Volume 7, No.2
OGBAZULUOBODO Volume 7, No. 2 Preliminary Pages
THE LIMITS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES IN THE NIGERIAN PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
Ike Chime
Abstract
The Nigerian Petroleum Industry (NPI), a significant contributor to the country$#39s economy, has long faced criticism as a major agent of environmental degradation and associated issues such as social injustices, health challenges, and economic disparities. With the Federal Government$#39s failure to tackle these numerous issues or hold oil companies accountable, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a mechanism to ameliorate the harsh effects of oil exploration on host communities HCs) in Nigeria and contribute to promoting sustainable development. However, the voluntary nature of CSR appears to have limited its effect, casting doubts about the effectiveness of CSR in fostering sustainable development within Nigeria$#39s oil-producing region. The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 has transformed the CSR landscape in the NPI by providing legal backing and making CSR compulsory for oil companies. This paper examines the concept of CSR and its significance within the NPI. It also evaluates the PIA 2021 and the nuances of the integration of CSR as a compulsory obligation under the Act in light of recent judicial pronouncements on the matter. While this reform represents a positive step in the right direction, this paper concludes that the Act contains potential gaps that stakeholders may exploit, which could undermine the intended objectives of these innovative provisions, and recommends measures that can address these gaps.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), Host Communities Development Trust Fund (HCDTF), Host Communities, Settlor, International Oil Companies (IOC)
SOCIO- PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SOCIETAL INFLUENCES ON USERS OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Lucy Chinwe Nweke (PhD)
Abstract
This study explores the socio-psychological impacts of societal influences on non-native English speakers. It evaluates the place of societal pressure including societal attitudes, anxiety, biases and stereotypes on language use and psychological well-being of users of English. The research focuses on the complex dynamics between societal pressures and individual experiences, throwing light on the challenges faced by second-language users in navigating linguistic and cultural expectations. Social Identity theory of Tafjel and Turner, 1979 is used as its framework of analysis. A population of 30 participants are selected, using purposive sampling technique for data collection, Findings from the analysis show that the socio-psychological effects of societal influences on users of English as a second language is dominant on attitudinal display of the users including fear of making mistakes; negative self-perceptions about language abilities and apprehension about being judged or evaluated by others. This study recommends an understanding of the intricate relationships between language, society, and human psyche, highlighting the need for prioritizing effective communication over grammatical perfection, and promoting inclusive social cohesion.
Keywords: language attitudes, identity, anxiety, societal influence, social cohesion
LIFESTYLE FACTORS AND HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT AMONG ELDERLY PATIENTS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS
Kuteyi Raymond Kayode (PhD) & Bello Eugene. O
Abstract
Hypertension is a prevalent and critical health issue among elderly individuals, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle factors, including diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption, are modifiable elements that can influence the management of hypertension. However, elderly patients often face barriers to adopting and sustaining these healthy behaviours, making effective hypertension management challenging. This study examined the “Lifestyle factors and hypertension management among elderly patients A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with elderly patients (aged 60 and above) diagnosed with hypertension. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling from 3 hospitals in Edo South Senatorial Districts, Edo State Nigeria. A sample of 510 participants were randomly selected for the study using the minimum sample size formular developed by Cochranes as determinant Data on lifestyle factors were collected using validated questionnaires, Inferential statistics were employed, specifically correlation analysis (Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC)) to determine the strength and direction of associations. Additionally, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also employed, showing the effect of lifestyle factors on hypertension management. The dietary habits, physical activities, smoking, and alcohol consumption affect the management of hypertension among elderly patients. Results of hypothesis testing indicated that, dietary habits, physical activities, smoking, and alcohol consumption influenced hypertension management among elderly patients. The study concludes that Lifestyle factors play a crucial role in the management of hypertension among the elderly. Adopting a healthy diet, such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, regular physical activity, weight management, and stress reduction can significantly lower blood pressure and enhance overall well-being. Also, limiting alcohol consumption and avoiding tobacco use are vital steps in mitigating the risks associated with hypertension. The study recommends that DASH, anaerobic exercises, limitation or outright stoppage of smoking and alcoholic consumption should be considered by elderly hypertensive patients.
Keywords: hypertension, elderly, lifestyle factors, blood pressure control, physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption.
A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE LEXICAL CHOICES IN AKACHI ADIMORA-EZEIGBO'S ROSES AND BULLETS
Nmadumelu, Obi & Gabriel Chika
Abstract
This paper x-rays the stylistic significance of the lexical choices in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo's Roses and Bullets using Leech and Short's (2007) model of linguistic stylistics as a framework. The study focuses on the categories of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, as well as semantic fields and connotations, to explore how diction conveys themes of war, love, and survival. The findings reveal that Ezeigbo employs a deliberate violent and tender lexicon-bullets and roses-as a stylistic device to dramatize the destructive impact of the Nigerian Civil War on human relationships, particularly on women and children. Her lexical choices serve symbolic, emotive, and evaluative functions, reinforcing the tension between destruction and resilience.
