Climate Change, Environment and Armed Conflicts in Nigeria

Climate change has become a major cause of conflicts in Nigeria, which directly causes multiple forms of insecurity in the country. In different parts of the globe, it manifests as earth quake, hurricane, tsunami, etc. Nigeria has received its share of climate change both in two opposite forms. In the southern coastal states of Lagos, Bayelsa, and Rivers State, the ocean and overflowing waters continually threatens to wipe away the people. However, this study focuses on the north and parts of southern Nigeria, where the impact of climate change has generated armed conflict. The study which used qualitative methodology traced how climate change and the emergence of drought, famine and other forms of environmental changes leads to resource competition over land, mineral resource, water ways and by extension generating armed conflicts in many parts of Nigeria. It found that climate change caused mass migration and the settler versus non-settler conflicts that manifested in different as herdsmen-farmer conflict, as well as the armed conflict among the Ezza and her neighbours and also contributed to the Ife-Modakeke crisis in the country. Finally, the study documents multi-dimensional road-map to environmental peace and adaptations for sustainable societal development

Global vs. regional approaches to the internationalisation process of Nigerian banks: some preliminary evidences

Research investigating internationalisation process of service firms from developing countries is limited. This paper draws on extant work on internationalisation of the firm, services’ internationalisation and proposes conceptual framework that investigates the internationalisation process of three leading Nigerian banks namely; Zenith Bank Nigeria (ZBN)Plc, First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Plc and Intercontinental Bank Plc. This work attempts to evaluate the internationalisation process of these financial service firms to the UK market. It seeks to understand the driving forces behind these banks’ motives for internationalisation to UK; the various influences that might have affected their decisions, the several internationalisation routes and strategies they might have followed in doing so; and the next strategies they might adopt in furthering their internationalisation process. This work contributes to some understanding of the reasons why service firms from developing countries internationalising to advanced locations like the UK. The analyses and findings of this study offer unique insights into the internationalisation processes of the three case banks, and examines how their different pathways was determined by a balancing act of leveraging accumulated global and regional strengths to achieved sustained international growth

Assessing the Prevalence, Participants, and Predictors of Coproduction: The Case of Atlanta, Georgia

In municipalities across the globe, traditional forms of governance are being supplemented by collaborative arrangements between governments and their constituencies toward jointly produced public services. Since the late 1970s, this phenomenon known as coproduction has been utilized in efforts to survive severe budget cuts, improve performance, increase accountability, and welcome traditionally silenced voices. However, no study to date has undergone a citywide assessment of coproduction to determine its breadth and depth in a city. Additionally, there is practically no empirical study that examines what citizen characteristics and perceptions are associated with participation in coproduction. The present study represents a first attempt to begin to fill these gaps in the literature. Specifically, this dissertation analyses: (1) How prevalent is coproduction? (2) Who engages in coproduction? and (3)What motivates coproducers? I employ a mixed-method case study of Atlanta, Georgia via its Neighborhood Planning Unit system, using focus groups, citizen questionnaires, census and GIS data, and direct observations. Overall, the coproduction classifications developed in this dissertation enable more systematic research on coproduction. The dissertation findings also contribute to our understanding of (1) how much this service delivery strategy is being utilized in an urban municipality, (2) which forms are most utilized, (3) what triggers participation in each form, and (4) who utilizes coproduction the most – even challenging the longstanding perception that African Americans and low-income groups do not participate in such activities. Lastly, study findings suggest a need to reconceptualize the current theory of coproduction as a public service delivery strategy

MOLECULAR DYNAMICS STUDY ON THE STRUCTURE, DYNAMICS AND STRESS RESPONSE OF DILUTE MICELLAR SYSTEMS IN UNIAXIAL EXTENSIONAL DEFORMATION

Micellar structures have been proposed for potential application in hydrotropy, biomimetics, dispersion and emulsification, enhanced oil recovery, detergency, templating, drug delivery, personal care products, drag reduction, nanoscale reaction vessels, therapeutic gene delivery, bio-catalysis and so on. Though several studies exist, there still remains a gap in the current knowledge on structural response of single micelles in solution to uniaxial extensional flow deformation. These knowledge gaps are possibly due to the inability of traditional experimental studies to investigate micellar properties at the time- and length-scale pertinent to self-assembly and micellar dynamics. To this end, this work aims to utilise coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the dynamics and structural response of various infinitely dilute micellar solutions under the influence of uniaxial extensional flow. Spherical vesicles formed from hexacosanoate anion and octyltrimethylammonium cation; rod-like and worm-like micelles formed from hexacosanoate and palmitate anions; and branched worm-like micelles formed from cetyltrimethylammonium cation and sodium salicylate anion have been parametrised according to the Martini force field formalism. These structures were simulated in equilibrium; under uniaxial extensional flow; and in cessation of uniaxialextensional flow. Changes in micellar structure in uniaxial extensional flow and subsequent stress responses are presented for each micellar system at varying deformation rates. It is observed that structural changes and stress response are dependent on micellar stress relaxation ability whilst undergoing uniaxial deformation. The nature and varying influence of stress relaxation as a function of deformation rate is studied for each structure. Deformation of these structures in a direction normal to their principal orientation is also investigated. It is shown that orientation has a short-term effect on the dynamics and structural evolution of non-isotropic micellar structures. Finally, structural and stress responses following cessation of uniaxial extensional flow are presented

Prospects of digital information services in Nigerisn public libraries

Abstract This paper explores prospects of digital information services in Nigerian public libraries. The paper identified potential advantages of digital library system as a tool for modern information services. It observes that public library services will not be successful without the adoption and use of digital technologies such as hardware and software components that improve library services. The paper analyzes the concept of digital library, role of public library in digital environment and training need for public librarians in digital service delivery as well as constraints to digital information services in Nigerian public libraries. It provides workable recommendations on how Nigerian public libraries will move forward in the digital environment by formulating digital library policy and standards, user education, provision of adequate training and re-training of staff through seminars, conferences and workshops as well as adequate budget for the purchase of digital technologies and resources for effective service delivery