GODFATHERISM, OWNERSHIP INFLUENCE AND MEDIA TREATMENT OF POLITICAL CONFLICTS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Media coverage of political crises, especially in a terrain fraught with the increasing influence of godfatherism, ownership and political affiliation has a serious consequence on the society. The political feud between Late Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu and his „political son‟, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja in Oyo State, Nigeria (2005-2007), provided a typical example of godfatherism, and media coverage of the conflict typified ownership influence on news media operations. Anchored on the framing theory, this study employed content analysis to examine how The Nigerian Tribune and The Nation newspapers treated the political conflict in terms of the degree of prominence accorded the two principal actors and how ownership factor and political affiliation shaped the contents of the newspapers. Findings show that The Nation, a newspaper believed to be owned by a stalwart of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), was less critical of Senator Rashidi Ladoja and reported more of anti-Adedibu stories. The Nigerian Tribune, on the other hand, reported more of anti-Ladoja stories, and was less critical of Chief Lamidi Adedibu. This paper concludes by urging media actors to free themselves from the web of partisan politics and be more objective in the discharge of their duties as societal watchdogs.KEY WORDS: Content Analysis, Framing Theory, Godfatherism, Ownership Influence, Political Conflicts

African modernity crisis : a search for a practical rationality beyond the Maclntyrean/Rawlsian models

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres (philosophie) (ISP 3) -- UCL, 199

Spectral, thermal stability and antibacterial studies of copper, nickel and cobalt complexes of N-methyl-N-phenyl dithiocarbamate

Copper(II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II) bis(N-methyl-N-phenyl dithiocarbamate) complexes having the general formula [M{S2CN(MePh)}2] (where M = Cu, Co and Ni) have been prepared and characterized by spectral and thermal analysis. The IR spectra suggest that coordination of dithiocarbamate (DTC) occurred through the two sulfur atoms in a symmetrical bidentate fashion. The electronic spectra, conductance measurement and magnetic moment analysis support the proposed geometry for the electronically dilute complexes. The results of the thermal analysis showed that after dehydration, a one-step decomposition pattern leading to the formation of respective metal sulfide as the end-product occurred. The results are consistent with the proposed composition of the complexes. The in vitro antibacterial activity of the complexes was investigated against strains of gram-negative Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoea and Pseudomonas aureginosa, and gram-positive Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Protues mirabilis. The antibacterial activity of the complexes compared favorably with that of streptomycin and augmentine against S. aureus and B. cereus. The cobalt complex had the best antibacterial activity against the test compounds with inhibitory zone range of 11–14.5 m

Research and Reviews: Journal of Chemistry Synthesis, Spectroscopic and Antibacterial Properties of Some Metal (II) Mixed Ligand Complexes of Riboflavin and 2,2'-Bipyridine

ABSTRACT Mixed ligand complexes of Riboflavin (L) and 2,2'-Bipyridine (L 1 ) with Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions were synthesized and characterized by, infrared and electronic spectroscopies, room temperature magnetic moments, melting points and conductance measurements. The % metal analysis confirmed that the complexes analyzed as [MX2(L)(L 1 )] where X = Cl/(CH3CO2)/SO4. Infrared spectra data confirmed that coordination is via the imine nitrogen and carbonyl oxygen atoms of the riboflavin, and the nitrogen atoms of the 2,2'-bipyridine molecules respectively. The room temperature magnetic moment and electronic spectra data indicated that all the metal(II) complexes were octahedral, and the Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes showed high spin low spin octahedral equilibrium. The conductance measurements of all the metal(II) complexes in water and DMSO showed that the complexes were all covalent. Interestingly, the invitro antibacterial studies of these metal(II) complexes, riboflavin and 2,2'-bipyridine against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella oxytoca and Staphylococcus aureus showed that none of the bacteria was sensitive to the former two compounds, with the exception of Proteus mirabilis which had activities of 20.0 mm and 13.0 mm against the Cu(II) complex and riboflavin. In contrast, all the bacteria were sensitive to 2, 2'-bipyridine, just like Augmentine, although with higher inhibitory zones range of 24.0-47.0 mm proving its potential as a broad spectrum antibacterial agent

Green Synthesis of Ag/Ag2O Nanoparticles Using Aqueous Leaf Extract of Eupatorium odoratum and Its Antimicrobial and Mosquito Larvicidal Activities

