Ethnic and religious crises in Nigeria: A specific analysis upon identities (1999–2013)

Today, Africa is laced with some of the most obstinate conf licts, most of them constructed from differences in religious and ethnic identities. Religious and ethnic nationalism has led to conf licts about control of state power, unequal allocation of resources, citizenship issues, state collapse, economic decline and ethno-religious clashes. Nigeria has been pushed hither and thither by recurrent crises of regional or state illegitimacy, often impairing efforts at economic transformation, democratisation, national cohesion and stability (Osaghae and Suberu 2005:4). With this continental background in mind, this research paper seeks to examine the relationship between religion, ethnicity and conf lict in Nigeria, focusing mainly on issues in the North of the country. The question is: To what extent are conf licts emerging from ethnic or religious sources? This paper also looks at the notion of Identity and how it explains the crisis of development and complexities in modern Nigeria.Keywords: ethnic conf lict, religious conf lict, identity, Nigeri

Influence of Information Sources on Women’s Behavioural Practice towards Breast Cancer in Lagos, Nigeria

The global burden of breast cancer is increasing with an effect on the physical, mental and socio-economic wellbeing of the human population. Existing studies have majorly focused on the prevalent rate and clinical analysis of the disease, to the neglect of the nexus of information sources and breast cancer behaviours. This study examined the influence of information sources on perceived susceptibility, perceived severity and perceived barrier of women towards breast cancer and breast self-examination in Lagos state, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was employed in eliciting information from 400 women respondents randomly selected through the multistage sampling technique method. The study revealed that Internet-related channels of communication had a greater influence on susceptibility and severity perceptions of women. On the perceived barrier of women towards breast self-examination, the majority were influenced by interpersonal networks of communication (friends and relatives). Based on the findings, this study concludes that information sources play a pivotal role in the breast cancer beliefs and behavioural practices towards breast self-examination among women in Lagos state, Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that a national communication policy that will incorporate the use of information sources to strategically influence the beliefs and behavioural practices of women towards breast cancer management in Nigeria be developed

Prevalence and pattern of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Nigerian bricklayers

BACKGROUND: Typically, bricklayers in developing countries’ contexts manually lay bricks, concrete blocks and other similar materials to construct walls and buildings which make them susceptible to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). The burden of WRMSDs among this high-risk group seems has not been well documented. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence of WRMSDs among bricklayers in Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 118 consenting bricklayers from a Nigerian setting was carried out. The standardized Nordic musculoskeletal disorder questionnaire and a proforma were used to profile the prevalence of WRMSDs and socio-demographic information of the respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Alpha level was set at p <  0.05. RESULTS: The 12-months and 7-days prevalence of WRMSDs were 87.3% and 67.4% . Shoulder (61.0%) and the low-back (59.3%) were the two most affected anatomical sites based on 12-month prevalence. WRMSDs affecting the knees (6.8%) was the most disabling in carrying normal work routines. Working for less than 10 years was significantly associated with high prevalence of WRMSDs in the shoulder (odd ratio (OR) = 0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.09 to 0.87) and wrist region (OR = 0.24, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.73). Having neck pain led to higher odds (OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.68) of taking a break from work among the bricklayers. CONCLUSIONS: WRMSDs were high among Nigerian bricklayers. Years of work experience was associated with high prevalence of WRMSDs in the shoulder and wrist. In addition, taking work breaks was associated with neck pain

Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Theology

The theological role of African women and men in sustainable development and environmental justice strongly emerges in this book. Picking up the theme and metaphor of the fifth pan-African conference of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (hereafter ‘Circle’), ‘Mother Earth and Mother Africa’, this book titled Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Theology presents original and innovative research by scholarly members and friends of the Circle. The main contribution of the volume is its multi- and trans-disciplinary exploration and reimagining of human relationships to Earth from an African ecofeminist and ecowomanist theological perspective. It engages in critical conversations of re-interpreting and re-imagining African cultural, religious, theological, and philosophical perspectives on gender and the Earth. The aim is to construct Earth-friendly relationships in the face of the growing global environmental crisis. Scholarly voices of African women and men from fields such as Theology, Environmental Law and Policy, Tourism, Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, and Economics are reflected in this book, which consists of three parts: Creation, the Trinity, and Mother Africa; Caring for Mother Africa; and Mother Africa and her daughters’ (in)fertility. Each of the eleven chapters in the volume presents the metaphor of Mother Earth, Mother Africa, and gender relations, with the aim to explore life-affirming, life-enhancing human relationships to Earth from the author’s particular area of specialisation and context

Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Theology

The theological role of African women and men in sustainable development and environmental justice strongly emerges in this book. Picking up the theme and metaphor of the fifth pan-African conference of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (hereafter ‘Circle’), ‘Mother Earth and Mother Africa’, this book titled Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Theology presents original and innovative research by scholarly members and friends of the Circle. The main contribution of the volume is its multi- and trans-disciplinary exploration and reimagining of human relationships to Earth from an African ecofeminist and ecowomanist theological perspective. It engages in critical conversations of re-interpreting and re-imagining African cultural, religious, theological, and philosophical perspectives on gender and the Earth. The aim is to construct Earth-friendly relationships in the face of the growing global environmental crisis. Scholarly voices of African women and men from fields such as Theology, Environmental Law and Policy, Tourism, Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, and Economics are reflected in this book, which consists of three parts: Creation, the Trinity, and Mother Africa; Caring for Mother Africa; and Mother Africa and her daughters’ (in)fertility. Each of the eleven chapters in the volume presents the metaphor of Mother Earth, Mother Africa, and gender relations, with the aim to explore life-affirming, life-enhancing human relationships to Earth from the author’s particular area of specialisation and context

The Impact of International Financial Reporting Standards on Financial Performance

Globalization, capital market crash and the Enron’s case led the accounting profession to insist on the need for a single set of high quality reporting standards. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) were first adopted in 2005 by EU countries while Nigeria agreed to adopt in 2012. The question is: How does IFRS adoption improve the monetary relevance of accounting information? Several studies have explored the monetary relevance of IFRS adoption; however, they are based on foreign countries while Nigerian researches do not contain empirical evidence as they are mostly theoretical. This study therefore seeks to investigate the effect of IFRS adoption on financial performance. The study used correlation research design and data on Earnings per Share (EPS), Change in Earnings per Share (CEPS), Book Value per Share (BVPS) and net profit margin. Getting bearing from the finding of this study, it is realized that the general notion of improved value relevance with the adoption of IFRS has been confirmed. Book values and change in earnings proved value irrelevant

Can corporate governance mechanisms deter earnings management? Evidence from firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange

The debate on the impact of corporate governance mechanism on earnings management remains inconclusive. The current paper explored the use of Two Stage Least Square (2SLS) estimation techniques to examine the relationship between the two constructs based on data sourced from listed companies on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange between 2012 to 2016. We excluded financial industry data based on the peculiarity of the sector’s annual financial reporting system. Our results reveal that at best the relationship between corporate governance code and earnings management is mixed. In specific, it shows that governance code exerts negative influence on earnings management, while a positive relationship was observed to exist between earnings management and Insiders ownership. It was also noted that board independence and auditors’ independence has little or no effect on earnings management. The study therefore recommend that in order to curb earnings management practices, governance code of conduct for business entities should be strengthened and compliance should be enforced.El debate sobre el impacto del mecanismo de gobierno corporativo en la gestión de los ingresos sigue sin ser concluyente. En este artículo se hace uso de las técnicas de estimación de mínimos cuadrados de dos etapas para examinar la relación entre ambas variables a partir de datos de empresas cotizadas en la Bolsa de Valores de Nigeria entre 2012 y 2016. Se excluyen los datos de la industria financiera debido al peculiar el sistema anual de información financiera del sector. Los resultados obtenidos revelan que, en el mejor de los casos, la relación entre el código de gobierno corporativo y la administración de ingresos es mixta. En concreto, se muestra que el código de gobierno ejerce una influencia negativa en la gestión de las ganancias, mientras que se observa una relación positiva entre la gestión de las ganancias y la propiedad de los internos. También se observa que la independencia del Consejo y la independencia de los auditores tienen poco o ningún impacto en la gestión de las ganancias. Por tanto, este estudio recomienda que, para frenar las prácticas de gestión de ingresos, se fortalezca el código de conducta de gobierno de las entidades comerciales y se exija su cumplimiento

