Entrepreneurial Intention among Nigerian Undergraduates: A Sociological Investigation of South-West Universities

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is designed to challenge the old order and create a new form of social relationship and one of its tools are disruptive innovations that are designed to cause loss of employment as a result of automation that comes with disruptive technologies.  In expectation of the massive retrenchment of workers, it is highly expected that youths (students) shifts away from the old belief of education for employment to self-employment. More so, an evaluation of unemployment in the country coupled with the adversities of poverty, crimes, corruption deposited into the sub-Saharan African make studying Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) cogent as the literature has affirmed that a high EI leads to enterprise creation. We, therefore, set out to determine the rate of EI amongst students of some selected universities in South-West, Nigeria and we utilized the philosophies of Theory of Planned Behaviour and Rational Choice Theory which influenced the construction of an EI Cognitive& Contextual Framework. The research design was exploratory, while the mixed method of data collection was adopted and data were generated through 403 questionnaires and 32 IDIs’ across four universities in a six-stage multi-stage sampling method. Amongst the variables that were tested, findings depicted that subjective norm is insignificantly related to EI (r=.141; β=-.049). We, therefore, recommended that for Nigeria to record internationally recognized disruptive entrepreneurial innovations, it need to significantly increase her students’ EI and create a friendly atmosphere for the easy conduction of enterprising activities for start-ups and sustain existing businesses

Permutation Coding with Injections for Modified PAM System

Arriving at a good combination of coding andmodulation schemes that can achieve good error correctionconstitutes a challenge in digital communication systems. In thiswork, we explore the combination of permutation coding (PC)and pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) for mitigating channelerrors in the presence of background noise and jitter. Since PAMis characterised with bi-polar constellations, Euclidean distance isa good choice for predicting the performance of such coded modulationsetup. In order to address certain challenges facing PCs,we therefore introduce injections in the coding system, togetherwith a modified form of PAM system. This modification entailsconstraining the PAM constellations to the size of the codeword’ssymbol. The results obtained demonstrate the strength of themodified coded PAM system over the conventional PC codedPAM system

Impact of Agricultural Input Supply on Agricultural Growth in Nigeria

Improving the production capacity of agriculture in Nigeria through agricultural input supply is an important policy goal in a country where agriculture represents an important sector in the economy. The agricultural sector provides livelihood to a significant portion of Nigerian population, especially in rural areas, where poverty is more pronounced. Thus, a growing agricultural sector contributes to both overall growth and poverty alleviation. The study specifically examined the effects of agricultural input supply on agricultural growth in Nigeria from 1990 to 2017. The objective of this study is to examine agricultural input supply in Nigeria and its implications on the growth of agricultural growth in Nigeria. The study used time series data covering 1986-2016 obtained from FAOSTAT, World Development Indicator and Central Bank of Nigeria data base. This study utilized Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the variables. The finding of the study shows that there is co-integration between the variables. The result of the study shows that gross capital formation and Fertilizer supply to agriculture were significant in influencing agricultural growth in Nigeria with coefficient values of (-0.002468), and (0.001506), with P- values of (0.0222) and (0.0171) respectively. Given the robust nature of the result, it is evident that agricultural input supply contributes in great measure to agricultural growth in Nigeria. The study then conclude that agricultural input is essential for the growth of agricultural sector in Nigeria and recommend that given the lean resources available to government, attention should be given to the inputs that contributes significantly to the growth of the sector

Effect of climate smart agricultural practices on farming householdsʹ food security status in Ika North East Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria

This study investigates the effect of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices on farming households` food security status in Ika North East Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. The study utilized primary data. The data was collected using structured questionnaire. A three-staged sampling technique was used to select 140 respondents for the study. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, FGT model and logit regression model. The result of the study shows that majority of the farmers were aware of the CSA practices, and the following practices were the most utilized practices among the respondents; Agro-forestry, Crop rotation, Mixed cropping, Improved crop varieties, Intercropping, Compost making, Improved fallowing, Organic manure, Mulching and Cover crops. The headcount ratio showed a poverty head count ratio of 0.29, food insecurity shortfall 0.28, and food insecurity severity of 0.13. The regression result indicated age (p<0.05), gender (p<0.01), household size (p<0.01), and years of farming experience were the major determinants of food security in the study area. The study concluded that though climate smart agricultural practices have positive coefficient but however not significant have the potential to enhance food security. The study also recommended that policy be put in place help confront the constraints being faced by the farmers from adopting CSAs in the study area

