Computer Science

There is no gainsaying that technology has drastically reduced incidences of electoral malpractices such as: ballot stuffing, result sheet mutilation, manipulations, over voting, alteration of result sheets and hijacking of ballot boxes in the history of Nigeria elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has employed a number of innovative approaches to improve the management and conduct of elections in the country. As years pass by, INEC gets more sophisticated with its technologies in order to meet up with international standard. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of these technologies and the effect they have on election activities in Nigeria from 1999 general election to 2017. Results show that the introduction of these technologies: Electronic Voters Register(EVR), Automatic Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) and Smart Card Reader (SCR) have reduced the incidence of multiple registration and multiple voting to the barest minimum while the development of e-collation support platform has drastically reduced incidence of result manipulation at collation centres. Hence, it is believed that the incorporation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria electoral process has reduced excessive electoral fraud to the barest minimum and foster credible elections.

Keywords
ICT; INEC; Technology; Election; E-collation; Voting; Card reader

Social media has become a prominent and a powerful forum for voter enlightenment, political activism and fastest means of information dissemination. An individual without a social media account is seen in the society as obsolete. Social media has indeed become our lives personally and professionally. An average smart phone owner cannot do without visiting a social media platform daily. Social media therefore can be used effectively to target particular voters, encourage people to exercise their franchise and to make information go viral. Social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube help to activate citizens' engagement in political life. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) saddled with the responsibility of educating voters on their electoral roles and responsibilities unfortunately doesn't have pronounced presence in the social space. This paper analyses the roles of social media in voters' sensitization, the presence of INEC in the cyberspace and how INEC can make itself more active in the cyberspace for effective information dissemination and voter education.

Social media is no doubt an innovation that has so much influenced the world. Its impact on businesses, information dissemination, products marketing, entertainment, leisure, inclusive democracy and e-governance is commendable. The development of social media apps for mobile phones and tablets which allows photos and videos to be uploaded easily to social media accounts as well as instant notifications alerts have left so many people with no option than to check their social media account intermittently. In addition, the social media design which allows for continuous scrolling of pages have lure many users into social media addiction.

Uncontrolled use of social media has impacted negatively on people’s lives and families. It is believed that setting one’s priority right, spending more time with friends and families and responding to people are some of the panacea for social media addictions. This paper reviews articles, personal opinions and collates relevant data on the usage of social media; the impact of social media in the world; criteria for measuring social media addiction; recommendations on the proper usage of social media ; the effects of excessive use and how to recover from social media addiction.

Citizens are allowed to convene their opinions on public policies online without any interference in an open democracy. The internet helps citizens’ voices to be heard irrespective of the status or position in the society. It is the voice of the voiceless. Countries and nations where people are allowed to discuss freely online are no doubt experiencing growth in the IT sector.

Some governments are antagonistic to open policies giving free internet access to people. They feared that such policies may be used against them and might also be used by some people to promote disinformation and fake news on social media. They choose to control the media that is providing information to their citizens. The low level of IT usage and awareness in Africa is the product of controlled internet. This paper therefore analyses the challenges to open internet in Africa, Nigeria in particular and the way forward.

Voting remains an integral component of every democratic electoral process. it is an avenue for citizens to exercise their rights in order to elect those who will lead them in various vacant political offices. However, enhancing voters' trust and confidence in electoral processes are significant factors that could encourage the active participation of citizens in elections. Eligible voters tend to decline to participate in an election when they have a feeling that their votes may not eventually count. Furthermore, electoral processes that lead to the emergence of candidates must be adjudged to be free, fair and credible to a high degree for the result to be widely acceptable. Unacceptable election results could lead to protests and total cancelation of the election thereby resulting in loss of time and resources invested in it. To ensure that only registered voters cast their votes on election days, measures must be put in place to accredit voters on election days effectively. Therefore, this article explores the use of biometric smart cards for voters' verification and identification. With the Nigerian electoral process in view, the existing Nigerian voting procedure was reviewed, lapses were identified and solutions based on the use of the biometric smart card were proffered. If adopted, the proposed adoption of biometric smart cards for voters' accreditation will enhance the country's electoral process thereby ensuring that only registered voters cast their votes. The approach presented could also reduce the number of electoral processes and personnel required during election days, thus reducing voting time and cost.

