Family Business and Innovation in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects

Family business has attracted more attention in recent times, as a result of its immense contribution to entrepreneurship and national development. Several Nigerian businesses have grown from single ownership (sole proprietor) into fully fleshed family owned businesses with more personnel, better decision making, management style and resources to effectively carry out business activities. Most family businesses adopt innovation as a competitive strategy in the marketplace. Today’s business environment is highly dynamic, complex and fiercely competitive, it is therefore of great importance for family businesses to be innovative, wiling to adapt to change, creative and ready to employ strategies that will position the business at a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The focus of this paper is to examine the concept of family business and innovation, role of innovation in building a successful family business, factors inhibiting the growth of family business and prospect of family business. This paper concludes by recommending ways to tackle problems faced by family businesses and how these businesses can be improved upon

Effects of Medium of Instruction (Yoruba Language) On Secondary School Students’ Performance in Mathematics

Mathematics is one of the core subjects in secondary education and a good performance in the subject is a key to gaining admission into higher institution of learning In any mathematical educational setting the role of language cannot be deemphasized as it is a major tool that often determines the learning outcome of learners in the subject To this end the medium of instruction in mathematics classroom should be one that the learners can easily decipher This study therefore investigated the effects of mother tongue as supplementary medium of instruction on junior secondary school students performance in Mathematics in Ekiti State Nigeria The purpose was to examine the effectiveness of mother tongue as a supplementary medium of instruction The study adopted a three group pre-test post-test quasi experimental research design The sample for the study consisted of 194 junior secondary school one students selected from three secondary schools in Ekiti State through multistage sampling procedure One research instrument tagged Mathematics Performance Test was used for data collection in the stud

AN ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS AFFECTING MATERIAL STOCK CONTROL PRACTICE ON SELECTED CONSTRUCTION SITES IN NIGERIA

This research examines the stock control methods utilized by construction firms on construction sites with a view to assessing the factors affecting material stock control practice by construction firms as well as determining the impact of factors affecting material stock control on building project performance. Data were collected with the aid of well-structured questionnaire administered on a number of construction professionals and technicians in some randomly selected building construction firms in South Western Nigeria. The data generated were further analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study showed that the stock control method utilized by most construction firms on their sites is the Action Level method. Also, the identified factors that affect material stock control practice on construction sites have significant impact on building project performance in respect of cost, time and quality. Based on the findings, it was recommended that material stock control should be practised on all sites and by all categories of building construction firms in strict compliance with Action Level Method coupled with proper use of project bill of quantities, schedule of materials, construction programme, specification, proper stock accounting and security systems; also a competent and experienced personnel with basic managerial skills in material management should be engaged on site as store officer to enhance material stock control practice

Germination of Seeds of Selected Leguminous Tree Species Moistened with Varying Concentrations of Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil Water Extracts

The study investigates the germination of selected leguminous tree species (LTS) native to the forest ecosystem and oil producing areas of Nigeria. Germination experiments of 250 seeds from each of the selected members of the Fabaceae family: Bauhinia monandra (Kurz), Delonix regia (Boj. ex Hook.) Raf. and Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schum. & Thonn.) Taubert were conducted in petri dishes double-layered with Whatman No. 1 filter papers for 10 days and moistened with varying concentrations of crude oil contaminated soil water extracts (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ml), with a view to determining the ability of these plants to germinate and establish in soil polluted with crude oil. The mean percentage germination of each tree species was thus determined. All the LTS germinated, but germination was concentration dependent, as percentage germination decreased with increased oil concentrations. Evaluation of the initial growth responses and tolerances of these LTS in oil-polluted soil may provide useful information about the potential of these plant species for phytoremediation

PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD AND NON-WOOD PLASTER OF PARIS BONDED COMPOSITE CEILING BOARDS

The effects of wood and non-wood fibres reinforcement on the properties of Plaster of Paris were evaluated. The woody and non woody residues were varied in 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 % of the whole mix while the Plaster of Paris used was in the ratio 100 (control), 90, 80, 70, 60, and 50 %. The mean density of the composite produced is 3250 kg/m3. The mean thickness swelling and water absorption after 2 and 24 hours were 0.84 % and 0.88 %, and 13.8 % and 16.2 % respectively. The MOR and MOE increased with increase in fibre content hence the composite is suitable for indoor applications

Knowledge, Practice and Willingness to Participate in Community Health Insurance Scheme among Households in Nigerian Capital City

Background: Health insurance is a social security system that guarantees the provision of needed health services to persons on the payment of token contributions at regular intervals. The objective of the survey was to determine knowledge, practice and willingness of households in Nigerian Capital City to pay and participate in Community Health Insurance Scheme.Materials and Methods: This descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was carried out using the multistage cluster sampling technique to obtain data from 300 selected household heads or main financial decision makers. The data was analyzed using EPI-INFO software package. Statistical significance of p < 0.05 and confidence limit of 95% was used.Results: The major findings showed that the level of awareness (13%) concerning Community Health Insurance (CHI) was found to be very low among the respondents. The general principles of CHI were also poorly understood by the respondents. Attitude to the programme was positive as many showed interest in participating and enrolling themselves (97.0%), some family members (96.3%) and entire family members (90.3%).  Borrowing money to settle medical bills in this study has occurred in 30% of instances. Majority of respondents were willing to pay premiums ranging from N450 (96.6%) to N1200 (72.5%) for simple packages that do not include surgery and hospitalization.Conclusions: The community members were willing to participate and enrol if the programme is brought to them. There is a need to adequately subsidize the premiums that respondents were willing to pay in order to meet up with the cost of treatment.Key Words: Willingness, Participate, Community Health Insurance

