Globalization, Consumerism and the Challenge of Sustainable Development in Africa

Globalization is an uneven process, and Africa has benefitted from it marginally. It creates enormous wealth and advances research and technological development in countries that produce technologies while deepening poverty and underdevelopment in countries that do not produce but consume those technologies. Nowhere is this oxymoron of globalization more evident than in economic relations between Africa and the industrialized West and Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, China and India. One of the greatest inimical fallouts of globalization in Africa is the rising culture of consumerism. Globalization has exported mass consumption of goods and services to Africa without promoting mass production attitude which is necessary for Africa’s development. Hence most Africans today crave for the latest cars, laptops, smart phones and other technological revolution, yet there is little or no effort to produce them in the continent. Globalization appears to be encouraging Africa not to think, but to allow the industrialized world to do the thinking and technological invention for her. In this way Africa is further exploited and dominated, and globalization seems to be energized by these exploitation and domination. This paper argues that the on-going globalization process has made Africa to be complacent with consuming and not producing. It has created consumerist culture which is increasingly reinforcing dependency in Africa and hindering the continent's quest for sustainable development.Keywords: globalization, Consumerism, Albatross, Sustainable development, Afric

Information and communication technology tool and children’s achievement in Basic Science: Implication for Evaluation of Library and Information Resources

The mode of teaching shifted from the traditional face-to-face to the remote or online mode of teaching in most countries of the world due to the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, the new normal demands the use of information and communication tool for instructional delivery across the levels of education. On this premise, the study sought the efficacy of information and communication tool (flipped classroom) on the children’s achievement in Basic Science. Adopting simple repeated measures design, 31 primary three children participated in the treatment session. Basic Science Achievement Test (BSAT) that was properly validated and trial-tested was used to collect data for the study. The children were exposed to two different pretests prior to the treatment and two posttests after the treatment. A mixed-design repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyse the data. The finding revealed that information and communication technology tool (flipped classroom) significantly (p = 000) improved the achievement of children in Basic Science. This finding implicates evaluation of library and information resources to come up with best practices in online information resources to propere instructional delivery. Based on this finding, the adoption of information and communication technology (flipped classroom) in teaching and learning Basic Science was recommende

Chitosan-based films for the sustained release of peptides: a new era in buccal delivery?

[Editorial

Influence of Preschool Librarians’ Demographic Characteristics on their Library Discipline Practices: An Ex-post Facto Research

The success of various discipline practices in controlling children\u27s behavior in the classroom has been a major source of concern among preschool librarians. Despite the relevance of library discipline in managing disruptive conduct in children, there appears to be a knowledge gap regarding the impact of preschool librarians\u27 demographic features on their discipline practices. As a result, this study measured the influence/impact of preschool librarians\u27 demographic factors on their library disciplinary practices using authoritarian behavioural theory. With a sample of 156 preschool librarians in Enugu State\u27s Nsukka Education Zone, the study used an ex-post facto research design. The researchers developed and validated a preschool librarians\u27 discipline practices questionnaire, which was used to collect data. The internal consistency reliability index of the questionnaire items was found to be 0.89 using the Cronbach alpha method. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The study\u27s findings revealed that the age and marital status of preschool librarians had significant (p = .05) impacts on their library discipline practices. As a result, it was suggested that the Local Government Education Authority prioritize librarians\u27 age and marital status while recruiting preschool librarians

ESSENTIALS OF RECORDS ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT IN LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES

Records are vital documents that are so important to the owners. Managing and organizing them are very crucial for ease of access and use. This is because since they function as evidence of transaction, truth and others, they ought to be properly taken care of. This paper discusses records, its organization as well as management, the benefits and challenges of record management. The library and information centres are therefore charged with proper organization and management of the records

United Nations and multilateralism: appraising USA’s unilateralism in world affairs

Multilateralism as symbolized by the United Nations Organization, seems to have come under threat today, and nowhere is this more evident than in the United States-United Nations relations particularly in the area of military interventions around the world. The aim of this paper is to appraise the practice of the principle of multilateralism over the years and the implications of the growing disregard of the principle by the United States as its unilateral actions in world affairs in recent times indicate. Using realist approach as the framework of analysis, and data from secondary sources, this paper argues that the U.S. unilateral actions are mainly driven by its national interest of global hegemony which it strives to consolidate by demonstrating and reinforcing its military power across every nook and cranny of the world. It concludes that these unilateral actions (like the US invasion of Iraq) are not only at variance with the Charter of the United Nations which the U.S. is signatory to, but also constitute a serious threat to global peace and security, as well as the survival of the United Nations. This is because such actions are partly responsible for the skyrocketing global arms race, the increasing aggression of strong states against weak states, and the decreasing power and influence of the United Nations in world affairs as the lingering crisis in Syria demonstrates. All these events could lead to the collapse of the United Nations, and likely another world war in foreseeable future unless urgent and proactive measures are taken by all the concerned stakeholders in the international system.Keywords: United Nations, multilateralism, United States, unilateralism, national interest, UN Charte

Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli from Nigerian students, 1986 1998.

