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Header one Header two Header three Header four Header five Header six Default Text Align – Left Align This is a paragraph. It is left aligned. Because of this, it is a bit more liberal in it’s views. It’s favorite color is green. Left align tends to be more eco-friendly, but it provides no concrete evidence that it really is. Even though it likes share the wealth evenly, it leaves the equal distribution up to justified alignment. Center Align This is a paragraph. It is center aligned. Center is, but nature, a fence sitter. A flip flopper. It has a difficult time making up its mind. It wants to pick a side. Really, it does. It has the best intentions, but it tends to complicate matters more than help. The best you can do is try to win it over and hope for the best. I hear center align does take bribes. Right Align This is a paragraph. It is right aligned. It is a bit more conservative in it’s views. It’s prefers to not be told what to do or how to do it. Right align totally owns a slew of guns and loves to head to the range for some practice. Which is cool and all. I mean, it’s a pretty good shot from at least four or five football fields away. Dead on. So boss. Justify Align This is a paragraph. It is justify aligned. It gets really mad when people associate it with Justin Timberlake. Typically, justified is pretty straight laced. It likes everything to be in it’s place and not all cattywampus like the rest of the aligns. I am not saying that makes it better than the rest of the aligns, but it does tend to put off more of an elitist attitude. Blockquotes Single line blockquote: Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Multi line blockquote with a cite reference: People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things. Steve Jobs – Apple Worldwide Developers’ Conference, 1997 TablesEmployeeSalaryJohn Doe$1Because that’s all Steve Jobs needed for a salary.Jane Doe$100KFor all the blogging she does.Fred Bloggs$100MPictures are worth a thousand words, right? So Jane x 1,000.Jane Bloggs$100BWith hair like that?! Enough said… Definition ListsDefinition List TitleDefinition list division.StartupA startup company or startup is a company or temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.#doworkCoined by Rob Dyrdek and his personal body guard Christopher “Big Black” Boykins, “Do Work” works as a self motivator, to motivating your friends.Do It LiveI’ll let Bill O’Reilly will explain this one. Nested Unordered Lists List item one List item one List item one List item two List item three List item four List item two List item three List item four List item two List item three List item four Nested Ordered Lists List item one List item one List item one List item two List item three List item four List item two List item three List item four List item two List item three List item four Ordered – Unordered – Ordered ordered item ordered item unordered unordered ordered item ordered item ordered item ordered item Ordered – Unordered – Unordered ordered item ordered item unordered unordered unordered item unordered item ordered item ordered item HTML Tags Address Tag1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 United States Anchor Tag (aka. Link) This is an example of a link. Abbreviation Tag The abbreviation srsly stands for “seriously”. Big Tag (deprecated in HTML5) These tests are a big deal, but this tag is no longer supported in HTML5. Cite Tag “Code is poetry.” —Automattic Code Tag You will learn later on in these tests that word-wrap: break-word; will be your best friend. Delete Tag This tag will let you strikeout text, but this tag is no longer supported in HTML5 (use the instead). Insert Tag This tag should denote inserted text. Keyboard Tag This scarcely known tag emulates keyboard text, which is usually styled like the tag. Preformatted Tag This tag styles large blocks of code. .post-title { margin: 0 0 5px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 38px; line-height: 1.2; and here's a line of some really, really, really, really long text, just to see how the PRE tag handles it and to find out how it overflows; } Quote Tag Developers, developers, developers… –Steve Ballmer Strike Tag (deprecated in HTML5) This tag shows strike-through text Strong Tag This tag shows bold text. Subscript Tag Getting our science styling on with H2O, which should push the “2” down. Superscript Tag Still sticking with science and Isaac Newton’s E = MC2, which should lift the 2 up. Teletype Tag (deprecated in HTML5) This rarely used tag emulates teletype text, which is usually styled like the tag. #css #markup #content #html #formatting