Microbial spectrum and susceptibility profile of opportunistic pathogens isolated from cancer patients attending a tertiary healthcare centre in Akure, Nigeria

Introduction. Cancer constitutes a formidable global public health challenge, infection complicates effective treatment regimen and detrimentally impacts survival in cancer-patients. This predicament is exacerbated by the rising specter of antimicrobial resistance. Methods. The study was conducted amongst clinically diagnosed cancer patients attending University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure. Characterization of bacterial and fungal isolates from blood samples of the patients was performed using standard microbiological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility assessment was performed using disk diffusion and microdilution methods. Results. Overall, 40.3% of cancer cases manifested in individuals aged above 60 years, with breast cancer emerging as the predominant malignancy, accounting for 68.1% of cases. Moreover, retirees constituted the demographic with the highest representation among the cancer patients, encompassing 36.8% of the study population. The prevailing bacterial isolates comprised Klebsiella pneumoniae (25%) and Klebsiella aerogenes (18.75%), while Aspergillus fumigatus (30.12%) and Candida albicans (24.09%) constituted the predominant fungal isolates. Remarkably, the antimicrobial agents Cefuroxime, Cotrimoxazole, and Amphotericin-B exhibited suboptimal efficacy against these isolates. Conclusion. This study shows the increased vulnerability of cancer patients to opportunistic bacterial and fungal pathogens, many of which show resistance to conventional antimicrobial agents. Strict infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship measures are advocated to reduce infections in this susceptible population

A community survey of the pattern and determinants of household sources of energy for cooking in rural and urban south western, Nigeria

Introduction:The use of solid fuels for cooking is associated with indoor pollution and lung diseases. The objective of the study was to determine the pattern and determinants of household sources of energy for cooking in rural and urban South Western, Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study of households in urban (Ado-Ekiti) and rural (Ido-Ekiti) local council areas from April to July 2010. Female respondents in the households were interviewed by trained interviewers using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 670 households participated in the study. Majority of rural dwellers used single source of energy for cooking (55.6%) and urban dwellers used multiple source of energy (57.8%). Solid fuel use (SFU) was higher in rural (29.6%) than in urban areas (21.7%). Kerosene was the most common primary source of energy for cooking in both urban and rural areas (59.0% vs.66.6%) followed by gas (17.8%) and charcoal (6.6%) in the urban areas, and firewood (21.6%) and charcoal (7.1%) in the rural areas. The use of solid fuel was strongly associated with lack of ownership of dwellings and larger household size in urban areas, and lower level of education and lower level of wealth in the rural areas. Kerosene was associated with higher level of husband education and modern housing in urban areas and younger age and indoor cooking in rural areas. Gas was associated with high income and modern housing in the urban areas and high level of wealth in rural areas. Electricity was associated with high level of education, availability of electricity and old age in urban and rural areas respectively. Conclusion: The use of solid fuel is high in rural areas, there is a need to reduce poverty and improve the use of cleaner source of cooking energy particularly in rural areas and improve lung health. Pan African Medical Journal 2012; 12:

Moisture sorption isotherms of Mesquite seed (Prosopis africana)

Moisture profoundly influences product attributes such as quality and safety. The knowledge of moisture sorption isotherm is essential to determine products stability, and needed for design of storage, packaging and drying systems for extension of shelf lives. This study is to develop sorption isotherms of Prosopis africana.The moisture sorption isotherms of the seed were determined at temperatures of 20ºC, 25ºC and 30ºC, over a relative humidity range of 11%-100% using the static gravimetric technique. A linear regression programme was used to fit five isotherm models; GAB, Oswin, Halsey, Henderson, and Chung Pfost to the experimental data and compared using the root mean standard error, regression coefficient, standard error of estimate, and randomness of residuals.The adsorption and desorption isotherms of the seed followed the type II isotherm which exhibited a sigmoidal curve and also resulted in a hysteresis effect. At 20oC, Chung Pfost gave the best for the Prosopis africana in the adsorptive mode while at 25oC, the GAB, Henderson and Chung Pfost models gave the best fit. At 30oC, the Henderson and Chung Pfost had a good fit. Through all the temperatures for the prosopis Africana in the adsorptive mode, the Chung Pfost model has the best fit all through. In the desorption mode of Prosopis africana at 20oC and 25oC, the r2 for Chung Pfost, Henderson, GAB, Halsey, and Oswin range from 0.854 to 0.956 and 0.896 - 0.966 respectively. All the five models gave a good fit. At 30oC, the Chung Pfost, GAB and Henderson gave the best fit