Educational Attainment of Household Head and Household Size Patterns in Mass-Housing Apartments in Lagos State, Nigeria

Demographic and crowding experiences in multifamily apartments built by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) in Lagos, Nigeria, are now seen as affecting households' well-being and quality of life.  One of the emerging criteria for general social class grouping is educational attainment of household head.  This study focused on investigating the impact of educational attainment of the head of household on household crowding experiences in the multifamily apartments belonging to LSDPC.  There was no evidence that this gap had been addressed by previous researchers.  The research adopted a purposive case study of four big housing estates that are dominated by multifamily apartments.  In all of these, a total of 7,764 multifamily apartments constituted the sampling frame from which a sample of 7.5% (582) was eventually used.  A pre-tested questionnaire was distributed using stratification and systematic random techniques.  Six variables were used to measure educational attainment:  below Primary School; Primary School; Secondary School; College of Education; Polytechnic; and University.  A major finding shows that when other socio-demographic indicators were isolated, the educational attainment of the head of household had a significant effect on crowding in two out of the six multifamily apartment types investigated, namely Type 3 (three-bedroom) at Abesan and Type 5 (three-bedroom) at Dolphin II. Possession of a university education is a strong indicator that the LSDPC’s multifamily apartment occupied will experience a lower occupancy rate or lower household size. Therefore, it is suggested that social policies in the domain of education should be incorporated into LSDPC’s housing development programmes in order to moderate crowding propensity in its mass-housing apartments of the future

Crowding Experiences in Gentrified Multifamily Apartments in Public Housing Estates in Lagos

In Lagos, Nigeria, the dynamics of noticeable experiences in public sector multifamily housing include situations where households of higher income and status migrate to apartments built for lower income, resulting in displacements. This situation triggers some social effects like crowding, the extent of which is not yet empirically investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which crowding occurs in gentrified multifamily apartments belonging to Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC). Apartments that are no longer owned by original allottees either through purchase or re-purchase are classified as gentrified. A purposive case study of four LSDPC’s estates was adopted. The study population was 7,764 apartments comprising low income and medium income categories. A sample of 582 (7.5%) apartments was chosen. Stratification and systematic random sampling were utilized to select apartments, based on number of bedrooms and their matching proportion in each estate. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to elicit responses from household heads. Variables of interest were number of occupants, mode of ownership (tenure), ages, gender and marital arrangement of occupants. Levels of crowding for different apartment types were computed using the universally accepted Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS) and the Equivalized Crowding Index (ECI). Generally, the results showed that the gentrified apartments investigated were under-occupied, similar to the non-gentrified apartments. This suggests that gentrification is not a threat factor for overcrowding or neighbourhood population bloating in LSDPC’s multifamily apartments. Therefore, social problem policies could be supported by evidence from the knowledge of crowding patterns in gentrifying households for different apartment type

The Need for Ethnic Integration in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: A Focus of Western Niger Delta

This paper examines the ethnical crisis ravaging the Niger Delta region of Nigeria with particular emphasis on the Western Niger Delta, specifically focusing on Warri. With this examination, the study intends to proffer solution on how to remedize future tribal/ethnical crisis with a view to bringing about unity and integration of the various ethnic groups in the region. Given the focus of this study, the paper adopts the primordialist, instrumentalist and constructivist accounts as the theoretical frameworks in analyzing ethnical crisis in the Niger Delta Region. Academic explanations of ethnic conflict generally fall into one of these three schools of thought. The paper evaluates the various claims, literatures and assertions made particularly on the original position or placement of the headquarters of Warri South local government and repudiates claims that it was initially located in Ogbe-Ijoh, an Ijaw community instead of Ogidigben, an Itsekiri village as gazetted by the federal government of Nigeria. The study advocates and recommends inter alia, the needs to uphold meritocracy and de-emphasize favoritism, nepotism and ethnicity/tribalism as a basis for gaining or obtaining supports, employment, promotion, infrastructural development and development attention either from government, individuals or groups. The paper thus advocates the need for the introduction of socio-cultural recreational centers, specifically created for socio-cultural activities for the Niger Deltans with immense and profound support from government with a view to breeding unity and integration amongst the various ethnic groups in the Niger Delta Region. Keywords: western niger delta, ethnic, tribes, conflict, crisis, unity and integration

Boko Haram as a Syndrome of the Unresolved National Question in Nigeria: The Dilemma

