Jozac Publishers [JP] (former JFP Publishers) (E-Journals)
Not a member yet
493 research outputs found
Sort by
Esoteric and aesthetic features of Hungan dance performance among the Ogu people of Badagry, Lagos State
Full text linkThis study explored the esoteric and aesthetic features of Hungan dance performance among the Ogu people of Badagry in Lagos State. Hungan is the traditional dance performance conducted as rite of passage for the dead among the Ogu people of Badagry in Lagos, Nigeria. The rite is performed by the beating of special drums also called Hungan. It is a mixture of rites performance and exhibition of the cultural aesthetics of the Ogu people. Until this rite is performed, the departed is not seen to have gone to meet his ancestor. This paper, therefore, investigated the orphic and beautiful features of Hungan dance performance as a tool for socio-cultural cohesion among the Ogu people of Badagry, Lagos. The paper aimed at revealing the cultural importance of Hungan as a means of celebrating individual’s sense of social responsibility and contribution to the growth of the society. The performance was commissioned with over 30 performers comprising six expert Hungan drummers, twelve dancers, and twelve ritual singers before over eighty members of the audience. The research method adopted was a combination of observation, interviews and textual analysis of songs and chants. Employing Bauma’s performance theory, the study discovered that Hungan has both esoteric and aesthetic features as ritual dance and means of entertainment among the Ogu people of Badagry. Findings further revealed that song rendition and dance performance during Hungan are spontaneous and a confirmation of the creative ingenuities of the performers on stage. The study concluded that Hungan as ritual and entertainment performance is a highly revered culture among the Ogu people, a status symbol and a way of measuring an individual’s social responsibility and commitment to societal growth
A critical treatise on Mary Wollstonecraft’s Feminist philosophy of education
Full text linkThe paper is a critical literary cum philosophical discourse on the educational feminist philosophy of Mary Wollstonecraft. Wollstonecraft feminism responded to the prevailing gender fissure of her time. Gender fissure arises from the indecorous gender identity ascribed to the female gender. The main problem of this study is the unequal rational status ascribed to the male and female genders, respectively. The central objective of this study is to interrogate the root cause of the educational disadvantages of the girl-child. With the aid of the feminist theory and the analytic, expository, and normative approaches, this study demonstrates that the hitherto educational disadvantages of the girl-child do not result from her less rational capacity, but rather from her socially subverted gender identity and the nurturing of improper education. The study finds Wollstonecraft’s feminist educational insights thoughtful, incisive, objective, and sustainably pragmatic. Based on these findings, the paper argues that men and women are born equal, with equal rational capacity for education, and as such, individuals should be educated based on their natural dispositions and not based on their sex or gender. It recommends uniform education of both genders against a traditional stereotyped system of education. The study is qualitative research based on secondary data
Framework for building linguistic corpora for a large language model project for the Heritage Nubian Language of Kenya
Full text linkLow-resource languages face an uphill task in their documentation and preservation. Language technologies offer a way out for these beleaguered languages. However, these technologies depend on developing high-quality linguistic corpora absent in understudied and under-resourced languages like the Kisii Town Nubian. This study aims to develop a framework for constructing linguistic corpora for the Kisii Town Heritage Nubian language that can be used to develop an LLM and other language technologies. The objectives are to: 1) develop a framework for data collection and metadata labeling, and 2) Identify the main tenets to be considered in developing the language technologies. The methodology used to collect data will utilize local community knowledge experts and opinion leaders at Nyanchwa where the Nubians reside. The process will draw from linguists\u27 knowledge of the language\u27s terrain with necessary permissions and consents sought in the process. Diverse data will be assembled from written texts, recorded audio, web scrapings, and word lists to comprehensively view the language. This will be followed by data processing and annotation. The processed data will be trained on linguistic features such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and parts-of-speech labeling. This will then be structured into selective linguistic corpora with robust quality control guidelines. The deliverables of the project will be linguistic corpora for various domains of the Nubian language, the development of language technologies, and comprehensive documentation of linguistic corpora. The results of this project will be consequential in the field of language documentation and technological support for this endangered language
Analysing discourse of praise singing in African oral literature: The psychological implications