Ezeanwu Robert Chinweze, Orabueze Florence, Mgboji Olanrewaju Abosede, Lamidi Kamarudeen Ishola & Ezema Chioma Jennifer
Abstract
Social media advertising has altered the landscape of marketing globally impacting on products such as energy drinks whose appeal have become a global phenomenon. Today energy drinks are typically marketed as functional beverages that enhance alertness, improve concentration and increase physical stamina. It has also become a global youth culture phenomenon typically marketed with branding that emphasize improved vitality, high performance and adventure associating consumption with social status and modern lifestyle. Nigerian youths like their counterparts all over the world constitute a significant proportion of online users and have become prime targets for social media digital advertising. Companies increasingly leverage platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp to promote their products through viral campaigns, influencer endorsements and interactive content. The Social Learning Theory, developed by Albert Bandura served as the theoretical framework underpinning this research. The study assessed Nigerian youths aged 15–30 using 379 undergraduate students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The survey research design was utilized and data was collected using the questionnaire. Findings of the study indicated high exposure to social media advertisements with significant awareness of their persuasive effects on consumption behaviour. Findings showed that influencer endorsements, viral trends and peer behaviour strongly shaped youths' energy drink intake, with many respondents reporting habitual consumption and mild withdrawal symptoms, indicating potential dependency. The study recommends that peer education and youth engagement should be strengthened through youth-centered programs to integrate discussions on the health effects of energy drinks with respondents emphasizing the need for stricter regulations, visible health warnings and responsible influencer marketing.
RELATING ORTHODOX PHARMACEUTICALS TO TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN AFRICA: A CASE OF EBONYI STATE NIGERIA
Magnus A. Aniago, Hillary Nnamdi Ajifo, Anthony Ogbonna, John Nwaogaidu & ThankGod Ikenegbu
Abstract
For quite some decades, people have looked at orthodox pharmaceuticals and African traditional medicine as opposing medical systems. Orthodox pharmaceuticals have always taken the upper hand when it comes to comparison of these isolated remedies relegating traditional medicine to almost a state of nothingness. This is partly because strides in orthodox medical practice trailed the industrial revolution which was seen as the overhaul of the world system of action. Any system not following this trend is widely regarded as obsolete and neglected. African traditional medicine falls into this category. But, there is something that keep it, making it resist change or transformation. It calls for investigation. This work examined these elements in Ebonyi State of Nigeria and related the findings to that of Orthodox Medicine. The result show that both systems are efficacious varying mainly in method. While African Traditional Medicine is deeply embedded in culture, Spirituality, and unverifiable techniques which the people cannot easily jettison, the Orthodox medical practice utilized scientific method that is more appealing and universal. Since both systems have been observed effective in healthcare, the authors suggest collaboration using both systems in spite of glaring challenges of integration.
Keywords: Orthodox medicine, Traditional medicine, Sickness, Collaboration.
Anthony Chiedozie Nwosu (PhD), Dr. Nneka Alio
Abstract
This paper examines contemporary Nigerian migration through the metaphor of “greener pastures” as dramatized in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman and Emeka Nwabueze's Echoes of Madness. In Nigeria, migration is popularly perceived as a search for better economic and social opportunities abroad, and in drama this is often represented through the figure of the educated returnee who is expected to transform the home community with foreign-acquired knowledge and capital. Existing scholarship on Soyinka's and Nwabueze's plays focuses on culture, politics, and tradition, but does not interrogate migration as a household contract and a development problem. This study fills that gap by conducting a comparative textual analysis of the returnee characters in the two plays, focusing on how migration decisions, return, and reintegration are represented and the consequences that follow. The study is anchored on the New Economics of Labor Migration and World-Systems Theory. The analysis reveals that in Nwabueze's play, the returnee violates the household migration contract through individualism and disengagement from community responsibility while in Soyinka's play, the returnee misapplies Western education by choosing conformity to tradition over critical reform. Both outcomes result in personal and communal tragedy and expose the limits of assuming that foreign education automatically translates to national development.
Keywords: Contemporary Migration, Greener Pastures, Returnee, Nigerian Drama, Development.
