Addressing the Insecurity Challenge in Nigeria: The Imperative of Moral Values and Virtue Ethics

The insecurity challenge in Nigeria has assumed a formidable dimension that not only requires a multistakeholder approach, as it is being touted in various quarters, in quelling this conflagration threatening Nigeria’s statehood, but also necessitates a revival and reinforcement of moral values and virtues. The thirst for blood and the preference for violence in expressing pent-up frustration and disenchantment with the state, its citizens and national totems may be a pointer to the need to revive moral values and virtues within the socioeconomic, political, religious and educational institutions in the country. Nigerian leaders, politicians and their amen corners must be forced to evince and uphold moral values and virtues in all their conduct in order to lead by example and to avoid heating up the polity unnecessarily by their conducts and comments which sometimes incite violence in their follower

Terrorism and Insecurity in Nigeria: Moral, Values and Religious Education as Panaceas

The act of terrorism and general insecurity situations in Nigeria require that solution be sought to safe-guard the nation against balkanization and the educational system from collapse. Every nation’s educational system is to help it overcome her peculiar problems.  If this is a truism, then Nigeria’s educational system is supposed to help her overcome the problem of terrorism that is shaking it to its foundation. It is in the light of this that this paper examines terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria and proffered moral, values and religious education as panaceas. In doing this, the paper discusses the central role that security plays in the development of nations for which Nigeria cannot be an exception. The paper further explains the concepts of terrorism and insecurity with instances of terrorist acts in Nigeria. The possible causes of insecurity in Nigeria such as bad governance, corruption, graduate unemployment, among others pointed out by other writers were highlighted. These factors were according to this paper symptomatic rather than causative. The paper therefore, queries false values, bad morality and misleading or inadequate religious education as cardinal causative factors and recommendations were given in this regard. Keywords: Terrorism, Insecurity, Moral, Values and Religious Education, Direct Instruction, Selective Reinforcemen

Competitive Intelligence and Product Development/Innovations in Pharmaceutical Firms in Lagos State, Nigeria

This study examined competitive intelligence and product development and innovation in pharmaceutical firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. Three hypotheses were formulated to determine whether or not a relationship exist between competitive intelligence and product development and innovation in pharmaceutical firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design to obtain data, using a structured questionnaire which was analyzed using Pearson’s product moment coefficient of correlation. The result indicated that there exists a significant relationship between competitive intelligence and product development and innovation in pharmaceutical firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. Based on the finding it was concluded that the process of product development and innovation cannot be successful except there is information about customer’s needs, wants and expectations of which the innovation products or services intends to serve. The study recommended among others that pharmaceutical firms should leverage on information gathering and sharing to determine the nature of the new product and service so that the new product offerings will be more valued and satisfying than the existing ones that are offered by the competitors. Keywords:     Competitive Intelligence, Information gathering and sharing, Product Development and innovations, New products, New product offerings, Pharmaceutical firms

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PERFORMANCE IN ABA, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the influence of innovation on the performance of entrepreneurship in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. Three hypotheses were formulated to ascertain whether or not there is significant relationship existing between the two intervening variables i.e. innovation and entrepreneurship performance in Aba, Abia State. Survey research design was adopted, while data were obtained through structured questionnaire and analyzed using Pearson’s product-moment coefficient of correlation. From the analysis, the result showed that there is an existing relationship between innovation and performance of entrepreneurship. Based on the findings it was concluded that for entrepreneurship to stand the test of time in the face of escalating competition in the emerging economies like Nigeria, premium must be placed on formulating and developing innovative culture aimed at encouraging employees to bring on board innovative ideas and strategies capable of providing innovative product and services to the customers with valued and satisfying benefits better than competitors to enhance performance and productivity. The study therefore, recommended among others that entrepreneurship policies and program should be designed in ways that addresses horizontal concerns and which generates better and viable inducement for innovation activities.  Keywords:       Innovation, Inducement, Entrepreneurship, Emerging Economy, Innovative Cultur

Entrepreneurship Education for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria

This paper stressed the importance of entrepreneurship education towards enhancing an independent and productive living for persons with disabilities in Nigeria. Persons with disabilities are not insulated from the problems facing the country particularly the high rate of poverty, youth and graduate unemployment. The paper noted that although entrepreneurship education is not alien, it has not gained prominence in the curriculum for children with special needs in the school system. Accordingly, the lack of specially trained personnel, absence of an all encompassing curriculum, difficulty raising capital, strategic disadvantages in competing with ‘normal’ entrepreneurs among others were identified as responsible factors. This paper argued that these challenges are surmountable with efforts and collaboration by the government, the target group, curriculum planners, the school, family and society at large. The paper also discussed the prospect of entrepreneurship education for persons with disabilities. The paper concluded that educational programmes for persons with disabilities at all levels of education should be tailored towards providing them with needed entrepreneurial skills. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, education, persons, disabilities, Nigeria