Curabitur suscipit suscipit tellus. Etiam ut purus mattis mauris sodales aliquam. Praesent egestas neque eu enim. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Etiam imperdiet imperdiet orci. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Sed augue ipsum, egestas nec, vestibulum et, malesuada adipiscing, dui. Donec mollis hendrerit risus. Nam pretium turpis et arcu. Sed aliquam ultrices mauris. Praesent venenatis metus at tortor pulvinar varius. Fusce pharetra convallis urna. Praesent blandit laoreet nibh. Sed lectus. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien. Donec venenatis vulputate lorem. Phasellus tempus. Nam eget dui. Cras id dui. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Praesent ac massa at ligula laoreet iaculis. Proin magna. Nullam tincidunt adipiscing enim. Integer tincidunt. Sed a libero. Suspendisse faucibus, nunc et pellentesque egestas, lacus ante convallis tellus, vitae iaculis lacus elit id tortor. Etiam imperdiet imperdiet orci. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Sed augue ipsum, egestas nec, vestibulum et, malesuada adipiscing, dui. Donec mollis hendrerit risus. Nam pretium turpis et arcu. Sed aliquam ultrices mauris. Praesent venenatis metus at tortor pulvinar varius. Fusce pharetra convallis urna. Praesent blandit laoreet nibh. Sed lectus. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien. Donec venenatis vulputate lorem. Phasellus tempus. Nam eget dui. Cras id dui. Praesent congue erat at massa. Proin faucibus arcu quis ante. Nullam tincidunt adipiscing enim. Vestibulum turpis sem, aliquet eget, lobortis pellentesque, rutrum eu, nisl. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Vivamus euismod mauris. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis. Aliquam lobortis. Quisque ut nisi. Vivamus consectetuer hendrerit lacus. Sed lectus. Nunc interdum lacus sit amet orci. Vivamus in erat ut urna cursus vestibulum. Quisque id odio. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Vivamus euismod mauris. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis. Aliquam lobortis. #content #pagination #template

Abuja, Nigeria. September 11th, 2018 – A new public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls revealed that new media (social media, blogs, etc.) is a major breeding ground for fake news in the country as indicated by 67 percent of Nigerians. The natural instinct for some Nigerians to scrutinize the authenticity of a news report before sharing has been greatly reduced as some social media users want to be among the first to share a news story, be it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or WhatsApp etc. This trend of sharing news report without validating its source is capable of triggering mob action, agitation, violence and in extreme cases, national security implications. This finding collaborates reports from a two-day conference organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Abuja, revealing that the emergence of the new media, particularly social media, has given rise to unrestricted influx of fake news in Nigeria.[1] More findings revealed that radio (39 percent) has remained the primary source of information for most Nigerians despite the emergence of social media. Also, perception on trust across media platforms regarding authentic information dissemination showed that Nigerians are more likely to trust information from traditional media; Television (59 percent), Radio (53 percent) and Newspaper (48 percent)) than other sources such as Facebook, Word of mouth, Instagram, etc. The poll results also revealed that the issue of fake news is very prevalent in the country as indicated by 93 percent of the respondents interviewed. The effects of fake news cannot be over emphasized as it is capable of upsetting the country’s social balance. In line with this, a larger share (35 percent) of Nigerians lamented that fake news is capable of promoting and encouraging hatred and violence whereas, 25 percent believe it can cause panic and tension amongst other negative effects. In an attempt to create awareness on these effects of fake news in the nation, the Federal Government launched a national campaign against fake news, an initiative which 56 percent of the respondents claim to be unaware of, implying that more effort must be made in spreading the campaign especially at grassroots level as mentioned by 30 percent of the respondents that there should be sensitization on the dangers of rumour mongering and the spread of fake news in the country. These findings corroborate some of the recommendations made during the 2-day conference on fake news propagation in Nigeria organized by CDD. For instance, efforts must be taken to improve digital and media literacy especially among the growing population of young internet users, encouraging them to do a fact-check and corroborate information before they hit the share button.Additionally, it is pertinent to effectively confront