The implementation of the public sector equality duty by local authorities: a case study of the London Borough of Southwark

Equality is a central concept in the development of a liberal society. However, its implementation in Britain raises issues of great concern to persons with disabilities. Such issues include the following: (i) the under representation of persons with disabilities in the labour force resulting in their over dependency on welfare benefits; (ii) the prevalence of institutional discrimination that has left public authorities unable to respond appropriately to the rights and felt needs of persons with disabilities; and (iii) the inadequacy of a regulatory framework to deal comprehensively with issues of societal discrimination against and marginalisation of persons with disabilities. Using the London Borough of Southwark as a case study, this thesis finds that the statutory duty on public authorities to promote equality represents an advancement of the rights-based perspective of disability and that Southwark council seems to be moving closer to this position. However, the duty is still not being implemented fully in the way Parliament intended, resulting in the continuing failure to respect the rights of persons with disabilities to equality and non-discrimination. To resolve these deficiencies and on the basis of: (i) a comprehensive literature review; (ii) an analysis of the current legal and policy framework on disability discrimination and equality and of; (iii) an empirical study of equality management in the London borough of Southwark for an exploration of the legal issues that flow from the implementation of the Equality duty by public authorities, the study exposes certain tensions between the twin currents of anti-discrimination legislation; positive duties and negative compliance, individual and group rights, equality and Human rights, reactive and anticipatory reasonable adjustments and makes practical suggestions for reconciling the two approaches. It also highlights certain issues of principle that should be addressed if the managerial thinking that drives the equality agenda in our local authorities is helpfully to adapt to the law. The study also highlights attractive features of the substantive equality paradigm for achieving equality for persons with disabilities and stresses respect for the autonomy, independence and sense of dignity and self worth of this group of citizens. However, the picture that emerges is of a statutory landscape pulled in different directions. The culture of negative compliance may still have the upper hand in our local authorities, but it has not completely undermined the forces of rational change encapsulated in the duty on public authorities to promote equality. This is what makes critical theory possible and makes the presentation of this thesis a worthwhile endeavour

Impact of cooperative societies in national development and the Nigerian economy

There are numerous ways of expressing creativity- verbal and non verbal. The artist expresses himself the way he sees things, using diverse ways of expressing it. One of those ways is what Aniakor uses to speak to humanity. As an artist, drawings are used to relay a message through the arrangement of lines to form a composition. As a poet, the ability to relate the use of lines to poetic interpretation sends more messages to the erring listener. In art, non verbal communication through drawings and poems, have gained grounds in the area of communication. The rationale for this paper, is not to solely discuss the artist, but mainly to show case what the society in time past had gained through this approach and what the present generation stands to benefit from his message through Drawings and Poetry.Keywords: Communication, Artist, Drawings, Poetry, Society

PERFORMING BRITISH VIOLENCE IN THE NIGERIAN MIDWEST: ABMED YERIMA’S THE TRIALS OF OBA OVONRAMWEN AND THE “NARRATIVES” OF HISTORY

Theatre and its appurtenances can project events, problems and issues of society. Its hegemony consists in performances and varied possibilities of expression with great propensity to awaken social consciousness stimulate emotions, and provide certain 'experiences' to invent a 'new' future. This paper takes a look at one of such experiences through a critical appraisal of the stage performance of Ahmed Yerima's Trials of Oba Ovonramwen as presented at the Chinua Achebe Arts Theatre, University of Calabar. Invoking Elizabeth Wessling’s Writing History as a Prophet, this paper argues that the political perspective of the narrator or writer conditions the many versions of history. The politics and poetics of performance as established by Augusto Boal in many of his works suggest that history need not be written by the oppressor alone but can be subject to the re-writing and re-interpretation of the “vanquished”. In the case of Ahmed Yerima’s Trials of Oba Ovonramwen, the interpretation of history is both a creative and critical process in which the act of narration itself becomes a “symbolic” one through which past misrepresentations can be subject to critiques and re-readings. In addition to revisiting the version of this episode of “British Punitive Expedition” to the Benin Kingdom in 1897, this paper submits that through performance the oppressed can not only recuperate his/her history but also re-inscribe the correct(ed) version into the annals of global politics and archival repository