The Mitigating Role of Governance in conflict and State fragility: A study of Nigeria and Iraq

Drawing from the centrality of the quality of Governance in promoting and sustaining nationhood and by virtue of the fact that most drivers of conflicts in society, such as greed and grievances are discovered to be anchored on the nature of the relationship between the state and society., This paper therefore, adopt the social identity theory to analyses the socio-political factors which pave the way for the emergence of Boko Haram and ISIS in Nigeria and Iraq respectively. The paper adopt a content analysis by extensively reviewing the findings of previous studies which have identified the drivers of conflicts in several context, as well as carrying an in-depth analysis of several researches on Governance reform with the view to strike a balance between the two. The article thus, conclude by arguing that only structural transformation of local Governance by emphasizing and entrenching inclusiveness, integration and effective local democracy can guarantee success in the fight against insurgence and domestic terrorism  in both countries. This is because all the models of radicalization into political violence implicitly acknowledged that crisis of legitimacy is the beginning of civil strife. Keywords: Governance, Conflict, Fragility, Nigeria, Ira

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MISSION SCHOOL IN NIGERIA AND ITS PSYCHO-SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS

This study examined the operations of the past and present mission schools in Nigeria by comparing cost of training to know whether it was cheaper with the past mission schools than the present mission schools. The study further examined variables such as adequacy of infrastructures, quality and quantity of personnel, discipline of staff and students as well as the goals or objectives that were and are the driving forces of these schools in other to determine where and how they differ and the direction of the difference. Two hundred respondents through purpose sampling techniques were used to answer the research questions. The instrument used to collect data was a twenty one (21) item questionnaire divided into five sections, A-E. The instrument was personally administered on the subjects and the return rate was 100 percent. The data was analyzed using mean and standard deviation statistical tools and the results obtained included among the following that: it was cheaper to train in the past mission schools than the present mission schools in Nigeria, that discipline of staff and students were higher in past mission schools than the present mission schools and that the past mission schools had more qualified personnel and produced more qualitative and disciple students than the present. Recommendations that were based on the findings were that the present mission schools particularly, the universities should reduce their fees to allow more accessibility and affordability, increase award of scholarship to the promising and indigent students as well as that mission schools should not lose sight of what they existed for; they should use their benevolence for soul winning rather than driving people away from the Christian faith by being callous and exploitative.       Article visualizations

APPRAISING INDIA’S ROLE IN UNITED NATIONS PEACE KEEPING OPERATION IN AFRICA: THE CASE OF SOUTH SUDAN

India has long invested in promoting goodwill among African states by participating in United Nations Peacekeeping operations. India is the third-largest contributor of personnel to UN peacekeeping operations and has contributed to various missions across the world including in Somalia, Mozambique, Angola, Sierra Leone, and more recently, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. As part of a broader push to build stronger ties to African countries, India has redoubled its commitment to peacekeeping efforts over the past decade, and in the views of many in the UN peacekeeping system, the capacity of Indian peacekeepers makes them essential to any peacekeeping effort on the continent. India also possesses the capacity to provide well-trained troops who are accustomed to operating in a diverse array of terrain. In addition, the paper will assess India’s strategy of using peacekeeping as a tool of foreign policy. This paper will assess the role of India in the South Sudan Crisis. The paper’s source of data will be essentially secondary involving books, journals; articles on the subject matter under review

Telomere dysfunction accurately predicts clinical outcome in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, even in patients with early stage disease

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Defining the prognosis of individual cancer sufferers remains a significant clinical challenge. Here we assessed the ability of high-resolution single telomere length analysis (STELA), combined with an experimentally derived definition of telomere dysfunction, to predict the clinical outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). We defined the upper telomere length threshold at which telomere fusions occur and then used the mean of the telomere 'fusogenic' range as a prognostic tool. Patients with telomeres within the fusogenic range had a significantly shorter overall survival (P  <  0·0001; Hazard ratio [HR] = 13·2, 95% confidence interval [CI]  = 11·6-106·4) and this was preserved in early-stage disease patients (P  <  0·0001, HR=19·3, 95% CI = 17·8-802·5). Indeed, our assay allowed the accurate stratification of Binet stage A patients into those with indolent disease (91% survival at 10 years) and those with poor prognosis (13% survival at 10 years). Furthermore, patients with telomeres above the fusogenic mean showed superior prognosis regardless of their IGHV mutation status or cytogenetic risk group. In keeping with this finding, telomere dysfunction was the dominant variable in multivariate analysis. Taken together, this study provides compelling evidence for the use of high-resolution telomere length analysis coupled with a definition of telomere dysfunction in the prognostic assessment of CLL