Investigating the Influence of Shareholder Rights Mechanisms on the Perceived Performance of Listed Firms in Nigeria

The current debate of the issues of shareholder rights to firm performance have grown a topic of research both in the developed and emerging economy.There is serious concern regarding the effectiveness of the board of directors’ transparency and accountability, company image and the rights of the shareholders in recent times.This paper attempts to investigate the influence of shareholders rights mechanisms to perceived performance of listed firms in Nigeria. The underpinning theory of the paper is rooted in agency theory and supported by stewardship theory to increase the understanding of the influence of the board of directors’ transparency and accountability, company image and the shareholder rights to the perceived firm performance.The questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection from the sampled respondents. Administered to the respondents.247 copies of the questionnaire were administered with 117 duly completed and returned.Empirical findings showed that board of directors’ transparency and accountability and shareholder right were positively associated with perceived firm performance.While company image did not show any significant link to perceived firm performance. The findings contribute theoretically to the knowledge of corporate governance. Based on the knowledge of this study, this is the first study that adopts the use of primary data to investigate the influence of shareholders’ rights mechanisms on the perceived performance of listed firms in Nigeria. The findings provide policymakers, stakeholders, and government with a better picture of the transparency and accountability and the right of the shareholder

Moringa oleifera seed as alternative natural coagulant for potential application in water treatment: a review

Historically, there is evidence to suggest that communities in the developing countries are still using plant-based materials as one of the strategies for purifying drinking water. In this review, the coagulant properties of Moringa oleifera seeds extract were quantitatively evaluated toward suitable wastewater treatment and examining its coagulation mechanism. The seeds are rich in bio-active components and also used as a natural coagulant for effective water treatment. The seeds extract operates predominantly by bridging coagulation mechanism and operates through charge neutralization. This natural ingredient of an organic polymer is essential as it contains acrylamide monomers that are harmless to human’s health and lesser expensive as compared to conventional chemicals since they are available in most rural communities. The application of this readily available natural product as part of point of- use in water treatment technology may offer a practical, cheap, appropriate and sustainable solution for producing potable water in some developing nations

Nigeria research reactor-1 : vertical detector efficiency calibration using conventional and semi-empirical approach for large samples NAA implementation

Detector efficiency calibration is mandatory for accurate measurement of induced activity in irradiated samples and for safe operation of the reactor with minimal uncertainty. This paper reported the efficiency calibration of vertically dIpstick High Purity Germanium detector, installed at the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria for the purpose of large sample Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) using Nigeria research reactor-1 (NIRR-1). The performance of the detector was evaluated for the radioisotope activity measurements during the reactor operation for large samples neutron activation analysis. The detector performance in terms of radioisotopes detection ability was inspected using the standard conventional and semi-empirical approaches. The full energy peak efficiencies were determined at the corresponding energies for three different geometries (source to detector distance of 1, 5 and 10 cm). The semi-empirical approach produced better and precise results that logically rhymed with theory than the traditional approach. Besides that, a consistency in the nature of the graphs and values were evidenced. The determined efficiencies and their corresponding energies revealed encouraging outcome and ensured the successful NAA for large samples of different material compositions

The influence of various chemical oxygen demands on microbial fuel cells performance using leachate as a substrate

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), hailed as a promising technology, hold the potential to combat various wastewater pollutants while simultaneously converting their chemical energy into electricity through biocatalysts. This study explores the applicability of a dual compartment MFC (DC-MFC) under varying conditions, targeting the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from landfill leachate and electricity generation. In this setup, anaerobic sludge from a wastewater treatment plant serves as the inoculum in the anode compartment of the MFC, with a Nafion117 membrane acting as the separator between MFC units. The cathode compartments are filled with distilled water and continually aerated for 24 h to enhance air supply. The study assesses the MFC's performance across different COD concentrations, focusing on COD removal, power generation, and Coulombic efficiency. The findings reveal that COD removal efficiency is notably enhanced at higher concentrations of organic matter. Specifically, at a COD concentration of 3325.0 mg L , the MFC exhibited the highest COD removal efficiency (89%) and maximum power density (339.41 mWm ), accompanied by a Coulombic efficiency of 25.5%. However, as the initial substrate concentration increased to 3825 mg L , the efficiency decreased to 72%, with a Coulombic efficiency of 13.56% and a power density of 262.34 mWm . Optical density levels increased due to bacterial growth at ambient temperature and neutral pH, reflecting the dynamic microbial response within the system. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. Crown.