Full text linkThis paper analyses praise singing in African oral literature, and its psychological implications. The psychological implication of analysing the discourse of praise singing in African oral literature is the application of ideas from the speech of the singer by bringing out the linguistic aspects of the speech and relating their psychological effects on society. Since society connects discourse analysis and psychology, discursive psychology has to do with the application of ideas from discourse analysis to issues in psychology. Discourse analysis studies speech, text, signs, and symbols, as well as their usage in performing actions. Praise singing in oral literature is an aspect of human behaviour and this informs the psychological implications. Since discourse analysis is a qualitative research investigating language use in a social context, this paper uses the speech act theory and critical discourse analysis approach as the theoretical framework. The study revealed that in modern-day technology, recorded audio praise songs are replacing face-to-face singing, and praise singing is implicated in the social connectedness and motivation of individuals. The findings also show that oral literature touches the body and feeds the soul, acting as a therapy which improves mental health. The paper concluded that praise singing in Africa adds aesthetics to oral literature as well as psychological satiety to individuals. Furthermore, the linguistic features in praise songs create awareness of the application of Discourse Analysis to African literature. Thus, praise singing nourishes the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of humans. Recorded audio and video praise songs were recommended for documentation
Characterization and antibacterial activity of tannin from selected food and agricultural wastes
Full text linkTannins provide several advantages being as good biomaterial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, pharmaceutical, biopesticide, and nutraceutical agents. This study aimed to characterize tannin from three (3) agrowastes (Corn cob, cocoa pod, and coco peat) and compare their antimicrobial activity with that of synthetic tannin. The wastes were air-dried and blended. The tannin content was estimated using UV-Visible Spectrophotometric method. FTIR analysis of the samples was also carried out. Antimicrobial activity of different extracts of samples tannin and synthetic tannin on four (4) pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella Typhi, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pnuemonae) was determined. Results obtained revealed the tannin content of samples in the order: coco peat (5.500 mg/g) >cocoa pod (4.740 mg/g) >corn cob (3.212 mg/g). The FTIR analysis showed a broad band at 3285-3216 cm-1 for the three samples representing bonding –OH groups. The samples displayed peaks around 2928-2917cm-1 representing aliphatic chains, -CH2- and –CH3. The peak around 1616-1576 cm-1 corresponds to C-O vibrations. The peak around 1363-1256 cm-1 corresponds to C (O)-O stretching vibrations and –OH in plane vibrations. These peaks correspond to peak values obtained from synthetic tannic acid. The four organisms were susceptible to aqueous extracts of tannin from all samples except Bacillus subtilis which was not susceptible to cocoa pod tannin. Salmonella typhi was not susceptible to synthetic tannin at all concentrations. Results from this study indicate that some agrowastes may be utilised as a source of cheap, readily available tannin and may also serve as a more effective antibacterial agent
Supervisors and subordinates’ contribution to the administration of public secondary schools in Cross River State, Nigeria
Full text linkThis study examined supervisors\u27 and subordinates’ contributions to the management of public secondary schools in Cross River State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 4,788 supervisors and subordinates from 292 public secondary schools in Cross River State. A sample size of 369 respondents was drawn from the entire population using the Taro Yamane minimum formula. The respondents were drawn for the study using stratified random sampling techniques. The instrument for the study was a questionnaire titled: Supervisors and Subordinates’ Participation in the Administration of Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire. The questionnaire was confirmed by the researchers’ supervisors along with three other specialists in Measurement and Evaluation at, the University of Port Harcourt. A reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using a z-test at a 0.05 level of significance. The results of the findings revealed that the ways supervisors and subordinates participate in decision-making in the administrations of public secondary schools in Cross River State, Nigeria include adoption of your suggestions for planning purposes, consultation on ways forward towards emerging administrative crises, and encouragement to share ideas for organizational goals attainment. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that supervisors saddled with supervisory roles should continue to engage their subordinates in decision-making to boost their contribution towards teamwork and effective public secondary school administration in the state
What has nudity got to do with it? Interrogating the off-screen dressing of Nigerian entertainers on social media
