Micro-credit Facility for Graduates of Vocational and Technical Institutions as a Panacea to Unemployment in Nigeria

Over the time, lack of adequate start-up finance has been identified as one of the most significant barriers to young people seeking to create their own businesses. Infact, it has been observed that the bulk of the problem being encountered by young entrepreneurs is the impaired access to micro credit that can promote establishment of new enterprises and supporting existing ones. Due to their lack of resources, credibility, credit history or collateral, young people are often seen as particularly risky potential clients and therefore face difficulties in accessing finance. The methodological approach adopted in writing this paper was content analysis and after reviewing the prevailing situation, the author observed that vocational and entrepreneurial training alone has not led to and cannot lead to establishment of own business after graduation because it is not only the lack of investable skills and entrepreneurial spirit that is preventing graduates of vocational schools from starting own business after graduation but also unavailability or difficult to access start-up capital. It is therefore suggested that micro lending should be incorporated into vocational education program in order to provide easy to access micro credits for these graduates through micro finance banks for microenterprise development. This will not only ensure that qualified youths with requisite qualification (investable skills and entrepreneurial spirits) have access to such micro credits but also prevent usage of such money for consumption purposes that will lead to no long term benefits. Keywords: Micro-credit Facility, Unemployment, Vocational Institutions Graduate

Economic Analysis of Snail Meat Consumption InIbarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State

The study investigates consumption of snail meat in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State using both descriptive statistics and OLS multiple regression techniques. Questions that were addressed by the study include: first, what is the rate of consumption of the snail meat in the study area?  Secondly, what are the determinants of amount spent on the consumption of snail meat ? For the above purpose, cross sectional data were collected from 80 households of the study area through the use of structured questionnaires and oral interview and analyzed to reveal the functional relationship between the consumption of snail meat and some socio-economic characteristics of the respondents.Results indicated that most of the respondents were female, married, between 30 and 39 years and have formal education. Also it was found that most respondents earned between N5, 000 and N9, 999 as income monthly. Quantity (number of snails) of snail meat consumed was found to be high but rate or frequency (number of times) of consumption was low (seasonally). The study found no significant relationship between gender, marital status, age, education and income and consumption level (quantity) of snail meat consumed. However, significant relationship was found between rate (frequency) of snail meat consumption and age, educational level and income.The findings also revealed that apart from income, occupation, price of substitutes and education which were the major determinants of snail meat consumption, the nutritional benefit and taste of snail meat were also important factors that determined its consumption by respondents. It was also found out that majority of snail meat eaters sourced it through traditional hunting while only few people bought it from snail rearers. It is therefore recommended that, more people (especially youths) should go into snail production, since it is easy and cheap to rear because this will not only generate employment opportunities but also ensure all year round availability of the product and thereby make it more affordable for the low income earners. Also Agricultural extension workers in the area should intensify awareness about nutritional and medicinal benefits of snail meat and the need for the people of the area to embrace its consumption. Keywords: Snail meat, Regression, Consumptio

Economic Recessions in Nigeria: An Econometric Investigation of Roles of Crude oil Price Volatility (1970 -2016)

This paper analysed the relationship between crude oil price volatility and Nigerian• Gross Domestic Products (proxy for growth of Nigerian economy) for the period 1970 to 2016 with Gareh (1, I) model and Vector autoregressive (VAR) model. The result of Arch test confirmed that crude oil price is significantly volatile while analysis of the result of trend of crude oil price volatility from 1970 to 2016 revealed that the 1973-74, 1979-80, 2003-2007, 2010-2014 boom periods were associated with crude oil price increases while the oil price collapse of 1986-2000 and near recession indices of year 2015-2016 is an episode of crude oil price fall.The resultofVARestimation revealed that there is a statistically significant, direct relationship between crude oil price volatility (COP) and gross domestic product (GDP} in the short run. Also, impulse response function showed that shock in crude oil prices has both positive and negative effect on gross domestic product in the short~ depending on whether the shock from crude oil price is an increase or a decrease (positive or negative) which might implied period of economic recession or prosperity. The paper therefore recommended that governments at all levels should intensify their efforts in diversifying the economy to a more productive and less volatile sector like agriculture in order to improve agricultural products export instead of total and heavy reliance on rents from crude oil export whose price is highly volatile and to insulate the economy against these shocks (decrease in oil prices) and its attendant consequences

Benefits, disadvantages and challenges of virtual conferencing in the COVID-19 era: Adjusting to the new normal

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has had tremendous effect on the medical and scientific community. Measures instituted to curb the spread of the disease such as physical distancing and ban on large gatherings have significantly altered conferencing activities of medical professional associations. With no end in sight to the pandemic, it is certain that medical professional associations may have to make do with purely virtual or hybrid conferencing for some time to come. The objective of this paper is to highlight the benefits, disadvantages and challenges of virtual conferencingMethods: We searched Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, and AJOL databases from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 for publications describing the benefits, disadvantages and challenges of virtual conferencing during the pandemic. This, together with authors' experience formed the resource base for this work.Conclusion: We propose ways the scientific community in Nigeria can maximize the virtual conferencing while the pandemic lasts. We also advocate increased discussion about how to improve the virtual conferencing culture and the development of guidelines for purely virtual or hybrid scientific conferences

