Madonna University, Nigeria - Open Access Journal System
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A Literary/Linguistic Analysis of Perceptions, Causes and Effects of Death in Ogba Funeral Songs
No full textAfrican oral literature is a vibrant and diverse literary tradition that encompasses a wide range of genres, themes, and styles, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and complex socio-cultural realities of the content. Ogba funeral songs as an oral literature of the Ogba people of Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria explains and/or integrates the people’s perceptions, causes and effects of death. This justifies the “Africanness” in Ogba funeral songs for the purpose of funeral ceremonies. This paper explores and analyses the literary/linguistic aspects of perceptions, causes and effects of death as they are perceived by Ogba people of Rivers State, Nigeria. Death is caused by “something” in Ogba cosmology and worldview and it affects the immediate family of the dead person and the society generally. The Ogba people also conceive death as a passage of life; a continuum because the death of a person does not portend the end of life. A total of seventeen funeral songs were explicated in this paper to describe Ogba people’s perceptions, causes and effects of death. This paper primarily relies on field collection from direction performances that showcase Ogba people’s perception of death during funeral ceremonies; interviews, tape-recording and library sources form part of the collection and collation process of funeral songs. So the paper adopts the qualitative/descriptive design method of analysis pinned on Dell Hymes’ Ethno poetic theory because of the aesthetes and cultural history involved in Ogba funeral songs. The paper concludes that Ogba people’s belief system as it pertains to death is brought to the fore as manifested in the elaborate ceremonies held to honour the departed members of the family. These ceremonies also capture some of their customs and traditions which portray them as a people standing between the living and the dead – the physical and spiritual worlds. Ogba funeral songs portray life as a market place of buying and selling because of the presence of death. The paper recommends that funeral songs should be used as a basis of strengthen the belief in life after death – reincarnation
Language of Instruction and Career: Voices of Nigerian University Students
No full textEnglish language is a common denominator in Nigeria as a result of its multilingual nature. Citizens speak various forms of English depending on their level of education. Recent estimates reveal that over 60million (54%) Nigerians speak varieties of the language ahead of their indigenous languages who are constrained by the need to interact and communicate across linguistic and cultural divides. Formal English is taught and used as a medium of instruction in the three tiers of learning. This study investigates the perceptions of Nigerian students at the university level on the benefits of studying in English for career progression and development. The research data are sourced from three universities spread across the northern, eastern and southern regions of the country. The study uses quantitative approach of analysis to generalize its report. The major finding shows that climbing the social ladder in the society is closely linked to learning in English language, especially at the tertiary level. As a linguistic capital, students perceive that learning in English is more important, but do not discountenance the importance of their mother tongue. The utilitarianism of this medium of instruction is ingrained in the fact that it serves as an academic resource with cognitive benefits while preparing students for vocation and professionalism. English is enormously valuable and is determined by an individual's language competency. We recommend research in other languages used by successful career people
Sociolinguistics Analysis of the Use of Slang among Undergraduate Students
No full textSlang is widely used by people from all walks of life. Nigerian slang is formed and developed with the history of Nigerian English. It has its unique characteristics and functions. It is the product of Nigerian culture and society, and also a kind of sociolect. The objectives of this study are to: identify and itemizethe use of slang among students of Madonna University Okija and Delta State University, andhighlight the societal factors that influence the use of slang. The paper discusses the use of slang among university students from sociolinguistic point of view. The study adopts Searle’s (1962) Speech Act Theory to analyse the data under seven sub-themes which include: relaxation, studying (examination malpractices), fashion, personality, sustenance, sex/promiscuity and greeting/social relation.The development of slang cannot be separated from the society. As the society highly develops, the use of slang also becomes more complicated as well
A Stylistic Analysis of the English Language Usage in Selected Beauty-based Social Media Advertisements in Nigeria
