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

Satirising the Nigeria Police Force: a Multimodal Discourse Analytical Study of Selected Cartoons of TELL Newsmagazines

This paper analysed some selected cartoons from TELL newsmagazines. The purpose was to describe the visual components and communicative devices employed by the cartoonist to send his message to the viewer/readers. The cartoons essentially were used to satire represented phenomenon.  Data for the study were drawn from both primary and secondary sources. The main data for the study comprised 4 cartoons purposively selected from 2012 editions of TELL newsmagazines. The selection of the cartoons was predicated upon the subject under consideration. Analysis of the data is based on multimodal discourse analysis as explicated by Gunter Kress and Theo Van Leeuwen (2001). The result showed that semiotic resources such as colour, image, symbols and icons, gaze and posture enhance the semantic quality of the cartoons. This study revealed very strongly and established the potentials of visual images to convey meaning beyond the verbal language in any human society. Keywords; satire, multimodal discourse analysis, semantic quality, semiotic resources

Significance of funding the Nigerian anti-corruption agencies: Lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong

Background: The effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) depends on adequate funding. Literature has shown that successful ACAs all over the world are well funded, as well as enjoyed political will of their home governments. Aim: The article examined the funding of the Nigerian anti-corruption agencies in relation to anti-corruption agencies in Hong Kong and Singapore. Settings: The article is structured into eight sections namely the introduction, methodology, conceptual clarification, theoretical framework, funding patterns of anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, Singapore’s and Hong Kong agencies’ effectiveness in combating corruption, lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong as a basis for effective anti-corruption fighting in Nigeria and conclusion. Methods: The article adopted the qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected from the primary and secondary sources. Two in-depth interview (IDI) sessions were held with officials of the agencies while documental analysis complemented the primary data in the study. Result: The study found that Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies are not adequately funded; and recommends that a significant percentage of the national budget should be earmarked for the ACAs. And, the successive should show the political will and commitment to fund ACAs. Conclusion: It is an actuality that funding of the two ACAs in Nigeria has not been backed by a strong political will. However, the potentiality of the ACAs is still in its infancy. So far their performance has been insignificant and ineffective in combating corruption in Nigeria

Cardiovascular Diseases among Agro-Allied Company Workers in Nigeria: A Case Control Study

Mortality arising from cardiovascular diseases among the workforce in developing countries has been reported to be about twice as high as the mortality in developed countries and tends to occur much earlier than in the developed countries. A nested case-control study design was employed. The mean age of the respondents was 34 ± 9.7 years. The respondents were mostly males (90.6%), 65.1% were married and 83.1% were of the Yoruba ethnicity. Majority of the respondents (67.3%) were Christians and 83.7% had secondary education and above. Age, marital status, salary grade and religion were statistically associated with CVD status (p < 0.05). Being an office worker, earning the lowest income, being less than 50 years of age were significant predictors of CVD risk factors (p<0.05). Educational and behavioural intervention need to be implemented to encourage adoption of healthy lifestyle so as to reduce the cardiovascular risk factors among workers

Honey increases sperm count in male albino rats by enhancing testosterone production

We investigated the effects of different doses of honey (H) and testosterone (T) on sperm count and reproductive hormones in male albino rats. Thirty-five male albino rats were randomly divided in a blinded fashion into 7 groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 (control) was given 0.2 ml of distilled water. Groups 2, 3 and 4 were given 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of H orally respectively. Groups 5, 6 and 7 were given 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg of T intraperitoneally respectively. All doses of H significantly (P&lt;0.05) increased sperm count in rats, while all the doses of T significantly reduced sperm count in rats. Plasma T was increased and FSH was reduced (P&lt;0.001) by all the three doses of H. On the contrary, LH was significantly reduced (P&lt;0.05) by 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of H but not by 400 mg/kg of H. All the three doses of T reduced the plasma T and LH in rats. Lastly, 5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg but not 2.5 mg/kg of T reduced FSH in rats. The results suggest that honey enhanced sperm count in rat by increasing testosterone production

A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED ADVERTISEMENT OF MALARIA DRUGS

This study identified and analyzed the visual and linguistic components associated with the selected advertisement of malaria drugs. This was with a view to describing the essential communication devices the advertisers of such drugs have employed. Data for the study were drawn from both primary and secondary sources. The primary source for the study comprised 4 purposively selected posters, stickers and drugs literature advertisement on malaria. Analysis of the data followed the framework of Kress and Leeuwen’s Multimodal Discourse Analysis. The results showed that such visual resources as colour, pictures, symbols and icons, gaze and posture enhance the semantic quality of the advertisement. In the whole, the study emphasizes the vitality of visual and linguistic elements as important communication devices in advertising

Honey increases sperm count in male albino rats by enhancing testosterone production

We investigated the effects of different doses of honey (H) and testosterone (T) on sperm count and reproductive hormones in male albino rats. Thirty-five male albino rats were randomly divided in a blinded fashion into 7 groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 (control) was given 0.2 ml of distilled water. Groups 2, 3 and 4 were given 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of H orally respectively. Groups 5, 6 and 7 were given 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg of T intraperitoneally respectively. All doses of H significantly (P<0.05) increased sperm count in rats, while all the doses of T significantly reduced sperm count in rats. Plasma T was increased and FSH was reduced (P<0.001) by all the three doses of H. On the contrary, LH was significantly reduced (P<0.05) by 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of H but not by 400 mg/kg of H. All the three doses of T reduced the plasma T and LH in rats. Lastly, 5 mg/kg and 7.5 mg/kg but not 2.5 mg/kg of T reduced FSH in rats. The results suggest that honey enhanced sperm count in rat by increasing testosterone production

Masked in metaphors: counter narratives in the works of Nigerian cartoonist Mike Asukwo

At the time of independence, most African countries were poised to take charge of their own affairs. However, postcolonial realities characterized by political upheavals, coups and counter-coups, civil wars, and economic downturn, among other setbacks, created a sense of ambivalence in terms of political and economic freedom. In Nigeria, satirical expressions became the tool used against oppressive regimes. In post-independence Nigeria, from the military dictatorial era to the present civilian dispensations,1 sociopolitical issues have been lampooned in different forms of expression such as music, performance, cartoons, and memes. Within this environment, political cartoons began to thrive, as they became a relatively safe way to comment on the political issues of the day (Akande 2002: 2). This was achieved largely by concealing the main subject matter behind the “masks” of metaphoric imagery, which enabled cartoonists to develop narratives that counter the dominant narratives, often opposing governmental policies and practices

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways