Forest Product Industry and Engineered Wood Products: The Nigerian Experience

The forest product industry in Nigeria is barely surviving rather than thriving. Faced with a lot of challenges, the industry has witnessed the closure of many wood processing industries while a few are operating at low capacity. This paper examines engineered wood products and the outlook on wood and wood products in Nigeria. It discusses some of the challenges that have inhibited the growth of the industry and provides recommendations for reinventing the industry through development of modern value-added wood products for sustainable building construction. Keywords: Collaboration; Engineered wood products; Forestry product industry; Glulam; Sustainability

LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS

The concept of managerial leadership permeates the theory and practice of work organizations. While most definitions of leadership reflect the assumption that leadership involves a process whereby an individual exerts influence upon others in an organizational context, leadership is by nature dialectical. It is socially constructed through the interaction of both leaders and followers. Strategic planning and management are more than a set of managerial tools. They constitute a mind-set, an approach that involves looking at the changes in the internal and external environment that confront the Chairman and other members of the executive council of a LGC. By a strategic approach to HRM, we are referring to a managerial process requiring human resource policies and practices to be linked with the strategic objectives of the organization. This paper critically examines the concept of managerial leadership and  Strategic Human Resource Management (SRHM). It appraises the strategic management process and factors affecting strategy in the Nigerian Local Government Councils. It concludes with a simple example of SHRM using SWOT analysis. Crafting, implementing and monitoring an effective strategy will assist LGCs to become very successful and stay successful. KEY WORDS: Leadership; Strategy; Human Resource Management; Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM); Local Government Councils; SWOT Analysis

Sexual Violence as a Predictor of Unwanted Pregnancy: Evidence from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey

Gender-based domestic violence (GBDV) continues to pose a serious threat to woman folk and the society at large. All efforts to reduce the menace have not yielded an impressive result and thus, the prevalence rate is still unacceptably high. Employing analytic nationally representative weighted sample size, 15,941women aged 15-49 years who were currently pregnant or ever had at least one pregnancy experience were interviewed for domestic violence through quantitative instrument (questionnaire). The data were analysed with a chi-squared test and binary logistic regression using STATA 13. Overall, one quarter (24.7%) of the total respondents who ever experienced domestic violence from their spouses or intimate sexual partners reported having experienced unwanted/unintended pregnancy. It was evident in the study that GBDV is significantly related to unwanted pregnancy even after controlling for all other tested independent variables like age, educational attainment, wealth index, religion, place of residence and other fertility related variables such as number of children ever born, contraceptive use and pregnancy termination experience. Spousal abuse in any form is a crucial predictor of unwanted pregnancy in Nigeria. Therefore, addressing gender-based domestic violence is critical to reducing the menace of unwanted pregnancy and taming unnecessary population growth in Nigeria

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Glulam beams: Performance of PVA and PUR adhesives on bending strengths of locally selected Nigerian timber species

The applicability of structural timber to construction is due to its desirable qualities such as lightweight, aesthetics and eco-friendliness. However, continuous use of timber for structural purposes comes with the challenge posed by the anisotropic nature of various timber species. Advanced societies have developed and modified their sawn timber species in form of glue-laminated structural members such as beams, columns, joist etc. Nigeria timber species are yet to be fully explored along glued-laminated beams production. This paper assesses the suitability of three selected Nigerian timber species namely; Gmelina Arborea (ML), Terminalia superba (AF) and Pycnanthus angolensis (AK) for production of glued-laminated (glulam) beams. They are locally known respectively as Melina (ML), Afara (AF) and Akomu (AK). The applicability and glue-ability of the glues and their ultimate effect on the flexural strength were investigated through the use of two different types of glue components namely; polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and polyurethane (PUR) glue. The physical properties of the timber species such as moisture content (MC) and densities were determined using BS EN 408. The beams produced which are 1680mm by 150mm by 120mm in dimension were subjected to two points loading system to determine their flexural strengths and failure loads in accordance with ASTM D-198. The flexural strengths results indicated that Pycnanthus angolensis offered most resistance to bending loads with an average flexural strength value of 16.04N/mm2 when PUR glue was used and 13.04N/mm2 when PVA glue was used. The ANOVA result showed that glue types have significant effect on the flexural strength at confidence level of 95%. It was concluded that Pycnanthus angolensis is most suitable for structural applications. PUR is considered the better glue in terms of strength and glue-ability while PVA glue is considered better in terms of workability and applicability based on almost perfect glue line integrity achieved

Relationship between Perceived Spousal Social Support and Blood Pressure Control among Hypertensive Patients Attending General Outpatient Clinic in Federal Teaching Hospital, IdoEkiti, Nigeria

Background: Despite many approaches to control hypertension, a lot of people still experience challenges keeping their Blood Pressure (BP) under control, and because the condition requires life - long treatment, many patients will need additional effort from their spouses. The spouse shares intimacy with patient and is the chief source of social support that provides fi nancial assistance, reminds and encourages medication use, shows concern and interest by discussing issues related to the disease. Therefore, exploring the relationship between Perceived Spousal Social Support (PSSS) and BP control will help the physician and other stakeholders harness the gains of this association to achieving BP control, prevent complications and death associated with hypertension. Objective: To identify the relationship between perceived spousal social support and blood pressure control among hypertensive patients attending General Outpatient Clinic (GOPC) in Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria. Materials and methods: This was a hospital - based cross - sectional study carried out between June and August 2016 among 298 hypertensive patients aged 18 and 65 years attending GOPC of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti. Collection of data was done using pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, blood pressure measurement and 4-point Likert Social Support questionnaire to measure the perceived spousal social support. Data was analysed using SPSS IBM version 17.0. Results: Mean age of respondents was 56.0 ± 8.5 years and seventy percent were females with male to female ratio of 1:2.3. Less than half of the respondents, 47.7% and about half of the respondents, 50.3% achieved BP control and demonstrated strong PSSS respectively. There was statistically signifi cant relationship between PSSS and BP control (χ2 = 27.05, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Social support perceived by participants positively infl uenced their BP control. Family Physicians and other health care providers should therefore determine and enhance the level of this support and encourage spouses to provide this support for their partners who have hypertension or those having diffi culty controlling their BP despite the appropriate use their medications