Factors Influencing Access to Reliable Healthcare Financing among Elderly Population in Africa

Population is ageing rapidly in all regions of the world and unreliable healthcare financing is capable of hindering older people from seeking competent medical attention which in turn may lead to their suffering, insecurity and/or death. In Africa, lack of access to reliable healthcare financing in old age poses serious development challenges and it is detrimental to healthy ageing, especially because elderly population are known to be facing various health challenges which require huge financial costs. Existing studies have shown that it is not sufficient to provide reliable healthcare financing for older people, it is more important to provide them access to these services. Ensuring that the elderly population has access to reliable healthcare financing in particular as well as other available and possible social support mechanisms that may encourage the provision of and access to reliable healthcare financing in general is a challenge and very key to healthy ageing. Through authors’ experiences in the healthcare system, narrative review of existing literature and interactions with some elderly people, this article explores various factors influencing older people’s access to reliable healthcare financing. It is believed that understanding of factors influencing access to reliable healthcare financing among older people in Africa will go a long way in directing policies toward the right course

Community participation in crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria

The rural areas in Nigeria have become notorious with all kinds of crime. Inadequate amenities such as good roads and communication infrastructure in rural areas in Nigeria have made it difficult for the Nigeria Police to effectively detect and prevent crimes in rural Nigeria. It is consequent on these escalations of criminal activities that rural communities in Nigeria have evolved community policing to protect their neighbourhoods. This article presents the benefits of using qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection to unravel the potentials inherent in informal crime prevention and control in rural localities in Nigeria. The social capital theory was used to bring out the benefits of community participation in crime control in rural Nigeria. Findings from the study indicated high theft cases as common crime in rural Nigeria. Youths were observed to constitute greater percentage of suspects at police stations for crime. Unemployment and poverty among the rural populace especially youths were responsible for these criminalities. The absence of social infrastructure, inade�quate police presence and government support to unemployed youths made the crime situations worse in rural areas. There was low level of community interactions with the police in crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria. The study recommended increased police-public partnership in crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria

Social, Economic and Ecological Factors Influencing Cassava Farming in Nigerian Rural Context

This study examined socio-economic and ecological factors influencing cassava farming, various products and benefits of cassava farming, challenges facing cassava farming, and governmental interventions geared toward promoting cassava farming in Nigerian rural context. Descriptive explanatory research design was adopted to collect primary data from cassava farmers in Kuje Area Council, Abuja. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select study sample, using semi-structured questionnaire and indepth interview guide as research instruments. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results demonstrated that various socio-economic and ecological factors influenced cassava farming in the study location. Also, findings showed that there were several final products and bi-products of cassava that served various socio-economic benefits. Lastly, the findings revealed that majority of the cassava farmers had not received any government intervention. Among the minority who had received government interventions, it was gathered that financial support, amenities and equipment, as well as seeds and new species were the major assistance rendered by the government. The study concluded that there were various socio-economic factors influencing cassava farming in the study location and recommended that soft loans, access to land, basic amenities and farm implements, small scale investment in cassava farming and favourable policies should be considered for cassava farmers especially in Nigerian rural areas

Social, Economic and Ecological Factors Influencing Cassava Farming in Nigerian Rural Context

This study examines socio-economic and ecological factors influencing cassava farming, benefits of cassava farming, challenges facing cassava farming and governmental interventions geared toward promoting cassava farming in Nigerian rural context. Descriptive research design was adopted to collect primary data from cassava farmers in Kuje Area Council, Abuja. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select study sample, using semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interview guide as research instruments. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results demonstrated that various socio-economic factors affected cassava farming in the study location. Also, findings showed that there were several socio-economic benefits of cassava. Lastly, the findings revealed that majority of the cassava farmers had not received any government intervention. Among the minority who had received government interventions, it was gathered that financial support, and provision of amenities and equipment, as well as seeds and new species were the major assistance received from the government. The study concluded that there were various socio-economic factors influencing cassava farming in the study location and recommended that soft loans, access to land, basic amenities and farm implements, small scale investment in cassava farming and favourable policies should be considered for cassava farmers especially in Nigerian rural areas

Different Forms of Work and Different Conditions of Work in a NEO-Liberal Market Economy

Casualization refers to the systematic replacement of full-time and part-time staff with staff employed on an ad hoc basis. Regular work is not provided but the casual worker is expected to be available when required. Theoretically, casualization leads to the reduction of an organization’s operational costs by increasing the ease with which workers can be included and excluded from the workforce. Therefore, a casual worker is a worker on a temporary employment contract with generally limited entitlements to benefits and little or no security of employment. The main attribute is the absence of a continuing relationship of any stability with an employer, which could lead to their not being considered “employees” at all. Casual workers differ from other non-permanent workers in that they often possess fewer rights and less protection). A plethora of terms have been deployed to define and account for the growth of this type of irregular employment contract. For example, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has used terms like disguised employment or triangular employment relationship to define the emergence of sub-contractors, independent contractors, home-based workers and all manner of “in-formalised” work. Based on this argument, this study tends to examine the different forms of work as well as the different conditions of work in a neo-liberal market. The paper was guided by the neo-liberal theory

Awareness on abortion legality among undergraduate students in Nigerian Universities

