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The Impact of Financial Development on Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria
Get PDFAbstractThe study examined the relationship between foreign direct investment and financial development in Nigeria for the period 1980 to 2015. Using the vector error correction model (VECM) technique, the study observed a negative relationship existed between financial market development and foreign direct investment in the long run while in the short run, a positive relationship existed between financial market development and foreign direct investment in Nigeria over the estimated period of 1980-2015. Therefore, the study recommended further development of the Nigerian financial market by the monetary authority given its positive influence on the inflows of foreign direct investment in the short run. There is also the need for more financial reform of the Nigerian financial system in order to bring more foreign direct investment into the country both in the long and short runs. Keywords  Financial development, Foreign Direct Investment, VECM, Nigeri
Short-Term Asset-Mix Accounting (STAMA) and Profitability of Manufacturing Conglomerates in Nigeria
Get PDFAbstractShort-Term Assets (STA) are the essence of a business; their prudent management can uplift and sustain the continuous flourishing of a company and can consequently determine its success. The efficient management of these various components creates a problem of how to achieve a balance or trade-off between liquidity and profitability. The study will examine the relationship between different components of STA and the impact that effective STAM has on the profitability of manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The study adopts the explanatory research methods examining STAM and profitability in a causal relationship. Data were gleaned from the annual reports of five sampled Manufacturing Companies (MC) covering the period of 2010-2014. Using regression analysis, the study tests the influence of debtors’ collection period,creditors’ payment period and inventory on profitability of a sample of 17 Consumer Goods manufacturing companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The study found that debtors’ collection period and creditors’ payment period have negative significant impact on the profitability of consumer goods manufacturing companies in Nigeria while Inventory turnover have a negative but insignificant influence. The study recommends, among other things, that manufacturing firms should ensure that sound credit collection policies (CCP) are instituted within the organization; that efforts should be made to ensure that payments to creditors are not stretched beyond the credit period.Keywords  Creditors’ payment period, inventory turnover, profitability, short-term assets, workingcapita
Mobile Telephony and the Democratic Process in Nigeria: Wider Coverage, Limited Impact
Get PDFAbstractThe explosive growth and widespread presence of mobile telephony in Nigeria has attracted comments and research focusing on its social, economic, technological and cultural implications. However, scant attention, mostly newspaper comments, has been given to the contributions of mobile telephony to the democratic process in Nigeria. Given the centrality of communication to democracy and the nascence of Nigerian democracy, filling this gap is a worthwhile task. Using a questionnaire administered onliterate phone users, and interviews with non-literate users, selected through a combination of purposive and convenience sampling techniques, we addressed the question: in what ways and to what extent has mobile telephony promoted critical democratic activities in Nigeria? There is widespread presence of mobile phone among respondents but limited use and limited impact. Only 49.7% of literate users used their phones for anything beyond sending and receiving calls and text messages; non-literate users had to depend on literate others for nearly everything pertaining to mobile phone use. Mobile phones were used in campaigns, provided information but not conviction about voting decisions: they did not make 70.8% of the respondents to vote or not to vote in certain ways. Mobile phones were found to be weak for post-election engagements and accountability as elected politicians were said to change their phonelines or bar incoming calls. We conclude that there is widespread application of the mobile phone to the democratic process in Nigeria but the impact of this application is only limited. Keywords  Mobile telephony, Nigerian democracy, impact of mobile telephony, Nigerian politic
To Vote is to Dine with the Devil: Using Host Communities and Higher-institutions’ Relationship between 1999 and 2015 General Elections in Osun State, Nigeria
Get PDFAbstractA steady decline in voter turnout has been noticed in general elections in Nigeria. Past studies have focused on rural dwellers\u27 voting behaviour but there is still a dearth of research on the voting behaviour of host communities of higher institutions. This paper therefore examines the turnout of residents in host communities of higher institutions between 1999 and 2015 general elections in Osun state, Nigeria. Social disorganization theory provides the analytical framework for the study. Twelve host communities and twelve neighbouring communities were selected from twelve higher institutions. Questionnaires were administered to 2,520 respondents; 63 respondents were interviewed and records were sought. Majority of the respondents were very passive voters. There was a significant association between the respondents\u27 turnout (χ²=19.3) and students\u27 relationship, disturbance from student cultists and thugs (χ²=22.1) and their voters\u27 turnout. Constant attack by aggressive students prior to elections created fear in residents. The paper concludes that students\u27 negative behaviour affects residents\u27 turnout. There is a need to educate students to shun cultism and thuggery and to obey constituted authority of the host communities. KeywordsVote, dine with the Devil, higher-institution and host-community relationship, 199
Antimicrobial Activities of Bryophyllum pinnatum on Some Selected Clinical Isolates.
Get PDFEthanol, methanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves of Bryophyllum pinnatum obtained through cold maceration, were screened for their antibacterial activities against selected multi-drug resistant bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi Staphylococcus aureus) using the agar well diffusion method. Broth dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts at concentrations ranging from 100mg/ml to 25mg/ml. The ethanol extract was the most reactive while the aqueous extract showed lesser antibacterial activity. Ofloxacin was the most effective antibiotic in the antibiotic susceptibility profiling of the test organisms. It was however evident that the ethanol extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum has higher antibacterial efficacy on the test organisms than Ofloxacin. Bacteriostatic and -cidal activities were exhibited by the plant extracts against the organisms ranging from 25 – 100 × 103 μg/ml. Succinctly, Bryophyllum pinnatum possesses biologically active constituents with explorable pharmacological potentials.
