Social Media Usership in Benue State and the Proliferation of Hate Speech on the Nigerian Social Media Space

¹Jacob Shagbaor Suemo, ²Omale Gloria Eneh &³Terkimbir Nyianshima

^1&3Department of Mass Communication, Benue State University Makurdi.

²Department of Information and Media Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Email: ssuemo@bsum.edu.ng, e.gloria@futminna.edu.ng

ABSTRACT

The study was an assessment of social media usership and the proliferation of hate speech on Social Media Space in Benue State. The aim was to ascertain the specific social media platforms in which hate speech is mostly used, identify the nature of the relationship between social media use and the proliferation of hate speech and to pinpoint the socio-cultural factors responsible for the proliferation of hate speech. The research was a survey with questionnaire as instrument. The population of the study was 38,778 drawn from four major LGA in the State. Aroaye’s (2004) formula for determining sample size was used to arrive at a sample of 384 randomly selected for the study. The study was anchored on the uses and gratification theory and public sphere theory. Findings revealed that Facebook and Twitter are the social media platforms in which hate speech is mostly used in Benue State and that abuse of power by political leaders is the major factor for the proliferation of hate speech. Furthermore, cheap accessibility and protection of identity were discovered to be the major backbone for proliferation of hate speech while multicultural divide and marginalization were discovered to be the major socio cultural factors responsible for proliferation ofhate speech. The study therefore recommends that government should ensure equitable distribution of resources and avoid marginalization of some religious ethnic groups. Also, laws protecting against hate speech should be enacted as fast as possible to help curtail the proliferation of hate speech on the social media in Nigeria, provided such laws are not enacted in sentiment to suppress or witch-hunt certain truths, groups or individuals amongst others.

Keywords: Hate speech, Social media, new media, Proliferation, Marginalization

Assessing Democracy in the Context of Good Governance: A Focus on Kogi State

Chilebo, Francisca Ngowundu

Department of Political Science

Nasrawa State University of Education, Keffi

Email: chilebofranciscal@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Every humansociety, as primitive or civilised it may be, has its own system of organization.Though the idea of democracy is old as the history of organised human societies, its contemporary practice connotes a new version or an improvement over what was obtainable in ancient Greeks, or even in the pre-colonial African political systems. As society evolves and undergoes transformation, so are emerging challenges that require new thinking and solutions. It is against this backdrop that political philosophers since the days of Plato and Aristotle in ancient to those of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu etc,  have been preoccupied with how best to organize society for the good of the people.It is in the light of this development thatAristotle carried out a study of constitutions where he arrived at the idea of democracy as the best form of political organization comparable to monarchy and oligarchy.

Education as an Instrument for Sustainable National Development: The Role of Human Kinetics as Sports Education

Dahiru Abdullahi Danasbe

Department of Human Kinetics

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai

Email: danasabedahiru39@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This paper highlighted education as an effective instrument and role of Human Kinetics on sustainable development. For long the field of Human Kinetics has been relegated, to only sports participation, by those who have a narrow view about   the intellectual, ability on cognitive, psychomotor and affective domain are not often perceived by man.  The paper highlighted the role of Human Kinetics on sustainable development to include; Health promotion, disease control, treatment, prevention, physical and craor therapy, through various forms of law intensity exercises that has been researched  and proved to be effective. A wider role of the field of Human Kinetics as sports education has been extensively explained to include national peace and security, socialization, political and economic development. It was equally highlighted that Human Kinetics is an essential entry point for children to learn life skills, develop patterns for lifelong physical activity participation and healthy lifestyle behaviors. It is recommended that Students seeking for admission into the tertiary institution should be made to understand the multi-dimensional area of Human Kinetics this will encourage them to chose Human Kinetics as their course of study. It is also recommended that there should be coordination between the departments of Human Kinetics with other relevant departments such medicine, physiotherapy, psychology sociology, economic and host of other. These departments can each reciprocate other to ensure satiable development. And that Nigeria must continue to encourage sports participation in view of its great potentials for achieving peace and security, physical and mental wellbeing, political, and socio- economic diversification all these are essential ingredients for sustainable development

Key words: Education, Human Kinetics, and sustainable development   

Effect of Rural Development on Security Challenges In North Western Nigeria

Saheed, Zakaree S.

Department of Economics

Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria

Email: zakss_1@yahoo.co.uk, szsaheed@nda.edu.ng

ABSTRACT

The paper examines the impact of rural development on national security in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern Nigeria. Data obtained through primary sources were subjected to multi-collinearity and Cronbach Alpha reliability tests to detect any autocorrelation and the reliability respectively, before conducting regression analysis on the data. The findings reveal that there is strong positive relationship between rural development and national security. Furthermore, the regression analysis indicates that rural development and telecommunication have a positive and statistically significant impact on national security, while electricity supply and Military and Police Installations in rural areas have a positive but statistically insignificant effect on national security in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that governments should implement policies target towards developing the rural areas through provision of social and economic infrastructures like good roads, electricity, telecommunication network, military installations among others, to improve the wellbeing, and protect the lives and properties of the rural dwellers.

Key Words: Rural Development, National Security, Telecommunication, Electricity, Military.

Diplomacy and the Conduct Of Inter State Relations in the 21st Century

Alozie Cyprian C.

Department of Political Science

Abia State University, Uturu.

Email:aloziechimdi@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This study focused on the application of diplomacy in the enhancement of relations among nation states in the 21th Century. From time immemorial, diplomacy has remained an effective tool through which nation states attempt to enhance inter-states relations or resolving disputes among them without resorting to warfare. The paper examined the origin, functions, types, some diplomatic tools as well as some case studies. Interstate relations has remained a sine qua non for the fostering of better relations and understanding among nation states in very many areas of state relations. The theoretical framework of this paper is anchored on political idealism as a framework of analysis. This study relied on documentary method of data collection. The method adopted for data analysis is content analysis. The paper discovered that diplomacy has to a considerable degree promoted friendly relations among nation states as well as reducing the potency of gun boat diplomacy among both the great and smaller powers. The paper recommends among others the intensification of the use of diplomacy in the settlement of inter-state disputes or disagreements as it has much more promise of building lasting relations among states than the use of coercive means.

Keywords: Diplomacy, Inter- State, Relations, Foreign Policy, Nation States.