This study examines the effectiveness of online learning platforms (Zoom and Moodle) and their effect on the academic performance of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, students studying practical-related courses during COVID-19. This study specifically seeks to determine students’ attitudes towards online learning platforms, investigate the effectiveness of these platforms on practical-related courses as well as ascertain the effect of Zoom and Moodle platforms on the students’ academic performance during the Pandemic. Data were gathered through a survey of 380 CU students through the purposive sampling technique to pick students offering practical related courses. Results show that due to the effectiveness of the platforms (Zoom and Moodle) and the positive communication between lecturers and students via these platforms, students would like to see online learning continually adopted after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings further show that students had no difficulties using these platforms. Due to the sheer adaptability of the online learning platforms used during the pandemic, the usage of Zoom and Moodle had a favorable impact on student’s academic achievement in practical-related courses. The study concludes that distance learning is a future direction in teaching practical-related courses because of the flexible nature of the platforms. Thus, universities in this part of the world should invest more in online education platforms to maintain academic continuity, especially during times of emergency.

This study examined the predominant risk communication sources for Lassa fever, and explored the correlation between risk communication sources and knowledge of Lassa fever in the most endemic states (Ebonyi, Edo and Ondo) of the disease outbreak in Nigeria, through a mixed-methods approach. Using the multi-stage sampling technique, 72 Focus Group Discussants and 653 survey respondents were selected for the study. Statistical analysis was conducted on the acquired quantitative data, whereas thematic analysis was employed for qualitative analysis. The results suggest that radio, posters and healthcare workers are predominant sources of information about Lassa fever in the endemic states. The majority of the respondents possess adequate knowledge of the Lassa fever vector, transmission routes, risk factors, and preventive measures, but knowledge of asymptomatic patients was generally poor across the selected states. The regression analysis indicates that radio and healthcare workers are the strongest predictor of the knowledge of Lassa fever at (beta = .191, p < .05, Significant. .000) respectively, followed by television and family members/relatives at (beta = .124, p < .05, Significant. .002.) (beta = .110, p < .05, Significant. .007) respectively. The study recommends among others that; more efforts in risk communication should be geared towards the dissemination of the health risk information through radio, healthcare workers, television, and informal communication within the family network to further promote the knowledge of Lassa fever and other epidemics in Nigeria at large.

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.

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.

This study examined the relationship between climate change advocacy on TikTok and knowledge, attitude, and adaptation practices among TikTok users in Nigeria. This study employed quantitative methods, using content analysis and cross-sectional survey approaches to generate data. An API tool was used to scrape 342 TikTok videos, out of which 16 videos with comprehensive information about climate change were purposively selected, and 381 survey participants were purposively selected from 23.84 million TikTok users in Nigeria. The data were presented in simple frequency tables, while the Pearson’s Correlation analysis was conducted on the survey data acquired to draw inferences. The results of the content analysis suggest that users in Nigeria have contributed a little in providing comprehensive climate advocacy content on TikTok; most of available videos emanated from official sources and projected the anthropogenic nature of the climate crisis but denoted a pessimistic and alarming tone, which may induce despair and outright disregard for the messages. The survey results depict limited exposure to climate change content on TikTok, even though the knowledge of climate change was adequate. More so, polarised perceptions and attitudes, and maladaptive practices in tree planting as well as plastic and household wastes management were observed. The correlation coefficients show a negative and statistically non-significant correlation between exposure to climate advocacy on TikTok and knowledge, attitude, and adaptation practices, but there is a positive but insignificant relationship between the perception of climate change advocacy on TikTok and adaptation practices. These findings suggest the need for more intentional policies that will drive positive attitudinal changes and adaptation practices among young people in Nigeria.