ASSESSMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL CHALLENGES ON OPPORTUNITY IDENTIFICATION OF SECOND CAREER ENTREPRENEURS IN NORTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

The study seeks to assess entrepreneurial challenges on opportunity identification of second career entrepreneurs in north-western Nigeria. A sample of 50 retirees was purposely taken from each state governments of the north-western State’s civil servant retirement list between2017-2022 (period of five years). A purposive sampling was used to determine the sample from each state and then simple random sampling method was used to determine the appropriate sample of the respondents that were administered questionnaires. 280 questionnaires were distributed to respondents regarding challenges faced by second career entrepreneurs on opportunity identification. All the three null hypotheses were rejected. The study found that adjusting to entrepreneurial life of second career entrepreneurs, re-establishing self-confidence of second career entrepreneurs has positive relationship with entrepreneurial opportunity identification and keeping personal finance out of business has significant relationship with entrepreneurial opportunity identification. It is therefore, recommended that all the challenges faced by second career entrepreneurs should be address and incorporated into preretirement courses and training to prepare potential retirees for future entrepreneurship opportunity identification

Residential satisfaction within selected public housing estates in Lokoja Kogi State, Nigeria

Residential satisfaction has been assessed by various authors, who reported varying degrees of dissatisfaction and satisfaction. However, the differences in satisfaction among the various housing components remain an issue. The study investigates residential satisfaction in specific housing estates in Lokoja, Kogi State, aiming to understand the various aspects that contribute to satisfaction. The research collected responses from 215 residents and employed statistical analysis using SPSS version 21. Among the four housing sub-components examined, satisfaction levels varied. Housing unit attributes had the lowest satisfaction level, indicating poor satisfaction. Housing socio-economic attributes, housing neighbourhood attributes, and housing management attributes showed moderate satisfaction levels. Significantly different satisfaction levels were found among these sub-components, as demonstrated by the Kruskal-Wallis test outcomes. Satisfaction with housing unit attributes, socio-economic attributes, and neighbourhood attributes were all statistically significant. Interestingly, satisfaction with the management attribute was not statistically significant due to high resident involvement in housing management. The study suggests revising government policies regarding public housing estates and emphasizes resident involvement throughout the housing process to enhance satisfaction across all sub-components. These findings have implications for housing policies, urban planning, and resource allocation, striving for more inclusive and satisfying living conditions. The study's outcomes could influence housing development approaches, ultimately improving the overall quality of life in Lokoja, Kogi State

The production of social science research in Nigeria: status and systemic determinants

open access articleNigeria has a very large research system, with nearly 200 universities that employed more than 60,000 academic staff at the end of 2019. The country is also one of Africa’s largest producers of scientific research across all disciplines, surpassed only by South Africa and Egypt. In the social sciences, in particular, Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest producer of published research, after South Africa. However, the country’s social science research (SSR) production does not match the size of its SSR system. Using mixed methods, we come up with two important reasons for this: (i) research inputs are low, mainly because research is poorly funded and researchers devote too little time to research as a result of poor organisational climate, and (ii) the research support system is weak. No single institution currently has a clear mandate to centrally coordinate SSR in Nigeria. Consequently, research efforts are often duplicated and the limited research resources are spread too thin. Moreover, logistical support for research is missing or inefficient in most organisations. Therefore, improving research productivity in the country would require much stronger research coordination and wide-ranging improvements in the research climate

Epidemiology of COVID-19 and Predictors of Outcome in Nigeria: A Single-Center Study.

There is a paucity of information regarding the epidemiology and outcome of COVID-19 from low/middle-income countries, including from Nigeria. This single-center study described the clinical features, laboratory findings, and predictors of in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients. Patients admitted between April 10, 2020 and June 10, 2020 were included. Forty-five patients with a mean age of 43 (16) years, predominantly male (87%), presented with fever (38%), cough (29%), or dyspnea (24%). In-hospital mortality was 16%. The independent predictors of mortality were hypoxemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3-5.1) and creatinine \u3e 1.5 mg/dL (aOR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.9-9.8)

Diffusion of social science research in Nigeria

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Understanding the research–policy nexus in developing economies requires knowing who disseminates and how social science research (SSR) is diffused. Based on survey and secondary data on a diverse set of critical stakeholders, this paper characterises the SSR diffusion landscape in Nigeria. We find that university researchers are the most active disseminators of SSR though other actors also engage in dissemination activities. Collaboration among different categories of actors, both locally and internationally, is pervasive in the system. However, online visibility of research is poor in the Nigerian SSR system. Most of the local scientific journals do not operate online, and a large share of the published SSR output is missing from widely used bibliographic databases. For a better research–policy nexus, research producers need to become skilled research advocates and policymakers need to be accessible to other actors

Bat and lyssavirus exposure among humans in area that celebrates bat festival, Nigeria, 2010 and 2013

Using questionnaires and serologic testing, we evaluated bat and lyssavirus exposure among persons in an area of Nigeria that celebrates a bat festival. Bats from festival caves underwent serologic testing for phylogroup II lyssaviruses (Lagos bat virus, Shimoni bat virus, Mokola virus). The enrolled households consisted of 2,112 persons, among whom 213 (10%) were reported to have ever had bat contact (having touched a bat, having been bitten by a bat, or having been scratched by a bat) and 52 (2%) to have ever been bitten by a bat. Of 203 participants with bat contact, 3 (1%) had received rabies vaccination. No participant had neutralizing antibodies to phylogroup II lyssaviruses, but ≥50% of bats had neutralizing antibodies to these lyssaviruses. Even though we found no evidence of phylogroup II lyssavirus exposure among humans, persons interacting with bats in the area could benefit from practicing bat-related health precautions