Monophthongisation and Vowel Lengthening Processes in Educated Urhobo English: A Moraic Account

This paper studies monophthongisation and vowel lengthening processes in Educated Urhobo English (hereafter, EUE). EUE is an ethnic variety of Nigerian English spoken by literate home-grown Urhobo people in Delta State, Nigeria.  Monophthongisation  is a phonological process whereby one of two vowel elements of a diphthong, usually the second (offset) element, is deleted, leaving the stranded (onset) one lengthened, if found in final open, stressed syllable.  Existing works on EUE segmentals have pointed to the fact that two of four Standard British English (SBE) closing diphthongs, /e?/ and /??/, also known as homogenous diphthongs, tend to monophthongise to [e] and [o] respectively. However, the works have often ignored the aspect of length which accompanies these simplified units whenever they occurred in final open syllable. As one of the striking phonological features which characterise EUE phonology, this paper undertook the study of [e]- and [o]-lengthening to [e: and [o:] respectively, with a view to explaining the motivation for the lengthening. Using the paradigms of moraic theory, the study established the fact that the monophthongised diphthongs were lengthened for two main reasons: (1) by the need to preserve the weight of the deleted /?/ and /?/, in SBE /e?/ and /??/ diphthongs, and (2) in order to reflect components of the falling Fundamental Frequency (F0) contour of English final open syllables. Speech Filling System (SFS/WASP) computerised speech laboratory was used to interprete F0 curve structure and acoustic duration in order to corroborate findings from perceptual analysis.  However, it is  suggests that these two factors appear to underlie the simplification of the same set of closing diphthongs in many non-native English accents of Africa and Asia such as Southern Nigerian English, Zimbabwean (Shona) English, India English, among many others. Keywords: Educated Urhobo English, Monopthongisation, Vowel lengthening, Closing diphthongs, Moraic theor

Organization Studies Based Appraisal of Institutional Propositions in the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation

The papers appraised the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation wit the aim of exposing the institutional propositions contained in the regulation. The aim of the paper is to address how the institutional propositions positions organizations in Nigeria to implement data protections regulations.Comment: Paper appears in the proceedings of the cyber secure Nigeria conference, 202

Incentive Structure and Work Attitude among Junior Staff in Cross River State Civil Service

This study investigates whether incentive structure plays a significant role in the work attitude of junior civil servants in Nigeria. Five different incentive items were tested by data collected. These include monetary, job security, promotion, good work environment, and social/official recognition. These five sub-variables were ranked in their order of importance. Frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and T-test statistical techniques were used to analyze data obtained. It was found that junior civil servants considered monetary incentives highest on their ranking, and that incentive structure as a whole significantly affected work attitude among junior staff in the Civil Service

Realist Evaluation of the Early-Stage Implementation of a Smartphone-Based Disease Surveillance Project in Two Armed-Conflict Communities in Nigeria

We investigate the early-stage implementation of a smartphone-based acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance project in communities experiencing armed conflicts in Nigeria. We aim to expose factors influencing the early-stage implementation of smartphone-based AFP surveillance in two rural communities experiencing armed conflicts in Northern Nigeria. Thus, exploring “what works, for whom and under what contextual conditions?” in the early-stage implementation of a smartphone-based AFP surveillance project, given the involvement of multiple stakeholders. We adopted stakeholder theory as a lens to guide the study. We adopted a qualitative case study method, realist philosophy, semi-structured interview, participatory observation, and thematic data analysis. The findings reveal mechanisms (sense of connectedness, ownership, fear) and contextual conditions (infrastructural challenges, healthcare workforce, security constraints) influencing early-stage implementation. We postulate a model that explains the factors influencing the early-stage implementation of the smartphone-based AFP surveillance project in security-constrained communities

mHealth: A Mediating Tool for Community Health Workers’ Transformation in Armed Conflict Zones

Communities affected by armed conflict are striving to provide access to effective healthcare services in countries like Nigeria, where there exists a fragile healthcare system with an acute deficit of manpower and resources. This fragility has a negative impact on child health service delivery. mHealth is considered an excellent platform for enhancing/transforming the activities of community health workers (CHWs) in the delivery of effective health services. This paper aims to explore how mHealth implementation mediates and transforms the activities of CHWs in an armed conflict setting using activity theory as a lens. An interpretive research methodology was used, and the method of data collection was done mainly by participatory observations and interviews. The findings show that the introduction of an mHealth tool can transform the activities of CHWs in various ways. The study contributes to information systems research by broadening our understanding of the implementation of mHealth in armed conflict settings

Social Enterprise Logic and the Sustainability of Community Networks in Sub-Sahara Africa: Lessons from the Zaria Community Network in Nigeria