Analgesic Effects of Lignocaine Alone and in Combination with Meloxicam Administered Epidurally in Dogs Undergoing Femoral Exposure

The experiment was done to evaluate and compare the analgesic effects of lignocaine alone and in combination with meloxicam administered epidurally in dogs undergoing femoral exposure. Eight (n=8) apparently healthy Nigeria local dogs with average weight 9.6kg were used for the research. They were randomly grouped into two groups (A and B) of four dogs each. Pain assessment was done using physiologic parameters (temperature, pulse rate and respiratory rate), haematologic parameters (total WBC count and differential neutrophil count) mined using clinical algometer at o minute and subsequently and 30, 60, 90,120,150 and 180 minutes respectively. The mean values of each parameter were subjected to student t-test with p-values (0.05).Pain threshold showed no significant difference between group A and B (p>0.05).There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to rectal temperature (p>0.05). For pulse rate, significant difference was observed between group A and B(p<0.05).For respiratory rate, there was significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05).Differential neutrophil count statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05).There was no significant difference at any time interval between the two groups with respect to Complete White Blood Cell Count(p>0.05).It was concluded that combined lignocaine and meloxicam administered epidurally rendered prolong analgesia than use of lignocaine alone without any postsurgical complication

Analgesic Effects of Lignocaine Alone and in Combination with Meloxicam Administered Epidurally in Dogs Undergoing Femoral Exposure

The experiment was done to evaluate and compare the analgesic effects of lignocaine alone and in combination with meloxicam administered epidurally in dogs undergoing femoral exposure. Eight (n=8) apparently healthy Nigeria local dogs with average weight 9.6kg were used for the research. They were randomly grouped into two groups (A and B) of four dogs each. Pain assessment was done using physiologic parameters (temperature, pulse rate and respiratory rate), haematologic parameters (total WBC count and differential neutrophil count) mined using clinical algometer at o minute and subsequently and 30, 60, 90,120,150 and 180 minutes respectively. The mean values of each parameter were subjected to student t-test with p-values (0.05).Pain threshold showed no significant difference between group A and B (p>0.05).There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to rectal temperature (p>0.05). For pulse rate, significant difference was observed between group A and B(p<0.05).For respiratory rate, there was significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05).Differential neutrophil count statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05).There was no significant difference at any time interval between the two groups with respect to Complete White Blood Cell Count(p>0.05).It was concluded that combined lignocaine and meloxicam administered epidurally rendered prolong analgesia than use of lignocaine alone without any postsurgical complication

Academic performance data of undergraduate students' in 23 programmes from a private University in Nigeria

The quality of teaching and learning in higher education in many developing countries can be improved as institutions in this region adopt evidence-based practices that emphasize empirical measurements, observations, analysis and reports of learning outcomes. This article presents and analyses data on the academic performances of undergraduate students for duration of three semesters across the three major colleges of Landmark University,a private University in Nigeria. The colleges include the college ofAgricultural Sciences (CAS), college of Business and Social Sciences(CBSS), and the college of Science and Engineering (CSE).Furthermore, population samples of 82, 577 and 812 under-graduates were selected randomly from CAS, CBSS and CSE respectively; totaling a population of sample of 1471 undergraduates from all academic levels (200L–500L) with the exception of first year students. The random selection was drawn from three consecutive semesters- the first and second semesters of academic 2016/2017 session and first semester of 2017/2018 academic session. The cumulative GPA of the sample population of students forthe semester highlighted was obtained from the Centre for Systems and Information Services Units of the University. Moti-vated by the need to promote evidence-based research in aca-demic excellence, a spread-sheet containing the detailed dataset isattached to this article. The descriptive statistics and frequency distributions of academic performance data are presented in withthe use of tables and graphs for easy data interpretations. The data provided in this article supports the goal of a regional policy towards the realization of qualitative sustainable education