the challenge of fake news as 25 percent of the respondents suggested promoting professionalism amongst journalists in both traditional media and social media in Nigeria. These are the key highlights from the Fake News poll conducted in the week commencing August, 6th 2018. BRIEF BACKGROUND One of the major threats to peace and security in Nigeria today is fake news, defined as “completely false information, photos and videos purposefully created and spread to confuse or misinform” others. Undoubtedly, false news is now the electrified third rail in global politics, Nigerian politics included as its vast reach, scope, and expansiveness retains huge capacity for destructive consequences. Worryingly, there is no generally agreed remedy and fake news is bad news and bad news means trouble. While rhetoric has always been the bedrock of political complication, false news stretches rhetoric beyond the acceptable. Moreover, false news is primarily fuelled by politics and tends to peak during electoral periods. Recently, the federal government launched a campaign against fake news in Nigeria as the issue of fake news has become a threat in the country. Recently, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) organized a conference where stakeholders discussed ways of solving the spread of fake news especially as it relates to elections. The former Independent National Election Commission (INEC) Chairman Professor Jega, called for the enactment of laws, as well as adherence to subsisting legislations to achieve this goal, noting that the ugly trend couldn’t be tackled through mere civic education of critical stakeholders. Also, the current INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the commission was battling with the issue of fake news and promised to liaise with stakeholders to strengthen existing legislation in the electoral process to tackle problems associated with fake news.  In line with this, NOIPolls conducted a survey to gauge the perception of Nigerians regarding the prevalence, effects and possible suggestions to curb fake news in Nigeria. SURVEY FINDINGS The initial question sought to assess the awareness of Nigerians regarding the campaign against fake news in Nigeria and analysis revealed that 44 percent of the respondents interviewed are aware of the campaign. On the other hand, 56 percent, which formed the majority, claimed that they are not aware of the campaign. Further findings revealed that the main source of daily news for Nigerians is radio (39 percent). Implying that a larger fraction of Nigerians depends on the news desks of various radio stations within their localities for information on happenings in the country. Other sources of daily news for Nigerians includes; Television (26 percent), Social media (17 percent), Internet (11 percent), Word of mouth (5 percent) and Newspapers (2 percent). In recent times, access to information may not be much of an issue however, it becomes worrisome if information is not reliable. Thus, discerning truth from untruth has become a herculean task. Citizens, development practitioners and other stakeholders around the world have raised concerns about the prevalence of misinformation in contemporary politics mainly because of its characters and manifestations. With this in mind, the poll result showed that a larger proportion of Nigerians (93 percent) acknowledged that there is a high prevalence of cases of fake news in the country. Rapidly evolving technology and the changing media landscape have reshaped communication mechanism to be instant, participatory, and global in scale. Modern communication platforms have afforded a large majority of people to communicate effortlessly with a wider audience. Developing events around the world can now be tracked on the go. However, recent developments around the world have proved that media platforms have assumed a destructive dimension as information is power, misinformation could directly or indirectly influence civil unrest, mob action and in some cases violence. In line with this, the poll also revealed that social media is the platform that propagates fake news the most as stated by a larger proportion of respondents interviewed. Although radio is the main source of news for Nigerians, social media coming top in this category suggests the increasing dependence on it as a source of information in Nigeria. Subsequently, the respondents were asked to rate their level of trust on some media platforms and the poll results revealed that the traditional media Television (59 percent), Radio (53 percent) and Newspaper (48 percent)) are the most trusted media platforms. On the other hand, Facebook (74 percent), Word of mouth (73 percent) and Instagram (70 percent) got a very poor rating as Nigerians do not trust the information from such platforms. This indicative of the lack of trust Nigerians have on some media platforms particularly the new media thus, there is need for continuous education as the importance of social media cannot be neglected in a society that is getting too busy and distracted. The effects or impact of fake news in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized; from its ability to impact on governance, influence corporate reputation as well as heating-up the polity. Fake news, through its altering of pictures, videos and absolute fairytale has generated tensions in Nigeria and the effects are here with us all.