Inflation Targeting, Economic Stability and Monetary Policy:The Nigeria Experience

Since the late 1990s, a good numbers of emerging-market countries have adopted inflation targeting (IT) as a monetary policy framework. The hallmarks of this approach are an explicit commitment by the central bank to keep an inflation index close to a Periodically-adjusted target, and the use of an inflation forecast as the intermediate target for policy. In view of this, the study examined how likely inflation targeting will respond to monetary policy in Nigeria. To achieve the objective we used time series data that span from 1985 to 2015 on inflation, exchange rate, prime lending rate, Income (GDP) and money supply to estimate an Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model of inflation. The finding shows that monetary variables are good explanatory variables in explaining the changes in inflation on Nigerian economy and also the first and second lagged of Money supply exert a very high significant influence on the growth of inflation in Nigeria. We recommend the consideration of effective management of money supply, interest rate and exchange rate to ensure stability as a precondition for the achievement of inflation targeting. Keywords: Inflation targeting, economic stability, monetary policy, Nigeri

Prevalence of scientific misconduct among a group of researchers in Nigeria

BACKGROUND : There is a dearth of information on the prevalence of scientific misconduct from Nigeria. OBJECTIVES : This study aimed at determining the prevalence of scientific misconduct in a group of researchers in Nigeria. Factors associated with the prevalence were ascertained. METHOD : A descriptive study of researchers who attended a scientific conference in 2010 was conducted using the adapted Scientific Misconduct Questionnaire-Revised (SMQ-R). RESULTS : Ninety-one researchers (68.9%) admitted having committed at least one of the eight listed forms of scientific misconduct. Disagreement about authorship was the most common form of misconduct committed (36.4%) while plagiarism was the least (9.2%). About 42% of researchers had committed falsification of data or plagiarism. Analysis of specific acts of misconduct showed that committing plagiarism was inversely associated with years in research (Fisher exact p-value = 0.02); falsifying data was related to perceived low effectiveness of the institution’s rules and procedures for reducing scientific misconduct (X2 = 6.44, p-value = 0.01); and succumbing to pressure from study sponsor to engage in unethical practice was related to sex of researcher (Fisher exact p-value = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS : The emergent data from this study is a cause for serious concern and calls for prompt intervention. The best response to reducing scientific misconduct will proceed from measures that contain both elements of prevention and enforcement. Training on research ethics has to be integrated into the curriculum of undergraduate and postgraduate students while provision should be made for in-service training of researchers. Penalties against acts of scientific misconduct should be enforced at institutional and national levels.Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Health, Grant number 2R25TW0 1599-10 through the South African Research Ethics Training Initiative SARETI.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1471-8847hb2014ay201

Pregnancy in a noncommunicating rudimentary horn of a unicornuate uterus: a case report

Pregnancy in the rudimentary horn is rare and carries grave consequences for the mother and fetus. A case report is presented of a 26 year old single gravida 3 para 0+2 lady with rupture of a rudimentary horn pregnancy at a gestational age of 20 weeks. Laparotomy was done and the rudimentary horn excised. Post-operative recovery was uneventful. The need for a high index of suspicion and the role of ultrasonography in the accurate diagnosis is highlighted

Misconduct in research : a descriptive survey of attitudes, perceptions and associated factors in a developing country

BACKGROUND : Misconduct in research tarnishes the reputation, credibility and integrity of research institutions. Studies on research or scientific misconduct are still novel in developing countries. In this study, we report on the attitudes, perceptions and factors related to the work environment thought to be associated with research misconduct in a group of researchers in Nigeria - a developing country. METHOD : A survey of researchers attending a scientific conference was done using an adapted Scientific Misconduct Questionnaire-Revised (SMQ-R). Initial descriptive analysis of individual items using frequencies and proportions for all quantitative data was performed. Thereafter, Likert scale responses were transformed into dichotomous responses. Fisher exact test was performed for associations as appropriate. A two-tailed p-value of less than 0.05 was accepted as significant. RESULT : Half of the respondents (50.4%) were aware of a colleague who had committed misconduct, defined as “non-adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms”. Over 88% of the researchers were concerned about the perceived amount of misconduct prevalent in their institution and 96.2% believed that one or more forms of scientific misconduct had occurred in their workplace. More than half (52.7%) rated the severity of penalties for scientific misconduct in their work environment as low. Furthermore¸ the majority (56.1%) were of the view that the chance of getting caught for scientific misconduct in their work environment was low. CONCLUSION : Researchers in Nigeria perceive that scientific misconduct is commonplace in their institutions, but are however worried about the negative effects of scientific misconduct on the credibility of scientific research. We recommend that researchers be empowered with the knowledge and virtues necessary for self-regulation that advance research integrity. Research institutions should however also step into their role of fostering a responsible research ethic and discouraging misconduct.A grant from the Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Health, Grant number 2R25TW0 1599–10 through the South African Research Ethics Training Initiative SARETI.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethicsam201

Society of obstetrics and gynecology of Nigeria – Clinical practice guidelines: Guidelines for the prevention of cervical cancer

Clinical practice guidelines have been developed by professional societies globally. Each guideline although based on published scientific evidence reflected each country’s socioeconomic peculiarities and unique medical environment. The Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Nigerian has published guidelines in other clinical areas; however, this is the first edition of practice guidelines for the prevention of cervical cancer. The Guidelines Committee was established in 2015 and decided to develop the first edition of this guideline following Delphi pool conducted among members which selected cervical cancer prevention as the subject that guideline is urgently needed. These guidelines cover strategies for cervical cancer prevention, screening, and management of test results. The committee developed the draft guideline during a 2‑day workshop with technical input from Cochrane Nigeria and Dr. Chris Maske, Lancet Laboratories, South Africa. The recommendations for each specific area were developed by the consensus, and they are summarized here, along with the details. The objective of these practice guidelines is to establish standard policies on issues in clinical practice related to the prevention of cervical cancer.Keywords: Cervical cancer; guideline; management; prevention; screening; Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Nigeria

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial potentials among African-Caribbeans in the United Kingdom

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria-Issues and Challenges

There has been an increasing awareness of the need to pay special focus on the adolescent and their sexual and reproductive health. This article reviews the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in the Niger Delta region (NDR) of Nigeria. The objective is to bring to focus these important issues in the region. Adolescents in the NDR engage in unhealthy sexual behaviour characterized by early age at sexual initiation, unsafe sex and multiple sexual partners. The local socio-economic condition exerts extra pressure on the adolescent with negative reproductive health consequences. There is urgent need to develop a time bound strategic framework and plan to redress this situation. This will require the participation of all stake holders.La santé sexuelle et de reproduction de l'adolescent dans la région du Niger Delta au Nigéria: Questions et défis Il y a eu une conscience croissante de la nécessité de prêter une attention particulière aux adolescents et à leur santé sexuelle et de reproduction. Cet article passe en revue la santé sexuelle et de reproduction des adolescents dans la région du Niger Delta du Nigéria (RND). L'objectif est de tirer l'attention aux questions importantes concernant la région. Les adolescents dans la RND s'engagent dans des comportements sexuels malsains caractérisés par l'initiation sexuelle précose, l'acte sexuel dangereux et des multiples partenaires sexuels. La condition socio-économique locale exerce une pression supplémentaire sur l'adolescent, aboutissant à des consequences de la santé de reproduction negatives. Il y a une nécessité urgente d'élaborer un cadre stratégique et un plan qui seront liés au temps afin de corriger la situation. Ceci exigera la participation de tous les partis-prenant