MULTILINGUALISM AND THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE QUESTION

We do have nations being described as multilingual, if more than two languages are the official languages, as in Switzerland. In the Ex-colonies, the problem of multilingualism is a little different because of the diverse ethnolinguistic backgrounds of the people. The imposed languages serving as unifying forces are not the languages of any one group in the nation. Sequentially, two problems are created in the National Language question. The first is the importation of English into the country, as in Nigeria, as far back as the 15th century; and Lord Lugard’s amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates in 1914. Along with this foreign language came its foreign culture. The English Language does not at all qualify as the Nigerian National Language. Secondly, the government incapacitated itself by giving official recognition to only three out of 521 languages (Oyetayo, 2006) and using the derogatory term “MAJORâ€, meaning that all the other, over 518 languages are “MINOR†languages. A titanic criticism on the government is that totalitarian posture, posing instability to the corporate unity of the nation. There is no categorical statement for an indigenous language, taking over from English. Any proposal that does not take into cognizance the multilingual nature of the country is not likely to succeed. To solve this, we propose that the language spoken by the smallest (micro) population in the country be selected. This should be allowed to develop from within, then expand to some other languages in the form of borrowing, as borrowing is a normal consequence of the natural contact of language in multilingual societies

Corporate Diversification and Firm Performance: Evidence from the Nigerian Banking Sector

Corporate diversification plays an important role in strategic decision-making, especially when it comes to corporate expansion and growth. This study examined the impact of corporate diversification on the financial performance of deposit money banks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The study covered a ten-year period, from 2010 to 2019, and included data from the annual reports of thirteen listed deposit-taking institutions. Two accounting and one economic measure of firm performance were chosen as indices for the response variables, while the predictor variables were specialisation, related diversification, unrelated diversification and cross-border diversification. Using the panel generalised least square method, the study found that specialisation and related diversification significantly influence firm performance in the Nigerian banking sector. The study, therefore, recommends cross-border geographical expansion for deposit banks in Nigeria while maintaining services in areas of expertise

Detection of mesocarp oleoyl-thioesterase gene of the South American oil palm Elaeis oleifera by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

The thioesterase enzyme functions in lipid synthesis by cleaving the acyl-ACP bond and liberating the fatty acid. Thioesterases have been isolated from a number of plant sources. The gene for this enzyme was detected in Elaeis oleifera by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cloned and sequenced and found to have considerable sequence similarity with other previously cloned thioesterases. Its highest homology is to the Brassica napus oleoyl-ACP thioesterase, 72% at the nucleotide level over the coding region examined, and 83% identity (90% positives) at the amino acid level. Key Words: Elaeis oleifera, mesocarp, oleoyl-ACP thioesterase, RT-PCR. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(11) 2004: 595-59

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in vitro morphogenesis in response to growth regulators, sucrose and nitrogen

Studies were conducted to test the effect of different growth regulators, sucrose and nitrogen on Phoenix dactylifera L. explants cultured on Eeuwen’s basal medium. Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) wasvery effective for callus induction. Addition of cytokinins (BAP and Kinetin) to NAA containing media did not enhance actual callus growth. Sucrose influenced callus production. Depending on the auxin concentration of media, callus production could be supported by sucrose within the range 15 - 105 g/l but the optimum sucrose concentration in the medium in all cases, as determined by size of callus was 30 g/l. NAA and sucrose tended to interact at relatively high levels of sucrose (45 – 90 g/l) to produceroots in culture. KNO3 was essential as a source of nitrogen for callogenesis and optimum callus formation was observed at 50 mM (combined nitrogen)

Isolation and Characterization of Starches from eight Dioscorea alata cultivars grown in Jamaica

Starches from eight Dioscorea alata cultivars grown in Jamaica were isolated and characterized. The starches were found to possess the open hydrated hexagonal crystalline pattern (type-B) with apparent amylose content ranging from 20.117 ± 0.017 gKg-1 for Darknight yam to 23.001 ± 0.058 gKg-1 for Barbados. The starch granules were found to display an asymmetric “Maltese” cross upon exposure to polarized light with projected mean granule diameters ranging from 22.89 ìm to 28.01 ìm. The starch granules were predominantly ellipsoidal in shape with only Renta yam and Barbados yam displaying triangular shaped granules. The swelling power of the starches were found to increase with temperature, with Moonshine (895.551 ± 1.051%) having the highest swelling power and Renta yam (757.401 ± 6.101%) the lowest at 95°C. Variations were also observed in the solubility, phosphorous content, crude fat content and gelatinization temperatures of the different yam starches. The properties of the different Dioscorea alata starches may prove useful in nutritional application