No full textThis study explores the stylistic use of English in beauty-based social media advertisements in Nigeria, focusing on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. In recent years, the use of social media for advertising has grown exponentially, especially in the beauty industry. However, the unawareness of the right use of linguistic features has led to misconceptions and misinterpretations by consumers. Using Michael Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), specifically the interpersonal and ideational metafunctions, the research examines how language is employed to engage and persuade consumers. Three purposively selected advertisements from popular beauty brands were analyzed using a qualitative approach. The findings reveal that advertisers use descriptive, persuasive, and emotive language to evoke imagery and emotion, creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Techniques such as sensory-rich descriptions, hyperbole, and inclusive terms are common, effectively influencing consumer perceptions and purchase decisions. The study highlights the significant role of English language in digital marketing, offering valuable insights for linguists, marketers, and advertisers. It recommends that beauty brands refine their use of emotive and sensory language to strengthen consumer engagement. Further research could investigate the impact of cultural nuances on the effectiveness of these linguistic strategies in the Nigerian context. This study contributes to the understanding of how language in social media advertising shapes consumer behavior and provides a framework for more effective marketing communications
GENDER AND SECURITY ISSUES IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF WOMEN
No full textAlong with liberalization, commercialization, liberal democracy, and other contemporary terms for globalization, the term gender has garnered much attention in recent times. In order to draw attention to the conceptual and theoretical ambiguity surrounding the subject, this paper examined how women can contribute to national security. Using secondary data from books, journals, grey literature and supported by expert interviews, a non-random sampling technique, it collaborated the claim that women have always played significant roles in national security despite obstacles posed by culture and religion. The paper contend that because gender in Nigeria can only be understood within the pre-conflict situation paradigm, there is a gender participation gap in matters of peace and security in Nigeria. The paper also discusses the distinctive roles that women can and do play in ensuring the nation's food, economic, and political security, and it makes several recommendations, including that the government should ensure the proactive inclusion of gender equality in all planned actions, including laws, policies, and programmes in all domains and at all levels of the political, economic, and societal spheres. Adoption of specific laws addressing discrimination against women, sexual violence in armed conflict, harassment of women, intimidation of women in the workplace, laws and practices that oppress women, impunity and its effects on women, the administration of justice, including access to justice, and support for human rights mechanisms are measures that can address the gender question in Nigeria. 
A THERAPEUTIC ANALYSIS OF ANTI- CORRUPTION LAWS IN NIGERIA
No full textThe issue of corruption has become the bane of political and economic development all over the world particularly in Nigeria where the monster has attained an embarrassing dimension. This ugly phenomenon has elicited global attention with the resultant domestic legislations put in place by independent states to curtail its spread. This paper shall examine critically the cankerworm called corruption within the legal framework of existing legislative measures particularly the anti-corruption agencies. The powers of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission alongside the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission shall be thoroughly examined in the light of other existing and past legislations/enactments under the Criminal and Penal Codes, Public Officers (Investigation of Assets) Decree No. 5 of 1996, Corrupt Practices Decree No. 35 of 1975 and Recovery of Public Property (Special Military Tribunals) Decree 1984. It will be recalled that over the years, successive governments in Nigeria have been confronted with the issue of corruption. In order to address same, the criminal as well as the Penal Codes applicable in both Southern and Northern Nigeria contain provisions dealing on corruption but in spite of the aforesaid provisions, the Military Government of Nigeria under the Leadership of General Mutala Mohammed promulgated corrupt practices Decree No. 35 of 1975 to tackle the problem of corruption in Nigeria. This said decree was however abrogated in spite of the laudable provisions contained therein. But owing to the inability to put effective legal machinery in place to tackle the ugly monster called Corruption, its prevalence within and outside government business, has continued to escalate
Revamping Nigerian Education for Skills Acquisition and Sustainable Youth's Empowerment and Development in Owerri Education Zone I of Imo State, Nigeria
