The Economics of Deregulation and Ramifications for Law and Development

The notoriety of deregulation as a result of the need to liberalise the economy for the purpose of enabling market forces shape effectiveness and reduce inefficiencies in the markets has generated a lot of definitions for the term. Deregulation becomes a necessary policy by the government when it becomes important for certain utilities handled by government to be handed over to private investment. The purpose of deregulation highlights its advantages in a capitalist economy; however, this grandiose economic concept is not without its downside of exploitation. The implementation of the policy of deregulation and its economics has ramifications for the law encompassing socio-economic provisions of the law. Implications for human rights have socio-economic dimensions and may run counter to constitutional provisions with individual socio-economic rights for nations that have adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights into their domestic legislations and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights as an international legal instrument itself. The way forward remains that; for certain public sector utilities, government and private participation, as well as a transparent and level-playing system are necessary for the development of the society. Keywords: deregulation, liberalization, development, law, socio-economic right

Law, Governance And The Challenges For Development

A definition of law for the purpose of this discourse can be adopted as an instrument for the maintenance of order, a means to ensure good governance and a tool for the purpose of social engineering within a society; the maintenance of order in this definition is intended to include economic order as an inalienable concept in the consideration of development Certain concepts jump right out for attention on governance: government, the citizens, ‘involvement of the citizens in the decision making process’, response on government policies and decision making, faith and belief in the ability and willingness of government to act in the public interest, fiscal responsibility of government on the finance and other resources of the state, enforceable and justiceable right of access to information by the citizens, a higher degree of transparency and accountability in the public process and in ‘the manner in which the business of the state are managed’. The challenges for development would include stretching the elasticity of governance on intellectualism, inclusion of quality and proven technocrats, robust but not necessarily big government, taking on of the services of academics and technocrats as office employees for legislators, national and state, as think-tank operators on legal research, comparative policy reasoning and position taking on core development issues affecting society

A Redescription of Spironoura duyagi from the Stomach of Malayan Box Turtles (Cuora amboinensis)

Two hundred and twenty-six worms taken from the stomachs of three Malayan box turtles (Cuora amboinensis) were studied. The worms were identified as Spironoura spp., and their numerical measurements and morphological details compared to other described species in the genus. The nematodes, generally, conformed to published descriptions of Spironoura duyagi, but varied so widely with regards to presence or absence of key diagnostic features that a complete taxonomic analysis was undertaken

A Redescription of Spironoura duyagi from the Stomach of Malayan Box Turtles (Cuora amboinensis)

Two hundred and twenty-six worms taken from the stomachs of three Malayan box turtles (Cuora amboinensis) were studied. The worms were identified as Spironoura spp., and their numerical measurements and morphological details compared to other described species in the genus. The nematodes, generally, conformed to published descriptions of Spironoura duyagi, but varied so widely with regards to presence or absence of key diagnostic features that a complete taxonomic analysis was undertaken

Sedimentological and tectono-stratigraphic characterisation of a shallow-marine reservoir, ‘Dona’ Field, offshore Niger Delta

The ‘Dona’ field is located in the shallow offshore Coastal Swamp depobelt, western Niger Delta. The field contains multiple, stacked shallow-marine reservoir intervals of Miocene to early Pliocene age in the Agbada Formation. The area surrounding the field is characterised by a series of synthetic, listric normal faults that strike north-northwest to south-southeast and dip southwest. These faults show stratigraphic thickening in their hangingwalls, indicating growth, and are associated with the development of rollover anticlines, which define the trap configuration of the ‘Dona’ field. Spatio-temporal variations in stratigraphic expansion indicate that growth faulting started in more landward (northeasterly) locations and migrated progressively basinward (southwestward). These variations are consistent with growth faulting due to gravity-induced shale diapirism, potentially driven by overall progradation of the Niger Delta. Core and wireline-logs from a representative reservoir interval contain a facies assemblage and stratigraphic architecture developed under a mixed-influence depositional process regime, which was dominated by wave processes but influenced by tidal processes. Wave-dominated shoreface deposits occur in a series of coarsening- and shallowing-upward parasequences that are laterally continuous over the reservoir but are locally erosionally truncated by fining-upward tidal channel-fill deposits. The mixed-influence process regime may reflect spatial variations in the dominance of wave, tide and fluvial processes, as in the modern Niger Delta, and/or temporal variations between a regressive, wave-dominated regime and a transgressive, tide-dominated regime. Sedimentological heterogeneities are present across a range of scales, and their distribution reflects the mixed-influence depositional process regime

