Application of industrialized building system: a case study in Kano State, Nigeria

Development of infrastructures are needed due to the growing population, increasing demand for housing and other building activities and the improvement in the quality of life of the populace. This study has been conducted with the aim to capture the perspective of Nigerian construction industries on the industrialized building system (IBS), specifically in Kano State. The methods adopted for this study comprises of interview session with 5 expert respondents and questionnaire survey with 73 respondents of professionals within the Nigerian construction industries. Data obtained was analyzed using content, frequency and factor analysis through SPSS software. Research findings shows that majority of the construction industry in Kano are commonly practicing traditional cast on site method and IBS implementation is considered in early stage. The setback of IBS application in Kano found from this study is due to insufficient IBS manufacturer, unfamiliarity and resistance to change, enormous capital cost and lack of government interest. In order to overcome these barriers, majority of the respondents agreed that improving the educational curriculum and adopting intensive training for the related parties will help in improving IBS implementation in Kano state and indirectly to Nigeria. The study further concludes that Government support and increase awareness on IBS benefits will result in successful IBS implementation in the state

Application of industrialized building system: a case study in Kano State, Nigeria

Development of infrastructures are needed due to the growing population, increasing demand for housing and other building activities and the improvement in the quality of life of the populace. This study has been conducted with the aim to capture the perspective of Nigerian construction industries on the industrialized building system (IBS), specifically in Kano State. The methods adopted for this study comprises of interview session with 5 expert respondents and questionnaire survey with 73 respondents of professionals within the Nigerian construction industries. Data obtained was analyzed using content, frequency and factor analysis through SPSS software. Research findings shows that majority of the construction industry in Kano are commonly practicing traditional cast on site method and IBS implementation is considered in early stage. The setback of IBS application in Kano found from this study is due to insufficient IBS manufacturer, unfamiliarity and resistance to change, enormous capital cost and lack of government interest. In order to overcome these barriers, majority of the respondents agreed that improving the educational curriculum and adopting intensive training for the related parties will help in improving IBS implementation in Kano state and indirectly to Nigeria. The study further concludes that Government support and increase awareness on IBS benefits will result in successful IBS implementation in the state

Patients preference for doctors' gender in North Western, Nigeria

Background: Cultural and religious beliefs affect the way people perceive illness and therapeutic interventions. These also affect the ability of patients and doctors to communicate freely,Objectives: To determine patients' preference for doctors' gender among patients attending the antenatal and gynaceology clinics in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey of 445 women attending the antenatal and gynaecology clinics of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from the patients. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain information about socio-demographic characteristics, preference for doctor's gender and factors associated with these preferences. The data obtained was analysed using the Statistical Software for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16,0.Results: Out of the 445 patients, 424 responded completely making the response rate to be 95.3%. Majority of the patients. 275 (64.9%) were aged between 20 to 25 years, 344 (81%) of the women were of lslamic faith and in 245 (57.8%) religion was found to be the most important factor affecting gender preference. A total of 192 participants (45.3%) believe that the doctor's gender does not matter to them, while 184 (43.4%) prefer the female gender and only 48 (11,3%) prefer the male gender. These associations between age, marital status and religion and gender preference are statistically significant (p<0.005).Conclusion: This study has shown that there is a strong preference of female patients for female doctors. Patients' age, mantal status and religion are very strong factors for the preference of female doctors.Keywords: patient's preference, doctor's gender, North-Western Nigeria

EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE AND INFLATION RATE ON AGRICULTURAL SECTOR OUTPUT IN NIGERIA

The study examined the effect of exchange rate and inflation rate on agricultural sector output in Nigeria from 1981 to 2020. In other to achieve the objective of this study, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach was used to analyse the effect of the data on agricultural sector output. The findings reveal that exchange rate and inflation rate has negative insignificant effect on agricultural output (AGDP) while commercial bank credit to agriculture has positive insignificant effect on agricultural sector output (AGDP) in the longrun. In addition, the short-run results revealed that the current value of exchange rate and its lag value (-2), inflation rate current value and commercial bank credit’s current value and its lag value (-1) have negative effect on agricultural output in the short-run.  Similarly, the short run result also showed that the lag values of exchange rate (-1, -3), the lag values of inflation rate (-1, -2 and -3) has positive relationship with agricultural sector output (AGDP)in the shortrun. Consequently, the study recommends among other things that Government should ensure adequate and effective implementation of policies that would enhance stable exchange rates, as effective and prudent management of exchange rate policies will significantly ensure stability of country’s exchange rate (naira). So also government should put in place policy that will help curb inflation. Policy such as selective credit control can be introduced by the central bank of Nigeria with full implementation. As this will help increase production forcing the price of agricultural goods and services to reduce

Phytochemical, Analgesic And Acute Toxicity Study Of Jatropha Curcus Root

Jatropha curcus Linn. is a multipurpose plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. The ethnomedical practice in West Africa showed the application of Jatropha curcus leaves in different forms to cure various ailments like fever, mouth infections, jaundice, guinea worm sores and joint rheumatism. The roots of J. curcus have been used as a decoction for bleeding gums, toothache, eczema, ringworm, and scabies and to cure dysentery. This study therefore assessed the phytochemical and analgesic properties of Jatropha curcus root. The acetic acid induced writhing test in mice was used to study the analgesic effect. The analgesic activity on methanol extract of the root (25mg/kg, 50mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) in the writhing test showed significant reduction of pain induced by acetic acid with the 50mg/kg being more potent. Phytochemical results of the three solvent extracts showed presence of tannins, triterpenes, alkaloids, carbohydrate and flavonoids. The quantitative phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids (94.0 mg/g) was the highest phytochemical detected in the root while the lowest was saponins and phenols (23.0 mg/g). The results of this investigation may be useful for deriving doses that are safe for human consumption medicinally of Jatropha curcus root. Collectively, this study provides scientific data for the use of Jatropha curcus in the treatment of pains and contribute to the analgesic knowledge of this species. Further study should be carried oot o find out the mechanism of its action and also to isolate, identify and characterize the active agent responsible for these effects in this plant

A comprehensive review of barriers to a functional Zakat system in Nigeria: what needs to be done?

Purpose: Muslims in Nigeria, like in many Muslim-majority countries, are striving to have a functional Zakat system in search of solutions to the perennial problem of poverty and its damning consequences. Nevertheless, there are still unsettled concerns arising from the current and widespread implementation of dissimilar (diverse) approaches to the Zakat system in various parts of the country. The purpose of this paper is to review comprehensively what are the hindrances of a vibrant Zakat system and how far the identified impediments may affect the system in the Nigerian context.Design/methodology/approach:The methodology adopted is the review of extant relevant literature in the field of scholarly publications.Findings: The findings of this study revealed that the fragmented implementation of the Zakat system within the context of the Nigerian democratic system of government lead to the weak governance with respect to law, administration and management; lack of a generally accepted fatwa from the Muslims scholars (Ulamas); absence of Zakat accounting standard; and low compliance behavior are the major barriers that require the attention of government and other stakeholders such as the traditional leaders, the accounting regulatory bodies, the Ulamas, as well as the economic and accounting researchers.Practical implications: It was recommended that the stakeholders should make concerted efforts toward ensuring success of the Zakat system for attaining salvation in the hereafter and for social security, as well as economic prosperity. Originality/value: The paper is the first paper that comprehensively reviews previous literature in the Zakat environment on factors that become barriers to implement a comprehensive Zakat system in Nigeria