Perception of the Nigerian Television Authority and Channels Television Reportage of the Chibok School Girls Abduction Among Residents of South-East Nigeria

This study was conducted to find out the perception of the television audience on how the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Channels Television have so far reported the abduction of over 200 female students at Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State of Nigeria. The survey research method was used to carry out the study while the questionnaire served as the measuring instrument. The residents of South- East Nigeria constituted the population of the study from where a sample of 384 was drawn using the creative research systems online sample size calculator. Multi-Stage sampling technique was used to select specific local government areas, wards and households that were studied. Findings revealed that NTA’s reports on the abduction of the Chibok school girls are often in favour of government while Channels Television’s reports on the abduction are often balanced. The credibility level of NTA’s reports on the abduction of the Chibok school girls was rated low while that of Channels Television was highly rated. Based on the findings, it was recommended amongst others that the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) must wake up and endeavour to properly give account of the girls’ abduction. The report must be devoid of ethnic, religious or political sentiment. Doing this will fundamentally lead to believability, which will consequently raise the credibility level of the reports

Combating Impunity of Crimes against Press Freedom

Worried by the rising incidence of arrests, detention, jail, harassment and even murder of journalists across the world, all of which are crimes against press freedom, this paper takes a look at the reasons for the unpunished offences against press men and women and examines the efforts made to combat the impunity of such crimes.   To accomplish this objective, the paper reviews the place of the press in society as the Forth Estate of the Realm; and discusses the specific roles of the media for the state, politics and religion. The work which is anchored on the social Responsibility Theory of the press, does an overview of press freedom, presents a roll call of past and contemporary cases of assault on the media;  and   lists possible causes of impunity of offenders against press freedom. Stating the efforts made to combat impunity of offenders against press freedom,   it mention the handicaps of the efforts to combat impunity and adduces   suggestions   for combating the impunity of crimes against press freedom. Key words: Combating impunity, crimes, press, attack on the media

Social Media as a Bastion for correcting moral Ills in Nigeria: A Focus on Educational Decadence

Worried by the soaring incidence of moral  decadence in Nigeria’s educational system, this paper takes a look at how the social media could be used  to enhance the  efforts made  to correct the social  ills in  the society, particularly education-related offences. To accomplish, this objective, the paper discusses the fading fortunes of moral living in the Nigerian society, stating the various  forms of immorality which are caused by corruption and indiscipline, bred by greed.  The work views the cyberspace as a zone of opportunities;  ex-rays the immoral posture of Nigeria; states the strengths and  weaknesses as well as the pros and cons of the social media;  portrays immoral acts as  mountains to be demolished for  moral conduct to prevail among Nigerians, especially the youths; and describes the  social communication networks which are  put to the most use by the youths, the target audience of the book, as a potent instrument for correcting the moral ills of society. Key words: Social media,   Bastion, Educational decadence,  Moral ills,  Nigeri

Environmental Influence on Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State

This study examined the influence of environmental factors on the academic performance of students in Port Harcourt local government area of Rivers State. Four research questions guided this study. The population of the study consists of six hundred teachers and students. Whereas the sample was two hundred and fifty (250), teachers and students. An instrument titled "Environmental influence on Academic Performance of Secondary School Students Questionnaire" was utilized to elicit information from the respondents. Data was analysed, percentages were used to find solutions to the research questions. The major findings of the study were; 1.             Performance is affected by environment 2.             That improper maintenance of fixtures led to lower than average student’s performance. 3.             Home background has effect on   the academic performance of students. 4.             The use of internet has made students to be lazy in their academic works. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made; school should try to maintain the school facilities and dull colored points should not be used on painting that there should be interactions between teachers and students. Teachers should relate to all the students no matter their background. Teachers should change their ways of setting questions so as to stop students coping directly from internets

The impact of domestic pricing of petrol on economic growth of Nigeria (1970 – 2013)

