Nigerian Press Coverage of the 2015 Elections: What has Ownership Got to Do with It?

If ownership can make a critical difference in media coverage of issues, then the interesting spectacle in Nigeria where new wave of politicians now establish media houses should result in distinctive journalistic patterns in salient areas especially in the coverage of political events. This study was therefore aimed at examining how four Nigerian newspapers with two ownership structures covered the 2015 elections in Nigeria. The Vanguard and The Guardian newspapers (owned by businessmen) and The Sun and The Nation newspapers (owned by politicians) were analysed. The scope of the study was between December 2014 to April 2015, and 6398 stories were got from 92 copies of the four dailies. Findings indicated that newspapers owned by politicians were guided by the political interest of their financiers while newspapers owned by businessmen were neutral in the coverage of the 2015 elections. This study confirms Altschull’s (1984) theory of media ownership and therefore concludes that media products reflect the preferences of the dominant power structures. Keywords: Nigerian press, Coverage, 2015 elections, Ownership structure, Media ownership

Monotherapy with amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide in patients with mild to moderate hypertension: Comparison of their efficacy and effects on electrolytes

Background: Amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) are commonly prescribed in Nigeria either as a monotherapy or in combination with other drugs. The present study was designed to investigate the antihypertensive efficacy of monotherapy with amlodipine or HCTZ and their effects on electrolyte profile in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.Methods: A single-blind randomized clinical study was used; fifty patients newly diagnosed with mild to moderate hypertension (aged 33 to 60 years) were recruited and divided into two groups: amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide each comprising of 25 subjects. The subjects received 5mg of amlodipine or 25mg of hydrochlorothiazide in their respective group once daily for 4 weeks. Blood pressure, serum and urine electrolytes were measured at baseline and weekly throughout the experiment.Results: At the end of follow up, amlodipine reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure significantly more (p<0.001) than HCTZ. At the end of follow up, blood pressure was reduced to normal in 80% of the subjects in amlodipine group compared to 50% in HCTZ. Amlodipine had no significant effect on electrolyte profile of subjects unlike HCTZ which significantly changed both their serum and urine electrolytes.Conclusions: Monotherapy with amlodipine was more effective than HCTZ in black patients with mild to moderate hypertension and in addition maintained electrolyte balance

Assessing Change Management and Performance of Selected Banks in Anambra State, Nigeria

The continuous resistance to change by employees has resulted in survival problem of Banks as the banking industry seems to experience technological and environmental change. In view of this, this study determined the relationship that exists between change management and selected Banks in Anambra State. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and Purposive Sampling Technique was used to select 3 notable banks operating in the major cities of Anambra State that is Nnewi, Awka and Onitsha, these banks Include; branches of Fidelity Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, and Eco Bank plc, operating at Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi, Anambra State. Data were collected from 162 respondents with the aid of structured questionnaire. Personal Data of respondents were presented using simple frequency and percentage tables. Data relating to research questions were analyzed using Descriptive Statistics (Arithmetic Mean). Hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient with the aid of Statistical Packages of Social Science (SPSS version 23). Findings revealed that there is significant relationship between change management and organizational performance of selected Banks in Anambra State by indicating positive relationship between internal communication and business sustainability; positive relationship between employee development and business competitiveness; the study concluded that change management is a remedy to employee resistance to change. The study recommended that management should adopt supportive approach while introducing change into the organization

Rural eye care practice-survey of ophthalmology resident doctors in Nigeria

AIM:To determine the factors affecting the uptake of rural practice by trainee ophthalmologists in Nigeria.METHODS: This cross sectional survey was conducted among Nigerian Ophthalmology resident doctors attending an annual Neuro-ophthalmology course jointly organized by the West African College of Surgeons and the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria Southeast-South south zone(OSN SESS), preparatory to the part 1 and 2 fellowship examination from 15th to 21st June 2015. A pre-tested closed-ended questionnaire adapted and modified for this study was self-administered at the end of the course to all consenting participants. Data on respondent's socio-demographics and views about rural eye care services were collected. In addition, information was collected on the respondents' perception of rural practice, willingness to practice in the rural area, benefits and barriers to working in the rural area. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences(SPSS), version 19(SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Descriptive analysis yielded measures of central tendency while comparative statistical tests for significance of observed inter-group differences was performed using Chi-square. In all comparisons, the P- value for statistical significance was set at PRESULTS: The total number of respondents was 44 aged 32.9±0.56y, comprising of 24(54.5%)males and 20 females with a male to female ratio of 1:0.8. All the respondents viewed the current state of rural service in Nigeria as unsatisfactory. Majority(75.0%)of the respondents were unwilling to practice Ophthalmology in rural areas. More females than males indicated willingness to work in the rural area. The commonest potential benefit of working in a rural area mentioned by the respondents was “health services for the poor/serving the country”(37; 84%)while all the respondents(44; 100%), noted absence of infrastructure/facilities as drawback to rural ophthalmic practice.CONCLUSION: All the respondents in our survey had an unsatisfactory perception of Nigeria's rural eye-care service and majority were unwilling to work in a rural area

Visual acuity and refractive changes among pregnant women in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Introduction: Pregnancy has been associated with changes in the eye which could be physiological, pathological, or exacerbation of pre-existing ocular conditions. Visual acuity (VA) and refractive error (RE) changes are part of the physiological changes that may occur during pregnancy. Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate changes in VA and RE across two different trimesters and six weeks postpartum among pregnant women in Enugu, southeast, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was adopted and pregnant women in their second trimester attending antenatal clinic at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu were consecutively recruited. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Visual acuity was measured and refractive error monitored in second and third trimesters and 6 weeks after delivery. Results: The mean age of women was 30.81 (±5.49) years and a majority of them were civil servants. There was a worsening of VA for distance in more women in the third trimesters compared to the second trimester. There was no significant change in VA for near throughout the study period. There was an increased myopic shift in more pregnant women during the third trimester (40; 40.0%) compared to second trimester (36; 36.0%). The most common refractive error found among the women was simple myopia. These changes resolved six weeks postpartum. Conclusion: Pregnancy worsened VA for distance and the most common RE in pregnant women was simple myopia. However, these changes resolved during the postpartum period