Sentiment Analysis of Nigerian Students’ Tweets on Education: A Data Mining Approach

The paper is aimed at investigating data mining technologies by acquiring tweets from Nigerian University students on Twitter on how they feel about the current state of the Nigerian university system. The study for this paper was conducted in a way that the tweet data collected using the Twitter Application was pre-processed before being translated from text to vector representation using a feature extraction technique such Bag-of-Words. In the paper, the proposed sentiment analysis architecture was designed using UML and the Naïve Bayes classifier (NBC) approach, which is a simple but effective classifier to determine the polarity of the education dataset, was applied to compute the probabilities of the classes. Furthermore, Naïve Bayes classifier polarized the tweets' wording as negative or positive for polarity. Based on our investigation, the experiment revealed after data cleaning that 4016 of the total data obtained were utilized. Also, Positive attitudes accounted for 40.56%, while negative sentiments accounted for 59.44% of the total data having divided the dataset into 70:30 training and testing ratio, with the Naïve Bayes classifier being taught on the training set and its performance being evaluated on the test set. Because the models were trained on unbalanced data, we employed more relevant evaluation metrics such as precision, recall, F1-score, and balanced accuracy for model evaluation. The classifier's prediction accuracy, misclassification error rate, recall, precision, and f1-score were 63 %, 37%, 63%, 62%, and 62% respectively. All of the analyses were completed using the Python programming language and the Natural Language Tool Kit packages. Finally, the outcome of this prediction is the highest likelihood class. These forecasts can be used by Nigerian Government to improve the educational system and assist students to receive a better education

Impact of Frequency of Testing on Study Habit and Achievement in Mathematics Among Secondary School Students in Ogun State, Nigeria

This study examined the impact of frequent of testing on study habits and achievement in mathematics among public secondary school students in Ogun State, Nigeria. Two out of the four research hypotheses postulated were accepted, whereas the remaining two were rejected. The findings showed that there were significant differences in the mean scores of students’ achievement in mathematics and study habits as a result of exposing students to varying test frequencies. In addition, the study revealed that gender is not a significant factor when planning to improve study habits and achievement in mathematics. On the basis of these findings, test frequency of every 2 weeks was recommended to improve students’ academic achievement in mathematics

An Assessment of the Impact of the Teachers’ Professional Development Programme under Lagos “Eko” Secondary Education Project in Lagos State

This study was designed to assess the impact of the Teachers’ Professional Development Programme (TPDP) under Lagos “Eko” Secondary Education Project in Lagos State. Survey research design was adopted for this study. Simple random sampling was used in selecting 240 teachers from six secondary schools in Education District IV. The instrument used for data collection was the “Eko” Project Teachers’ Professional Development Programme Questionnaire (EPTPDP). The reliability co-efficient of the instrument was 0.82. Five research questions and four research hypotheses were raised and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The data collected was analysed using simple percentage, independent t- test and ANOVA. The result showed that teachers’ in Lagos state public secondary schools benefitted from the various Professional programmes they were exposed to Under the Lagos “Eko” secondary education project (LESEP). Further more the result showed that age, gender, educational qualification and years of teaching experience had no significant influence on the benefits derived by teachers’ from the Professional Development Programmes. The researcher recommends that there should be continuous exposure of teachers’ in Lagos State public schools to Professional Development Programme, as this will equip them with Knowledge, skills, strategies and methodology necessary in the teaching- learning process. This may lead to continuous improvement in the academic performance of students in Public Secondary School in Lagos State. Key words: Professional status, Professional Development, Training programmes, “Eko” project, Secondary School, Education

Corporate Characteristics and Implementation of Integrated Reporting Framework of Listed Oil and Gas Firms in Nigeria

The demand for better corporate information by various stakeholders across the globe has necessitated a paradigm shift from the traditional financial reporting to more comprehensive financial and non-financial information in a single report, known as integrated reporting. The aim of this study is to empirically investigate the effect of corporate characteristics (firm size, board size, share ownership structure and profitability) on the implementation of integrated reporting framework in listed oil and gas firms in Nigeria. A census sampling technique was adopted, using the total population of eleven (11) oil and gas firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as of 31st December 2020 as the sample, since the firms are few. Data was drawn from annual reports obtained from the companies’ websites from the period of 2011 – 2020. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a serial correlation test, and panel least square regression technique. The findings revealed a positive effect of corporate characteristics on integrated reporting frameworks, which is statistically significant for profitability, firm and board size. It was concluded that size of the firm, board size, and profitability have a positive and momentous statistical influence on implementation of integrated reporting framework, while share ownership structure has an insignificant influence. It was recommended that the accounting regulatory authorities consider making an integrated reporting framework mandatory, especially for listed firms in Nigeria, in line with the international integrated reporting council framework

IMPLEMENTATION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND HIV AND AIDS CURRICULUM IN THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

The global concern and the recent scourge of HIV & AIDS brought to the fore the urgent implementation of the Reproductive Health and HIV & AIDS curriculum in the Teacher Education programmes at all the levels of education in Nigeria. This paper, therefore examined the prevalence of HIV & AIDS, the objectives and rationale for the implementation of reproductive health and HIV & AIDS. Also, the paper highlighted the Federal Government and UNICEF (B-field) initiatives on HIV & AIDS and the roles of health educators in the implementation of the reproductive health and HIV & AIDS curriculum in the Teacher Education programmes in Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that the curriculum on Reproductive health and HIV & AIDS constructed and vetted by experts should be implemented in all the Teacher education programmes in Nigeria

