The State of e-Banking Implementation in Nigeria: A Post-Consolidation Review

The most widely used e-Banking instrument in �igeria is e-Payment, particularly the automatic teller machine (ATM) card. However, with the adoption of e-Banking by all the banks in �igeria, the volume of cash in circulation has continued to increase pre-and-post bank recapitalization/consolidation exercise. Furthermore, some of the 25 banks that survived the exercise were found lately to have depleted their capital base and have lost credibility before the consumers, e-Banking implementation notwithstanding. Therefore, in this paper, we review the state of e-Banking implementation in �igeria and evaluate the influence of trust on the adoption of e-Payment using an extended technology acceptance model (TAM). Similarly, we investigate organizational reputation, perceived risk and perceived trust in the management of banks as a factor for enhancing customer loyalty. The findings in this work reveal that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are not only antecedent to ebanking acceptance, they are also factors to retain customers to the use of e-banking system such as organizational reputation, perceived risk and trust

Business-to-consumer e-commerce in Nigeria: Prospects and challenges

The growth of Internet usage in Nigeria continues to increase, recording over 90% growth rate between 2000 and 2008. While businesses in Nigeria are reported to have online access with opportunity for ecommercial activities, customers in the country however access business websites only to source for information but make purchases the traditional way. This paper aims at assessing the prospects and challenges of Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce implementation in Nigeria from the consumers’ perspective. Survey research was adopted for this study. Research hypotheses were formulated and questionnaire designed and administered randomly to 900 respondents. Collected data was used to evaluate the acceptance of B2C e-commerce using the extended technology acceptance model (TAM). The extended TAM combines task-technology fit, relationship related construct: trust and risk, and the two TAM constructs to determine factors influencing consumer acceptance of B2C e-commerce in Nigeria. Findings revealed that there are significant relationships between the model variables. Tasktechnology fit and perceived usefulness have significant relationships with intentions to use, having a correlation coefficient of 0.2623 and 0.2002 respectively. Similarly, the interrelationship among trust, perceived risk, and behavioral intention are significant. The effect of risk on trust was statistically showing that risk is a predictor of trust. Risk has a high significant on trust and trust in turn has low significant effect on behavioral intention. Adding TTF and its relationships to the TAM also fit the data. The relationship between task-technology fit, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and intention are significant

Combined effects of metformin and honey on lipid metabolism in diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats

The study was designed to evaluate the combined effect of metformin and honey treatments on lipid metabolism in diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats. Eighty-five male Wistar rats (80-100g): twenty normal and sixty-five hyperlipidemic rats were used. Sixty-five rats were fed with high fat diet for 30 days to induce hyperlipidemia. Five rats each from control and hyperlipidemic were randomly selected to evaluate fasting blood glucose (FBG) level and hyperlipidemic state. Fifteen normal rats (control) formed Group 1(received 0.3ml/100g b.w distilled water) and the hyperlipidemic rats were divided into 4 groups of fifteen rats. Group 2 (hyperlipidemic control), Group 3 (hyperlipidemic plus metformin 100mg/kg), Group 4 (hyperlipidemic plus honey-1ml/100g); Group 5 (hyperlipidemic plus metformin-100mg/kg) and honey(1ml/100g). All treatments were administered orally, once daily for 28 days and animals were weighed weekly throughout the study. Blood was obtained from 5 rats in each group weekly post treatments through retro-orbital plexus, FBG was assessed using glucometer(Acucheck) and serum from remaining blood sample was used for assessing total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), spectrophotometrically using Agape Biochemical kits. Low density lipoprotein (LDL), Very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), atherogenic index and HDL/LDL ratio were mathematically calculated. Histology of the liver was done using H&E stain. The FBG was significantly reduced in all treatment groups (3, 4 and 5) compared with Groups 1 and 2 (the controls). Group 5 animals showed significant reduction in TC, TG, LDL, VLDL and significant increase in HDL level by day 28 of treatment compared with controls. Histopathological results showed severe diffuse fatty infiltration of the hepatocytes and extensive periportal vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes at day 28 in hyperlipidemic group while group 5 showed very mild diffuse periportal cellular infiltration of the hepatic parenchyma with no visible lesion. It was concluded that the combination of both metformin and honey treatments significantly reduced blood glucose level, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein and fatty infiltration of hepatic parenchyma and increase high density lipoprotein level which was not achieved with administration of either metformin or honey alone in hyperlipidemic rats.Keywords: hyperlipidemia, Metformin, Honey, Lipid profile, Fasting blood glucos

The Impact of Information Technology (IT) on Human Resource Management (HRM): Empirical evidence from Nigeria Banking Sector. Case Study of Selected Banks from Lagos State and Oyo State in South-West Nigeria

Information technology (IT) has become an indispensable part of contemporary world while human resource management globally has equally being affected in a number of ways through its adoption and application. Despite the considerable growth in the use of information technology in human resource management (HRM), the level of impact is still under-researched. Using the descriptive statistics, this study seeks to harness the overall and generalized impact of IT on HRM in the Nigeria Banking Sector by exploring some aspects of HRM that have been affected by IT and the effect of such adoption on HRM activities through primary data collected with a structured questionnaire administered to selected Banks in South-West Nigeria.It was revealed that IT has significantly increase the efficiency of HR management activities and processes through an effective and efficient employee communication and engagement while the roles and skills of HR managers has expand considerable overtime due to their adoption and continuous upgrade of knowledge in the use of IT in the discharge of their primary functions. Hence, it is duty bound for Banks policy formulators to determine the right size of IT required to derived the best result in an organisation. Keywords: Technology, Information Technology (IT), Human Resource (HR), Human Resource Management (HRM), Nigeria Banking Secto

