implementation and advancement of tele-neurology in sub-Saharan Afric

Effect Of Air Pollution On Concentrations Of Lead, Cadmium And Chromium In Ready To Eat Foods In Some Major Towns Of South-Western Nigeria

The concentrations of heavy metals in Ready-to-Eat foods offered for sale in some major towns of South-West Nigeria were assessed.   Ready-to-Eat food samples were collected in triplicate from various vendors’ locations with varying degree of air pollution measured by traffic flow.   The samples were dried, milled, digested to ash and analysed for cadmium, lead, and chromium using Graphite-furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer.   Results showed that Lead concentration in Ready-to-Eat food ranged between 3.8 and 23.6mg/100g of sample.   Fried ready to eat foods were also found to contain higher Lead (6.9-23.6mg/100g of sample) and Cadmium concentrations (2.7-28.3/100g of sample) than non-fried ones.   Deposition of Cadmium was noticeable in samples obtained from industrial locations.   Chromium concentrations in all the locations (2.1-38.5mg/100g of sample) tend to approach acute toxicity values. The findings point to deposition of heavy metals on ready to eat foods at levels that could be hazardous on a long-term basis. Keywords: Air Pollution, Concentration, Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, South-West Nigeria

Sense of Community And Demographic Factors As Predictors Of Neighbourhood Satisfaction

Neighbourhoods are studies because that is the place people spend the largest portion of their time. That probably explain the interest that researchers and policy makers have developed in neighbourhood satisfaction studies over the last couple of decades. In many studies on neighbourhood satisfaction a diverse range of factors have been identified as playing significant roles in its outcome. These range from the physical attributes of the neighbourhood to demographic factors and also to such concepts as sense of community. This study investigate the combined effect of demographic factors and sense of community elements in predicting neighbourhood satisfaction. The study employed quantitative methods to obtain data on the relevant variables using the survey method. Out of 1400 questionnaires distributed 1132 were returned and analyzed. The study found that of the selected demographic factors only level of education significantly predicted neighbourhood satisfaction. Of the elements of sense of community: membership, integration and fulfillment of needs and shared emotional connection were found to be significant predictors of neighbourhood satisfaction. The study supports earlier studies on certain predictors of neighbourhood satisfaction. While suggesting that many more factors may actually be relevant in its prediction.eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v3i8.140