The study investigated the impact of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) Price on the growth of Nigerian economy as well as the effect of gross domestic investment (GDI), labour employment (LEMP) and lending interest rate (LIR) between 1970 and 2013 on economic growth of Nigeria. The study focused on PMS pricing due to government foot dragging on the deregulation of PMS Price in Nigeria. For this study, secondary data were obtained from Statistical fact sheets of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) publications. Using the Error Correction Mechanism approach, the study reveals that increase in PMS Price had a negative significant impact on the Nigerian economy (Real GDP) at 5% level of significance. This indicates that 1% rise in PMS price of one year lag leads to 0.7% decrease in Real GDP. That is, increase in energy (PMS) price will negatively impact on the production of the firms, individuals (household) or Government Institutions, which will consequently lead to a fall in real GDP. GDI indicated a positive and significant impact on Real GDP at 5% level of significance, indicating that 1% rise in GDI of one year lag will lead to 8.5% rise in Real GDP. LEMP of one year lag showed a positive and significant impact on Real GDP at 5% level of significance, suggesting that 1% rise in LEMP will lead to 2% increase in Real GDP. Also, LIR of two and three-year lags indicated a negative and significant impact on Real GDP at 5% level of significance, implying that any percentage rise in LIR will lead to a corresponding percentage decrease in Real GDP. Based on the findings, the study concludes that PMS price, GDI, LEMP and LIR are drivers of RGDP in Nigeria.Hence, the study recommends that government should reduce the PMS pump price by deregulating PMS and encourage the private sector to participate actively in the downstream of the petroleum sector in order to create competition in the sector, thereby tackling the continuous rise in PMS pump Price.Keywords: PMS pump Price, petroleum Product, Deregulation, Gross Domestic Product, Error Correction Mode

A BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE SMME PIG FARMING IN THE CENTRAL FREE STATE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Published ThesisThe lack of a reliable organisational approach and dearth of knowledge regarding a more effective business model resulted in cases of phenomenal business failures amongst pig farming SMMEs in the Central Free State Province of South Africa, as empirical evidence show. Therefore, this study develops a Commonage Cooperative Model (CCM) to enhance consistency in performance and sustainability. It expounds on the economics of scale derived through resourcing amongst the alliances of wider stakeholders. Hence, it advances existing models in agribusiness-related strategic management that supports Local Economic Development (LED). Being driven by the government policies on cooperative development, the model encompasses a value chain of small-scale pig farming SMMEs that can cooperate to improve competition. A sequential application of questionnaire survey and interview approaches was used on 144 pig farming SMMEs across 4 district municipalities and 1 metro. Results justified the acceptance of 4 hypotheses and rejection of 9 others. Findings were based on marketing management activities, innovation management activities, performance and sustainability, and agricultural background of the Province. All null hypotheses were tested to determine if a number of variables were significantly associated with performance and sustainability. H01 was rejected when test results revealed that there was no significant association in terms of sales growth, and return-on-investment over the past 5 years. Regarding size of operation in terms of enterprise’s gross profit (before tax) over the past 1-5 years, the null hypothesis was accepted. H02 was rejected when test results indicated that, with respect to enterprise diversification as well as enterprise indebtedness, significant associations existed between these variables and performance and sustainability. Existing marketing strategies had a significant impact on the performance and sustainability amongst the pig farming SMMEs; hence, H03 was rejected when results revealed that there was no significant association. H04 was rejected when test results indicated that there was a significant association between increasing partners of the business and enterprise performance and sustainability. H05 was rejected when test results showed that there was a significant association between the use of services of government Agricultural Extension Officers and performance and sustainability. H06 was rejected when test results showed that there was a significant association between innovation management activities and enterprise performance and sustainability. H07 was accepted when results indicated that there was no significant association between size categories and enterprise indebtedness. H08 was accepted given that there was no significant association between form of a business organization and enterprise current indebtedness. H09 was accepted based on test results indicating that there was no significant association between current life cycle stage and enterprises currently indebted amongst pig farming SMMEs in the Central Free State. The implications of these results are that the pig farming SMMEs need to adapt to a redefined and result-oriented organisational approach that increases their capabilities in the livestock business. Hence, the Commonage Cooperative Model promotes collective risk and diversity, which was lacking amongst the majority of them, and low resource commitment affected capabilities in many ways. Future research is recommended concerning the dynamics of parameter changes in the model