Liver cirrhosis from autoimmune hepatitis in a nigerian woman: A case report

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare cause of chronic liver disease (CLD). It presents with varied clinical features from acute hepatitis to CLDs like chronic viral hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease, making it difficult to diagnose in the absence of a high index of suspicion and adequate laboratory support. Autoantibody-mediated hepatocyte injury is the major feature of AIH. We present a 44 year old woman with recurrent jaundice, ascites, splenomegaly, coagulopathy, negative chronic viral hepatitis screening, elevated IgG and positive anti-smooth muscle antibody. The patient responded well to immunosuppressive therapy. This report brings to the fore the need for physicians to maintain a high index of suspicion and thoroughly evaluate all CLD cases of seemingly ‘unknown’ etiology for AIH in order to prevent progression to end-stageliver- disease, since the disease is highly amenable to immunosuppressive therapy.Keywords: Autoimmune hepatitis, Autoimmune liver disease, Chronic liver disease, Nigeri

The Impact of IT Investment on Service Delivery: A Case Study of Ladoke Akintola University

The past decade witnessed an extensive use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in all forms of work all over the world. It has given birth to contemporary e-Business, e-Health, e-Government and e- Education to mention but a few. This paper aims at investigating the level of investment in ICT in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, the level of usage, its impact on service delivery as well as the inhibiting factors against its use. Survey instrument was used in this study and the collected data analysed based on such issues as availability of ICTs, Organizational Readiness (OR) and Organizational Support (OS) amongst others. Findings revealed that investment on IT has positive impact on services delivery through ICT tool deployment for teaching, examination processing, student registration and assignment

A Simple Dose Regimen of Artesunate and Amodiaquine Based on Age or Body Weight Range for Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria in Children: Comparison of Therapeutic Efficacy With Standard Dose Regimen of Artesunate and Amodiaquine and Artemether–Lumefantrine

A new dose regimen of artesunate and amodiaquine (NDRAA) based on age or body weight range was compared with standard dose regimen of artesunate and amodiaquine (SDRAA) calculated according to body weight and with fixed-dose artesunate–amodiaquine (FDAA) and artemether–lumefantrine (AL) in 304 children afflicted by malaria aged 15 years or younger. In initial comparison (n = 208), children on NDRAA received 1–3 times amodiaquine per kilogram of body weight and 1–1.5 times of artesunate per kilogram of body weight compared with those receiving SDRAA. Parasite but not fever clearance was significantly faster in children who received NDRAA (19.4 ± 8.4 hours vs. 24.6 ± 15.5 hours, P = 0.003). Polymerase chain reaction–uncorrected cure rates on days 28–42 were also significantly higher in children who received NDRAA (P < 0.02 in all cases). Therapeutic responses in children younger than 5 years (n = 96) treated with NDRAA, FDAA, and AL were similar. Changes in hematocrit values and reported adverse events after commencing therapy were similar in those who received NDRAA and SDRAA. All drug regimens were well tolerated. NDRAA based on age or body weight range is simple, is therapeutically superior to SDRAA calculated according to body weight, and is as efficacious as AL in children younger than 5 years

Temporal changes in haematocrit following artemisinin-based combination treatments of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in children

Semilog plots of deficit in haematocrit from 30 % versus time in children with haematocrit <30 % at presentation (Pattern 6). (DOCX 16 kb

Therapeutic efficacy and effects of artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine on malaria-associated anaemia in Nigerian children aged two years and under

Multilingual abstracts in five official working languages of the United Nations. (PDF 403 kb

Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage, emergence, clearance and population sex ratios in anaemic and non-anaemic malarious children

Anaemia in falciparum malaria is associated with an increased risk of gametocyte carriage, but its effects on transmission have not been extensively evaluated in malarious children. Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage, emergence, clearance, population sex ratios (SR) (defined as the proportion of gametocytes that are male), inbreeding rates and temporal changes in SR were evaluated in 840 malarious children. Gametocyte carriage pre-treatment was at a level of 8.1%. Anaemia at enrolment was an independent risk factor for gametocyte carriage post-treatment. The emergence of gametocytes seven days post-treatment was significantly more frequent in anaemic children (7/106 vs. 10/696, p = 0.002). In the initially detected gametocytes, the proportion of children with a male-biased SR (MBSR) (> 0.5) was significantly higher in anaemic children (6/7 vs. 3/10, p = 0.027). Pre-treatment SR and estimated inbreeding rates (proportion of a mother’s daughters fertilised by her sons) were similar in anaemic and non-anaemic children. Pre-treatment SR became more female-biased in non-anaemic children following treatment. However, in anaemic children, SR became male-biased. Anaemia was shown to significantly increase gametocyte emergence and may significantly alter the SR of emerging gametocytes. If MBSR is more infective to mosquitoes at low gametocytaemia, then these findings may have significant implications for malaria control efforts in endemic settings where malaria-associated anaemia is common