The Prospects of M-Voting Implementation in Nigeria

Since independence, an average of 50% of registered voters participates in voting [1]. Similarly, an increasing rate of apathy was observed between the electorate and the elect, which was not unconnected with lack of transparency, accountability, and probity on the part of government [2]. Thus the electorate did not see the need to subject itself to any stress. Consequently, government is very committed to implementing the forth coming elections through e-voting. This paper proposes the prospects of m-voting implementation in Nigeria through the use of mobile phones, PDAs, etc. with guaranteed security, secrecy, and convenience in a democratization process. It also reviews the level of adoption of GSM in Nigeria, the implication of voting through the GSM, and finally introducing m-voting innovation in the voting process to increase voters’ access and participation rate in election

E-Commerce Adoption in Nigerian Businesses: An Analysis Using the Technology-Organization-Environmental Framework

Business organizations around the world engage in e-commerce (EC) and e-business to support business operations and enhance revenue generation from non-traditional sources. Studies focusing on EC adoption in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) are just beginning to emerge in the extant information systems (IS) literature. The objective of this current study is to investigate factors impacting the acceptance of EC in small businesses in SSA with Nigeria as an example. A research model based on the Diffusion of Innovation (DIT) and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) frameworks were used to guide this discourse. Such factors as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, management support, organizational readiness, external pressure, and IS vendor support were used to develop relevant hypotheses. Questionnaires were administered to respondents in Nigeria and data analysis was performed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. Predictions related to relative advantage, management support, and IS vendor support were confirmed; the other hypotheses were unsupported by the data. The study’s implications for research and practice are discussed in the chapter

An Empirical Evaluation of the Effects of Gender Differences and Self-Efficacy in the Adoption of E-Banking in Nigeria: A Modified Technology Acceptance Model

The issues of gender disparity in the usage of information technology (IT), as well as self-efficacy, have received considerable interest and attention among researchers in recent times. Prior research has identified that gender differences and self-efficiency affect the attitude towards adoption and use of technology. In general, females are believed to be disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts with respect to IT usage and acceptance. The reasoning is that males are mostly more exposed to technology and tend to have more proficiency with such tools. Very little information exists in the extant literature regarding perceptions in developing parts of the world, including Africa. In this chapter, an empirical evaluation of the issues in the context of e-banking will be made in Lagos (Nigeria) and its environs. An extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) will be used as a conceptual framework to guide the discourse. Data analysis was done on SPSS 15.0. The study’s results showed that gender differences moderated the acceptance of e-banking of users in the research context. Namely, computer self efficacy and perceived ease of use were of concerns to females, but less so for their male counterparts. Also, perceived usefulness of e-banking is discovered to be the most influencing factor for male users. The study’s implications for research and practice are discussed in the chapter

M-Commerce Implementation in Nigeria: Trends and Issues

Nigeria was described as the fastest growing telecoms nation in Africa and the third in the World. The country had experienced a phenomenal growth from a teledensity of 0.49 in 2000 to 25.22 in 2007. This trend has brought about a monumental development in the major sectors of the economy, such as banking, telecoms and commerce in general. This paper presents the level of adoption of ICT in the banking sector and investigates the prospects of m-Commerce in Nigeria based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Findings revealed that all banks in Nigeria offer e-Banking services and about 52% of the offer some forms of m-Banking services. The banks and the telecoms operators have enormous potentials and opportunities for m-Commerce but the level of patronage, quality of cell phones, lack of basic infrastructure and security issues pose a major threat to its wide scale implementation

A Framework for e-Commerce Implementation: Nigeria a Case Study

The advent of the Internet has transformed the business environment in no small measure and has influenced the ways and manner businesses are transacted. This platform has brought about enhanced electronic and mobile business transactions. However, the advent of e-Commerce, m-Commerce or i-Commerce has placed a premium on the participating organisations or nations in terms of provision of the basic infrastructure for a secure, seamless and trusted business environment through the electronic media. This paper presents an exploratory study of the prospects of e-Commerce implementation and the factors inhibiting its growth. A set of questionnaire was designed, administered and analysed based on political, economic, social and technological (PEST) analysis. The PEST analysis is to help review the current practices with a view to developing a framework for Nigeria and other developing nations in Africa. Findings revealed that the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is the most widely used medium of e-Payment in Nigeria, which is not very suitable for e-Commerce implementation. Similarly, the Internet penetration is still abysmally low and is one of the major threats to e-Commerce implementation. However, the nascent democracy enjoyed in Nigeria is faced with some teething problems, but it promised with time, relative political stability, direct foreign investment, improved economical atmosphere, improved social services and technological development more than ever witnessed in the country. Therefore, a viable framework for Nigeria and Africa would be such that involves the private and public partnership (PPP). This consortium is expected to provide the platform for access to the Internet and popularize the use of e-Payment among other things

