Gender Responsive Entrepreneurial Economy of Nigeria: Enabling Women in a Disabling Environment

Growth and development are among the most exciting subjects in economics, and the application of their principles to developing countries especially the African economies, is both needed and timely. In Nigeria, women have historically been disadvantaged in accessing not only material resources like property and credit, but also have been deprived of resources like education, market information and modern technology. All of these factors have negative implications for the type of enterprises that women are engaged in. This paper highlights the various economic constraints faced by women in Nigeria, as a result of limitations imposed on them by nature and culture; It calls for removal of gender-related obstacles in order to facilitate the creation of enterprises by women, as well as improving their general education, and entrepreneurial skills. The paper argues that gender imbalances in access to education and productive resources have important implications, not only for equity, but also for economic output, productivity, food security, fertility, and child welfare. It further recommends gender-specific activities and affirmative action, whenever women are in a particularly disadvantageous position. The paper concludes that mainstreaming gender into budget and policy design will provide women access to support services they require to develop the necessary confidence, explore alternative business ideas and entrepreneurial strategies that will stimulate, not only the Nigerian economy, but the people’s way of life

Some Indigenous Solutions to African Environmental Problems: An Appraisal

The paper, Some Indigenous Solutions to African Environmental Problems: An Appraisal, is written to examine the relevance of African Environmental Philosophies to addressing African environmental problems. African environmental problems include: water pollution, air pollution, land pollution, climate change, flood and many more. Researchers have shown that these problems are caused by phenomena like coal mining, nuclear waste, deforestation, overfishing, wars, etc. It is a known fact that attempts have been made over the years to resolve these problems, with pockets of successes, yet more needs to be done. Nigeria’s Niger Delta Development Commission, Kenya’s Bio-safty Act 2009, The National Environment Policy of Ghana, Oil Pipeline Act 2004, Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 2004 are a good example of such attempts with pockets of successes and challenges. This work uses the methods of rational speculation and critical analysis to examine aboriginal approaches to resolving African environmental challenges as recorded in Mark Omorovie Ikeke’s Philosophical Consciences, Caroline N. Mbonu’s Ecospiritualism, Thaddeus Metz’s Model Relationalism, and Chimakonam Jonathan Okeke’s Ohanifism. This work charged African environmental policymakers, Lecturers, and Students with the responsibility to understand and apply the theoretical foundation for sustainable living as recorded in the above philosophies. This is the time when Africans must use indigenous African methods and principles to proffer solutions to African environmental problems

Effects of Reciprocal Peer Guidance on Adolescents’ Attitudes to Family Responsibilities

This study sought to determine the effects of Reciprocal Peer Guidance (RPG) on students’ attitudes to family responsibilities. The study was based on two research questions and two null hypotheses. The research design was quasi-experimental. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 154 SS 11 students from Secondary Schools in Onitsha Urban of Anambra State. A set of questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire was titled “Attitudes to family Responsibilities scale” (AFRS). The study, which lasted for nine weeks, utilized the RPG for the experimental group and CGC (Conventional Guidance and Counselling) for the control group. Data were analyzed using Mean scores to answer the research questions and analysis of Co-variance to test the null hypotheses. Findings indicated that Reciprocal Peer Guidance (RPG) was more effective for improving students’ attitudes to family responsibilities than conventional Guidance and counselling (CGC). It was also found that the effect of RPG on the students’ attitudes to family responsibilities did not significantly differ based on gender. The implications of these findings were that RPG could be effectively used in schools to improve attitudes to family responsibilities as it would enable peers to engage in social interactions as well as learn basic family skills from their peers. Based on these findings, it was recommended that to enhance positive students’ attitudes to family responsibilities, peer-based guidance strategies such as RPG should be adopted in addition to the conventional counselling currently being used in schools. The Counsellor-training programmes in institutions in Nigeria should include RPG in order to equip would-be guidance counsellors with the techniques involved in the strategy

An Africentric theory of human personhood

The principal objective of this article is to work out an Africentric theory of human personhood. The aim is to attempt an African psychological rendering of that fundamental African assumption, made popular by the Nguni proverb, that “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” (often translated as “a person is a person through other persons”). To achieve this aim an African psychological theory of human personhood is offered to demonstrate that, in Africa as in other parts of the world, mature human beings are not born but made. In grounding the theory within an Africentric paradigm, the following themes that reflect an African origin of the theory are discussed: the basic postulates of an African worldview; an Africentric theory of human motivation; influential agents, moral visions, and social processes in the formation of an African personhood. The central goal of the discussion is to show how African personhood is socio-culturally derived and to point at the variety of enduring forces, both ancient and modern, determining its distinctive form