[2] Given the influence of this threat to the society, perception of Nigerians were gauged and the poll result showed that 35 percent, which formed the majority, admitted that it can cause hatred and violence. Further giving credence to this finding that fake news spreads hate and violent outbursts, is a recent report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which reported that fake news circulating in the social media worsened the clashes between the farmers and the herdsmen in Nigeria[3]. In addition, 25 percent of Nigerians stated that fake news can cause panic and tension in the society; another 15 percent of Nigerians opined that fake news can be misleading and a further 10 percent stated that it can create disunity and tribalism in the society amongst other negative effects of fakes news mentioned. Consequently, having established that the impact of fake news can be devastating to a nation, the poll revealed that 30 percent of Nigerians recommended sensitizing the public on the dangers of rumour mongering and spreading fake news. Also, as a way of curtailing several extremist groups and unprofessional media outlets from spreading propaganda, 25 percent suggested promoting professionalism amongst journalists in both traditional media and social media, whereas 18 percent advocated encouraging collaboration between the media and public institutions responsible for ensuring national unity, peace and cohesion. Further analysis showed that 15 percent of Nigerians suggested that more Nigerians should be educated on the need to verify news sources amongst other recommendations. In conclusion, the poll result has established that there is a high prevalence of fake news propagation, exposed the major sources of fake news and also highlighted the major effects of fake news in Nigeria. Hence, it is imperative that the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other stakeholders synergize in addressing this spreading of false of false information. As a solution to curb this menace, Nigerians are calling on the government to create an agency that will monitor the authenticity of news that comes through the traditional media and more importantly information from new media (e.g. blogs, social media, and other online news platforms). The reason for the emphasis on new media is because 67 percent of Nigerians mentioned that they get fake news mostly from this source against 12 percent who get from their news traditional media. Furthermore, as we approach the 2019 elections, social media particularly may likely be used as a modern propaganda spreading technology. Presently, there is no consequence whatsoever for the perpetrators of false news, with the added implication that some media platforms seem reluctant to fact-check before rushing to be the first to put out breaking news. Therefore, it is pertinent that the Federal Government work with various stakeholders including media practitioners and the national legislatures to find a citizen friendly solution to this menace. Leaving the matters unaddressed will spell doom for Nigeria especially as we approach the 2019 general elections. Survey Methods The Poll was conducted in the week commencing August 6th, 2018. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise – within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited, No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa. We conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com. Disclaimer This press release has been produced by NOIPolls Limited to provide information on all issues which form the subject matter of the document. Kindly note that while we are willing to share results from our polls with the general public, we only request that NOIPolls be acknowledged as author whenever and wherever our poll results are used, cited or published. NOIPolls hereby certifies that all the views expressed in this document accurately reflect its views of respondents surveyed for the poll, and background information is based on information from various sources that it believes are reliable; however, no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Whilst reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document, no responsibility