Afe Babalola University Based Journals
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Impact of Economic Factors on Life Expectancy: A Machine Learning Approach
Get PDFAccurate estimation of population longevity is a critical input for macroeconomic planning, health-sector budgeting and international development monitoring. Leveraging a harmonised cross-sectional data set for 156 sovereign states, this study undertakes a rigorous comparative evaluation of three predictive frameworks: multiple linear regression, compact multilayer-perceptron neural networks and radial-basis support-vector regression applied to a common panel of economic, demographic and child-mortality indicators. Two parsimonious perceptron configurations (5–3 and 1 × 7 hidden-unit topologies) are trained with resilient back-propagation and subjected to hold-out testing. Forecast accuracy is scrutinised through mean error, mean absolute error (MAE), root-mean-squared error (RMSE), normalised RMSE and per cent bias. Both neural architectures decisively outperform the linear and kernel baselines, yielding out-of-sample MAE values of 0.17 year and 0.20 year, respectively, compared with 0.26 year for ordinary least squares and 0.32 year for the support-vector estimator; RMSE shows a commensurate hierarchy. Given the 16-year range of life expectancy in the sample, these sub-quarter-year deviations attest to the ability of even modest neural frameworks to capture non-linear interactions, most notably between external debt, crude birth rate, population scale and infant mortality proxies, that elude conventional models. Residual diagnostics confirm homoscedastic, unbiased errors for the multilayer perceptrons, whereas the support-vector regressor exhibits systematic under-prediction at the upper tail. The evidence underscores the methodological and practical utility of lightweight artificial neural networks for national longevity forecasting, furnishing policymakers with more precise baselines for targeted economic and public health intervention
Public Awareness of the Implications of AI And Social Media Proliferation of Disinformation on Public Safety and Nigeria’s National Security
Get PDFThe study examines public awareness of the implications of AI and social media in the proliferation of disinformation on public safety and national security in Nigeria. The study was anchored in Agenda Setting Theory. Data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. A sample size of 385 respondents from residents of FCT Abuja was interviewed using a questionnaire format. Respondents’ reactions range from strongly agree (SA), agree (A), disagree (DA) and strongly disagree (SDA). Data collected were analysed using tables of frequency and percentage for Objective One (1). The mean and standard deviations were applied for Objectives Two and Three using mean of 2.50 for Agree (A). The result of the findings showed that self-promotion, gaining more followers on social media and intention to create panic among the public are some of the factors that trigger disinformation. The study showed that disinformation creates panic in society, can lead to ethnic and religious bigotry and result in jungle justice in society. The dissemination of disinformation has been accelerated by the introduction and dominance of information and communication technologies, particularly social media, in the Twenty-First Century information environment. AI contributes to social media proliferation of disinformation, which has negative implications on public safety and national security. Specifically, the potential speed of AI-enabled cyber tools and the potential ability of a singular algorithm to spread disinformation are obvious. Criminals now have access to public information on social media. It makes bandits and terrorists gain popularity. It was recommended that the government should be realistic in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria by engaging the services of AI experts on all fronts
Jápa, Jánù, Jápadà: Dynamics of Migration Discourse in Adekunle Gold’s Music- “Ire”
Get PDFMigration is a common phenomenon in human experience, which has manifested in a new concept called Jápa in Nigeria. Jápa, as a concept, has received scholarly attention in academic discourses in recent years, but earlier studies from sociology, health, education, economics, language, religious and cultural studies have focused more on its causes and effects on Nigerian economic development; however, scanty attention has been paid to its dynamics among Nigerians, especially from a musicology perspective. This study, therefore, examined Jápa, Jánù, and Jápadà as migration dynamics using Adekunle Gold’s music- “Ire” to discuss the resultant effect of emigrants’ aspiration, failed quest, and reasons for the emigrants to retreat in their attempt at forceful ambitions. The study adopted a qualitative method to gather data using Adekunle Gold’s music track “Ire” through purposive sampling technique. The data (music content) were content analysed. The phenomenon of Jápa has taken different dimensions in which the aspiration of an emigrant may result in loss of identity, loss of worth, loss of freedom, loss of life, and deportation after a huge investment has been made to pursue the abortive ambition. Adekunle Gold’s music track, “Ire”, is therefore an encouragement and motivation to the emigrants to look inward and retreat if the aspiration is not achieved to avoid colossal loss in the end. It is recommended that artistes should do more in enlightening the citizenry on the need to “water one’s ground” and make it greener instead of seeking a greener pasture somewhere else, where there are uncertainty and bait for voluntary slavery
Modelling and Simulation of Spray Pyrolytic Graphene and Graphite Coatings on Polymeric Substrates for enhanced Oil and Gas Pipeline Repair Applications
