Peer pressure becomes a perturbing and problematic phenomenon as children grow seeing their peers as role model. Peer pressure is a social institution that modifies adolescents’ behaviours by making them indulge in risky behaviour such as smoking as early age. This phenomenon has indeed found its way into our tertiary institutions and among our youths who are leaders of tomorrow. This study examined peer pressure and tobacco smoking among undergraduate students of the University of Calabar, Nigeria. Data were obtained through the administration of a structured questionnaire to one hundred and twenty respondents in two well known and patronized restaurants and bars directly opposite the University of Calabar ‘small gate. Result indicated that 46 per cent of tobacco use among undergraduate students were accounted for by peer pressure, while the ANOVA result indicated that peer pressure had significant influence on undergraduate students’ tobacco use (F=4.069, p<0.05); the model further revealed that a unit increase in peer influence factor would result in 62% unit rise in the percentage of undergraduates that make use of tobacco substance. Result of independent samples test showed that the frequency of tobacco use differs between sexes (t=3.100, p<0.05). This study therefore revealed that the frequency of tobacco use among undergraduate student in Nigeria’s university environment was in the increase. In order to reduce this phenomenon which indeed has found its way into our campuses, the study suggested among other measures the implementation of programmes that will integrate concerned authorities in order to reduce the number of adolescent smokers and realize the vision of better health for Nigerian youths who are leaders of tomorrow by the year 2020.

Although it is widely documented that traditional birth homes (TBHs) do more than deliver babies, little is known about the other functions in addition to child delivery, which TBHs perform. Drawing on in-depth individual interviews with 13 traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and 147 users of TBHs, we profile the characteristics and health conditions of the clientele of TBHs in four rural communities in southeastern Nigeria. We found that TBHs provide their clients, who are mainly less educated women and girls, health services that range from child delivery, child sex selection, and abortion to family planning and cures for vaginal bleeding. Women are attracted to TBHs because the services are low cost, the women require privacy about their conditions, the TBHs are close by, and the women are confident in the abilities of TBHs. Rural women are bound by poverty, culture, and local values in their choices of services. We assert that health interventions to local people will need to be couched within frameworks that are responsive to their socioeconomic and cultural sensitivities if they are to deliver their expected impact.

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The essence of incarceration is for correctional purposes, however, the ineffectiveness of the Nigeria Criminal Justice System (NCJS) have denied most suspects the privilege of enjoying these correctional privileges. This study therefore assessed the Nigeria criminal justice system and the problem of awaiting trial in Port Harcourt Maximum Prison, Rivers State. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. The study adopted the survey research design. An 18-item questionnaire captioned "Questionnaire on Nigeria criminal justice system and awaiting trial problem" (QNCJSWTP) was designed by the researchers and used in gathering data for the study. Data were gathered from one hundred and eighty seven (187) respondents consisting of inmates and warders. The respondents were purposively selected from Port Harcourt Maximum prison, Rivers State. The generated data were presented using charts and simple percentage. Findings indicated that, rigidity of the penal law, holding charges, and delay in the disposal of cases by the agencies of NCJS has contributed to the problem of awaiting trial in Port Harcourt Maximum Prison, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study recommended that, there should be more professional commitment, on the part of stakeholders, in order to check the rise in awaiting trial problem in Port Harcourt maximum Prison. KEYWORDS:Nigeria criminal justice system, awaiting trial, rigidity of the penal law, holding charges, delay in the disposal of cases.

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