or liability is accepted for errors or fact or for any views expressed herein by NOIPolls for actions taken as a result of information provided in this report. Any ratings, forecasts, estimates, opinions or views herein constitute a judgment as at the date of this document. If the date of this document is not current, the views and content may not reflect NOIPolls’ current findings and/or thinking. Press Contact The Editor Email: editor@noi-polls.com [1] https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/279238-fake-news-threat-to-existence-of-nigerian-media-fg.html [2] http://saharareporters.com/2018/07/17/it-kills-us-let%E2%80%99s-kill-fake-news-yekeen-akinwale [3] https://guardian.ng/news/fake-news-aggravating-herders-farmers-crises-in-nigeria-bbc/

Welcome to image alignment! The best way to demonstrate the ebb and flow of the various image positioning options is to nestle them snuggly among an ocean of words. Grab a paddle and let’s get started. The image above happens to be centered. As you can see the should be some space above, below, and to the right of the image. The text should not be creeping on the image. Creeping is just not right. Images need breathing room too. Let them speak like you words. Let them do their jobs without any hassle from the text. In about one more sentence here, we’ll see that the text moves from the right of the image down below the image in seamless transition. Again, letting the do it’s thang. Mission accomplished! And now for a massively large image. It also has no alignment. The image above, though 1200px wide, should not overflow the content area. It should remain contained with no visible disruption to the flow of content. In just a bit here, you should see the text start to wrap below the right aligned image and settle in nicely. There should still be plenty of room and everything should be sitting pretty. Yeah… Just like that. It never felt so good to be right. Images With Captions And just when you thought we were done, we’re going to do them all over again with captions! Look at 580×300 getting some caption love. The image above happens to be centered. The caption also has a link in it, just to see if it does anything funky. Itty-bitty caption. The rest of this paragraph is filler for the sake of seeing the text wrap around the 150×150 image, which is left aligned. As you can see the should be some space above, below, and to the right of the image. The text should not be creeping on the image. Creeping is just not right. Images need breathing room too. Let them speak like you words. Let them do their jobs without any hassle from the text. In about one more sentence here, we’ll see that the text moves from the right of the image down below the image in seamless transition. Again, letting the do it’s thang. Mission accomplished! And that’s a wrap, yo! You survived the tumultuous waters of alignment. Image alignment achievement unlocked! #css #image #captions #markup #alignment #content

Aenean viverra rhoncus pede. Aenean viverra rhoncus pede. Fusce vel dui. Sed a libero. Nunc nonummy metus. Etiam vitae tortor. Vestibulum turpis sem, aliquet eget, lobortis pellentesque, rutrum eu, nisl. Etiam rhoncus. Nullam quis ante. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Praesent egestas neque eu enim. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Vivamus euismod mauris. Morbi mattis ullamcorper velit. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Vestibulum rutrum, mi nec elementum vehicula, eros quam gravida nisl, id fringilla neque ante vel mi. Quisque rutrum. Aenean imperdiet. Praesent ut ligula non mi varius sagittis. Proin magna. Sed in libero ut nibh placerat accumsan. Vestibulum fringilla pede sit amet augue. #dolor #ipsum #lorem

Fusce neque. Phasellus volutpat, metus eget egestas mollis, lacus lacus blandit dui, id egestas quam mauris ut lacus. Fusce a quam. Nunc egestas, augue at pellentesque laoreet, felis eros vehicula leo, at malesuada velit leo quis pede. Phasellus a est. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Vestibulum ullamcorper mauris at ligula. Nullam accumsan lorem in dui. Nam adipiscing. Nullam accumsan lorem in dui. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. Curabitur ullamcorper ultricies nisi. Duis vel nibh at velit scelerisque suscipit. Praesent blandit laoreet nibh. #dolor #ipsum #lorem

This post should display a featured image. Non-square images can provide some unique styling issues. This post showcasesa vertical featured image. Vestibulum fringilla pede sit amet augue. Curabitur ligula sapien, tincidunt non, euismod vitae, posuere imperdiet, leo. Quisque libero metus, condimentum nec, tempor a, commodo mollis, magna. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nulla neque dolor, sagittis eget, iaculis quis, molestie non, velit. #edgecase #featuredimage #image #template