Traditional Vs Smart Electricity Metering Systems: A Brief Overview

Electricity meters are devices for electricity consumption measurements, which have been used and are still in use today with modern technologies. In some places, traditional electricity meters are replaced with smart electricity meters for more accuracy, efficiency, features, privacy, security and visibility in electricity measurements. Literature review was used in this study to compare traditional analogue electricity meters with digital electricity meters. Therefore, the achievements and challenges of 12 countries around the world (2 countries on each continent except Antarctic), which adopted smart electricity metering solutions, were also explored. The paper considered consumers electricity meters and not power grid meters. It was shown that deploying smart metering solutions improve grid reliability, enhance revenue management, reduce electricity losses, address billing and credit control difficulties, promote energy efficiency, improve services to customers, postpone construction of new power generation plants, reduce power theft and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  However, smart electricity metering solutions are not adopted worldwide because of: ageing and outdated infrastructures, inadequate resources, lack of integrated communication platforms, cost of deployment, transition from legacy systems, management of the vast amounts of data, compatibility of elder equipment, lack of standards and interoperability and changes in regulatory protocols and policies. Keywords: Traditional metering, Smart metering, Smart electricity meters, smart grid, Traditional electricity meter

Evaluation of Health Risk Concerns of Trace Metals in Borehole Water Proximal to Dumpsites in Benin City, Nigeria

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the health risk concern of some trace metals in selected borehole drinking water proximal to open dumpsites in Benin City. Borehole water samples were collected and analysed for trace metals using standard methods. Health risk and pollution indices were used to characterise the trace metals. The average daily dosage (ADD) results showed low concentrations of the trace metals in the various borehole sites. Oluku 1 had Mn (0.04), Zn (0.11) and Cu (0.01). Oluku 2 had Mn (0.43), Zn (0.18) and Cu (0.01) while Ikueniro 1 had Mn (0.05), Zn (0.17) and Cu (0.01) and Ikueniro 2 had Mn (0.04), Zn (0.15) and Cu (0.01). The hazard quotient (HQs) and hazard index (HI) values were < 1. The results of the Metal Pollution Index (MPI) revealed the values of Oluku 1 (4.6E-06), Oluku 2 (1.0E-04), Ikueniro 1 (1.4-05) and Ikueniro 2 (5.6E-06). The classification of the water were within class 0 and 1. The findings of this study have revealed that the trace metal contents found in the boreholes waters were within the safe limits as referenced. On this premise, the borehole waters were recommended safe for consumption without any health risk impact, consequent of no evidence of pollution.Keywords: Health Risk; Trace Metals; Borehole Water; Dumpsite

Optimal dosage determination of a hypocholesterolemic bitter yam proprietary preparation in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic mice

Coronary heart disease, a condition associated with dyslipidemias including hyperlipidemia and low HDL-C levels, has been an increasing problem in the developing world. Conventional treatment for hyperlipidemia often present with unfavourable side effects, leading to the need for development of drugs from natural products. The hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic properties of the Jamaican bitter yam have previously been demonstrated however consumption at a high dosage presents with various adverse effects. This study is therefore geared towards the determination of an optimal dosage for the consumption of a proprietary preparation made from this yam species. Hypercholesterolemic mice were fed the preparation at various dosages (4, 2, 1, 0.5%) for 3 weeks after which they were phlebotomized then euthanized. Organs were stored at -80°C until required for analysis. The optimal dosage for supplementation, which resulted in significant decreases in serum cholesterol and oxidative stress without eliciting adverse effects, was found to be 2%. The results from this study points to the need for future in-depth studies involving dietary supplementation at the 2% supplementation level.&nbsp

Challenge of Using Non-Degradable Waste Material Polystyrene Packing in Reinforced Concrete Design and Construction

Weight and Environmental concerns are two elements that have made the search for alternative materials of construction critical in today’s construction industry. The importance of finding a solution to the problem has given rise to the use of non-degradable materials. This study examines the challenges of making such material as polystyrene used in product packaging a part of the structural element in construction. Such adventure it is envisaged reduced the volume and number of landfill sites in Nigeria where air pollution arising from dump sites affects the health of citizens. To achieve this aim, Styrofoam was used as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate (granite) by volume. The replacement was carried out in varying percentages of 10, 20 and 30% Styrofoam concretes respectively with a concrete mix ratio of 1:1:2. The result obtained showed that concrete produced using Styrofoam as the alternative aggregate possess lesser values of compressive strength when compared with the control of conventional concrete without Styrofoam. The optimal percentage of a replacement for Styrofoam concrete was 10% with a compressive strength of 21.33 N/mm2 while the control concrete had a compressive strength of 33.26 N/mm2. The loss of strength of Styrofoam concrete is compensated by the reduction of the requirement for landfill sites and the attendant pollution generated while the concrete can be used for non-structural elements in construction