Towards an African Court of Human Rights: Structuring and the Court

The purpose of this paper is to argue the need for an African Court of Human Rights if African states truly wish to maintain an African human rights mechanism. In other words, for an effective African regional human rights protection and enforcement mechanism to exist, the African system must be made more effective and supplemented with a court of human rights. The proposal for an African Court of Human Rights will require an amendment of the Charter by a treaty or convention. Recent human rights violations include those that took place in Nigeria, in former Zaire under Mobutu Seseko, and the carnage and genocide in Rwanda. This paper is divided into four sections. Section one offers a brief evaluation of the current system, with the aim of pointing out its inherent weaknesses and possible means to strengthen it. This necessarily involves an evaluation of the Commission and the effectiveness of its mandate as a remedy for human rights violations. Section two builds on the previous section to present arguments in favor of a court. Section three suggests a structure for the court in terms of composition, basic foundation, and its relationship with the Commission. Finally, section four focuses on how to empower the court in terms of jurisdiction, independence, enforcement of its decisions, and funding. The author will draw inspiration from existing international and regional mechanisms/ as well as current initiatives in the African region. The author will comment on and make use of the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples\u27 Rights already in place, considering it as a possible treaty or convention-based amendment to the African Charter

Haematological characteristics of the Bloody cockle anadara senilis (L.) from Andoni flats, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

Haematological characteristics of Anadara senilis was investigated. A total of two hundred and forty (240) were sampled from Andoni flats during low tide. They were immediately transferred to the laboratory, where they were sorted and grouped into four different sizes. Group one comprised of (mean length 2.54 cm ± 2.42 and mean weight of 8.37g ± 2.44); size group two has (mean length 3.84 cm ± 0.42 and mean weight 21.42) while group three has (5.76cm ± 0.38 and mean weight of 36.17g ± 3.55) and group four has mean length (7.89 cm ± 0.32; mean weight of 57.41 g ± 6.81). Blood was then taken from the bivalves and were later analysed in the laboratory. The mean values of haematological profiles recorded were (mean ± S.D), haemoglobin (Hb) 4.08 ± 1.88g dl-1; Packed Cell Volume (PCV) 10.98 ± 6.79 %; Red Blood Cells (RBC) 1.97 ± 0.68 x 1012 cells l-1; White Blood Cells (WBC) 3.76 ± 1.51 x 109 cells L-1 Platelets (PLT) 75.36 ± 88.36%; Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) 20.06 ± 3.98pg; Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) 50.64 ± 19.30Fl; Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCHC) 43.79 ± 13.71 gdl-1; Oxygen Carrying Capacity (OCC) 6.11 ± 2.83 vol. %. The highest range of the parameters was recorded in platelets, while the lowest was observed in RBC. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed between the four size groups in all the parameters studied. It appeared from the trials that the quantity and quality of the blood tends to increase with size.Key words: Haematology, Bloody cockle, size, Andoni flats, Niger Delta

I. African court on human and peoples’ rights, African commission on human and peoples’ rights v. Great socialist people’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, order for provisional measures, 25 March 2011

Africa has been struggling for years to establish a mechanism of human rights protection comparable to other international and regional mechanisms. Illiteracy and the low standards of economic development and social welfare, especially in rural areas, as well as the absence of financial resources were certainly not the best grounds to build on. Moreover, as Nmehielle notes, the creation of a human rights mechanism in Africa was equally hinged on other questions, more controversial ones, such as the existence of the concept of ‘law’ and ‘rights’ in pre-colonial Africa. In this respect, a Western-style mechanism of human rights protection would be naturally perceived with suspicion, as a form of foreign intervention