No full textThis study is aimed at determining the influence of revamping Nigeria Education for skills acquisition and sustainable youth’s empowerment and development in Owerri Education Zone I of Imo State Nigeria. Two research questions and hypotheses guided this study. The study is a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised the entire senior secondary school students of 30,906 students made up of males and females in the 68 secondary schools in Owerri Zone I of Imo State. The sample size was 600 students from 20 public senior secondary schools in Owerri zone I. The selection of the respondents was made by simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire containing sixteen (16) items made by the researcher and face validation of the items of the instrument was made by both experts in the measurement and evaluation and experts in the faculty of education in Imo State University. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, while hypotheses were tested using independent t-test analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated that a sufficient influence was made on ICT, Technical and Vocational Skills Acquisition on youth’s empowerment and development. Based on this, the researcher recommends that the curriculum should be revisited and reactivated by the government to accommodate curricular, extra-curricular activities and skills acquisition programs for youth’s empowerment and development in Owerri zone 1 of Imo State Nigeria. Again, the Government should make available computer facilities and security measures to secure them, there must be the Provision of electricity because ICT cannot work without light, Continuous in-service training of teachers by training personnel. Budgetary provisions should also be made by the government, including supporting the youth who have already finished their programs to set-up their projects
American Dream: The Dialectics of Illusion and Reality in Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
No full textThe American Dream occupies a pride of place in global literary provenance given its identity as a success-motivating paradigm for Americans and many people worldwide. However, while some critics contend that the ideology has culminated in the success of many people, others insist it is a hypothetical illusion which has led to the failure of many people. Thus, the debate rages on and continues to animate diverse discussions in the study of American social sciences, humanities, and literature. This article argues that the success or otherwise of the American Dream is located within the experience of the characters in a literary text rather than as a set of rules which has failed or succeeded in its scope. In some texts, it is recreated as responsible for the success of some characters. In other texts, it is portrayed as responsible for the failure of some characters. These diverse interpretations pose a problem in the proper designation of the ideology. In Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1945) and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925), the American Dream is depicted in two ways - the reality of illusion and the illusion of reality. Through the theory of psychoanalysis, the article posits that the American Dream could be a success or failure depending on the attitude of the characters hence; it could either be an illusion of reality or a reality of illusion. Therefore, the understanding of the American Dream is not rigid but flexible depending on the different encounters and circumstances surrounding a character
Digital Payment Channels and Poverty Index: The Nigerian Experience
No full textPremised on the postulation that financial development is a sine qua non for economic growth and development, this study aims at examining the relationship between digital payment channels and poverty index in Nigeria. The value of transactions through the ATM, POS, and mobile payment were used to capture digital payment channels in Nigeria, while poverty rate was used to measure the poverty index. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag technique on time series data sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and the National Bureau of Statistics, the results reveal that VTATM and VTPOS related negatively with poverty rate in Nigeria. But VTMP shows positive relationship with poverty rate in Nigeria. Interestingly, value of transactions through the ATM, POS and mobile payments, all show significant relationship with poverty rate in Nigeria. This implies that the adoption and usability of digital payment channels in Nigeria seriously relate with the level of poverty in Nigeria. The study concluded that digital payment channels exert significant relationships with poverty index in Nigeria. The study therefore recommended that the deposit money banks and payment service providers should create enabling environment for effective digital usage in the country. Also, the CBN digital experts should beef up their cyber security policies and strategies in order to curb internet fraud
Strategic Management and Public Service Delivery in Transport Company of Anambra State (TRACAS) and Anambra Integrated Development Strategy Transport Limited (ANIDS)
No full textThis study investigates the effect of strategic management on public service delivery in selected public sector organizations in Anambra state. The specific objective of the study is to establish whether digitalization affects public service delivery in selected public sector organisations in Anambra state, Nigeria. Based on the above objective, research question and hypotheses were formulated and tested for the study. Relevant literatures were thoroughly reviewed and the study was anchored on the Strategic Management Theory by Fred R. David, Michael Porter, and Henry Mintzberg. Data was collected from a population of 454 staff of the selected organizations under study. The data collected were presented using simple percentage and analyzed, using Pearson correlation analyses. The study revealed that digitalization has an effect on public service delivery in selected public sector organisations in Anambra state, Nigeria. The study therefore, recommended that human resource activities in the public sector, especially public enterprises should be strategically geared towards the attainment of better services to the public