Effect of supplementary lighting on nutrient recovery of Ocimum basilicum and fishes in a polyculture aquaponic system

The effects of prolonged photoperiod (additional night lighting) were investigated on the production of Ocimum basilicum (lemon basil) and fish/crayfish raised in a nutrient film technique aquaponic system. Hybrid lemon fin barb and red claw crayfish juveniles were co-cultured with O. basilicum and subjected to 12 h of ambient natural daylight and additional 0, 4, 8, and 12 h of night lighting for 14 weeks (two batches of 7 weeks each). The water quality parameters and the performance characteristics of the fish/crayfish/plant were evaluated, and the nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) in the system by the three organisms was also measured. The fish growth performance showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in all the growth parameters measured across the treatments. The body proximate and nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium (NPK) composition of the fish and crayfish were not significantly (p > 0.05) different across the treatments. Similarly, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the NPK uptake by the fish and crayfish across the treatments. The plant growth performance showed that there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in the plant growth parameters measured, except for % plant height gained in the 12 h-light treatment (403.2 ± 26.0%) which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than other treatments and cycles. Hence, this study demonstrated that varying supplementary night lighting has no significant effect on the growth performance of O. basilicum, hybrid lemon fin barb, and red claw crayfish. This study, therefore, suggests that supplementary night lighting should not be considered for O. basilicum production as it does not significantly improve the performance characteristics of the plant nor the fish co-cultured with it in a polyculture aquaponic system

Investigating the Influence of Shareholder Mechanisms on the Perceived Performance of Listed Firms in Nigeria

The current debate on the issues of shareholder rights to firm performance has grown as a topic of research both in the developed and emerging economy. There is serious concern regarding the effectiveness of the board transparency and accountability, company image and the rights of the shareholders in recent times. This paper investigated the influence of shareholders mechanisms on the perceived performance of listed firms in Nigeria. The study is guided byagency theory and supported by the stewardship theory. The questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. 247 questionnaires were administered with 117 duly completed and returned. Hence, the number of completed valid questionnairesis 114. However, data were analysed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Empirical findings showed that board transparency/accountability and shareholder right were significantly and positively related to perceived firm performance. Whilethe company image did not show any significant link to perceived firm performance.Hence, based on the researches knowledge, this is the first of its kind to adopt primary data to investigate the influence of shareholders’ rights mechanisms on the perceived performance of listed firms in Nigeria. Therefore, the findings of this study,provide researchers, policymakers, firms, stakeholders, and the agencies of the government with a better picture of the transparency and accountability and the right of the shareholder. The study recommends that listed firms in Nigeria should adhere to professional ethics and best business practices such as financial prudence and accountability to their board of directors

Relationship between Gender Diversity and Board Size on Corporate Performance of Listed Insurance Firms in Nigeria

The heterogeneity of the board is a sensitive issue because theories emphasized on how important it is to have female directors. Therefore, this study examined the female on board and board size on the corporate performance of listed insurance firms in Nigeria. uses a sample of 25 insurance firms for the years 2011 through 2021. The MachameRatios Database and the annual reports of the sampled companies from the Nigerian Stock Exchange provided the study's data, which were then analyzed using ordinary least square regression. The study discovered that the financial success of businesses is influenced by female directors and board size. The results supported the argument that gender diversity enhances the financial outcomes of firms. Therefore, the study recommended that the management of insurance firms should have the right board member consisting of women inclusion to increase financial performance. The regulators or policymakers should make sure firms in NSC maintain the appropriate board size by ensuring that corporate governance code compliance is painstaking

Impact of information and communication technology in a federal teaching hospital library in Nigeria

A special library is an integral part of parent body. The relative contribution made by the special library to the overall success of the parent body cannot be over emphasiszed. The paper discussed the establishment of Federal Teaching Hospital Library Gombe which was popularly known as Federal Medical Centre Gombe. This is an attempt to document the impact of ICT in special libraries with particular reference to the Federal Teaching Hospital Library GombeKeywords: ICT, hospital libraries, Gombe, teaching hospital

Cellulose Microfibril and Micronized Rubber Modified Asphalt Binder

Cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) and micronized rubber powder (MRP) can be derived from low or negative-cost agricultural/industrial waste streams and offer environment-friendly and cost-effective pathways to develop engineering products. This study investigated the efficacy of adding these micromodifiers on the performance characteristics of asphalt binders. In this work, samples were produced using a mixture of slow-setting anionic asphalt emulsion with various combinations of MRP (at 0, 2 and 10 wt %) and four types of CMFs (hydrophobic and hydrophilic with crystalline ratios of 86% and 95%) at 0, 2 and 5 wt %. The performance of modified asphalt samples was assessed by penetration depth (PD), softening point (SP), and penetration index (PI). Linear regression analysis showed that adding CMFs and/or MRP reduced PD and increased SP values. The type of CMFs significantly affected the performance, which becomes more distinct with the increased weight content of CMFs. While hydrophilic CMFs caused increases in SP and PI values, no clear trend was seen to determine the effect of CMF crystallinity. It was also discovered that the combined addition of CMF and MRP achieved similar PI values at lower total weight content compared to using MRP alone