Mauris turpis nunc, blandit et, volutpat molestie, porta ut, ligula. Nullam cursus lacinia erat. Aenean imperdiet. Nullam quis ante. Ut id nisl quis enim dignissim sagittis. Duis leo. Praesent egestas neque eu enim. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mollis sed, nonummy id, metus. Donec interdum, metus et hendrerit aliquet, dolor diam sagittis ligula, eget egestas libero turpis vel mi. Nam ipsum risus, rutrum vitae, vestibulum eu, molestie vel, lacus. Nunc nulla. Suspendisse feugiat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Donec venenatis vulputate lorem. Sed hendrerit. Integer tincidunt. Quisque libero metus, condimentum nec, tempor a, commodo mollis, magna. Sed a libero. Curabitur turpis. Praesent egestas tristique nibh. Morbi mollis tellus ac sapien. Aliquam lobortis. Pellentesque posuere. Suspendisse eu ligula. Praesent ac massa at ligula laoreet iaculis. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Aenean massa. Fusce a quam. Curabitur vestibulum aliquam leo. Maecenas vestibulum mollis diam. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. In ac felis quis tortor malesuada pretium. Fusce a quam. Mauris sollicitudin fermentum libero. Sed cursus turpis vitae tortor. Pellentesque egestas, neque sit amet convallis pulvinar, justo nulla eleifend augue, ac auctor orci leo non est. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Sed hendrerit. Suspendisse non nisl sit amet velit hendrerit rutrum. Vivamus consectetuer hendrerit lacus. Praesent porttitor, nulla vitae posuere iaculis, arcu nisl dignissim dolor, a pretium mi sem ut ipsum. Suspendisse faucibus, nunc et pellentesque egestas, lacus ante convallis tellus, vitae iaculis lacus elit id tortor. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Sed augue ipsum, egestas nec, vestibulum et, malesuada adipiscing, dui. Nunc interdum lacus sit amet orci. #dolor #ipsum #lorem

Liquidum caeca premuntur obstabatque matutinis galeae unus. In circumfuso fuerant solum orbis fixo aethera ad. Gravitate addidit amphitrite. Congestaque mixta mixtam altae. Ne terra possedit margine aethera sua cuncta lapidosos occiduo. Ripis flamina sectamque adhuc flamma videre chaos: consistere. Liquidum quoque pluvialibus boreas. Liquidum erant hanc nova secuit altae. Persidaque agitabilis aere mundum. Pondere perveniunt mundum dextra posset:! Aberant caeleste flamma spectent toto? Frigida ad discordia occiduo pondus iapeto inposuit. Limitibus pugnabant fontes sata. Calidis undae! Prima nullus haec levitate nondum vesper supplex nebulas convexi dissociata. Fratrum egens. Norant fuit nullo uno aliis moderantum. Orbis animal? Diremit pace bracchia diversa non. Postquam triones caligine titan. Subdita piscibus pressa. Retinebat freta mutatas uno quoque summaque erat:. Toto triones vindice sui summaque deerat instabilis melior. Mundo secant obliquis supplex campoque mutatas. #dolor #featuredimage #ipsum #lorem

Mauris turpis nunc, blandit et, volutpat molestie, porta ut, ligula. Nullam cursus lacinia erat. Aenean imperdiet. Nullam quis ante. Ut id nisl quis enim dignissim sagittis. Duis leo. Praesent egestas neque eu enim. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mollis sed, nonummy id, metus. Donec interdum, metus et hendrerit aliquet, dolor diam sagittis ligula, eget egestas libero turpis vel mi. Nam ipsum risus, rutrum vitae, vestibulum eu, molestie vel, lacus. Nunc nulla. Suspendisse feugiat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Donec venenatis vulputate lorem. Sed hendrerit. Integer tincidunt. Quisque libero metus, condimentum nec, tempor a, commodo mollis, magna. Sed a libero. Curabitur turpis. Praesent egestas tristique nibh. Morbi mollis tellus ac sapien. Aliquam lobortis. Pellentesque posuere. Suspendisse eu ligula. Praesent ac massa at ligula laoreet iaculis. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Aenean massa. Fusce a quam. Curabitur vestibulum aliquam leo. Maecenas vestibulum mollis diam. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. In ac felis quis tortor malesuada pretium. Fusce a quam. Mauris sollicitudin fermentum libero. Sed cursus turpis vitae tortor. Pellentesque egestas, neque sit amet convallis pulvinar, justo nulla eleifend augue, ac auctor orci leo non est. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Sed hendrerit. Suspendisse non nisl sit amet velit hendrerit rutrum. Vivamus consectetuer hendrerit lacus. Praesent porttitor, nulla vitae posuere iaculis, arcu nisl dignissim dolor, a pretium mi sem ut ipsum. Suspendisse faucibus, nunc et pellentesque egestas, lacus ante convallis tellus, vitae iaculis lacus elit id tortor. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Sed augue ipsum, egestas nec, vestibulum et, malesuada adipiscing, dui. Nunc interdum lacus sit amet orci.