Correlation studies of mineral nutrients’ concentrations in soils and pineapple (Ananas comosus) plants in the southern agricultural zone of Cross river state

Nutrient deficiencies were observed to be the primary factor affecting pineapple (Ananas comosus) plants growth and development in the southern agricultural zone of Cross River State. Fields experiment were conducted to evaluate the relationships existing between mineral nqutrients in the soils and pineapple plants. Thirty - two Soil samples were collected within the experimental plots at the depth of 0-30 cm using a soil auger. Thirty- two pineapple plants of 18 months old were equally collected within the same experimental plots. Randomization method was used for soil and pineapple plants samplings. Samples were labeled and processed for soil and plant laboratory analyses. The parameters analyzed were: Total nitrogen, Available phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Their mean concentrations in the soils and pineapple plants were: 0.59 % and 1.22 g kg -1 Total N; 15.53 mg kg-1 and 0.42 g kg-1 Available P and 0.11 cmol kg -1 and 1.3 g kg-1 Potassium. Others means value were 2.86 cmol kg-1 and 0.86 g kg-1 Calcium and 0.75 cmol kg-1 and 0.52 g kg-1 Magnesium respectively. Moreover, the concentrations of other chemical properties in soils were : 0.77 % organic carbon, 4.5 of Soil p H, 0.08 of Exchangeable Sodium and 65.9 cmol Kg -1 base saturation. The results further revealed that total N , K and Mg associated positively but weakly correlated, while Calcium associated positively but strongly correlated .Available Phosphorus associated negatively but strongly correlated between the soils and pineapple plants. The levels of mineral nutrients’ concentration in the soils at the experimental plots were low, which reflected remarkable in the pineapple plants. Inorganic fertilizers such as N. P. K 15:15:15 should be cautiously applied to enhance soil nutrients’ concentration.KEYWORDS: Soils, Pineapple plants, Mineral nutrients, relationship, Correlation

#payusviaBVN: Social Media, Lockdowns and Social Welfare in Nigeria

Journal #38 from Media Rise's Quarantined Across Borders Collection by Philip Effiom Ephraim. From Nigeria. Quarantined in Calabar, Nigeria.Nigerians are employing social media channels to call out the government’s corrupt practices, particularly, the unequal distribution of monetary assistance meant for minimizing severe hardships caused by COVID-19 lockdowns.Media Rise Publications. Quarantined Across Borders Collection. Edited by Dr. Srividya "Srivi" Ramasubramanian

Book review: muted modernists: the struggle over divine politics in Saudi Arabia by Madawi Al-Rasheed

In Muted Modernists: The Struggle Over Divine Politics in Saudi Arabia, Madawi Al-Rasheed challenges monolithic understandings of official and opposition divine politics in Saudi Arabia by examining how activists, intellectuals and religious scholars are attempting to construct a new form of politics through reinterpretation of key Islamic texts and civil society activism. This is an important and insightful read that contributes to scholarship on changing socio-political and cultural dynamics within the Middle East and the influence of media and communication technologies on political participation, writes Philip Effiom Ephraim

Semiotics and Contemporary Play Directing: The Example of Ogonna Agu’s Dawn in the Academy

The success of any theatrical performance depends largely on how the theatre director understands, experiments and explores the wide array of techniques and approaches for creating such theatrical production. This inquiry experimented on the semiotic theory, a 21st century postmodern experimental form, as an approach to creating a theatrical production. The play script Dawn in the Academy was semiotically analyzed and presented from a directorial perspective on the stage of Chinua Achebe Arts Theatre, University of Calabar, Nigeria. The inquiry emphasizes that the semiotic sign system is an indispensable tool in the dialectic interchange between the stage and the audience. The research, supported by the play project establishes that the semiotic discipline is a productive method a director could apply when faced with an interdisciplinary play script. The semiotic oriented approach of directing on the basis of this research, is therefore established as the vehicle, which the ambiguities, indissoluble structure and juxtaposed variegated happenings inherent in scripts can be transformed. Consequently some of the basic elements of the semiotic theory as highlighted in this paper, reveal the rich and vibrant content of the various facets of the semiotic production process. Contemporary play directors in their professional quest to fully interpret and project the works of playwrights to the audience, have, among others, the option of applying the semiotic theory and sign systems in their stage experimentation.