Get PDFThe oil and gas industry faces significant challenges in pipeline corrosion management, with high corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity for effective cathodic protection (CP). This study focuses on the mathematical modelling of electrical conductivity in nanoparticle-sized graphene, graphite, and graphene-graphite coated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and glass reinforced polymer (GRP) substrates, prepared via low-temperature spray pyrolysis (50–60 °C). Single- and double-layer coatings with graphene-graphite blend ratios of 1:0.5 and 1:1 were applied on 50 × 10 × 2 mm substrates to obtain coating thickness of 0 µm, 56.1 µm, 77.2 µm, 80.6 µm, 80.8 µm, 92.6 µm, and 97.9 µm respectively for the PVC samples while the GRP samples have coating thickness of 0 µm, 110.3 µm, 114.0 µm, 109.0 µm, 115.7 µm, 117.3 µm, 124.7 µm. Electrical conductivity was measured using an LCR meter, and polynomial models were developed to correlate conductivity with coating thickness. Cathodic protection simulations assessed the performance of coated composites in a 15 km pipeline, highlighting the impact of non-conductive sections and the efficacy of bypass wire designs. Results showed that single-layer graphene-coated GRP achieved the highest conductivity (1.8 × 10⁻⁶ S/m), while double-layer hybrid coatings (1-0.5D) offered optimal durability. The mathematical models accurately predicted conductivity trends, with GRP exhibiting superior performance compared to PVC due to better graphene integration. CP modelling revealed that non-conductive GRP sections cause localized underprotection, mitigated by optimized bypass designs. These findings demonstrate that graphene-graphite-coated GRP composites, supported by predictive conductivity models and CP simulations, are promising alternatives to steel for pipeline repairs, enhancing corrosion control and longevity in oil and gas applications
Estimation and Compensation for Effects of Carrier Frequency Offsets in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Based Cooperative Networks
Get PDFEstimation and Compensation of Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) is regarded as major operation in the OFDM based Cooperative network. However, the presence of CFO in OFDM based cooperative networks distorts the transmitted signal from the source, this actually result to poor copy of transmitted signal at destination. Maximal Likelihood (ML) which was one of technique used to combat the effects of CFO in the system suffers from higher error as well as low bandwidth efficiency, as there was redundancy of bits for each carrier and observation of computational complex in its operation. Hence, this paper, an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) was developed to overcome the effect of CFO in order to minimize the error in the OFDM based cooperative network The transmitting signal at the source using the Amplified and Forward protocol at different number of subcarriers and QAMs over the Rayleigh fading channel was received using Enhanced Signal to Noise Ratio Combiner (ESNRC). In the first phase, the transmitted signal was received by the relay, while the second phase of the transmission was made to amplify the transmitted signal at the relay and re-transmitted to the ESNRC where two signals from relay and source were combined for further signal transmission processes. The combined signal was made to pass through estimator and compensator block to reduce the CFO effects in order to minimize the systemic error in the OFDM based cooperative network. The performance of EKF-OFDM technique was assessed using BER and SNR, comparing it to the existing ML-OFDM technique. The simulation results showed that the developed EKF technique achieved better performance than the existing ML-OFDM as well as C-OFDM due to CFO estimation and compensation accuracy by minimizing the error and improvement in bandwidth efficiency through the EKF implementation. The developed technique can be adopted to improve the performance of the OFDM based cooperative network
Blocking the Loopholes: Nigeria’s Post-war Import Control through expansion of Industries, 1945-1954
Get PDFThe end of the Second World War in 1945 ushered in an important epoch in Nigeria’s economic history and this has attracted the interrogation of various historical developments of her post war experience by scholars. This became imperative because the end of the war opened a new chapter in the history of the country. The period marked the beginning of socio-economic and political transformation of colonial Nigeria. To this end, scholars from various disciplines such as economics, sociology, political science and history have paid adequate attention to the country’s post-war events. These include, the decolonisation of the country’s economy through the prism of economics as a discipline, political decolonisation, agitations against discriminatory practices against Nigeria’s investors and transfer of power from the British to Nigeria’s political elite. Similarly, scholars have looked at the contributory roles of Nigerians both military and civilians to the success of British prosecution of the Second World War. However, most of these works did not directly examine how the country regulated her imports through the expansion of industries after the Second World War in 1945 up to 1954 when the colonial government granted the three regions greater autonomy to take certain economic decisions with the limited inputs of the colonial regime. This neglect limits our understanding of Nigeria’s post-war economic history. The paper argues that import control through the expansion of industries was deployed as one of the strategies of the decolonisation process which began in the country after 1945.