August 28, 2018 This article  was originally published in BusinessDay Newspaper, August 22, 2018 It was Falz the bahd guy who recently called out critics for “shooting down the messenger and missing the message”, as he responded to blacklash on his “This is Nigeria” video. Perhaps, this is new territory for Falz, but not so for social researchers and public opinion pollsters. We are often criticized for the results and findings of our polls; more so, by people who have neither read the research report nor understand the methodology adopted in conducting the poll, survey or research study. The rise or fall of any piece of research or public opinion poll lies in its methodology. In other words, what determines whether anyone should give a hoot about the findings of a poll or what confers credibility on any piece of research are in its ability to answer some questions – how was the poll conducted? how was primary data collected? how were the questions worded? how representative is the data? what’s the sample size of the poll? and what’s the margin of error, amongst other questions. Public opinion polls are an essential part of politics, democracy, markets and social life in developed societies. From political predictions and approval ratings, to titles of Hollywood movies and song-of-the-week picks, polls are tools used to measure and gauge public opinion on issues affecting the society. Let’s take a step backward to define “public opinion”; it simply refers to the mind, thought and expression of the general population on a particular issue or subject matter. Is public opinion polling new? Certainly not, polling isn’t new. It was Jacques Necker, French statesman and Finance Minister under King Louis XVI, who in the 18th century, first emphasized the importance of L’opinion publique, as he advocated for the publishing of government accounts and budgets in order to boost public confidence in the years preceding the French Revolution. However, public opinion polling was popularized in America. It was George Gallup, founder of the renowned Gallup Poll and father of public opinion polling, who in the 1930s concluded that there was no difference between polling on toothpaste and politics. In recent times too, pollsters like Stanley Greenberg, have been hailed as the father of modern polling techniques and described as a man who doesn’t just have a finger on the people’s pulse, but has an IV injected into it. How useful are polls? For governance to be effective, it must be inclusive and participatory. Opinion polling is significant tool that can enhance inclusiveness and participation in governance. In the United States for instance, polling has become an entrenched part of democracy, as the need to understand what the public think is considered to be at the heart of governance. This disposition was aptly captured by Abraham Lincoln, who was quoted to have said “what I want to get done is what the people desire to have done, and the question for me is how to find that out exactly.” President Franklin Roosevelt relied on pollsters like Emil Hurja and Princeton professor Hadley Cantrill to shape strategies and public policy; same with President JF Kennedy. Likewise, President Ronald Reagan’s White House relied on polling support from Dr. Richard Wirthlin; while Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush relied heavily on the polling gurus like Jeremy Rosner, Justin Wallin and Al Quinlan. Apart from the United States, there’s evidence to suggest that several global leaders and members of parliament (MPs) have in the recent decades relied on opinion research to help shape public policy and reforms in their countries – from Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Julia Gillard, to Presidents Nelson Mandela, Mikheil Saakashvili, and Viktor Yushchenko to mention a few. Conducting scientific polls Beyond media vox-pop and adhoc straw polls, which involve people responding to a set of questions without reference to how respondents are selected; there are certain indicators that can make a poll, survey or research study scientific. When we say a poll is “scientific”, it simply means the poll has been conducted through a set of rigorous processes and quality control mechanism to produce certain results; and that those processes can be replicated to produce about the same result, with some level of confidence and percentage of replicability. Several terminologies can be associated with polling, such as: Research population, Sampling technique, Sample size, Fielding and data collection, CAPI and PAPI, Questionnaire design, Question wording, margin of error, randomization and stratification amongst others. These would normally make up a full module in a survey research course, or an article for another day. My intention isn’t to make readers polling experts from this one article; but to help demystify the myth often associated with public opinion polls in Nigeria, and appreciate what makes good versus bad polls. Consequently, I would like to touch on a few of those terminologies that I consider fundamental to public opinion polling. Research population All polls are based on samples drawn from larger populations. The purpose of every opinion poll is to attempt to use a sample to make inferences or form conclusions on the larger population. With a population of between 180 and 200 million