Ethical Issues in Arms Technology

The paper Ethical Issues in Arms Technology is written to highlight and explain some ethical issues in arms production. These issues include the act of innovation; issues with weapons of mass destruction, the issue of privacy; humanizing arms technology, artificial intelligence – military killer robots, etc. The paper advocated for a critical evaluation of the structural and potential nature of arms before they are mass-produced. We need to ask and address all possible moral questions at research level rather than wait for the technologies to be developed and sent to the market place. The research employed the methods of rational speculation, critical analysis, evaluation, and prescription to call for ethical assessment of all arms before they are made available to the markets. This paper advocate for a stop on the production of any arms technology that will destroy the relationship between man and his environment. Scientists and arms researchers should give ethics a stool the heart of their research and production. Before production, every arms technology template must be ethically worthy before consideration is made to mass-produce them. With this new development, we shall eradicate the production of non-human value-adding arms from our world. Humanity does not need everything. We should accept and produce only what we need

Protective and therapeutic effects of Chamomilla Recutita extract on subacute ethanol intoxication in white albino rats

Medicinal plants may provide an effective remedy for the enormous health burden posed by alcohol abuse. The aim of this study was to investigate putative protective and therapeutic effects of an aqueous extract of Chamomilla recutita (CHR) on alcohol-induced hepato-nephrotoxicity and pancytopenia in rats. Rats fed only alcohol developed hepato-nephrotoxicity as indicated by significant increases in the levels of all hepatic enzyme markers [alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GTT)], significantly decreased levels of total protein and increased levels of serum creatinine and urea. Ethanol administered rats also developed pancytopeniawithdecreased levels of total red blood cells (RBC's), white blood cells (WBC's) and platelets and macrocytic, hypochromic anemia. Oral administration of CHR extract for 28 days to normal rats confirmed its safe use with all the above biochemical and hematological parameters remaining within their normal levels. Pre-treatment or post-treatment with CHR to ethanol administered rats ameliorated the deleterious effects of ethanol on all biochemical and hematological parameters. CHR effect was more potent in pretreated- than in post-treated group. The results also show that a diminution of oxidative stress is one mechanism by which CHR extract exerts potent protective and mild therapeutic effects against alcohol-induced hepato-nephrotoxicity and pancytopenia.Keywords: Chamomilla, alcohol, liver, kidney, hematology, protection, therapyAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(18), pp. 2378-238

Partners or Rivals in Reconciliation? The ICTR and Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts

A major question for post-conflict governments to consider is how best to shape reconciliation efforts. This Article examines two transitional justice mechanisms that were utilized in Rwanda’s post genocide era and assesses their contributions to reconciliation. The two principal approaches which emerged in the Rwandan context were the establishment of International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), via the international political community whilst grassroots efforts within Rwanda were channeled through the gacaca court system. While each of these systems, though unintended and incoherent hybrid justice strategies, possessed strengths and weaknesses, this legal pluralist structure nevertheless yielded positive reconciliation results. The Article posits that this legal pluralist system did not represent a perfect mechanism for attaining all reconciliation goals. It did, however, function to facilitate reconciliation as a process that demands transitional justice individually and collectively, as well as highlight gaps in the system that were largely and ostensibly filled by a number of constructive initiatives instituted by the Rwandan government in their continued reconstruction of Rwanda

RELATIONSHIP MARKETING AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE: MODERATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES : A Study of May and Baker Pharmaceutical Company, Ota, Ogun State

This article critically examined Relationship Marketing and Customer patronage deploying organizational policies as the moderating variable. The paper used May and Baker pharmaceutical company as the focus of the study.  So far, it has not been clear whether or not relationship marketing is a potent factor driving successful marketing programme in an organization. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the extent to which customer service influences customer satisfaction and to find out the degree to which organizational policies moderate customer purchase decision-making. The instrument used for gathering data for the study was copies of questionnaire administered to respondents that were customers of May and Baker. A total of 200 copies of questionnaire were administered and 174 were correctly completed and returned for analysis. Descriptive research method was adopted. Two hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and regression analysis.  The results of the hypotheses tested validated the point that effective relationship marketing serves as a potent factor for achieving superior customer patronage and boosting business bottom-line. Nevertheless, organizational policies are to be streamlined in such a way that they do not adversely affect customer patronage. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that modern organizations should devote more time and attention to training employees to equip them with both hard and soft skills to deliver excellent relationship marketing in order to enhance business performance