Buttressing the Need for Ethical Guidance for Online Reporting in Nigeria

There is a rapid growth in mobile Internet data subscription in Nigeria and an accompanying proliferation of online news outlets hoping to cash in on the attendant lucrative business potentials. This study is informed by the worrisome activities of these online reporting platforms. The study is an analytical discourse enriched with examples derived from a qualitative reading of relevant online news reports and interactions with some online reporters in Nigeria’s North Central, North West, South West and South South geo-political zones under the auspices of a National Orientation Agency project. The study examines benefits and ethical violations noticeable in online reporting in Nigeria. It identifies such benefits as providing avenues for immediate feedback, more diverse public input leading to more comprehensive stories and serving as a platform for social activism. However, it notes the prevalence of ethical infractions like misinformation, sensationalism, plagiarism/copyright infringement, very little consideration of public good and indecency. It recommends the establishment of associations of online reporters according to their genres and an overarching body to fashion out ethical guidelines and ratify them for their work in order to forestall severe censorship and legal regulation by government. Keywords: Online Reporting, Ethics, Benefits, Ethical Violations, Ethical Guidanc

The Context and the Imperative for Ethical Coverage of Local Government Elections in Nigeria

Although local governments (LGs) form the lowest tier of governments in Nigeria, they are the tier closest to the people that should bring development to the hinterlands where the majority of her citizens live. This study examined, through library research, the functions and problems of LG councils in Nigeria plus the way in which LG elections are held with a view to establishing the need for ethical coverage of such elections. The study discovered that LG councils are saddled with heavy responsibilities by the 1999 constitution. They also face many difficulties, foremost among which is persistent underdevelopment occasioned by the strangling grip of state governors on LG finances and massive corruption among top LG officials. The study also found that LG elections are conducted in an irregular, phony and predictable manner with the ruling party usually sweeping the polls. It, therefore, recommended strict adherence to such ethical principles as editorial independence, accuracy and fairness, refusal of gratification and abhorrence of violence by reporters in the coverage of LG elections. It maintained that by so doing, journalists will help the public realise how important these elections at the grassroots are and with their combined vigilance, they will ensure that the current deplorable order in LG elections and the councils is dismantled. Keywords: Ethics, Election, Local Government, Social Responsibility, Ethical Prescription

The Impact of Christianity, Islam and Colonialism on Indigenous African Religion and Cultures

This paper examines the impact of foreign religions on the African Traditional Religion, their socio-political settings and culture. The work has equally endeavored to highlight the essence, content and raison d’état for the religious practices of the Africans in precolonial times. With such evaluation, the work has been able to draw out the values and functions of the religion on the socio-political and cultural settings of the African people. Adequate effort was made to review and assess the circumstances which led to the adoption and establishment of these foreign religions on Africa as a whole. For obvious reasons especially that which is related to the human rights of men in their religious views and worship, the work does not make any pretensions as to exact any effort to place the West dominated misunderstanding of the African views of religion and spirituality above other considerations. Rather, this work has embarked on the presentation of the advantages of each of these religions and more importantly, the impact it had on the African people in the past and its continued tendencies in their history. The position of the work therefore is that Africans should rather cultivate in themselves a sense of self-confidence and assurance that the religious state of man in the African sense was the bedrock of the unique social values, morality, balance and order which regulated the society which was bereft of social ills. The work concludes that African traditional religion still remain a virtual instrument to reform our society today as it enforced obedience in the past and reverence to a supreme God as in the other religions who also is the chief moderator and administrator of the world, then, now and in the future. Keywords: Christianity, Islam, African Traditional Religion, Culture, Colonialism. DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/41-0

A Historigraphic Assessment of the Petroleum Industry and Its Impact on the Nigerian Economy