The health challenges associated with pathogens and ectoparasites highlight the need for effective control approaches. Metal nanoparticles have been proposed as highly effective tools towards combatting different microbial organisms and parasites. The present work reports the antimicrobial and larvicidal potential of biosynthesized Ag/Ag2O nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract of Eupatorium odoratum (EO). The constituents of the leaf extract act as both reducing and stabilizing agents. The UV-VIS spectra of the nanoparticles showed surface plasmon resonance. The particle size and shape of the nanoparticles was analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The larvicidal study was carried out using third and fourth instar Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. The mosquito larvae were exposed to varying concentrations of plant extract (EO) and the synthesized nanoparticles, and their percentage of mortality was accounted for at different time intervals of 12 h and 24 h periods of exposure. The nanoparticles were more lethal against third and fourth instars of Culex quinquefasciatus larvae at the 24 h period of exposure with lower lethal concentration values (LC50 = 95.9 ppm; LC90 = 337.5 ppm) and (LC50 = 166.4 ppm; LC90 = 438.7 ppm) compared to the plant extract (LC50 = 396.8 ppm; LC90 = 716.8 ppm and LC50 = 448.3 ppm; LC90 = 803.9 ppm, respectively). The antimicrobial properties of the nanoparticles were established against different clinically-isolated microbial strains and compared to that of the plant extract (EO) and standard antimicrobial drugs. The nanoparticles were generally more active than the plant extract against the selected microbial organisms. The Gram-negative bacterial strains Escheerichua coli and Salmonella typhi were more susceptible towards the nanoparticles compared to the Gram-positive strains and the fungal organism

Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Costus afer Leaf Extract: Synthesis, Antibacterial, Antioxidant and Electrochemical Properties

Synthesis of metallic and semiconductor nanoparticles through physical and chemical routes has been extensively reported. However, green synthesized metal nanoparticles are currently in the limelight due to the simplicity, cost-effectiveness and eco-friendliness of their synthesis. This study explored the use of aqueous leaf extract of Costus afer in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (CA-AgNPs). The optical and structural properties of the resulting silver nanoparticles were studied using UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infra–red spectrophotometer (FTIR). TEM images of the silver nanoparticles confirmed the existence of monodispersed spherical nanoparticles with a mean size of 20 nm. The FTIR spectra affirmed the presence of phytochemicals from the Costus afer leaf extract on the surface of the silver nanoparticles. The electrochemical characterization of a CA-AgNPs/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)-modified electrode was carried out to confirm the charge transfer properties of the nanocomposites. The comparative study showed that the CA-AgNPs/MWCNT-modified electrode demonstrated faster charge transport behaviour. The anodic current density of the electrodes in Fe(CN)6]4−/[Fe(CN)6]3− redox probe follows the order: GCE/CA-Ag/MWCNT (550 mA/cm2) > GCE/MWCNT (270 mA/cm2) > GCE (80 mA/cm2) > GCE/CA-Ag (7.93 mA/cm2). The silver nanoparticles were evaluated for their antibacterial properties against Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) pathogens. The nanoparticles exhibited better inhibition of the bacterial strains compared to the precursors (leaf extract of Costus afer and silver nitrate). Furthermore, the ability of the nanoparticles to scavenge DPPH radicals at different concentrations was studied using the DPPH radical scavenging assay and compared to that of the leaf extract and ascorbic acid. The nanoparticles were better DPPH scavengers compared to the leaf extract and their antioxidant properties compared favorably the antioxidant results of ascorbic acid. The green approach to nanoparticles synthesis carried out in this research work is simple, non-polluting, inexpensive and non-hazardous

Viability of Activated Carbon Derived from Polystyrene Sulphonate Beads as Electrical Double Layer Capacitors

In this paper, a commercial polymeric resin precursor (polystyrene sulphonate beads) was used as a source of carbon spheres. The resin was pyrolyzed at different temperatures (700, 800, and 900 °C) and the resulting carbons were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). From the result of EIS, carbon spheres obtained at 700 °C (CS−700) have the least ohmnic resistance and highest capacitance. In furtherance, the resin was chemically activated with iron (III) chloride FeCl3·6H2O at different concentration (0.1 M, 0.3 M, and 0.5 M) and pyrolyzed at 700 °C to obtain activated carbon sphere namely (ACS 700−0.1, ACS 700−0.3, and ACS 700−0.5) in which the last digit of the samples denotes the concentration of FeCl3. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the carbon is of spherical shape; X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photon electron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed successful introduction of Fe on the surface of the carbon. Out of all the activated carbon spheres, ACS 700−0.1 exhibited highest double layer capacitance of 9 µF cm−2 and lowest charge transfer resistance of 3.33 KΩ·cm2. This method shows that carbon spheres obtained from a polymeric source can be easily improved by simple resin modification and the carbon could be a potential candidate for an electrical double layer capacitor