Psychotropic Medications and QTc Parameters in a Nigerian Cohort

Aims: Evidence is increasing to indicate that individuals with mental illness may be at risk of premature death. We studied the prevalence of QTc prolongation, QT dispersion (QTd) and cardiac arrhythmias in patients on psychotropic drugs. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine and Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria Between Januaryand June 2010. Methodology: One hundred and ninety-one consecutive patients on psychotropic medications with 121 controls were studied. All the subjects had detailed clinical examination and resting electrocardiogram (ECG) at 25mm/sec. QTc was determined using Bazett formula and QTd by subtracting shortest from longest QTc in 12-lead ECG. Results: Mean QTc of the patients (450±46msc) was longer (p=0.0001) than that of the controls (390±27msc) but mean QTd was similar (p=0.13) in both groups. QTc was prolonged in 68(35.6%) patients compared to 11(9.1%) controls, p=0.0001. LVH, arrhythmias and abnormal T-wave morphology occurred more (p=0.01, 0.01 and 0.001 respectively) in the patients than controls. Age, duration of treatment and total daily doses of antipsychotics were independent predictors of QTc. Cardiac arrhythmias were seen in 24.1% of the patients but none had ventricular arrhythmias. Conclusion: Psychotropic drug use is a risk factor for QTc prolongation and cardiac arrhythmias. We suggest periodic electrocardiography, discourage polypharmacy and recommend drug holiday in stable patients

Characteristics of patients with acute heart failure in North Central Nigeria

Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is an important cause of hospital admission in Nigeria. HF is increasingly prevalent because the population is aging and HF epidemiology is changing. We aimed at profiling the socio-demographic, clinical and echocardiographic (Echo)  characteristics of patients admitted for acute HF. This is one of the largest cohorts of HF patients profiled in Nigeria so far. Methods: Cross sectional design. Socio-demographic, clinical and Echo data were collected from 455 patients admitted for AHF at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, North central, Nigeria. Results: Mean age of patients was 58.9± 15.7years, (men were older than women, P= 0.006). 265(58.2%) were males, most patients were aged >60 years, 4.8% had pre-existing Type2 Diabetes mellitus. 53.2% of patients presented in New York Heart Association Stages III and IV. Median duration of admission was 11days (IQR, 6-17), intrahospital mortality- 11.6%. Hypertension was the commonest aetiological factor (62.4%), followed by dilated cardiomyopathy 17.6%, rheumatic heart disease (6.6%), Peripartum cardiomyopathy (5.3%), and others. Conclusion: AHF patients in our study are older than those in previous studies in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Hypertension is main driver of AHF, and patients largely present with clinically advanced disease necessitating stronger public health education about risk factors and early presentation. &nbsp

Rehospitalization rate and predictors of rehospitalization in heart failure patients in North Central Nigeria

Abstract Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the advancement in its treatment the rate of rehospitalization of patients after treatment for HF is still high around the world. Studies assessing rehospitalization rates of HF patients are few in Nigeria. The objective of the study was to determine the 180-day rehospitalization rate and predictors of rehospitalization in acute HF patients managed in our Centre. The study was a retrospective cohort study of 148 patients with acute HF. The 180-day rehospitalization rate in our patients was 16.2%. The median time to rehospitalization was 61days. Serum urea (p=0.016), serum creatinine (p=0.033), admission eGFR < 60mls/min/1.73m2 (p=0.007), LVEF (p=0.045) were associated with rehospitalization. eGFR < 60mls/min/1.73m2 was an independent predictor of 180-day rehospitalization OR 5.4, (CI 1.701-7.690), p=0.014 suggesting 5 times greater likelihood of rehospitalization than patients with higher eGFR. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 180-day rehospitalization was plotted. In conclusion, the 180-day rehospitalization rate among our patients varies from other reported rates in our environment. Acute HF patients with renal dysfunction have a high likelihood of medium term rehospitalization and hence constitute an at-risk group for targeted intervention during admission

Association between blood pressure dipping patterns and hypertension-mediated organ damage among Nigerians with newlydiagnosed hypertension

Introduction: Abnormal blood pressure (BP) dipping patterns are associated with increased cardiovascular risk among Africans. This study determined the association between BP dipping patterns and hypertension-mediated organ damage among patients with newly-diagnosed hypertension.Methods: Ambulatory BP monitoring and echocardiography were carried out on 120 participants. Participants were categorized based on the ratio of night-time to day-time systolic BP into 4 patterns: Normal dipper (≥ 10% but < 20%), non-dippers (≥ 0% but < 10%), reverse  dippers (<0%) and extreme dippers (≥ 20%).Result: Fifty-one (42.5%) were males, the mean age and body mass index were 44.2±9.8years and 27.1±4.4kg/m2 respectively. The non-dipping pattern was the most prevalent while the reverse dipping had the lowest mitral E/A ratio. Office systolic blood pressure was the only predictor of left ventricular hypertrophy (OR=1.050, 95% CI=1.004-1.098; p-value = 0.034).Conclusions: The non-dipping pattern was the most prevalent abnormal dipping pattern while the reverse dippers had the highest risk of hypertension-mediated organ damage. Office blood pressure was the only predictor of left ventricular hypertrophy. Hence, office BP measurement as well as ambulatory blood pressure measurements are potentially important tools in risk stratification in resource-poor settings of sub-Saharan Africa