The issue of the unresolved national question has often been reverberating in the political development of Nigeria right from colonial to post-colonial eras. The study therefore examines Boko Haram and the National Question in Nigeria and argues that it was the unresolved national question that snowballs into Bokoharamism in the Nigerian polity. The research adopts the conspiracy theory as its framework of analysis. The study calls for the total democratization of the Nigerian state as one of the prerequisites and the sine qua non for addressing the negative consequences posed by the unresolved national question and its offshoot such as Boko Haram and insecurity. The research posits that the term ‘indigenship’ should be de-emphasized and totally discouraged as it tends to deepen discord and acrimony which is capable of causing disintegration amongst Nigerians while emphasis should be placed on ‘citizenship’ as it tends to breed unity and collectivity. The term ‘residency’ should be emphasized and encouraged and should be used in place of  ‘indigenship’ and be given constitutional backings with practical mechanisms for its application . The study therefore argues that, only when Nigerians agreed to come together, understand their differences and agreed to manage and live by it that peace and unity can be brought back to the country. The research therefore recommends that political contest should not be anchored on the basis of place of origin and indigeneship rather on meritocracy and performance records. It is a truism however, that a secured state is a prerequisite and a sine qua non for development. Keywords: Boko Haram, Unresolved National Question, Insecurity, Nigeria’s Unity, Ethnic identitie

Dynamics of Small Business in an Emerging Market: Challenges and Opportunities

Small-scale enterprises have and will continue to play a vital role in economic development of both developed and developing countries, small business is considered the driver of economic growth. This role includes infrastructure development, employment, reduction in poverty, wealth creation and development of human capital. Government of African Nations have developed and implemented various policies aimed to stimulate and grow entrepreneurial development; however these businesses still face various challenges during the introduction stage as well as the growth stage of the businesses. This paper examined the challenges that small-scale enterprises face in Nigeria during the early stages and also explore opportunities that these businesses could derive from their immediate environment. The study employed cross sectional survey method and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze seventy one (71) copies of questionnaire returned from the field. The findings revealed that lack of access to finance and unfavorable macroeconomic environment still remain the major challenge faced by small businesses in Nigeria and that age and size of the businesses play significant role in all of this. The study therefore recommends that the SMEs funding agencies should not adopt a blanket financing option for all categories of business in terms of age and sizes within the economy. Rather, policies aimed at promoting the performance and growth of micro and small enterprises should adopt a sectional approach. Thus, resources for each category would address the most critical determinants of performance and growth in focal sub-category such as micro, small or medium enterprises

Comparative Study on Liver Enzymes Activity and Blood Group Variations

The aim of this study is to determine the activities of some selected liver enzymes amongst apparently healthy subjects of different blood groups. The study involved 95 apparently healthy students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, between the ages of 18-30, and distributed as follows; blood group O (30), group AB (18), group A (22) and blood group B (25). Blood samples were collected from the antecubital vein and separated to obtain serum. The activities of Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate amino transferase (AST) and Alanine amino transferase (ALT) in the serum were determined using the spectrophometric method and the results were compared using SPSS (version 15). The results showed that the activities of AST and ALT were not significantly different (p>0.05) among the blood groups. However, the activity of ALP was significantly different (p<0.05) from those of blood group A, AB and O. Based on the findings of this study therefore, ABO blood group variations may have an influence on some liver enzymes activity.Keywords: ABO Blood Groups, Liver enzymes, Liver functio

Informal settlements: The prevalence of and barriers to entrepreneurial synergies in slum communities

© 2014 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose – Across the global community the eradication of slums has been identified as a key project as part of the broader goal to eradicate poverty. Entrepreneurial efforts are viewed as a key means of ‘lifting’ people from poverty. Through a focus on Nigeria, this chapter examines slum upgrading programmes. The primary aim is to identify the opportunities and barriers facing inhabitants of informal settlements to realising entrepreneurial synergies that can occur in particular places. Methodology/approach – A case study examination of the Kpirikpiri informal settlement in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was conducted that utilised a mixed-method approach. The research passed through three key phases. The first phase comprised a literature survey and review. The second phase involved a household survey to gather some baseline socio-economic and physical data that helped to fill the void of basic data. A total of 142 respondents participated in the survey, representing 10% of the total number of households in the area. The third phase involved the collection of qualitative data through focus group discussions and individual interviews. Findings – Slum dwellers have skills and formal education equivalent to those in the Global North. Nevertheless, Nigerians tend to view entrepreneurial activities as secondary to other forms of employment, especially positions in the public sector. Paradoxically, slum dwellers place little trust in state authorities. Security of tenure is a major barrier to expanding entrepreneurial activities, as many landlords are reluctant to permit tenants to operate home-based enterprises, which is often a neglected element of place-based development strategies. Research and practical implications – The chapter demonstrates the need for basic socio-economic datasets alongside user perspectives to shape the efficacy of development initiatives. In the case of Kpirikpiri, slum improvement programmes may have benefited from parallel educational programmes that expound the virtues of entrepreneurialism and concomitant training schemes, improved governance open to local social networks, less emphasis on physical upgrading of some forms of infrastructure and greater attention towards improving security of tenure as a path towards generating more home-based enterprises. Originality/value of paper – The entrepreneurial potential of the inhabitants of informal settlements is under-acknowledged in ‘upgrading’ interventions and also underplayed in the research literature. The chapter draws some much needed critical attention to the opportunities and barriers facing inhabitants of informal settlements, which helps to challenge some dominant transnational policy assumptions