Over the years, Nigeria has been desirous of a credible voting system due to the irregularities that hampered previous elections which include: ballot stuffing, intimidation of voters, hijacking of ballot boxes, violence and manipulation of election results. Hence, the independent national electoral commission introduced direct data capture machine technology in 2007 which produced the electronic voter's register and smart card readers which has since been used for all elections. Though the introduction of electronic voter's register and smart card readers improved the electoral process, research reveals that it is yet, to achieve the desired results. Hence, this study aims at studying the required E-voting system in Nigeria and the barriers to its full implementation as well as the way forward. It is believed that the full implementation of E-voting system in Nigeria would save the country from the awful experiences of the past as it promises free, fair, transparent, convenient and confidential elections as well as the speedy processing of results.

This article explores how technology has reduced electoral malpractices such as ballot stuffing, voting by proxy, result collation manipulations and over-voting in Nigeria's 2019 and 2023 elections. It further highlights the strength, challenges and possible recommendations. The Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has embraced innovative technologies to improve election administration and conduct. These include: INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC Result Viewing (IReV), Collation Support and Result Verification System (CSRVS), and political party and observer online nomination and accreditation platforms. Studies show that in each election cycle, INEC's technological capabilities advanced to match international standards as it deployed novel technologies. Results show that the above technologies have reduced multiple registrations; multiple voting and a drastic reduction in manipulation of election results at collation centres. ICT has helped Nigeria to minimise electoral fraud and create credible elections for the sustenance of democracy.

The Smart Card Reader (SCR) deployed in Nigeria 2015 and 2019 elections by the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) for voter accreditation failed to eliminate voting by proxy. Thus, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was introduced. This revolutionary technology combines voter registration, accreditation, and results transmission in one device. INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) enrolls new voters; the BVAS accredits voters on Election Day while the same device uploads election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal. Results show that the voter accreditation process is faster compared to SCR. BVAS has increased election participation, ensure equitable distribution of seats in the National Assembly, hence promoting inclusivity and sustenance of democracy in the country. This paper examines how BVAS works, how it protects election integrity, its drawbacks, and possible recommendation for future elections. Despite its drawbacks, technology is the answer to Nigeria electoral fraud. Its benefits exceed its drawbacks.

This study examined the cause and effects of poor academic pupils in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State. The research method employed was a descriptive in Nate, 5 schools were randomly selected and 20 respondents (Teachers) were chosen from each of the schools. The major instrument used in data collection as a self designed questionnaire and simple percentage was used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that pupils are facing with a number of problems and that has been necessitating their failure in mathematics. However, based on the findings, it was recommended that used of qualified mathematics teachers will help in promoting effective teaching and learning of mathematics in primary schools.

The explosion of information and communication technologies and internet provides a new trend for universities, colleges and schools to introduce new teaching and learning environments. How effective these technologies will be used to enhance learning depends on adopting a learning system strategy and a model that is not optimize the use of technology to create a reliable environment for learners, but also it should address the importance of the pedagogical issues in the implementation. The proposed six step model integrates between the social and cultural presence, technology and the pedagogical issues. A learning system model should maximize the use of technology to enhance the teaching-learning process supported with the pedagogical and instructional design approaches to information delivery and assessments.

This study was aimed at determining some phytochemicals and mineral elements composition of Khaya senegalensis stem bark. The findings revealed that, the bark contained alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and saponins. The mineral elements in (mg/kg) includes: sodium (66.78±0.064), potassium (0.162±0.002), manganese (0.125±0.001), zinc (0.036±0.002), copper (0.004±0.001) and chromium (0.003±0.001). Khaya senegalensis bark contains more concentration of sodium with less content of chromium. The findings revealed that, bark of Khaya senegalensis contained phytochemicals and mineral elements.

This paper investigated the use of information communication and technology (ICT) for effective management of secondary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey. The study population comprised of a sample of 160 secondary schools in the State. Out of the 1,278 teachers in the schools, 812 teachers made up of 160 principals and 652 teachers were selected for the study. The method of selection was also through the stratified random sampling technique. The instrument used to collect data for the study was a questionnaire while the data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis. It was found that the level of provision of ICT equipment to secondary schools in the State was low. The level of principals' management of schools was also low. The intermittent disruption of electricity and inadequate funding were found as major problem inhibiting the usage of ICT equipment for the management of schools in the State. It was concluded that the State government was not fully ready to inculcate (ICT) for the effective management of secondary schools in the State. It was recommended that the State government could supply the necessary ICT equipment to all secondary schools in the State. Government may also improve the training of principals, teachers and computer personnel in the use of computers and other ICT equipment through seminar, workshop and in-service training.

In an organization, the informational flow is the facts, ideas, data and opinions that are discussed throughout the company. Information is constantly flowing through organizations and acts as the blood of the company. When information is no longer allowed to flow through an organization, the organization will eventually begin to collapse.