Ethnomedicinal Survey and Phytochemical Screening of Plants Used To Treat Epilepsy by Traditional Healers in Etche, Rivers State, Nigeria

Epilepsy is one of the oldest recorded medical ailments. Ethnomedicinal survey was carried out to identify and take a detailed list of the medicinal plant species used to treat epilepsy and assess how they are used in Etche Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, Nigeria. Semi-structured questionnaires were used during the survey to conduct interviews with traditional healers and other knowledgeable individuals on the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of epilepsy. Twelve communities were randomly selected while a total of 54 respondents were purposively selected. The respondents consist of 82.5% males and 12.3% females, 43.9% were above 60 years while 28.1% were between 51-60 years. Traditional medicine practitioners (TMP) formed 75.4% of the respondents, primary occupation of other knowledgeable respondents on plants used for epilepsy were civil servants (8.8%), farming and trading (3.5%). A total of 25 medicinal plant species were recorded during the survey. Phytochemical screening was carried out on five medicinal plants based on frequency of mention, the screening showed presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids, steroids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, cardenolides and carbohydrates. Plant resources employed in the local treatment of epilepsy in Etche were documented. Further research on isolation of active compounds on frequently used plants for epilepsy is encouraged to harness their potentials

Optimization of Process Parameters for the Carbonization of Flamboyant Pod Bark (Delonix Regia)

This study investigates the carbonization of flamboyant pod bark (FPB) for the purpose of production of effective activated carbon from the agricultural residue. Central Composite Design (CCD) under the Response Surface Methodology was employed to combine the selected process parameters [Temperature (300 - 600 0C) and Time (30 - 65 mins)] for the carbonization. FPB were collected within the fields of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, mechanically cracked, crushed, washed with distilled water and sun-dried for seven days before eventually subjecting to carbonization, after which the resultant yields were determined and the statistical analysis was evaluated. The maximum (45.45%) and minimum (11.82%) yields were obtained at Run 1 (3000C/30 mins) and Run 11 (6000C/ 65 mins). The quadratic model equation is given as Yield = 23.27 - 3.48A - 4.38B - 2.81A2 + 0.19B2 + 0.11AB and the R2 value for the model equation is 0.9705 while the adjusted as well as predicted R2 values are 0.9459 and 0.8578, respectively. The numerical optimization by the Design Expert (6.0.8) software suggested minimum yield of 12.89%, (600 0C/ 65 mins) at desirability of 0.941. This research has indicated the suitability of using CCD for the optimization of process parameters for the carbonization of Flamboyant Pod Bark

Assessing the Safety of Tiger Nut Drinks Produced from Cyperus esculentus L. Seeds Sold in Ota

Aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus are secondary metabolites that pose a major threat to global food security resulting in detrimental impacts on human and animal health. This study screened for the presence of aflatoxigenic fungi and their metabolites – aflatoxins in tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) seeds and the produced tiger nut drinks. Samples were obtained from three major dealers in Ota, Ogun state, using the snowball sampling technique. The seeds were cleaned and processed into milk drinks thereafter stored at 4 °C for 15 hours prior to analysis. The milk drink was serial diluted and plated on Rose Bengal chloramphenicol media at 28 °C for 7 days for initial fungi isolation. The pure isolates were obtained on potato dextrose agar. Total fungal count ranged from 1.0 × 104 cfu/ml (in tiger nut drinks) to 3.0 × 106 cfu/g (in tiger nut). Qualitative assessment of the toxigenic potential of the fungi was assessed on ammonium hydroxide on yeast extract sucrose agar where positive isolates showed pink or red coloration. Preliminary findings from this study reveal that the seeds used to prepare the tiger nut drinks were contaminated with aflatoxins produced by the fungal contaminants. It is imperative that proper storage of grains is important for the overall health benefits of humans, thus reducing disease burden in the society

COMBINED INFLUENCE OF GRAVEL AND CRUSHED BURNT BRICKS ON THE PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

The quest for alternative materials in concrete production is ongoing as the demand for concrete using conventional material increases. This study investigates the properties of concrete produced with Crushed Burnt Bricks (CBB) as replacement for Unwashed Gravel (UG). Concrete mixes of 1:2:4 (cement, sand and gravel) mix ratio were produced using UG/CBB combination in varying proportion of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100 which were represented as sample A, B, C, D and E. The water-to-binder (w/b) ratio of 0.4, 0.5, 0.55 and 0.6 were used for each sample. Sample A without CBB (i.e. 100% UG) served as control. Slump test was carried out on the fresh concrete while compressive strength test was carried out on the hardened concrete specimens using 150 mm cubes at the curing in ages of 7, 14 and 28 days, respectively. The slump values of fresh concrete increases with increase in w/b and CBB contents. At 28 days, the compressive strength values were 26.7 N/mm2 for concrete produced with sample B at w/b of 0.4 and 28.2 N/mm2 for concrete produced with sample A (control). It was concluded that the optimum level of substitution of 25% CBB for gravel is viable for concrete production from a structural point of view