2026

This study examined the association between organisational silence and job stress among lecturers at the University of Benin. It aimed to assess the level of organisational silence, identify its dominant dimensions, and evaluate the extent to which different forms of silence affect lecturers’ job-related stress. Using a descriptive and correlational research design, data were obtained from ninety-two (92) lecturers through a structured questionnaire. Organisational silence was assessed across four dimensions—acquiescent, defensive, prosocial, and supervisor silence climate—while job stress was measured in terms of workload-related stress, role conflict and ambiguity, job pressure and anxiety, and inadequate supervisor and peer support.
Descriptive results showed that organisational silence was generally low, with a grand mean of 2.67, whereas job stress was moderate, with an overall mean of 3.08. Prosocial silence (M = 4.09, SD = 0.64) emerged as the most prominent dimension, indicating that lecturers often withheld opinions for constructive reasons such as preserving collegial relationships or promoting workplace harmony. Although acquiescent and defensive silence were less common, they demonstrated stronger links with job stress. Regression analysis (R = 0.643, R² = 0.414, F = 15.343, p < 0.05) revealed that the combined dimensions of organisational silence significantly predicted job stress, with acquiescent silence (p = 0.001) and defensive silence (p = 0.005) identified as significant contributors.

This study investigated the influence of COVID-19 lockdown on food purchase, consumption and hunger among married secondary school teachers in Delta State, Nigeria. Nine (9) research questions were raised and answered. Six (6) hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of Significance.

The study employed a descriptive survey research design which targeted twenty-two thousand one hundred and twenty one (22,121) married secondary school teachers in the twenty-five (25) Local Government Areas of Delta State. The sample size of the study consisted of eight hundred (800) respondents. Multi-stage sampling technique was used for the study. The instrument used to elicit responses from the subjects was a 70 item statement questionnaire. The instrument was validated by the researcher’s supervisors and a psychometrician. The reliability was determined using twenty (20) married secondary school teachers randomly selected from the 25 Local Government Areas of Delta State who are part of the population but not part of the sample size and the data generated were analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha statistics and yielded the coefficient of 0.85. Data analysis was done using mean (x), Standard Deviation (SD), two independent sample t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC).
The findings revealed that COVID-19 lockdown influenced food purchasing habits, consumption pattern and hunger among married secondary school teachers in Delta State, Nigeria. It was discovered that COVID-19 lockdown increased the level of food insecurity and also affected the psychological wellbeing of married secondary school teachers in Delta State. The study therefore concluded that measures taken to control rapid spread of pandemic such as COVID-19 lockdown affected food purchase, consumption and hunger among married secondary school teachers. The study recommends, among other things, that Government should establish agricultural policies focused on boosting food production at the community level, institutions should train teachers on how to develop effective coping strategies during crisis such as home gardening, meal planning and food preservation techniques.

The growing environmental challenges facing manufacturing firms have intensified the need for sustainable operational practices, particularly within supply chains. This study examines the influence of green supply chain practices on sustainability performance of manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study focuses on green procurement, eco-design, cleaner production, reverse logistics, and green distribution as key dimensions of green supply chain management. Anchored on empirical evidence from
prior studies, the research highlights how the adoption of environmentally responsible practices contributes to environmental compliance, operational efficiency, cost reduction, and competitive advantage. Findings from the reviewed literature indicate that firms implementing green procurement benefit from responsible sourcing, improved supplier relationships, and reduced environmental footprint. Eco-design practices enhance product durability, resource efficiency, and recyclability, while cleaner production significantly reduces energy consumption, emissions, and waste generation. Reverse logistics supports resource recovery and waste minimization through circular supply chain processes, and green distribution improves logistics efficiency while lowering carbon emissions. Furthermore, empirical evidence suggests that the integrated adoption of these green supply chain practices produces synergistic effects that strengthen environmental, economic, and operational sustainability. The study concludes that holistic green supply chain management is a critical driver of sustainable performance in Nigerian manufacturing firms and recommends its broader adoption to achieve long-term sustainability goals.

This study examined the relationship between organizational silence and citizenship behavior among academic staff at the University of Benin, Benin City. The study sought to determine how the dimensions of organizational silence, acquiescent silence, defensive silence, prosocial silence, and supervisor silence climate influence the display of OCB among academic staff. The research was driven by concerns that silence in academic institutions may limit participation, reduce innovation, and hinder voluntary behaviours that promote institutional performance.

