Environmental ethics: An African understanding

Global concerns about the current environmental crisis have culminated into some controversial environmental ethical theories, that is, normative environmental ethics, sentientist ethics, biocentric ethics, ecocentric ethics and eco-feminist ethics. One of the fundamental underlying features connecting these environmental ethical theories is their grounding in Western perspectives and cultural experiences. Given that environmental concerns are global concerns, and that the imperative of environmental ethics is challenging those life-threatening concerns, critical explorations of environmental ethics need to go beyond the Western horizon. But with respect to the African perspective to environmental ethics and the people’s cultural understanding of the environmental crisis, little has been done in this penultimate area. However, Segun Ogungbemi and Godfrey Tangwa have pioneered philosophical discussions on environmental ethics from an African vantage point. Hence, Ogungbemi defends what he calls “ethics of nature-relatedness,” while Tangwa proposes “ecobio-communitarianism” as a definitive theory of an African orientation to environmental ethics. This paper is therefore a contribution to the consolidation of an African orientation to environmental ethics through a critique and reconstruction of some of the misrepresentations of the African perspective to the environment, implicit in the arguments of Ogungbemi and Tangwa.Key words: Environmental ethics, ethics of nature-relatedness, eco-biocommunitarianism

Genetic and cytological investigation of Nucleostemin-1 in Drosophila melanogaster

Mammalian nucleostemin (NS) is a nucleolar GTP-binding protein implicated in cell cycle progression, stem cell proliferation, and ribosome assembly. Drosophila melanogaster contains a four-member nucleostemin family (NS1-4). Nucleostemin 1 (NS1) is the closest orthologue to human NS; it shares 33% identity and 67% similarity with human NS. We show that NS1 has intrinsic GTPase and ATPase activity, and that it is present within nucleoli of most larval and adult cells. Endogenous NS1 and lightly expressed GFP-NS1 enrich within the nucleolar granular regions as expected, while over-expressed GFP-NS1 localizes throughout the nucleolus and nucleoplasm, and to several transcriptionally active inter-bands of polytene chromosomes. Over-expression caused melanotic tumors and larval and pupal lethality. RNAi depletion of NS1 caused a loss of imaginal (precursor) cells in the larval midgut, and an apparent block in the nucleolar release of large ribosomal subunits in the terminally differentiated larval midgut polyploid cells. Depletion of 60% of NS1 transcripts lead to larval and pupal lethality. Ultra-structural examination of highly differentiated larval Malpighian tubule cells depleted for NS1 showed a loss of cytoplasmic ribosomes with a concomitant appearance of cytoplasmic pre-autophagosomes. We interpret the appearance of these structures as indicators of cell stress response

The Political Economy of News Reporting and Poverty in Nigeria

This paper examines the political and economic factors that underpin Nigeria’s media. It seeks to understand whether these factors influence media content and invariably, poverty level in the country. Nigeria’s economy has depreciated over the past few decades. Unemployment stands at 23 per cent, with more than half a million of the citizens living on less than $1.90 a day, more than any other country on earth (Knoema, 2011; The Economist, 2019). The paper arguesthat if the Nigerian media could positively impact the growth of democracy and strengthen democratic institutions as they did in the past, they could also facilitate economic development, and poverty reduction in the country through news reporting. After all, one of the major features of democracy is to seek the happiness of the majority of the citizens by adequately providing for their wellbeing. It is therefore important to assess how the Nigerian media can provide useful information that can ensure poverty reduction. This paper draws on review of past studies, journal articles, newspaper and online publications in the related area. The paper recommends that the National Broadcasting Commission should mandate broadcast organizations to devote 80 percent of their broadcast to development information, events and conditions about the people of the state where they operate

Evaluation of the Impact of Students' Industrial Training on Journalistic Skills Acquisition among Polytechnic Students in Delta State, Nigeria