Keywords: Antimicrobial, Bryophyllum pinnatum, Extraction solvents, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentratio
The Dynamic of Heterosexual Transmission of HIV-AIDS Model with Treatment
Get PDFA Mathematical Model of HIV/AIDS with Heterosexual transmission in the presence of treatment was examine in this paper, it ascertained the impact of treated individuals on the transmission dynamics of HIV/AIDS. Equilibrium points of the model system were found, stability analysis and numerical simulation were carried out, it was discovered that HIV/AIDS can die out with test of time as Ro < 1 . It was observed that the model had a disease free equilibrium which was asymptotically stable for Ro < 1 and unstable for Ro > 1. Graphical representations of the numerical analysis showing the effect of treatment on the model were also presented.
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Heterosexual Transmission, ARVs, Compartmental model, Disease Free and Endemic equilibrium, Treatment, and Basic Reproductive Numbe
Storage Stability of Ascorbic Acid Content of Nigerian Processed Fruit Juices
Get PDFAscorbic acid is an essential vitamin derived from fruits and vegetables for human growth. This study investigated the ascorbic acid contents of juice extracts and its rate of loss in fresh fruits and stored fruits, specifically pineapple, water melon, grape and orange. Fruits were extracted by electric juice extractor, and each fruit juice extracted was divided to two groups. The First group were refrigerated in PET and glass bottle at -4 º C for one month While the second group were stored at room temperature with and without preservative (sodium benzoate). Commercial fruit juices commonly sold in the market were also refrigerated at - 4 º C for 13 days. The physical parameters (Brix and pH) were determined on each of the fresh fruit juices using a refractometer and pH metre. The general outcome of this study revealed that the rate at which ascorbic acid is lost during storage depends on the type of fruit, storage condition and duration of storage.
Keywords: Ascorbic acid, Fruit, Juice storage, Iodometr
Evaluation of Calabash Chalk Effects on Selected Enzymes and Histology of Rat Liver and Kidney
Get PDFConsumption of geophagic material (Calabash chalk or Nzu) as a remedy for morning sickness is a common practice among pregnant women in Eastern part of Nigeria with attendant possible health implication. This study is designed to evaluate the effects of calabash chalk on some enzymes and histopathology of rat liver and kidney. Thirty-five albino rats were randomly divided into seven groups of 5 rats each. Group A received 10 ml/kg body weight of distilled water, groups B, D and F received 150, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w of unprocessed calabash chalk respectively, while groups C, E and G were administered 150, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w of processed calabash chalk respectively. Treatments were administered orally for 28 days. On 29th day, all animals were sacrificed; assays of AST, ALT, GGT and ALP were carried out, followed by liver and kidney histology. Significant increase in activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was observed in the serum, at 500 mg/kg in liver and 250 and 500 mg/kg in kidney except at 500 mg/kg for the unprocessed. However, activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in serum, liver and kidney were unaffected. Significant reduction was observed in gamma-glutamyl transeferase (GGT) activity only at 500 mg/kg b.w for the processed while all doses produced reduction in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Histological changes, such as central vein dilatation in the liver and interstitial fibrosis with areas of necrosis were observed in the kidneys. Hence, consumption of calabash chalk may produce undesirable effect on the biological system as represented by the results and therefore must be discouraged.
Keywords: Calabash chalk, enzymes, geophagia, histopathology, Nzu
Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and Corruption in Africa
No full textMultinational corporations (MNCs) are key actors in contemporary International economic relation. Moreover, the motivations for Multinational corporations (MNCs) in Africa have generated debate in the literature. The aim of this study is to identify the dimensions of Multinational corporations (MNCs) involvement in corruption in Africa. However, secondary data such as text books, Journals and Internet sources were used in this study. Besides, content analysis was employed in its analysis while the Oligopoly theory was adopted. Also, it was observed that some Multinational corporations (MNCs) in Africa such as Halliburton in Nigeria, Mabey & Johnson in countries such as Ghana, Madagascar, Angola, Mozambique and South Africa among others have been involved in various corrupt practices in some countries in Africa in collaboration with corrupt government officials. Lastly, to combat corrupt practices involving Multinational corporations (MNCs) and government officials in Africa requires concerted efforts from both the home and host country. Keyword  Corruption, multinational corporations (MNCs), government officials, Africa,international collaboratio
Phytochemical, Proximate and Mineral Composition of Gmelina arborea Fruits (White Teek).
Get PDFThe minerals and nutritional values of leaves, fruits and seeds of many plants have been reported to vary, depending on factors like generic background, location, environmental and cultivation methods. Thus, phytochemical, proximate and mineral compositions of Gamelina arborea (G. aborea ) fruits from Kaduna state in North central part of Nigeria were assessed using standard analytical procedures. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed that the fruit contained tarnnis, phenols, flavinods, saponins, reducing sugar and anthraquinones. The analysed G. aborea contained 7.30 % w/w ash, 5.00% w/w moisture, 5.31% w/w fat, 4.30% w/w fibre, 2.00% w/w protein and 75.00% w/w carbohydrate while its mineral compositions (mg/100g) were shown to contain Na (21.70±1.00); Ca (29.70 ±2.00), K (14.50±1.50), P (10.36±0.90), N (0.18±0.00), Cu (9.40±0.08), and Mn (21.70±1.00). Therefore, this finding accounts for the use of G. arborea as supplement for minerals in animal feeds.
Keywords: Phytochemical, mineral composition, proximate composition, Gmelina arbore