MOTOR-PROSODIC PLANNING AND INTONATION IN DISORDERED NIGERIAN ENGLISH SPEECH
Bunmi Oluwaseun Esan
Abstract
Intonation performs a central role in spoken communication by indicating sentence type, the intention of the speaker, and discourse meaning. In Nigerian English, intonation is shaped by interaction with native tonal languages, resulting in patterns that are markedly different from those of native-speaker varieties of English. While numerous studies have examined Nigerian English intonation in non-clinical populations, relatively little attention has been paid to how it is realised in disordered Nigerian English speech. This study examines sentence-level intonation in disordered Nigerian English speech within the framework of Motor-Prosodic Planning Theory with a view to determining the extent of preservation of or damage to motor-prosodic routines. Using regulated sentence-reading tasks containing declarative statements, wh-questions and yes-no questions, speech data were purposively elicited from thirty-five Nigerians with acquired and developmental language disorders from clinical and educational locations. Frequency counts, percentage distributions complemented with bar chart substantiated the motor-theoretical analysis. The findings reveal that falling intonation is the most frequently realised overall pattern, with a strong concentration in declarative statements, indicating partial preservation of default, low-complexity motor-prosodic routines. In contrast, wh-questions exhibit a high incidence of obscure intonation patterns, indicating substantial disruption in the motor planning of interrogative prosody. Yes-no questions have a more varied distribution, with rising intonation occurring frequently, with the use of level and falling intonation being significant, indicating unstable performance of pitch-raising gestures. Across all sentence types, obscure and level intonation patterns are used frequently, signalling diminished pitch modulation and poor control of tone. The results indicate that although some intonation patterns are preserved in disordered Nigerian English speech, there is a challenge in mapping prosodic representations to motor plans, especially in the motorically complex interrogative contexts. The research draws attention to the importance of motor-prosodic planning deficits in accounting for intonation deficits in disordered Nigerian English speech and the diagnostic potential of intonation. It provides empirical evidence to the emerging body of research on prosodic impairment in disordered speech in multilingual settings.
Keywords: Sentence-level intonation; Language disorders; Nigerian English Prosody; Disordered phonology; Clinical phonology
Animba Ijeoma Evelyn & Okoro Pauline Ekwutosin
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between parental income status and anti-social behaviour of senior secondary school students in Agbani Education zone of Enugu State. Correlational research design was adopted for the study. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. This study was conducted in Agbani Education zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The population for the study comprised all the three thousand, two hundred and seventy-seven (3,277) secondary school II students (SS2) in the 43 public secondary schools in Agbani Education Zone. The sample for this study was 327 senior secondary school students representing 10% of senior secondary II students of Agbani Education Zone of Enugu State. Stratified proportionate and simple random sampling techniques were used to draw the sample. Two instruments were used for data collection in this study namely parental income status inventory (PISI) and students’ antisocial behaviour scale (SABS). The instruments were validated by three research experts. One expert in Measurement and Evaluation, and two in Educational Psychology from Enugu State University of Science and Technology. The overall reliability coefficient values obtained for the instruments was 0.81 and 0.84 for PISI and SABS. The instruments for data collection were administered to the respondents by the researchers with the help of two assistants. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to answer the research question while hypothesis was tested with Regression Analysis at 0.05 significant level. Major finding of the study indicated that parental income status relates with secondary school students’ anti-social behaviours irrespective of students’ gender. It was therefore recommended among others, that parents should strive hard to improve in the family income for adequate provision of instructional materials for students, and to teach students to abhor anti-social behaviours.
Keywords: Anti-Social, Income Status, Behaviour, Parental
LINGUISTIC ISSUES IN CONFLICTS RESOLUTION IN AFRICA: THE CASE OF IGBO NATION
Magnus A. Aniago, Anthony O. Ogbonna, George Okagu
Abstract
Oftentimes human beings are involved in conflict resolution and management, employing different strategies such as: oath taking, imposition of penalties, threat, punishment, appeal, reward, etc. to settle disputes. Little or no consideration is given to the role of language in settling disputes or dispensation of justice. This paper x- rays the place of language as a conflict resolution strategy amongst other usages especially in Igbo Cultural Area of Nigeria. In Igbo traditional societies for instance, orators exist. The job of the orator is to use appropriate words, diction, and expression to address fundamental issues when people are gathered. Such addresses form the bedrock of the resolution of conflicts depending on the manner of presentation. This work explored this linguistic role of language as a conflict resolution mechanism and observes that it is fundamental and significant and suggests that it be given its pride of place. Investigation also reveals that many leaders, teachers, administrators, counsellors, arbiters, etc. apply it without realizing its import. The application comes in the manner of proverbs, assonance, alliteration, ejaculations, wise sayings, and songs. Data were collected via native intuition, interview, observation, and literature.
Keywords: Conflict, Language, Issues, Resolution.