A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from a sample of 100 lecturers across various faculties using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to summarize responses, while Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that prosocial silence recorded the highest mean (M = 4.04, SD = 0.90), indicating that lecturers often withhold information for altruistic or constructive reasons, such as maintaining team harmony or protecting colleagues. Conversely, acquiescent silence (M = 2.73, SD = 1.39) and defensive silence (M = 2.88, SD = 1.10) were relatively low, suggesting that most lecturers do not remain silent out of fear or a belief that their opinions will not matter.
The regression model yielded R = 0.304, R² = 0.093, F(4,91) = 2.325, p = 0.062, indicating that the combined effect of the four silence dimensions on OCB was not statistically significant. Further analysis showed that none of the individual silence dimensions significantly predicted OCB (p > 0.05), though prosocial silence exhibited a weak positive relationship (β = 0.185, p = 0.082). The
correlation analysis confirmed these findings, revealing weak and statistically insignificant relationships between organizational silence dimensions and OCB.

The study concludes that while organizational silence exists within the University of Benin, it does not significantly influence lecturers’ willingness to engage in citizenship behaviours such as altruism, conscientiousness, courtesy, sportsmanship, and civic virtue. The findings suggest that lecturers’ engagement in OCB is primarily driven by intrinsic motivation and professional commitment rather than silence dynamics. The study recommends that the university should continue to foster open communication channels, participative decision-making, and supportive leadership practices to sustain a positive organizational culture that encourages voluntary, extra-role behaviour among academic staff.

This study examines the link between Ethical Work Climate (EWC) and Deviant Workplace Behavior our (DWB) in Nigerian universities, focusing on both academic and non-academic staff at the University of Benin. It analyzes how key dimensions of ethical climate—caring, rules, law and code, instrumental, and independence—shape the prevalence of deviant
behaviours, including misuse of organizational property, production-related deviance, political misconduct, and personal aggression. The findings indicate a moderate level of both ethical climate and deviant behavior our within the institution. In particular, instrumental and independence climates were identified as significant drivers of deviant workplace behaviour, implying that environments dominated by self-interest and unchecked autonomy are more susceptible to unethical conduct. In contrast, caring and rules-oriented climates were shown to reduce the incidence of deviance, highlighting the importance of formal ethical structures in guiding employee behavior our. The study advances theoretical understanding of organizational ethics within higher education and offers practical guidance for university administrators on cultivating ethical environments that reduce deviance and strengthen accountability. It recommends the adoption of robust ethical frameworks, continuous ethics training, and a balanced approach to autonomy and oversight. The paper concludes by outlining directions for future research, including comparative studies across institutions, qualitative approaches, and the exploration of moderating factors such as leadership style and organizational justice.

This study examined the assessment of the psychological factors faced by undergraduate biology students. Four research questions were raised and answered. A descriptive survey research design was used and a questionnaire was adopted to solicit information from the respondents, four research questions were used as a guide to research and a sample of the study comprised of 60 Students, Mean, standard Deviation, criterion Mean we're used to analyze the Data collection to answer the research questions. The reliability of the instrument was calculated using the cronhbach’s Alpha coefficient and the reliability stood at to be 00.85.

Findings of the Study revealed that these psychological factors self-efficacy, anxiety, depression and stress faced by these undergraduate biology students play a crucial role on each of their academic pursuits and was recommended that these students should build up High self-efficacy in order to attain good success and surpass challenging tasks ,Seek counselling services whenever feelings of anxiety, depression or stress becomes overwhelming and lastly the university should create policies that reduces excessive academic workload and provide a balanced learning environment for science students.

Background: Balancing medical training, work, and personal life can be highly demanding and can be associated with burn out and increased stress and therefore requiring various balance and coping mechanisms to be employed by these students and these could include shorter sleep, modified learning methods, social isolation, and anxiety. Thus, this study examines the knowledge, perception, practice and implications of work-study-life balance among medical students at the University of Benin, with the aim of identifying gaps, understanding the challenges and informing strategies that can improve students’ ability to effectively balance academic, work and personal life commitments Objectives: To assess the knowledge, perception, practice and the implications of work- study-life balance among medical students in the University of Benin, Edo state, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 509 undergraduate medical students at the University of Benin from January 2025 to February 2026 to assess the knowledge, perception, practice of work-study-life balance among medical students and its possible impact on psychosocial and academic performance. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select participants. The minimum sample size was determined using the Cochran formula with a 10% non-response rate. Data was collected through a structured, pre-tested self-administered questionnaire that included two standard instruments: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Work-study-life balance Scale (WSLBS), Coping strategies inventory, perceived stress scale (PSS). The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Results: A total of 509 respondents participated in the study and the response rate was 100%. There were 382 (75.0%) male respondents and 127 (25.0%) female respondents. The study showed that 377(74.1%) had good knowledge of work-study-life balance. The study revealed a significant association between age group and knowledge, χ² = 45.44, p < .001. There was a statistically significant association between employment status and overall perception, χ²= 6.49, p = .038. Majority (51.7%) assigned their current work-study-life balance a neutral rating of 3 on a 5-point scale. 73.9% proportion of the respondents reported that they do prioritize self-care. The biggest challenges respondents face in maintaining a work-study-life balance was a lack of free time, 365(71.7%). Demanding curriculum 338 (66.4%), followed by Clinical rotation hours, 240 (47.2%). Two hundred and twenty eight (44.8%) respondents had an Adaptive (Engagement Dominant) category, 194 (38.1%) had a Maladaptive (Disengagement Dominant) coping mechanism. 87 (17.1%) had a Mixed or Equal Use of coping styles. Majority (60.7%) were classified as experiencing Low Stress, while the remaining 39.3% were categorized as experiencing High Stress. 38.9% rated their sleep quality as Fair. followed by 32.2% who rated their sleep as Good and 17.8% as Very Good. A smaller minority rated their overall sleep quality as Poor (8.7%) or Very Poor (2.4%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that while a majority of undergraduate medical students at the University of Benin possess good knowledge of work–study–life balance, their perception of balance remains largely neutral and although a significant proportion of students employ adaptive coping mechanisms, a considerable number continue to rely on maladaptive strategies, which may predispose them to psychological distress. While most students reported low stress levels and relatively acceptable sleep quality, a clinically meaningful proportion experienced high stress and suboptimal sleep. Overall, the findings indicate that knowledge alone is insufficient to ensure healthy work– study–life balance. Practical institutional support systems, structured resilience training, mental health monitoring, and cultural shifts within medical education are essential to translate awareness into sustainable well-being practices.