Nuclear Security Education in Nigeria: University of Port Harcourt Approach

This paper is focused on how the Centre for Nuclear Energy Studies, University of Port Harcourt has been able to pursue its set mandates which include, educating and training Nigerians about nuclear energy as well as conducting research on how to deploy its peaceful applications. To actualize these mandates, it needed to develop competencies and capacities in its focus areas: modeling and simulation of nuclear power plant, thermal hydraulics and nuclear security. It had adopted the method of graded approach in developing its capabilities in nuclear security. This was done through systematic and gradual process, by exposing its academic personnel to professional and curriculum development courses in nuclear security on train-the-trainer basis. The outcomes to date are that the Centre for Nuclear Energy Studies has been able to upgrade the strength of nuclear security in the existing master’s programme in nuclear engineering, commenced the postgraduate certificate programme in nuclear security science, trained over 50 persons both locally and internationally in nuclear security through organized annual workshop and has been able to establish strong collaborations with other institutions within Nigeria and outside

Oilfield Production Surveillance as a Management Tool for Environmental Monitoring

Oilfield production surveillance is the effective monitoring of petroleum reservoirs, producing wells, flow station facilities and flow lines. Through surveillance, the production of unwanted effluents (formation water,excess gas, etc.) can be controlled. Production problems such as sand production, emulsion, corrosion, scale formation and wax blockage can lead to disposal problems and poor integrity of facilities and consequent financial losses. This paper presents a system approach for carrying out oilfield production surveillance process. Using case studies it isshown that the process can be used to identify unfavourable conditions such as gas leaks, corrosivity, and unsafe wells. It is further recommended that the frequency of surveillance should be monthl

Development And Implementation Of Post Graduate Nuclear Engineering Education In Nigeria

Nigeria has abundant energy resources that include natural gas, large hydro, coal, nuclear, small hydro, solar (PV and PT), and wind. However, the country\u27s per capita electricity consumption is lower than the African continent’s average. Therefore, there is a need for the diversification of the electricity supply in Nigeria. The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has acknowledged that nuclear energy would play a significant role in enhancing the per capita electricity generation. Consequently, the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), as the national focal agency for developing and harnessing peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Nigeria, developed a strategic plan for the implementation of nuclear energy known as the National Nuclear Power Programme (NNPP). The NNPP plan was approved by the federal government of Nigeria in 2007. A critical component of the NNPP is the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plants are huge national engineering assets that require a plethora of human resources. In order to meet this need for knowledgeable and capable individuals, the NAEC, in partnership with four Nigerian universities, developed a curriculum for master’s programs in nuclear science and engineering. This paper discusses the master’s program in nuclear engineering that was implemented at the University of Port Harcourt. The program lasts for 15 months and consists of 20 core courses, 4 electives, and one research project. To date, 13 students have graduated from the master’s program and acquired the necessary competencies with three of these graduates already enrolled in PhD programs for nuclear engineering outside Nigeria. In addition, nine papers have been published in international journals from the research work carried out by these student

INVESTIGATION OF FOULING EFFECT ON OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER IN A UREA FERTILIZER PRODUCTION COMPANY IN NIGERIA

Fouling is one of the major problems confronting heat exchangers in most industries. Shell and tube heat exchangers are perhaps the most common types of heat exchangers in industrial applications due to their flexibility and versatility. This study investigated the effect of fouling on the performance of the shell and tube heat exchanger unit of a CO2 fertilizer production company in Nigeria. Two different heat exchanger units (cold gas pre-heater and CO2 water cooler in scrubbing process) were considered for the analysis of this study. Data were obtained from operational log book, periodic maintenance data sheet and vendor’ design data sheet. The data were analyzed using various energy equations encoded in MATLAB to determine the overall heat transfer coefficients, heat duties, capacity ratios and effectiveness. The results obtained from the analysis showed that on average, the deviation of overall heat transfer coefficient, heat duty, and effectiveness from design values were 24.10%, 26.27%, and 17.17% respectively. Fouling factor was 31.58% more than the design value in a period of 47 days of operation. Fouling adversely affects the performance parameters of the heat exchangers. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i1.2

Influence Of Electrode Diameter On The Corrosion Rate Of Welded Mild Steel in Cassava Juice

Welding is the major form of assemblage of cassava processing machines.  It has been observed that most of the machines often fail in service due to corrosion. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of electrode diameter on this phenomenon.  The mild steel samples used in this study were welded with electrodes of gauges 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.0mm respectively.  Cassava juice was used as corroding medium.  An electronic weighing balance was used to take the weights at 4 days interval progressively for 32 days.  The least weight loss was obtained in gauge 2.5mm sample (3.45g), followed by 3.5mm (4.96g) and greatest loss was recorded for 4.0mm sample (11.46g).  This shows that corrosion rate in cassava processing plant can be minimised through the choice of electrodes.  In this case, gauge 2.5mm is recommended for the construction of cassava processing machines. &nbsp