Inaccessibility to information could hinder the adoption of dry season agriculture which is very significant to ending the spate of food insecurity in Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey examined access to broadcast media agricultural content and the effect of such information on dry season agriculture practice among smallholder farmers in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Participants consisted of 381 smallholder farmers selected from rural settlements in Kuje and Kwali Area councils, through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data for the study was generated via a self-designed questionnaire. The findings of this study show that access to the broadcast media agricultural content is high (94.2%) in the FCT and the majority (83.1%) of the farmers are particularly exposed to agricultural programmes on dry season farming. However, the regularity of exposure to such programmes is considered rare/occasional by a sizable proportion (44.8%) of the selected farmers. The research further confirms the general acceptability of the broadcast programmes on dry season agriculture but the major snag is that the majority (>50%) of the farmers think that the time at which the information is broadcast is inappropriate. In terms of the practical implications of the programmes, findings also revealed that 50%) remain adamant that dry-season farming is not achievable and productive; therefore, they have not engaged in dry season irrigation agriculture. We concluded that the knowledge gained from the dry season agricultural programmes in the broadcast media is not sufficient for farmers to successfully engage in dry season irrigation farming. The study recommends a long-term and sustained media campaign on dry season farming, the use of interactive programme content, and rescheduling agricultural programmes to farmers’ preferred time could yield the desired impact on dry season irrigation farming and food security in Nigeria.

Introduction: Lassa fever constitutes a threat to the public health system in Nigeria with the reoccurring annual epidemics and its attendant risk communication intervention challenges.Objective: This study examined the influence of public alarm (if any) on respondents' comprehension of risk communication messages about the most common host of the Lassa virus, modes of transmission, risk factors, and protective measures for Lassa fever. The risk communication model (mental noise hypothesis) served as the benchmark for measuring respondents' perceptions in the most endemic states in Nigeria.Method: The study adopted a quantitative approach, using the survey method. Data for this study were collected from 653 respondents through a structured questionnaire. Respondents were selected through a multi-stage sampling technique. Frequency tables were used to profile the respondents' characteristics and key variables while regression coefficients were used to draw inferences.Results: The study found a high level of perceived public alarm among the respondents but maximum attention was paid to risk communication messages amid the high level of anxiety. Knowledge of the common Lassa virus-host, modes of transmission, risk factors, and risk reduction measures was adequate irrespective of the high level of perceived public alarm. Public alarm significantly influenced audience comprehension of the risk information about Lassa fever in Ebonyi and Ondo at r² = 0.040 and 0.076, at p < 0.05 but not in Edo state at r² = 0.010, at p > 0.05.Conclusion: The authors conclude that devoting adequate attention to outbreak communication messages amid a high level of anxiety could lead to improved knowledge of infectious diseases.

Social factors, gender norms and roles as well as biological and physiological differences lead to the gender gap in post-disaster vulnerabilities. This emphasizes the need to adopt a vulnerability approach in disaster management. This study investigated the impact of the 2022 floods in Nigeria on the health and livelihoods of men and women in select Southern states. The authors adopted a mixed-method approach. The survey was used to gather data from 383 persons affected by the floods, and an in-depth interview was conducted with six flood-affected persons. The norms and roles of women in their homes and the wider communities exposed them to vulnerabilities during the floods. As a result, more women than men lost their lives, jobs, and sources of livelihood during the floods. The women suffered more health vulnerabilities during and after the floods, were more traumatized, fell more ill as a result of the trauma caused by the flood, and suffered more from poor sanitary conditions after (and as a result of) the floods. It was concluded that inequalities in exposure and sensitivity to risk along with differences in access to resources, opportunities, and capabilities systematically hinder women and make them more vulnerable to the effects of floods in Nigeria. The contribution of this study to practice is that there should be a gendered response to disasters in Nigeria, and disaster planners should address the different needs of men and women, boys and girls.

The study examined if the flood risk messages in broadcast media in select states in Southeast and South-south Nigeria effectively amplified risk perception that influenced community response during the 2022 flood in Southern Nigeria. Consistent with the assumptions of the social amplification and attenuation of risk framework, this study looked at the frequency of the flood risk communications, gauged whether the flood risk messages were considered credible and trusted by the communities, and ascertained the extent to which the messages increased public worries and provoked a sense of threat and response to the flood hazards. The data were gathered from 380 flood victims in 4 communities in Anambra (Southeast) and Delta (South-south) States using a descriptive survey method. The study found that the broadcast media information and warnings were credible and increased public concerns but the amplification of flood risk perception in the broadcast media were not effectual as the risk communication did not start in time and the impact of the messages was moderated by institutional, social, economic and psychological variables that affected how the communities perceived, managed and responded to the flood risk messages. The study recommended that the flood risk messages should be timely, emphasise the severity of the threat of an impending flood, and sufficiently dramatize the message and the threat..

This study examined the subjugation and objectification of women in Nigerian films produced in the 21^st Century to determine whether the representations of women have changed at the turn of the Century. The objectives of this study were to find out the extent of subjugation of women in Nollywood films in the 21^st Century and determine the extent of objectification of women in Nollywood films in the 21^st Century. This study was anchored on the feminist muted group theory. The design adopted was a mixed-method approach that combined content analysis and in-depth interviews. The researchers focused on Nollywood films produced from 2000 to 2021 that have women playing leading or supporting roles. A total of 22 films were coded and eleven film experts and scholars were interviewed. It was found that women were not significantly subjugated in Nigerian films produced in the 21^st century. However, women are still highly sexually objectified in Nigerian films produced in the 21^st century. They are portrayed in a way that viewers can make judgments about them based on their physical appearance and their sex appeal. It was recommended that the Nigerian Film and Video Censors' Board must play its part in reducing the incidence of female objectification in Nigerian films by putting Objectification (O) as a film classification element, in the same breath as Nudity, Strong Language, and Violence (NSL).