This study examined the impact of poverty on the academic achievement of primary school pupils in Ekiosa Community, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. Specifically, it investigated the relationship between family income, availability of learning materials, nutritional status, parental education, and pupils’ academic performance, as well as potential interventions that social workers and schools could implement to mitigate the effects of poverty. The study adopted a case study design involving five primary schools, with a sample of 286 respondents comprising pupils, teachers, parents, and school administrators. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, interviews, observation, and academic records. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that low family income, inadequate learning materials, poor nutrition, and limited parental education significantly hindered pupils’ academic achievement. The study further identified key interventions, including school feeding programs, provision of learning materials, guidance and counselling, and community social work support, as effective strategies to enhance educational outcomes. The study concluded that poverty is a major barrier to academic success, and social workers and schools play a crucial role in mitigating its adverse effects. Recommendations were made for targeted school and community interventions to improve learning opportunities for disadvantaged pupils.

The research project investigates the phytochemical profile of the oil fraction derived from Justicia carnea leaves, utilizing Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Methanolic extraction through maceration, followed by rotary evaporation for concentration, was employed to isolate the phytoconstituents of the plant material. A portion of the concentrated crude extract was subjected to a detailed phytochemical screening, which identified bioactive classes such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponins, indicating the plant's rich chemical composition. For further analysis, another fraction of the crude extract underwent vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) using a gradient of solvent systems. The hexane:ethyl acetate fraction was selected for GC-MS analysis, where phytol, a diterpenoid alcohol, was identified as the major compound with a retention time of 23.74 minutes and an abundance of 67.286%. Phytol, a well-documented diterpene, plays a significant physiological role and is associated with multiple biological activities, including anti- inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. The convergence of phytochemical screening and GC-MS results underscores the chemical complexity and pharmacological relevance of Justicia carnea's oil fraction. These findings support further bioactivity-guided studies of this botanical source, which may yield novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential for addressing human health concerns

Hypertension is an increasingly important public health problem among young adults, yet many university students underestimate their susceptibility despite exposure to lifestyle-related cardiovascular risks. This study assessed knowledge of hypertension risk factors and determined the prevalence of hypertension among university students in Benin City, Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 560 undergraduate students of the University of Benin, Ugbowo campus. Respondents were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected with an adapted structured self administered questionnaire, while blood pressure, weight, and height were measured using standard procedures. Knowledge of hypertension risk factors was scored over eight items; scores of 4 and above were classified as good knowledge. Blood pressure was classified using the Joint National Committee criteria.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 20.3 ± 2.6 years, and 64.8% were females. All respondents had heard of hypertension, with school being the commonest source of information (62.3%). Overall, 73.8% had good knowledge of hypertension risk factors, and 80.7% had good general knowledge of hypertension. Stress (88.8%), obesity (79.8%), excessive alcohol
consumption (74.8%), family history (70.5%), smoking (70.0%), and high salt intake (69.5%) were the most commonly identified risk factors, while fewer respondents recognised processed foods (57.0%) and physical inactivity (55.2%). Measured blood pressure showed that 48.3% were normotensive, 43.8% were prehypertensive, 6.8% had stage 1 hypertension, and 1.1% had stage 2 hypertension, giving an overall hypertension prevalence of 7.9%. Hypertension was significantly more common among males than females (13.2% vs 5.0%, p < 0.001) and increased across BMI categories from underweight to obesity (p < 0.05).