This paper examines the socio-economic impact of the petroleum industry on the Nigerian economy since the discovery of oil in 1956 to 2015, from a historiographical point of view. If historiography is the study of the way history has been and is written and interpretation of such in the works of individual scholars, then the aim of this work is to assess the writings of various scholars on the petroleum industry and its impact on the Nigerian economy. In essence, this work is a critical examination of sources and selections of particulars of authentic materials written by various scholars, the synthesis of which is the outcome of this narrative that sums up the impacts of petroleum industry such that can stand the test of critical methods.Fundamentally, then therefore, the paper traces the historical development of the petroleum industry with a focus on some of the problems of management of the wealth of resources accruable from the internal and external dynamics of the structure and its overall impact on not just the economy but to the Nigerian citizenry at large. Specifically, another problematic focus of the work has been to ascertain the extent to which corrupt practices, social and political mal-administration has led to the undermining of the economic benefits derivable to the people of Nigeria from petroleum resources which to a large extent shape their economic social well-being. The work, no doubt, undertook a critical re-appraisal of the underdevelopment of not just the Niger Delta crises but other issues arising from it, such as youth restiveness, pipeline vandalism, militancy and kidnapping of expatriate workers and how this has impacted on Nigeria’s image and foreign policy. The study further established that the multinational companies in the region, (despite their claims of justification for improving the welfare of the people) have to a large extent undermined the yearnings of the people by not giving adequate compensation to the problems generated by environmental degradation.The study relied mostly on primary and secondary data delivered through a content analysis of extant literature, Internet Reports Commissioned Projects, especially statistics from the Central Bank of Nigeria Bulletins Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Reports/ Bulletins and others from the National Bureau of Statistics and Nigerian Society of Economic Research (NISER). Keywords: Petroleum, Nigerian Economy, Degradation, Exploitatio

Diseases in the Tabloids: Mapping Newspaper Narratives on Lassa Fever Epidemic in Nigeria

Lassa fever is a recurrent endemic disease in Nigeria with increasing seroprevalence in many parts of the country. In the absence of effective preventive vaccines, the mass media are being deployed as independent and complementary interventions to sensitise the public on appropriate measures for mitigating the spread of the disease. This study evaluates the different coverage patterns and frames that dominate newspaper narratives on Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 420 editions of six leading Nigerian newspapers published between January 2015 and December 2019. Findings showed that although the epidemic was frequently mentioned in newspaper articles, its coverage was mainly episodic with little media prominence, and its framing was too inadequate to compel the desired public health response. Hence, the study recommends that journalists and newspaper editors must dutifully engage in the publication of Lassa fever outbreak preparedness articles to significantly curb the spread of the disease in Nigeria

Mass media exposure and lassa fever risk perception in rural communities of South-south Nigeria

Nigeria bears the highest burden of Lassa fever in Africa, accounting for about 60% of the 5,000 annual mortalities attributable to the haemorrhagic disease. In the absence of preventive vaccines, the mass media have been deployed as independent and complementary interventions against the spread of the infection. This study examines the influence of mass media exposure on Lassa fever risk perception and risk behaviours among residents of eight rural communities in South-south Nigeria. Anchored on the Health Belief Model and Social Influence Theory, the study used survey questionnaires to collect data from 384 respondents selected through multistage sampling. Findings show that media exposure is positively related to Lassa fever risk perception (β = .519, 95% CI: .432, .607), but negatively associated with risk behaviours towards the zoonotic disease (β = -.797, 95% CI: -.922, -.671). Nevertheless, media influence on respondents’ risk perception and risk behaviours tends to vary significantly along sex, geographical region and employment status. Given the endemic nature of Lassa fever in Nigeria, the study recommends the sustenance of public sensitisation efforts aimed at preventing the spread of the disease, especially in rural areas. It also advocates the need for relevant health authorities to enforce healthier public environmental practices and initiate mastomys eradication programmes to reduce the presence of rats in residential areas

Evaluation of marking of peer marking in oral presentation.

BACKGROUND: Peer marking is an important skill for students, helping them to understand the process of learning and assessment. This method is increasingly used in medical education, particularly in formative assessment. However, the use of peer marking in summative assessment is not widely adopted because many teachers are concerned about biased marking by students of their peers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether marking of summative peer assessment can improve the reliability of peer marking. METHODS: In a retrospective analysis, the peer-marking results of a summative assessment of oral presentations of two cohorts of students were compared. One group of students was told that their peer marks would be assessed against a benchmark consisting of the average of examiner marks and that these scores together with the peer and examiner marks would form their final exam results. The other group of students were just informed that their final exam results would be determined based on the examiner and peer marks. RESULTS: Based on examiner marks, both groups of students performed similarly in their summative assessment, agreement between student markers was less consistent and more polar than the examiners. When compared with the examiners, students who were told that their peer marking would be scored were more generous markers (their average peer mark was 2.4 % points higher than the average examiner mark) while students who were not being scored on their marking were rather harsh markers (their average peer mark was 4.2 % points lower than the average examiner mark), with scoring of the top-performing students most affected. CONCLUSIONS: Marking of peer marking had a small effect on the marking conduct of students in summative assessment of oral presentation but possibly indicated a more balanced marking performance