The aim of this work is to measure and determine the awareness on abortion and its legality amongst youths in Nigerian Universities. The undergraduate students of some selected universities in Nigeria constituted the study population. These were male and female undergraduate students across the faculties and departments of the schools. The study made use of questionnaire as the source of data collection. A total of 587 questionnaires were administered and analysed. Findings from this study supported literature on the knowledge of undergraduates on abortion. It further revealed that awareness of legal provisions guiding abortion in Nigeria was low, as only 28.3% of the respondents were aware of the criminal and penal code laws relating to abortion. It is recommended that the schools should include education of legal stance on abortion in the curriculum. Also, the undergraduate students should be educated on mortality resulting from abortion to boost the development rate of the country

Different Forms of Work and Different Conditions of Work in a NEO-Liberal Market Economy

Casualization refers to the systematic replacement of full-time and part-time staff with staff employed on an ad hoc basis. Regular work is not provided but the casual worker is expected to be available when required. Theoretically, casualization leads to the reduction of an organization’s operational costs by increasing the ease with which workers can be included and excluded from the workforce. Therefore, a casual worker is a worker on a temporary employment contract with generally limited entitlements to benefits and little or no security of employment. The main attribute is the absence of a continuing relationship of any stability with an employer, which could lead to their not being considered “employees” at all. Casual workers differ from other non-permanent workers in that they often possess fewer rights and less protection). A plethora of terms have been deployed to define and account for the growth of this type of irregular employment contract. For example, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has used terms like disguised employment or triangular employment relationship to define the emergence of sub-contractors, independent contractors, home-based workers and all manner of “in-formalised” work. Based on this argument, this study tends to examine the different forms of work as well as the different conditions of work in a neo-liberal market. The paper was guided by the neo-liberal theory. Keywords: Casualization, Casual workers, Employment contract, labour productivity, Employment relationshi

Discrimination in inmates classification: Corrolate to disorder within correctional centres in Nigeria

Inequality precedes injustice, as seen in the class difference evident in Nigerian Correctional Centres due to the classification of inmates into high profile and ordinary profile. Therefore, this study examines the dual classification of inmates and its effects on order within correctional centres. Karl Marx’s theory of social conflict was adopted in explaining the differences in economic status and power among the inmates. The study adopts a phenomenological research design. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were used in this study. The study population was purposely selected to elicit responses to the research questions. 30 participants of different classifications relevant to the study were purposely selected and interviewed. Content analysis forms the basic method of data analysis as responses were quoted verbatim. Findings show that preferential treatment of highprofile inmates made ordinary inmates feel inferior, rebellious, and frustrated which led to riots or protests. Findings also show that highprofile inmates often break rules, instigate inmates against officers and often look down on officers based on their connection. The study concluded that the incarceration of highprofile inmates sends a message to the public that nobody is above the law and promotes conformity. Still, the special treatment of highprofile inmates says otherwise. It is recommended that no preferential treatment should be given to high-profile inmates to reduce protests and agitations by ordinary-profile inmates. The Government should ensure adequate welfare is provided for every inmate to reduce the show of class in the centres

Community participation in crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria

The rural areas in Nigeria have become notorious with all kinds of crime. Inadequate amenities such as good roads and communication infrastructure in rural areas in Nigeria have made it difficult for the Nigeria Police to effectively detect and prevent crimes in rural Nigeria. It is consequent on these escalations of criminal activities that rural communities in Nigeria have evolved community policing to protect their neighbourhoods. This article presents the benefits of using qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection to unravel the potentials inherent in informal crime prevention and control in rural localities in Nigeria. The social capital theory was used to bring out the benefits of community participation in crime control in rural Nigeria. Findings from the study indicated high theft cases as common crime in rural Nigeria. Youths were observed to constitute greater percentage of suspects at police stations for crime. Unemployment and poverty among the rural populace especially youths were responsible for these criminalities. The absence of social infrastructure, inade- quate police presence and government support to unemployed youths made the crime situations worse in rural areas. There was low level of community interactions with the police in crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria. The study recommended increased police-public partnership in crime prevention and control in rural Nigeria

Assessment of government’s intervention policies and its impact on the herder–farmer coexistence in North Central Nigeria

This research work examines the government intervention policies and how helpful they have been in achieving herder–farmer peaceful coexistence in the North Central part of Nigeria, with a focus on Kogi and Benue States. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive design with a sample size of 759 respondents, and both univariate analyses, i.e. descriptive statistics, such as frequency distribution in percentage and bivariate Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and regression analysis, were adopted. The results show that the various intervention programmes or policies have not been helpful in improving the coexistence of the herders and farmers in the North Central region and Nigeria at a large scale as perceived by the respondents. The findings of the study show that people perceived the government intervention programme in their locality as not helpful in achieving the goal of herder–farmer peaceful coexistence. The findings also show that the policies of the government have not addressed the root cause of the conflict, making it difficult to have an expected effect on the two conflicting parties. Therefore, the study recommends implementing proper and prompt monitoring and evaluation of policies to determine their impact on the targeted population while conducting more orientation programmes about the intention of the government intervention programmes and policies, with particular emphasis on reaching out to the rural communities and not just focusing on the activities in the media only.</p