Choosing a Better Delay Line Medium between Single-Mode and Multi-Mode Optical Fibers: the Effect of Bending

Optical fiber cables are materials whose core is made of silica and other materials such as chalcogenide glasses; they transmit a digital signal via light pulses through an extremely thin strand of glass. The light propagates and is being guided by the core which is surrounded by the cladding. Light travels in the optical fiber in the form of total internal reflection in the core of the fibers. The flexibility, low tensile strength, low signal loss, high bandwidth and other characteristics of optical fibers favors it for use as a delay medium in many applications. Another favorable characteristic of optical fiber delay lines is are their relative insensitivities to environmental effects and electromagnetic interferences. The immunity of optical fibers to interferences and their less weight added advantages to it for use as delay medium. Single-mode and multi-mode are the two most popular types of optical fibers. Single-mode fibers have good propagation and delay properties with a minimal loss that allows the signal to propagate in a large distance with insignificant distortion or attenuation. The percentage of power transmission of single-mode fibers is found to be higher than that of the multi-mode fibers. It is, therefore, a preferred type for use as a delay line. In this paper, relative studies of the two optical fibers modes, and the results of power input/output measurement of the two modes are presented with a view to coming up with a better type for use as a delay medium

NO RETREAT NO SURRENDER CONFLICT FOR SURVIVAL BETWEEN FULANI PASTORALISTS AND FARMERS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Our herd is our life because to every nomad life is worthless without his cattle. What do you expect from us when our source of existence is threatened? The encroachment of grazing fields and routes by farmers is a call to war (HameSaidu, a Pastoralist, Wuse, 2009-IRIN, 2009). The continuing Fulani Pastoralists’ militancy for the survival of their cattle makes fierce struggle and violent conflicts with farmers inevitable. As Farmers continuously encroach into the grazing routes, they leave the Fulani with no alternative to neither retreat nor surrender. The traditional practices that focus on the close integration between raising of livestock and enhanced farming have posed serious dialectics in the dynamic relationships between pastoralists and farmers in Northern Nigeria. Northern Nigeria is a plural society with the potential for conflict. However, the conflicts between Fulani pastoralists and farmers in Northern Nigeria are essentially economic in nature, irrespective of the religious, cultural and political colourations that might be diluted to advance certain objectives. Migrant pastoralists in Nigeria are made up of many ethnic groups and the largest being the Fulbe or Fulani; constituting over 90%. The Fulani are well integrated amongst the sedentary Hausa farmers, who emigrated into Northern Nigeria from the Senegambia Valley several centuries ago (Adebayo, 1995). The availability of ecological, economic, environmental as well as social factors explain the need for posture, market proximity and the reciprocal social relationship with the host community. A combination of these factors increases the potential for conflicts in northern Nigeria (Blench, 1994, Tolnab, 2001, Fabusoro, 2006)

STATE, INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL AND POVERTY IN MAIGANA

Nigeria is predominantly a rural environment that has been experiencing endemic and protracted crises. Since a national crisis is no other than the totality of its rural crises manifesting in, among others, a fall in rural productivity and income, chronic rural poverty, rural unemployment and under- employment, rural – urban migration, collapse of basic infrastructural needs etc. Maigana offers and demonstrates empirical insights into the practical condition of Nigeria’s rural malaise. Whereas analysis of the socio-economic setting of a rural community can not be complete and accurate without being placed within the orbit of the State and international capital, it is rather not unusual that the various World Bank/IMF ‘solutions’, adopted by the Nigerian State, further worsen the rural crisis. Maigana, one of the few rural communities where direct capitalist intervention was unleashed even before the direct colonial domination provides basic data for our analysis

MOTIVATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES IN NIGERIA

In every organization, whether large or small, governmental or non-governmental, employees work enthusiastically or with zeal and cooperate amongst themselvesand with the leadership to achieve the laid down objectives. This is primarily due to the job satisfaction they derive in the conduct of their routine activities. The local government system, within the so-called three tiers of governmental structure in Nigeria, is the neglected step-child in the entire governmental arrangement. The nexus between motivation and employees in the local government has beena neglected theme of study in Nigeria. In most cases, the condition of employment in the local governments has always been taken as given within the prevailing orthodoxy of governance. This papertherefore,attempts to explore the kinds of motivations whichthe employees of local government should be provided with:This is done within the context of institutional claims by these employers and how the validity of such claims, or the lack of it impact upon employees spirit and performance against set down goals, mission and vision of the organization

Assessment of Knowledge Sharing Practices in Nigerian Construction Firms

Knowledge generated during construction projects is wasted as a result of a lack of awareness of the benefits of sharing knowledge. Moreover, knowledge is scattered in the construction firms through various documents and individual brains without a platform to retrieving it for sharing among the employees. Therefore, this paper aims to assess knowledge sharing practices in Nigerian construction firms. A detailed review of relevant literature was conducted with the view of collecting relevant data necessary for this paper. A total of 150 numbers of questionnaires was distributed to Engineers, Quantity surveyors, Builders and Architects in construction firms that are based in Abuja. The descriptive method of analysis was used to analyze the data obtained from the survey. The result shows the followings as methods of knowledge sharing practices in Nigerian construction firms: (1) face to face interaction, (2) site & Departmental meetings, (3) mentoring and tutoring, (4) project briefing and interviewing session, and (5) internal training courses. In addition, the followings were established as construction activities that are commonly used for knowledge-sharing practices: (1) site visitation, (2) estimation & price forecasting, (3) evaluation of BOQ, (4) preparation of scheduling for site activities, (5) development of tender programme, (6) taking off and (7) understanding of construction technologies and methods. Therefore, the paper recommended that the top management should encourage knowledge-sharing practices in the construction firms through face to face interaction, seminars/workshops, and post-project review