Optimization of Independent Variables for the Production of Extracellular Alpha Amylase by Bacillus subtilis IMD34 Using Plackett-Burman Design

Bacillus species are widely used for thermostable α-amylase production for various applications such as in the detergent and food industries. This research aimed to study the production of α-amylase by B. subtilis IMD34 in submerged fermentation conditions using Plackett-Burman (PB) design, along with the optimization of certain environmental factors for optimal growth of amylolytic bacteria. Plackett-Burman design was used to evaluate the effect of ten independent variables on α-amylase production. Maximum enzyme activity was recorded in a medium containing (g/l); starch (6.0), peptone (12.0), K2HPO4 (1.0), Na2HPO4 (2.0), NaCl (0.6), Na2SO4 (0.1), MgSO4.7H20 (1.0), FeCl3.6H2O (0.02), CaCl2.2H2O (0.02) and with an agitation speed (200 rpm). From the pareto chart it was observed that the most important independent variables for amylase production were starch, peptone, NaCl, Mg2SO4, CaCl2.2H2O and agitation. Optimization of environmental parameters to assess their effect on the growth of bacteria showed that optimal pH, incubation time and temperature were recorded at 6, 48h and 37˚C. Evaluating independent variables statistically using PB design revealed that some of the medium’s components had a positive impact on α-amylase production by B. subtilis IMD34

Technical and economic appraisal for harnessing a proposed hybrid energy system nexus for power generation and CO2 mitigation in Cross River State, Nigeria

By creating hybrid energy systems and obtaining a framework that equally satisfies a continuous operation for renewable energy technology, this study presents renewable and sustainable energy options as an integral method to energy transitioning from non-renewable to renewable energy utilization in Cross River State, Nigeria. For a needed load of 2424.25 kWh/day in Cross River State, this study focused on proposing a designed hybrid energy system (HES) nexus, mitigating CO2, and appraisal of the technical and economic viability. To accomplish this, HOMER software was utilized in simulating the ideal components that suggested a HES nexus. The software enabled the selection of the optimal HES using various renewable energy sources since it predicts future electrical demand, wind speed, solar irradiation, and temperature. Economic results obtained showed that the proposed HES's Levelized cost of energy (LCOE), net present cost (NPC), and operating cost (OC) were $0.89/kWh,$10,138,702 and $134,084.37 respectively. Further technical appraisal showed that the renewable energy conversion systems (RECs) make up 78.74% of the proposed HES. The photovoltaic (PV) arrays were primarily responsible for the hybrid energy system's electricity output. The annual electrical energy output was 1,984,111kWh (89.4%), produced by the PV arrays. The generic fuel cell produced the least, at 29,957kWh/year, accounting for just 1.35% of the total electricity produced. However, the wind power plant produced 205,365kWh/year annually. Furthermore, comparing the HES with diesel-powered generators, the system achieves a net-zero carbon emission status. Therefore, it has proven to be the most reliable energy as it will solve the problem of energy demand and reduces carbon emissions in Cross River State, Nigeri

ICT in University Education: Usage and Challenges among Academic Staff

This study was a survey which explored ICT usage and challenges amongacademic staff. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to determine theareas of ICT usage among academic staff; identify the obstacles to their ICTusage and identify their areas of training need in ICT usage. Five researchquestions were posed to guide this study and a questionnaire was designed to collect data from a sample size of 80 academic staff. From the results,academic staff indicated that ICT is of much help to them in the areas ofupgrading of knowledge, research and publication. Weak infrastructure,financial constraints and lack of access to ICT facilities were identified asthe major obstacles to ICT usage among academic staff. Furthermore,designing of new learning activities, electronic presentation of materials andmaking use of internet were identified as their areas of train need in ICTusage. Recommendation made include providing compulsory free, adequatetraining opportunity for academic staff by the university management