Making a Christian Private University Appealing to Prospective Students: The Case of Covenant University

Worldwide, universities are established to train highly skilled manpower that are expected to contribute to the development of their societies. Nigerian universities are expected to contribute to the achievement of the national goals using education as a tool. Before 1993, the provision of university education in Nigeria was a government monopoly. Many people could not be offered admissions into public universities because the existing facilities could not accommodate the deluge of requests. However, private universities have entered into the higher education service provision market. With many of them competing for prospective student enrolment, it is not surprising that some of them have deployed marketing strategies to attract students and make them stand out from the cluttered market. This paper examines how Covenant University, a Christian faith-based university and the acclaimed leader in the private university industry in the country has marketed itself. It found that it uses its product, people, work processes and serene physical location to attract new students. Importantly, it uses its relatively high tuition fees to position itself as the school for the children of the elites

Effects of submerged and anaerobic fermentations on cassava flour (Lafun)

Cassava tubers for processing into cassava flour, Lafun a Nigerian locally fermented product was subjected to two different types of fermentations: submerged and anaerobic fermentation for 72 h. Physicochemical changes that occurred during fermentation and their influence on the functional, rheological and sensory properties of the resulting flour were investigated. There was no significant difference in rate of decrease of pH and hydrocyanide under both fermentation conditions but titratable acidity differed significantly (p<0.05). Crude fibre, crude protein, ash, swelling index and final viscosity were significantly higher (p<0.05) in flour from submerged fermentation. Lafun from submerged fermentation had greater sensory quality and higher consumer preference than that of anaerobic fermentation. Key words: Cassava fermentation, physicochemical, functional, pasting properties