Nigerians, is it possible to access the entire population for a poll or survey? As far as social research is concerned, it is simply impracticable to have access to the entire 180 million Nigerians, unless you’re on a mission to conduct a census. Census studies don’t come cheap. Nigeria’s last census was conducted in 2006, and ought to be repeated every 10 years; however, due to financial constraints the country missed its 2016 census target and is still shopping for funds to conduct a fresh census. Notwithstanding, if the total population isn’t accessible, then we can rely on a research population. A research population is a well-defined collection of individuals or objects that have similar characteristics to the universe (total population), from which samples can be drawn for a poll. The next issue is then how the samples are drawn. Samples have to be selected randomly from the population. In other words, samples should be selected in such a way that every individual or object within the research population has an equal opportunity of being selected. This is called the principle of randomization. The concept of sampling As a pollster, one question I typically get asked borders on the issue of sample size – how can a mere 1,000 or 5,000 sample size poll tell us what over 180 million Nigerians are thinking on a particular issue? My constant response to those who ask is simple – it isn’t about the size of the sample, but the selection of the sample. As we often quip in polling parlance, when you fall ill and visit the hospital, the lab scientist doesn’t need to draw out your entire blood to check what’s wrong with you. He simply takes a tiny little blood sample for the test. This is the exact principle applied in public opinion polling. We mustn’t sample 1 Million Nigerians to know what Nigerians think on any matter. This concept has long been established in social sciences. In 1936, it was Gallup who demystified polling and dealt a major upset on the US presidential election prediction of Literary Digest. The magazine had sent out over 2 million dummy ballots from vehicle registration database and telephone directories, at considerable time and cost, in order to predict the election result. Gallup, on the other hand, used a sample of only 5,000 to predict that Roosevelt would take the lead in at least 40 states and carry the popular vote by 56 percent to 44 percent margin. Needless to say, it was a humiliating upset for Literary Digest, as Gallup succeeded in establishing that as far as survey sample size is concerned, more isn’t always better. Therefore, a scientifically selected sample of the general population was not only much cheaper and easier to handle, it would produce more accurate results. Good vs Bad Polls Without sounding academic, there are certain features that ought to be reported in poll reports to be ticked as good. Conversely, where they do not exist, the findings of such polls can simply be considered as bad polls. Organizations like American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the National Council for Public Polls (NCPP) have provided certain standards of disclosure to guide polling firms. While journalists and poll consumers may not be able to tell or assess the quality control criteria adopted on the poll; it is expected that good polls should provide information regarding: (1) Sampling (from what population was the sample selected? was data collected using a random or non-random sample? how many interviews were completed?), (2) Data collection (how was data collected? was data collected using face-to-face, telephone, web-based or SMS technique? (3) Question wording (were questions worded in a clear and neutral manner?), (4) Fielding dates (what were the specific dates of data collection?), and (5) Response rate (some sense of how many people were contacted and how many responded is always useful). I find most poll consumers are unaware of these features, consequently poll results and reports are simply interpreted based on the reader’s premonition and worldview. In Nigeria for instance, politicians are quick to celebrate polls that seem to be in line with their predisposition, and shoot down polls that do not conform. They are partly responsible for the proliferation of fake or bad polls, which seek to support their political leanings. Interestingly, there’s usually a seasonal upsurge in opinion polling activities and report released during an election year; and as we build up to 2019 elections there would be many fly-by-night pollsters on the loose. The questions for discerning consumers of opinion poll reports should be – where have these pollsters been before now? Should we assume they are new or budding polling firms? And if they are, great! But would they continue their polling services after elections have come and gone? So, when next you find yourself consuming the report from a public opinion poll, just before you hail it or shoot it down, depending on your socio-political leaning, be sure to spend a few more minutes to ascertain how it was conducted using some of the tips discussed above. That way, you would be better armed to judge for yourself if the poll should be given some attention or simply discarded as a mere academic exercise. Dr. Bell Ihua is a public opinion polling expert and Chief Executive Officer at NOIPolls. He writes from Abuja.