We tested 758 fecal Escherichia coli isolates, recovered from Nigerian students in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, and 1998, for susceptibility to seven antimicrobial drugs. The prevalences of strains resistant to tetracycline, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and streptomycin were 9% to 35% in 1986 and 56% to 100% in 1998. These findings demonstrate that resistance gene reservoirs are increasing in healthy persons

Evaluating Preschool Librarians’ Utilisation of Information and Communication Technology for Virtual Library Services

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become vital in twenty-first-century classrooms. In a similar vein, the pandemic of coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) has prompted most countries to emphasize the use of ICT resources to build an online teaching platform. This development has prompted questions about Nigeria\u27s educational system, as it is unknown how well-prepared instructors are to use ICT in the classroom. In this regard, there is a scarcity of research on how preschool librarians in Nigeria use ICT in their instruction. Thus, this research explored preschool librarians’ utilisation of information and communication technology for virtual library services. A descriptive survey research design was adopted using 157 preschool librarians sampled from primary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria. The researchers developed and validated an information and communication technology usage questionnaire for this study. Using the Cronbach alpha approach, the internal consistency reliability index of the instrument\u27s items was estimated to be 0.76. The data was gathered during the researchers\u27 visits to the study\u27s schools. The data were quantitatively analyzed using a mean and bar chart. It was discovered that preschool librarians use ICT for virtual library services in a very limited way. This means that unless immediate effort is made to encourage preschool librarians to use ICT to provide virtual library services, effective virtual library deployment would be impossible. As a result, it was suggested that preschool librarians be encouraged to use ICT to provide virtual library services through in-service training

Evaluating Preschool Librarians’ Information and Communication Technology Competency Level for Online Teaching

For adequate teaching and learning, twenty-first-century classrooms, combined with the needs of the new normal in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, have mandated the effective use of online education platforms. This begs the question of how well-versed in information and communication technologies Nigerian Preschool Librarians are (ICT). Because there is a scarcity of studies on the subject, this is the case. As a result, the researchers were in a good position to determine or measure the level of ICT expertise of Preschool Librarians in order to embrace online education during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The descriptive survey research design was used in this study, which was based on the scientific research paradigm and quantitative research technique. The survey included 165 Preschool Librarians from the Nsukka Education Zone in Enugu State, Nigeria. Data was collected using an ICT competency questionnaire that has been adequately validated and trial-tested. Using the Cronbach Alpha reliability method, the questionnaire\u27s internal consistency reliability index was assessed to be 0.87. The data was analyzed using the mean statistical method to produce a response to the research question. Preschool librarians were found to have a low level of ICT expertise for the use of online instruction. It was also discovered that preschool librarians\u27 level of ICT skills was significantly (p \u3c .05) influenced by their age. As a result, it was suggested that the Local Government Education Authority provide in-service ICT training opportunities for teachers to ensure proper ICT use in the classroom

Epidemiology of complications of male circumcision in Ibadan, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: The number of infants managed for neonatal circumcision injuries in our unit has been on the increase over the past 16 years. In our search for the sources and reasons for these injuries, we were unable to identify any previous studies of circumcision injuries from our environment. We therefore decided to carry out this study in order to shed some light on this growing problem. METHODS: The patients were made up of 370 consecutive consented children attending our infant welfare clinic for immunization over a period of 3 months. Information on their demographic data, their age at circumcision, where, why and who circumcised them was obtained from their mothers. They were clinically examined for the presence and type of complications of circumcision. RESULTS: Our circumcision rate was 87%. Neonatal circumcision had been performed in 270 (83.9%) of the children. Two hundred and fifty nine (80.7%) were performed in hospitals. The operation was done by nurses in 180 (55.9%), doctors in 113 (35.1%) and by the traditional circumcisionist in 29 (9%) of the children. Complications of circumcision occurred in 65 [20.2%] of the children. Of those who sustained these complications, 35 (53.8%) had redundant foreskin, 16 (24.6%) sustained excessive loss of foreskin, 11 (16.9%) had skin bridges, 2 (3.1%) sustained amputation of the glans penis and 1 (1.5%) had a buried penis. One of the two children who had amputation of the glans also had severe hemorrhage and was transfused. Even though the complications tended to be more likely with nurses than with doctors or traditional circumcisionists, this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.051). CONCLUSION: We have a very high rate of complications of circumcision of 20.2%. We suggest that training workshops should be organized to adequately retrain all practitioners of circumcision on the safe methods available