Niger Delta Restiveness in Nigeria: a Multimodal Discourse Analytical Study of Cover Pages of Selected Editions of Tell News Magazines

This study essentially is focused on the precarious security situation in Nigeria. In recent times, security condition in the country has worsened and the situation has been variously reported in Nigerian media. TELL, a foremost Nigerian news magazine has at various times run reports on the myriad of security challenges in the country. TELL reports mainly are on the restiveness of Niger Delta militants, Jos crisis, Boko Haram bombing spree, ethno-religious crises among others. The editors of the magazine have depicted some of these in their cover pages. Hence, this paper critically attempts a multimodal discourse analysis of the pictorial representation of these security threats vis-a vis the implication for Nigeria. In this paper however, our attention is basically on the restiveness of the Niger Delta Militants. A concise attempt will be made to critically analyse some of these images with a view to bringing out what they signify or represent. Also certain semiotic resources will be looked into such as the use of colour, symbols and gaze or posture. Keywords: multimodal discourse analysis, representations, exploitation, Niger Delta, signification

Multimodal Discourse Analysis of 2012 Governorship Election Campaign Billboards in Ondo State, Nigeria

Billboards are widely used in the world for political purposes. The Ondo State 2012 governorship candidates employed billboards for their campaigns. It is observed that an average viewer of the campaign billboards finds it difficult to attain the exact interpretation of the semiotic devices in the pictures as intended by the producers. The objectives of this paper are: the analyses of the political discourse of the multimodal texts in the billboards and the exploration of the nature of the multimodal texts. This paper adopted the text dimension, the discursive practice dimension and the social practice dimensions of Fairclough’s (1992, 1995) three-dimensional framework. This theoretical framework was used to analyse and discuss the selected campaign billboards. The data collected for this study consisted of three governorship campaign billboards which were purposively selected. The study discovers that colours are meaning signifiers in the selected billboards and that the pictures, colours and verbal anchorages together with the various interpretations given them show the polysemic nature of signs. This paper concludes that visual resources are essential tools employed by campaign billboards’ producers. Finally, the study recommends that producers of campaign billboards should ensure simplicity and relevance of the semiotic resources used in the visuals. Keywords: Governorship elections, Campaign billboards, Multimodality, Verbal anchorages, Colours DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/95-04 Publication date: January 31st 202

Exploring the Use of Biometric Smart Cards for Voters’ Accreditation: A Case Study of Nigeria Electoral Process

Voting remains an integral component of every democratic electoral process. it is an avenue for citizens to exercise their rights in order to elect those who will lead them in various vacant political offices. However, enhancing voters’ trust and confidence in electoral processes are significant factors that could encourage the active participation of citizens in elections. Eligible voters tend to decline to participate in an election when they have a feeling that their votes may not eventually count. Furthermore, electoral processes that lead to the emergence of candidates must be adjudged to be free, fair and credible to a high degree for the result to be widely acceptable. Unacceptable election results could lead to protests and total cancelation of the election thereby resulting in loss of time and resources invested in it. To ensure that only registered voters cast their votes on election days, measures must be put in place to accredit voters on election days effectively. Therefore, this article explores the use of biometric smart cards for voters’ verification and identification. With the Nigerian electoral process in view, the existing Nigerian voting procedure was reviewed, lapses were identified and solutions based on the use of the biometric smart card were proffered. If adopted, the proposed adoption of biometric smart cards for voters’ accreditation will enhance the country’s electoral process thereby ensuring that only registered voters cast their votes. The approach presented could also reduce the number of electoral processes and personnel required during election days, thus reducing voting time and cost

Removal of an Impacted Foreign Body from The Upper Airway with a Gastroscope in a Tertiary Hospital in South-West Nigeria – A Case Report

Foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction are encountered commonly in clinical practice and are a common endoscopic emergency. A wide variety of objects could be ingested which could get impacted, and the site of impaction is commonly the oesophagus but can also be the airway depending on the nature of the substance ingested, the age of the patient and the presence of a neurologic disorder. The predominant clinical features of a patient will depend on the site of impaction of the foreign body; the airway or the oesophagus. Endoscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and management of foreign body ingestion of which there are different modalities and equipment types. For foreign body in the airway laryngoscopy, tracheoscopy and bronchoscopy are the modalities indicated and there are also different types of retrieval devices some of which include standard biopsy forceps, retrieval graspers, retrieval forceps and polypectomy snares. The management of foreign body ingestion cuts across different specialties including Pulmonology, Otorhinolaryngology, General surgery, Cardiothoracic surgery and Gastroenterology all of which are involved in various different endoscopic procedures and their endoscopy equipment have a lot of similarities and in certain instances they can be adapted to perform varying roles. Foreign bodies in the airway require urgent endoscopic removal because it can become rapidly life threatening with associated high morbidity and mortality, therefore the available equipment should be immediately deployed to save lives. We present a case of foreign body impaction in the upper airway (larynx) that was removed with a flexible video Gastroscope using a polypectomy snare

Optimal Allocation of Photovoltaic Distributed Generations in Radial Distribution Networks

Photovoltaic distributed generation (PVDG) is a noteworthy form of distributed energy generation that boasts a multitude of advantages. It not only produces absolutely no greenhouse gas emissions but also demands minimal maintenance. Consequently, PVDG has found widespread applications within distribution networks (DNs), particularly in the realm of improving network efficiency. In this research study, the dingo optimization algorithm (DOA) played a pivotal role in optimizing PVDGs with the primary aim of enhancing the performance of DNs. The crux of this optimization effort revolved around formulating an objective function that represented the cumulative active power losses that occurred across all branches of the network. The DOA was then effectively used to evaluate the most suitable capacities and positions for the PVDG units. To address the power flow challenges inherent to DNs, this study used the Newton–Raphson power flow method. To gauge the effectiveness of DOA in allocating PVDG units, it was rigorously compared to other metaheuristic optimization algorithms previously documented in the literature. The entire methodology was implemented using MATLAB and validated using the IEEE 33-bus DN. The performance of the network was scrutinized under normal, light, and heavy loading conditions. Subsequently, the approach was also applied to a practical Ajinde 62-bus DN. The research findings yielded crucial insights. For the IEEE 33-bus DN, it was determined that the optimal locations for PVDG units were buses 13, 25, and 33, with recommended capacities of 833, 532, and 866 kW, respectively. Similarly, in the context of the Ajinde 62-bus network, buses 17, 27, and 33 were identified as the prime locations for PVDGs, each with optimal sizes of 757, 150, and 1097 kW, respectively. Remarkably, the introduction of PVDGs led to substantial enhancements in network performance. For instance, in the IEEE 33-bus DN, the smallest voltage magnitude increased to 0.966 p.u. under normal loads, 0.9971 p.u. under light loads, and 0.96004 p.u. under heavy loads. These improvements translated into a significant reduction in active power losses—61.21% under normal conditions, 17.84% under light loads, and 33.31% under heavy loads. Similarly, in the case of the Ajinde 62-bus DN, the smallest voltage magnitude reached 0.9787 p.u., accompanied by an impressive 71.05% reduction in active power losses. In conclusion, the DOA exhibited remarkable efficacy in the strategic allocation of PVDGs, leading to substantial enhancements in DN performance across diverse loading conditions