Democracy and Its Adoption in Nigeria: Western Liberal or Indigenous Option

This paper examined democracy and its adoption in Nigeria. The study was born out of the numerous debacles encountered by Nigeria and Nigerians in the process of achieving democracy. The study used secondary source to gather data. The study found that Nigerians desire and cherish to entrench a democratic system and government, the journey to achieve democracy is a long and trying one but Nigeria is still far from achieving it due to the failure of the system and the leaders to provide the suitable option and guidance, Nigeria’s present democratic setting is unnecessarily expensive and too accommodative, unwhole suitability of the Western liberal democracy to Nigeria’s socio-economic and political environment and failure to domesticate the democracy to suit Nigeria’s peculiar circumstances. It is also found that wholesome adoption of the Western liberal democracy will not suit the Nigerian context and so, there have to be adjustments to uniqueness of Nigerian state and societies and that excessive use of money in the polity hinders achieving democracy. The study recommended among others development and adoption of indigenous democratic values and principles, redistribution of national wealth, income and resources to ensure justice among Nigerians, extensive and intensive civic education to citizens,  constitutional enforcement of social justice among Nigerians, adoption of politics of pluralism and consensus, cultivation and institutionalization of habits of transparency and good governance especially on the part of the leaders, establishment of genuine national political parties, reviewing the presidential system currently operated to reduce excessive politics of accommodation and the cost of running government. Keywords: Democracy, Liberal Democracy, Adoption, Achievement.

Effect of Training and Development on Employees’ Retention in Selected Commercial Banks in Adamawa State-Nigeria

This study assessed the effect of training and development on staff retention in selected commercial banks in Adamawa state. The bed rock of this study was that inadequate skilled staff and inability to retain staff are bedevilling the Nigeria’s banking institutions. Data were collected from 197 bank staff from Yola north, Yola south, Mubi north and Numan local government areas of Adamawa State, Nigeria using both close and open ended questionnaires. Regression analysis was used in the study.  A 1% increase in internal training, (ITT), increased staff retention by 0.239, a 1% increase in fairness of training policy (FTP) led to 2.902 increase in staff retention.  Finding of the study therefore revealed that training and development had positive effect on staff retention in commercial banks at 5% level of significant.  Staff retention in commercial banks is encouraged when training and development are applied as motivational strategies. The study therefore recommended that the banks need to train their staff both on the job and in academic institutions for them to keep them on their jobs. Keywords: Training and Development, Employees’ retention, Commercial banks, Motivational strategie

Impacts of Effective Communication Towards Performance of Construction Organization

The purpose of this study is to examine the significant impacts of effective communication towards the performance of the construction organization. The objectives of the study include to identify impacts of effective communication and evaluate the degree of agreement to which effective communication influence construction organization from construction contractors and consultants’ viewpoint. A sample of 200 construction contractors and consultants were randomly selected from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) database, out of which the response rates received were 160 (80%). Data analysis include Relative Importance Index (RII) for ranking comparison among the construction professionals on a scale range from 1-5 for rating their responses. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to evaluate the degree of agreement between construction professionals related to the ranking of each group of the practices. The results of RII revealed that improve productivity in the organization, reduce project delay, better safety precautions on construction sites, better use of materials and equipment and improve professional commitment to the organization are the top five impacts of effective communication towards the performance of construction organization. The results of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance revealed that a high agreement between construction professionals occurred in the ranking of the impacts of effective communication towards the performance of construction organization. The findings revealed that effective communication help to facilitate better understanding among all parties in the construction organization. It was recommended that stakeholders in the construction organization should adopt the use of effective communication tools and instruments for organizational performance

Ethno-religious rivalry in Nigeria: causes and effects (1993-2015)

Ethno-religious rivalry has crept into the heterogeneous, major and minority groups and every part of Nigerian system, but overshadowed by related conflicts among others. Despite the Constitution and other policy checks being enforced, rivalry has been escalating among the groups. Therefore, Nigeria with a population of over 193 million people is embroiled in the rivalry which often leads to many negative trends. This study explored the ethno-religious rivalry in Nigeria from 1993-2015 with objectives of exploring the causes; the effects on Nigeria; and the ways to lessen it. A qualitative study method was used with in-depth and open ended interviews using nonprobability sampling. The study used the system and pluralism theories. In-depth interviews were conducted with experts and stakeholders on the central phenomenon in all the 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria. The findings revealed that colonialism, poverty, imbalanced socio-economic development, resource competition and conflict, historical heterogeneities, manipulation of religion and ethnicity by the elites, the role of military, non-adherence with the rule of law have been responsible for the ethnoreligious rivalry in Nigeria; ethno-religious rivalry has impacted in both positive and negative ways, and become entrenched among the majority groups of Nigeria; that it cannot be completely stopped, but lessened. In order to lessen it, the study recommended that the traditional, political religious and social institutions would have to rise up and enlighten the people, uphold values of justice, good brother and neighbourhood, tolerance, dialogue and accommodation of one another; while the Nigerian state authorities must ensure adherence with the rule of law, controlled preaching, balanced distribution of socio-economic resources and functional education to citizens, good governance, and strict implementation of the federal character principles and provisions. The study contributed in expanding the methodologies of studying the central phenomenon, analysis and the reported findings; and in addition, explored other latent issues in ethno-religious set up in Nigerian. The Nigerian populace and authorities would benefit from the findings of this study in further strengthening the forces of unity among Nigerian, especially at this critical moment of multi-dimensioned threats to the corporate existence and sustenance of the united Nigeria