Full text linkThis study examines the lewd attitude of entertainers who exhibit their nudity off-screen and the rationale for the act. Three Nigerian female celebrities whose nude photos were flaunted on Facebook were chosen and examined based on feedback from Facebook users. The study is anchored on the Cultural Norms Theory. Data were collected and analyzed using the mixed-research method. 1,625 comments on the displayed photos were analyzed, which represent 5% of all comments. The result showed that 985 (60.6%) of the comments condemned the act of the celebrities, while 384 (23.6%) applauded it. Contrary to the belief that nudity bequeaths fame, the findings indicate that attaining social status has nothing to do with parading an unclad body. Nudity, however, socially places one in a humiliating position, sullying one\u27s dignity and status in addition to being a slight to human decency. The allowance of this attitude in society portends great danger to national values. Therefore, the parade of nudity by celebrities on social media needs to be curtailed or controlled through actions by online authorities and governments. This study, among others, recommends that the existing legislation on indecent dressing as enshrined in the Nigerian 2015 Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act be enforced in addition to barring indecent celebrities from exhibiting their nakedness online
The effect of cash flow on share price of listed oil and gas firms in Nigeria
Full text linkThis study investigates how cash flow affects the share prices of oil and gas companies listed in the Nigerian Exchange Group Limited. Secondary Data from 10 of such firms was extracted from their annual reports spanning 2011 to 2023. Using the Generalised Method of Moments, the analysed data of the study revealed several findings. Firstly, cash from operating activities displayed a negative and insignificant impact on share prices at a 1% level of significance. Conversely, cash from investment activities showed a positive and significant effect on share prices at 1% level of significance. Cash resulting from financing activities, however, exhibited a negative and insignificant effect on share prices at 1% level of significance. Additionally, net cash flow shows a positive yet insignificant effect on share prices at 1% level of significance. This suggests that Nigerian oil and gas firms should prioritize investment activities that yield robust cash flows and effectively communicate their growth strategies to investors. Moreover, investors are advised to consider various factors beyond just cash flow when making investment decisions in this sector. Regulatory bodies might also contemplate initiatives aimed at improving transparency and boosting investor confidence within the Nigerian oil and gas market
Opinion polls, election surveys, and voter apathy in 2023 Nigeria’s presidential election
Full text linkThis paper examines the nature, dynamics, and impact of opinion polls, election surveys, and voter apathy in 2023 the Presidential elections in Nigeria. The objective of the paper is to interrogate data on opinion polls and election surveys to understand the narrative being used in trying to reshape and influence public opinions in Nigeria before the 2023 general elections. The research method used in the paper is the documentary research approach and direct observations. The paper is anchored on Dankwart Rostow’s dynamic model of democracy transition as a theoretical framework for analysis. The findings of the paper reveal that there is growing concern and consistency of voter apathy in Nigeria\u27s democratic experiment with the 2023 general elections as the worst-case scenario at 28 percent voter turnout. Moreover, the opinion polls conducted before the elections mostly lacked methodological rigor in sample size, relied heavenly on social media surveys and the outcome was error-ridden and biased, and could not predict correctly. The All Progressives Congress (APC), the government party, has a Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket, which heavily influences election campaigns to be religious-based rather than issue-based. The failure of BVAS and INEC to transmit the presidential election results live fell short of Nigerians\u27 expectations and compromised the integrity of the electoral process. The paper concludes with the recommendations that opinion polls be conducted by experts, the need for massive voter education in Nigeria, and the unbundling of INEC to address logistical and administrative challenges
Correlates of non-adherence to preventive breast cancer screenings among women in Lagos State
Full text linkDespite the fact that breast cancer is a public health concern the uptake of preventive screening for the disease remains an obstacle to its prevention. This article investigates the “Correlates of Non-Adherence to Preventive Breast Cancer Screenings (PBCS) among women in Lagos state.” The article specifically investigates the relationship between levels of education and knowledge of PBCS:- determines the relationship between religion and attitude to PBCS:- and establishes the relationship between levels of income and attitude to PBCS. The study adopted a non- experimental research design, and employed a cross-sectional survey method. Quantitative data was collected from a sample of 300 women using a simple random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Findings showed that most of the respondents (68.8%) had heard about PBCS; and the information was obtained mostly from health workers. Only a few respondents (24.4%) had ever practiced PBCS. Financial restraints, lack of knowledge, and negative history of breast cancer in the family were some of the reasons given by the respondents who never visited a clinic for screening. Findings further indicated that place of residence is the only factor that does not determine respondents\u27 attitude to PBCS (X2=0.001, d.o.f =1, p value=0.974). It concluded that levels of education, religion and income play a fundamental and crucial role in the practice of PBCS among women in Lagos State