 
Exploring the Collaboration in Capacity Building between the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) and the Nigerian Military, 2003–2023
Get PDFThe Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), from 2003 to 2023, enjoyed collaborations in manpower development and capacity building trainings from various national and international institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, such as the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) and the Nigerian Military. The organisation started in Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War as a volunteer organisation, and has over the years metamorphosed into a full-fledged paramilitary organisation. It works in collaboration with other security outfits to keep national peace and to secure the lives and properties of citizens. Despite the good works of the NSCDC, there is a dearth of scholarly works carried out in the area of its collaborations, training and capacity building. This paper examines some of these collaborations, capacity building cum trainings in man-power development and their importance to the organisation. It examines the sustainability, stability and continuity of these trainings and how to cascade it down to the officers. The findings in this study reveal that there is a generation of officers who got a lot of training and another that does not even know that such opportunities for training exist, a knowledge gap which this paper intends to fill. This study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches through primary and secondary sources for data collection. The findings in this study reveal the role which training plays in the development of capacity in officers, its challenges and the way forward for the NSCDC
The Public Relations and Gender Equality in Nigeria: Assessing Representation and Its Impact on Social Change
No full textThis study examined the role of public relations in shaping gender representation and influencing social change in Nigeria. It explored how PR campaigns have historically framed gender roles and assessed their contribution to either reinforcing or challenging existing stereotypes. Given the significant influence of PR in shaping public discourse, the study sought to determine PR’s effectiveness in promoting gender equality through advocacy, awareness, and policy engagement. A qualitative research approach was adopted, relying on secondary data sources such as PR campaigns, media reports, corporate publications, policy documents, and NGO reports. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring patterns in gender-focused PR messaging and strategies. Findings revealed that while traditional PR narratives in Nigeria often reinforced patriarchal norms by portraying women in subordinate roles, contemporary PR efforts have increasingly promoted gender inclusivity. However, cultural, political, and economic factors continue to shape the effectiveness of PR-driven gender advocacy, with corporate and governmental PR campaigns sometimes lacking sustained commitment to genuine change. The study concluded that PR could serve as a powerful tool for advancing gender equality if strategic, gender-sensitive communication practices are prioritised. It recommended policy-driven PR initiatives, stronger advocacy collaborations, and research-driven messaging to ensure meaningful and sustainable progress in gender representation
The Global Retail Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Management Practices and Technology Adoption Across Developed and Developing Economies
No full textThis paper focuses on the technology used to automate and support retail business functions, including environmental management across different markets. Data were obtained from Nigeria. Additionally, qualitative data from Malaysia, Sweden, and Canada provided context for the scope of the study. The study analysed ecological issues relating to international trade and consumption patterns between 2018 and 2023, highlighting how retailers responded to environmental policies in developing and developed economies. The approach adopted is a convergent parallel design, which integrates qualitative and quantitative data. In this case, primary sustainability performance data from 71 retail businesses in Nigeria were supplemented with qualitative data from other global markets. The model utilised a sustainability maturity model specifically designed for cross-cultural retail settings to assess barriers to success, performance enhancements, and change management at a particular level within a cross-cultural retail setting. The study’s outcome suggests a noteworthy difference across the regions regarding technology adoption, with the most excellent circular economy practices noted among Swedish retailers, followed by Canadian, Malaysian, and Nigerian retailers in that order. The algorithms for supply chain optimisation resulted in average waste reductions of 18-23%, while energy management systems enhanced efficiency by 14-19%. Some of the recommendations made for the study include redressing the balance of environmental performance indicators, developing self-regulatory policies on business ethics for the industry, including local communities in poverty-reduction solution design, and other mechanisms of region- and organisation-tailored implementation strategies relative to the capabilities of the organising entity
Overarching Nuclear Shadow: North Korea’s Diplomatic Engagements in Northeast Asia
No full textThe study examined the complexities of North Korea’s nuclear programme and its impact on its diplomatic engagements in Northeast Asia. It also examined the extent of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and analysed the state’s diplomatic engagements with its neighbours, especially China, Japan, and South Korea. The paper employed the use of a descriptive research design and strictly documentary sources. The theory of neo-realism was applied to explain the relationship between the state’s nuclear programme and its diplomatic engagements within Northeast Asia. The study found that although North Korea has been able to compel certain reactions from its neighbours through the conspicuous display of its nuclear and missile power, the state’s nuclear programme has still significantly affected its diplomatic engagements with all three countries. The study recommends the use of the foreign policy tactic of appeasement to reduce tensions within the region