Good professional practice in journalism is a function of quality training. Good journalistic training must integrate the teaching of theory with exposure to practical skills to ensure adequate transition of students into employable graduates. However, there is a gap between theoretical training offered by various institutions of journalism and mass communication training and the demands for practical skills required for industry practice industry in Nigeria. This study evaluated the impact of students' industrial training, coordinated by the Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) supervised by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) among other things in Nigeria, on the acquisition of professional skills in journalism. It carried out a questionnaire survey on 292 purposively selected Polytechnic students of mass communication in Delta State, Nigeria who have observed or are observing the industrial training. Findings showed that industrial training had a significant effect on journalism education, contributed significantly to the employability status of the students and significantly influenced acquisition of professional skills in journalism. It recommended an extension of the approved four-month duration for the training programme and regular evaluative research for possible improvement of the programme

Housing needs of Somalis living in Suvela

In the early 1990´s, Finland received a large number of immigrants from different counties and majority of these immigrants came from conflict African countries. Due to the financial situation in Finland during that period, it was not ready to receive a large number of immigrants. Preparation was inadequate because immigrants arrived unexpected and also they came in large numbers. The country with the highest number of immigrants to Finland in the early 1990´s was Somali. This Bachelor thesis is part of Suvela project (Kotilo); the aim of the project is to improve the housing satisfaction for the residents living in Suvela and also to organize activities for the residents. The Kotilo project is under The Finnish Refugee council organization which deals with immigrants living in Finland. In addition to the above there is cooperation between Laurea University of applied sciences and Suvela project. This study will also help to gather information for Kotilo project in Suvela. In this research, the target group was Somalis living in Suvela. Suvela is one of the suburbs of Espoo city. Somalis were chosen for this study because they are the largest number of immigrants living in Suvela. The reason for this study was to find out if the Somalis living in Suvela community are satisfied with their present living situation or if they have any housing needs that they are not satisfied with in the place in which they live. This is because the number of Somali families in Suvela keeps on increasing. The study started in 2009, Qualitative and semi- structured interviewed was used in this study. The participants consisted of five Somalis living in Suvela. The interview involved female and male participants who read, signed the consent form and agreed to participate in the study. The data were collected through tape- recording and note taken. The findings consisted of both positive and negative results, but the positive result is greater than the negative result. On the basis of the findings, this study concluded that Somalis living in Suvela are satisfied with their housing services, especially having their own Mosque in Suvela. The interview took place in Suvela and participation was voluntary.1990-luvun alussa Suomeen tuli paljon pakolaisia eri maista, suurin osa Afrikan maista, joissa oli konflikteja. Suomessa oli tuohon aikaan lama-aika, joten Suomi ei ollut taloudellisesti valmis ottamaan vastaan suurta määrää pakolaisia. Asiaan ei ehditty valmistautua, sillä se tapahtui odottamatta ja he saapuivat niin suurena määränä kerrallaan. Enemmistö pakolaisista, jotka saapuivat Suoomeen 1990-luvun alkapuolella, tuli Somaliasta. Tämä opinnäytetyö on osa Suvelan projektia (Kotilo); projektin tarkoitus on kehittää Suvelan paikallisten asukkaiden asumistyytyväisyyttä sekä järjestää heille aktiviteetteja. Kotilo projekti toimii Suomen pakolaisyhdistyksen, joka hoitaa Suomessa asuvien pakolaisten asioita, yhteydessä. Yllä mainitun lisäksi projektia toteutetaan yhteistyössä Laurea ammattikorkeakoulun kanssa. Tutkimus auttaa myös kokoamaan yhteen tietoa Kotilo projektista Suvelessa. Tässä tutkimuksessa kohderyhmänä oli Suvelassa asuvat somalit. Suvela on yksi Espoon lähiöistä. Kohderyhmäksi valittiin somalit, sillä he ovat enimmistö Suvelassa asuvista pakolaisista. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, ovatko Suvelassa asuvat somalit tyytyväisiä asuinoloihinsa tai mikäli heillä on jotain asumiseen liittyviä tarpeita, jotka aiheuttavat tyytymättömyyttä. Tätä kartoitetaan, koska somali-perheiden määrä on kasvussa Suvelan alueella. Tutkimus alkoi vuonna 2009, menetelmänä käytettiin laadullista ja puoli-strukturoitua haastattelua. Kohderyhmä koostui Suvelassa asuvista somaleista. Haastatteluun osallistui sekä naisia että miehiä, jotka lukivat, hyväksyivät ja allekirjoittivat sopimuksen tutkimukseen osallistumisesta. Tietoa kerättiin nauhoittamalla haastattelut ja kirjoittamalla muistiinpanoja. Tulokset sisälsivät positiivisia ja negatiivisia löydöksiä, mutta positiivisten tulosten määrä oli suurempi. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että somalit ovat tyytyväisiä asuinoloihinsa ja erityisen tyytyväisiä he ovat siihen, että heillä on oma moskeija Suvelassa. Haastattelut toteutettiin Suvelassa ja osallistuminen tutkimukseen oli vapaaehtoista