Outcomes of interventions in neonatal sepsis:A systematic review of qualitative research

BackgroundWhile a systematic review exists detailing neonatal sepsis outcomes from clinical trials, there remains an absence of a qualitative systematic review capturing the perspectives of key stakeholders.ObjectivesOur aim is to identify outcomes from qualitative research on any intervention to prevent or improve the outcomes of neonatal sepsis that are important to parents, other family members, healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers as a part of the development of a core outcome set (COS) for neonatal sepsis.Search StrategyA literature search was carried out using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycInfo databases.Selection CriteriaPublications describing qualitative data relating to neonatal sepsis outcomes were included.Data Collection and AnalysisDrawing on the concepts of thematic synthesis, texts related to outcomes were coded and grouped. These outcomes were then mapped to the domain headings of an existing model.Main ResultsOut of 6777 records screened, six studies were included. Overall, 19 outcomes were extracted from the included studies. The most frequently reported outcomes were those in the domains related to parents, healthcare workers and individual organ systemas such as gastrointestinal system. The remaining outcomes were classified under the headings of general outcomes, miscellaneous outcomes, survival, and infection.ConclusionsThe outcomes identified in this review are different from those reported in neonatal sepsis clinical trials, thus highlighting the importance of incorporating qualitative studies into COS development to encapsulate all relevant stakeholders' perspectives.This study reviews outcomes considered important in neonatal sepsis by stakeholders such as parents and healthcare providers, aiding in developing a core outcome set (COS)

Support for Learning in the Clinical Area: The Experiences of Post-registration Student Midwives.

Prior to 2006 Irish midwifery education was available only in the form of postgraduate in- hospital training to registered nurses. Since 2006 midwifery education continues to be offered as a postgraduate course but it is also available as a direct entry undergraduate programme in a number of Irish third level institutions. In line with these changes in Irish midwifery education, the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery (2005) identified, among other priorities, the need to provide educational support for student midwives in the clinical area because acquisition of fundamental skills will facilitate their smooth and sound transition into the workforce given that they will be the future functioning midwives. This study explores postgraduate post registration student midwives? experiences of learning support in the clinical area. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. The students were registered in one of the Schools of Midwifery in an Irish third level institution. A purposive sample of six student midwives participated in individual face-to-face tape-recorded interviews to discuss their experiences. Data analysis revealed six major themes that represent student midwives? experiences of support for learning in the clinical setting ? lack of support, learning environment, employee status, support strategies, ways of learning, and theory-practice integration. During the clinical learning process participants felt abandoned by the more senior staff while the senior students and the newly qualified midwives were supportiv

Rituals and Embodied Cultural Practices at the Beginning of Life: African Perspectives

Cultural beliefs and practices find expression through rituals. Rites of initiation or passage are some of the most common rituals among the indigenous African societies. Pregnancy and Childbirth are not only biological events, but also socially and culturally constructed with associated symbols that represent the social identities and cultural values of Africans. Birth is a rite of passage, and children are perceived as special gifts from the Supreme Being. As such, pregnancy and childbirth are special events cherished and celebrated through varied rituals. Drawing on empirical literature and relevant commentaries, this paper aims to discuss selected rituals and embodied practices surrounding the start of life (pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood). The paper will specifically focus on the following aspects: pregnancy rituals; birth songs and dancing; the omugwo (care after birth); the cord and placenta rituals; and the naming ceremony. Some of the pregnancy rituals are purificatory in nature and therefore beneficial for maternal and infant health. The celebrations surrounding the birth of a child are community events, marked with singing and dancing. Following childbirth, the new mothers are not expected to participate in house chores to allow them time to recuperate. In all, discourses concerning the beginning of life, i.e., pregnancy and the periods surrounding it, are filled with rituals which are embodiments or expressions of cultural values, customs, and beliefs