The Prospects of m-Commerce Implementation: Issues and Trends

The recent developments in mobile telecommunications and its spread, with over one-third of the world population having access to the device, have made it a viable platform for business transactions. The application areas that are being addressed include government (in-Government), commerce (m-Commerce), business (in-Business), payment (In-Payment), learning (m-Learning) and health (m-Health), to mention a few. This paper discusses the prospects of m-Commerce, the issues, application areas, payment system, security and the growth of mobile devices and networks. Similarly, the paper presents the prospect of m-Commerce particularly, In-Banking in Nigeria, which is the fastest growing telecommunications nation in Africa and the third in the world

The prospects of E-Examination Implementation in Nigeria

The massive examination leakages, demand for gratification by teachers, bribe-taking by supervisors and invigilators of examinations have become a global phenomenon. This menace has resulted to general fallen standards of education and Nigeria is no exception, particularly among developing nations. Consequent upon this, all Nigerian universities have resorted to conducting post-entrance “Post-JAMB” examination/screening because of lack of confidence in the conduct of the entrance examinations. This paper proposes a model for e-Examination in Nigeria where all applicants are subjected to online entrance examination as a way of curbing the irregularities as proposed by the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), the body saddled with the responsibility of conducting entrance examinations into all the Nigerian universities. This model was designed and tested in Covenant University, one of the private universities in Nigeria. There were 120 questions drawn from English (30), Mathematics (30), General Science (20), Commercial Courses (20), and Religion Knowledge (20), all for one hour duration. Questionnaires were administered to the applicants at the end of the examination to assess their level of ICT literacy, ease of use of the system and the difficulties encountered. Findings revealed that the system has the potentials to eliminate some of the problems that are associated with the traditional methods of examination such as impersonation and other forms of examination malpractices. The system is easy to use and candidates can get use to it with time. The timing of examination can be spaced without compromising the quality and integrity of the examination. However, much is still desired if the system were to be adopted on a national scale, particularly in terms of infrastructural and manpower development. Similarly, the quest for e-Examination can fast track the development of e-Learning facilities in the country with improved access to education

Rauvolfia vomitoria Afzel. disrupts dentate gyrus cells

88-94Herbal remedy for neurological problems may have adverse effects, and could prove detrimental if not regulated properly. Rauvolfia vomitoria (RV) is a herb commonly associated with psychiatry management because of its antipsychotic and sedative properties. Here, we studied the effects of the root bark extract of R. vomitoria on the dentate gyrus of adult Wistar rats. Twenty four adult Wistar rats (220 g average) were divided into four groups (n=6); control (placebo), 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg RV root bark extract, respectively for 7 days. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after last administration, and the brains were processed for histology and immunoreactivity. Results showed hypertrophy and atrophy of granule cells in all 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg RV groups, respectively. There was increased neuron specific enolase and glial fibrillary acidic protein expressions in the 200 and 300 mg/kg RV groups, while these proteins expression were decreased in the 400 mg/kg RV group. These results suggest that RV cause dentate gyrus cell injury in a dose-dependent pattern, and may lead to degeneration and disruption of functions

Steroid receptor coactivator-1 modulates the function of Pomc neurons and energy homeostasis

Hypothalamic neurons expressing the anorectic peptide Pro-opiomelanocortin (Pomc) regulate food intake and body weight. Here, we show that Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1 (SRC-1) interacts with a target of leptin receptor activation, phosphorylated STAT3, to potentiate Pomc transcription. Deletion of SRC-1 in Pomc neurons in mice attenuates their depolarization by leptin, decreases Pomc expression and increases food intake leading to high-fat diet-induced obesity. In humans, fifteen rare heterozygous variants in SRC-1 found in severely obese individuals impair leptin-mediated Pomc reporter activity in cells, whilst four variants found in non-obese controls do not. In a knock-in mouse model of a loss of function human variant (SRC-1L1376P), leptin-induced depolarization of Pomc neurons and Pomc expression are significantly reduced, and food intake and body weight are increased. In summary, we demonstrate that SRC-1 modulates the function of hypothalamic Pomc neurons, and suggest that targeting SRC-1 may represent a useful therapeutic strategy for weight loss.Peer reviewe

The UK10K project identifies rare variants in health and disease

M. Kivimäki työryhmäjäsen.The contribution of rare and low-frequency variants to human traits is largely unexplored. Here we describe insights from sequencing whole genomes (low read depth, 7x) or exomes (high read depth, 80x) of nearly 10,000 individuals from population-based and disease collections. In extensively phenotyped cohorts we characterize over 24 million novel sequence variants, generate a highly accurate imputation reference panel and identify novel alleles associated with levels of triglycerides (APOB), adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLR and RGAG1) from single-marker and rare variant aggregation tests. We describe population structure and functional annotation of rare and low-frequency variants, use the data to estimate the benefits of sequencing for association studies, and summarize lessons from disease-specific collections. Finally, we make available an extensive resource, including individual-level genetic and phenotypic data and web-based tools to facilitate the exploration of association results.Peer reviewe