Climate Change Adaptation Preparedness in Developing Countries: A Study of 21 Countries and Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Studies in Akwa Ibom and Lagos States in Nigeria

Global climate change is projected to have disproportionate adverse impacts on water quality and availability in low-resource settings. Therefore, it is essential that developing countries assess their vulnerabilities and develop strategies to improve their resilience. This thesis presents two research studies on climate change adaptation preparedness in developing countries. In the first study, the policies and programs of 21 developing countries were analyzed to determine adaptation preparedness. In study countries, preparedness varied widely. However, in general, even those countries that have prioritized preparedness for climate change need to implement several additional policies and practices to ensure adequate adaptation. In the second study, a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) study of policy makers and university students was carried out in Nigeria to determine the level of awareness of climate change. Study participants understood the causes of climate change but less so the effects. More awareness is needed for both study populations.Master of Scienc

Influence Of The Enabling Environment On Drinking-Water Programs: Qualitative And Quantitative Analyses

Accounting for drinking-water quality, approximately 1.8 billion people lack access to safe drinking-water, increasing their risk of diarrheal diseases. To remedy this, Sustainable Development Goals, particularly target 6.1 to “achieve universal access to safe and equitable water” by 2030, were established. It is believed achieving this will require an enabling environment. However, the enabling environment for drinking-water programs is ill-defined. The term “enabling environment” is increasingly used in the drinking-water field but its meaning is vague and its influence on drinking-water programs has not been determined. The purpose of this dissertation is to clarify the meaning of the enabling environment and investigate its influence on drinking-water programs. I use the institutional analysis and development framework to explain the enabling environment. Key informant interviews are carried out to determine the influence of the enabling environment on drinking-water programs, specifically household-water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) programs and climate change adaptation of drinking-water systems. Additionally, multiple regression analyses are conducted to determine the significance of enabling environment variables on expenditures on drinking-water systems, a proxy for decision-making about providing access to drinking-water. I find that the enabling environment is the blend of formal rules, informal rules, and the physical environment that impact the capacity of individuals and organizations to achieve their objectives. All enabling environment elements—formal rules, informal rules, and the physical environment—were found to influence the drinking-water programs analyzed; however, their relative degree of influence varied. In the HWTS study, informal rules (e.g. cultures), were found to determine adoption of HWTS practices more than formal rules (e.g. policies). Formal rules had a greater impact on decisions to adapt drinking-water systems to climate change than informal rules. Formal and informal rules about partnerships were a recurrent theme in both studies. Regression analyses showed that policies supporting user participation and cross-sectoral partnerships had significant effects on expenditures on drinking-water systems regardless of rural or urban setting. I show that actors involved in drinking-water programs will benefit from shaping an enabling environment that facilitates access to drinking-water. This enabling environment will resemble one that is collaborative with clearly defined leadership.Doctor of Philosoph

Implementing household water treatment interventions: actors and factors for success

Despite the years of effort of organizations to scale up household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) practices, HWTS practices are yet to achieve scale. PATH, UNICEF, and the Water Institute at UNC Chapel Hill collaborated to carry out a study aimed at determining the factors relevant to scaling up and sustaining HWTS practices. The main objective of the study was to produce useful and practical tools that could be used by organizations to effectively plan and implement HWTS interventions. This goal was achieved by interviewing HWTS practitioners with experience in dozens of countries and a variety of settings. The study identified six dimensions of a program essential to scale-up and sustainability: (1) Capacity building; (2) Resource availability; (3) Standards, regulations & legislation; (4) Integration and collaboration; (5) User preferences; and (6) Market strategies. Assessment tools were also developed to guide organizations in planning and implementing HWTS interventions