There are conflicting views about how social enterprise logic impacts community networks’ sustainability (CNs). Some authors believe that running with the social enterprise logic spells doom on CNs. Conversely, some believe that it does not necessarily spell doom on CNs. However, CNs, particularly those implemented in sub-Saharan Africa, cannot be implemented with an alternative logic, such as the for-profit business logic. Consequently, there is a need to develop a framework for making CNs sustainable, although they run with the social enterprise logic. This research develops a framework that will enable those involved in CN implementation in sub-Saharan Africa to understand how to instil sustainability factors into every stage of CN implementation. The study uses the Zaria Community Network (ZCN), Zaria, Nigeria, as a case study and adopts the inductive approach. The study data were derived from the chat messages from a WhatsApp group used as a platform for communication by those implementing the ZCN and from secondary sources. The study findings revealed that sustainable participation was a primary factor that comes to bear in the sustainability of the ZCN. It also revealed how sustainable participation influences sustainable infrastructure, sustainable stakeholders’ support, and sustainable funding. We conclude that the framework helps implement sustainable CNs in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with similar socio-technical similarities

The Nature and Weighting of Major Determinants of Women Participation in Policy Process in Nigeria: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State

This study investigates the factors responsible for the very low number of women participating in policy process in Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling was used in this study for the purpose of separating the respondents into educated (HND/B.Sc. and above) and less educated. Responses from educated respondents were used in this study. Data were collected by distributing and retrieving 900 questionnaires across the three senatorial districts of the state (300 in each senatorial district). The various factors tested were economic, cultural, physical, mental, psychological, religion and ideology. Frequency distribution statistics is used to analyze data obtained. It was found that 66% of respondents considered economic factor as most responsible for the low number of women participating in policy processes in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria

Community of Practice Theory Approach to Understanding Factors Influencing Informal M-Health Use among Janitors in an IT-Rich Context

Janitors have peculiar job responsibilities and adjoining healthcare needs. However, they are usually not allowed access to healthcare facilities of their organizations. Therefore, we assumed that janitors would use informal M-Health without conviction. Surprisingly, we observe that janitors do not use informal M-Health. Our observation is more worrisome because the janitors work in an IT-rich organization that could offer them the platform to use informal M-Health. Our assumption and observation indicate the need to understand the factors influencing the use of informal M-Health among janitors. We adopted the community of practice theory and the interpretive case study method and collected research data through interviews and participatory observation. Our findings reveal the factors that influence the use of informal M-Health. We conclude that janitors may need to use informal M-Health if they are continued to be deprived of access to formal healthcare outlets

Rethinking Theoretical Assumptions of the Discourses of the Institutional Repository Innovation Discipline

In this paper we evaluate the theoretical assumptions of the discourses of the institutional repository (IR) innovation discipline. We argue that current theoretical assumptions of the discipline are limiting. We then propose that a new theoretical assumption that sees IR stakeholders as rational social actors is likely to aid the emergence of new insights in the IR discipline. To achieve our aim, we adopted insights in the institutional theory, social shaping of technology theory and stakeholders theory. We used insights in these three theories to propose a new theoretical assumption for the IR innovation discipline. The proposed theoretical assumption is vital because it explicates the importance of identifying IR stakeholders and how their everyday life realities lead to the construction of institutions which inform their concepts of IR and assumptions about how it should be innovated. We conclude that the theoretical assumption that evolved in this study is helpful to the IR community in two ways. First it provides the community with new constructs and concepts that are useful for empirical studies on IR innovation. Second, it facilitates the development of a model that explains how to overcome practical IR innovation barriers. From a wider perspective, our study supports socio-technical oriented approaches to investigating and implementing IR innovation

Study of Oversight Functions Mechanism of the Legislature of Cross River State, Nigeria: Focus on Public Funds Appropriation and Usage

This study focused on oversight functions mechanism of Cross River State legislature on public funds. Sample size of 900 was adopted for the purpose of the study. Stratified random sampling was used in the study. Stratification was done on the basis of geopolitical zone, political party affiliation and educational status of the respondents. 900 political party members evenly distributed (300 apiece) among the three leading political parties in the last general elections were used as respondents for the purpose of the study. Each respondent has at least an SSCE/WASC educational qualification. 300 respondents were interviewed in each of the geopolitical zones (i.e. South, Central and North). Two hypotheses were tested. Results showed that the political class themselves perceive the Cross River Legislature as not carrying out its oversight function over the state’s Fund Appropriation and usage significantly. KeyWords : Appropriation, Mechanism, Public Fund, Oversight, Usag