Impact of Agricultural Input Supply on Agricultural Growth in Nigeria

Improving the production capacity of agriculture in Nigeria through agricultural input supply is an important policy goal in a country where agriculture represents an important sector in the economy. The agricultural sector provides livelihood to a significant portion of Nigerian population, especially in rural areas, where poverty is more pronounced. Thus, a growing agricultural sector contributes to both overall growth and poverty alleviation. The study specifically examined the effects of agricultural input supply on agricultural growth in Nigeria from 1990 to 2017. The objective of this study is to examine agricultural input supply in Nigeria and its implications on the growth of agricultural growth in Nigeria. The study used time series data covering 1986-2016 obtained from FAOSTAT, World Development Indicator and Central Bank of Nigeria data base. This study utilized Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the variables. The finding of the study shows that there is co-integration between the variables. The result of the study shows that gross capital formation and Fertilizer supply to agriculture were significant in influencing agricultural growth in Nigeria with coefficient values of (-0.002468), and (0.001506), with P-values of (0.0222) and (0.0171) respectively. Given the robust nature of the result, it is evident that agricultural input supply contributes in great measure to agricultural growth in Nigeria. The study then conclude that agricultural input is essential for the growth of agricultural sector in Nigeria and recommend that given the lean resources available to government, attention should be given to the inputs that contributes significantly to the growth of the sector

Trade in Non-Mammalian Wild Animals for Traditional African Medicine in Ogun State, Nigeria

A steady rise in the patronage for Traditional African Medicine (TAM) has necessitated a corresponding increase in the demand for the ingredients used in the preparation of the tradomedicines. These ingredients are the various wild animals and plants parts. The attendant rise in this demand for ingredients calls for a need to document the extent of utilisation of these natural resources involved as a measure of the impact of such trade on biodiversity conservation. This paper examined diversity of molluscan, reptilian and avian species traded for use in TAM; the quantity of each species traded for utilisation over a period of time, and seasonal fluctuations in abundance and utilisation of these species as an index of utilisation pressure on populations in the wild. A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was employed. An open-ended questionnaire was administered on vendors in selected market stalls for six consecutive markets days in each of dry and rainy seasons. The study identified twenty-three species, 8 were listed in CITES and Nigerian Decree 11(1985). A total of 3196 (molluscan), 2527 (reptilian), 2894 (avian) carcasses were traded over an average period of twenty days

In-vivo Antiplasmodial Activity of Crude n-hexane and Ethanolic Extracts of Moringa oleifera (LAM.) Seeds on Plasmodium berghei

Studies were carried out to determine the antiplasmodial activity of crude n-hexane and ethanolic seed extracts of Moringa oleifera using cold extraction method. Twenty-four albino mice (Mus musculus) induced intraperitoneally with chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei strain were divided into 4 groups and treated at three concentrations viz: 50, 100 and 200 ml/kg. Positive control was set up with chloroquine diphosphate while negative control was set up with olive oil. The mice models were treated for 72 h. For the ethanolic extract, a parasite inhibition rate of 61% was observed at concentration 50 ml/kg, 65% at concentration 100 ml/kg and 100% at concentration 200 ml/kg in day 3 after treatment. In n-hexane extract of the seeds of M. oleifera, plasmodial inhibition rate of 61% was observed at concentration 50 ml/kg, 70% at concentration 100 ml/kg and 97% at concentration 200 ml/kg after treatment for 72 h. A 100% inhibition rate was observed for mice treated with 25 mg/kg of standard chloroquine diphosphate after day 3 of treatment while parasitaemia increased from 48 on day 0 to 86 after day 3 for mice treated with olive oil. Overall, crude ethanolic extract of M. oleifera seed showed higher parasite inhibition activity than the crude n-hexane extrac

Isolation, characterization and extracellular enzyme detection of microbial isolates from deteriorated apple (malus domestica) fruits

Studies were carried out on deteriorated apples obtained from the Just Rite supermarket, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, to isolate microorganisms associated with post-harvest deterioration of apple (Malus domestica) fruits. The bacterial species were identified using microscopy, morphology and various biochemical tests while macroscopy and morphology was used to identify the fungi isolated. The ability of the isolate to elaborate extracellular amylase and protease were tested for. Results revealed Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus as the fungal species while the bacterial species isolated were Bacillus spp and Micrococcus spp. All the isolates except Aspergillus niger produced amylase in substantial amount. Micrococcus spp, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus produced protease. The results of this investigation if combined with further studies can be used in identifying organisms which could be used as a biological method in the control of apple pathogens. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved

Nature-Based Tourism Sustainability and Climatic Change Implication in Ikogosi Resort, Southwestern Nigeria

The implications of climatic changes have been predicted to have devastating effects on biodiversity condition particularly nature-based tourism. In this study, investigation on the climatic characteristics in Ikogosi-Ekiti, Nigeria was conducted. Also, spatio-temporal changes of green and non-green cover were analysed for the study. Climatic data from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for a period of 1975-2014 were analyzed to reveal the trend of climatic changes using appropriate statistical tool. A 30 meter Landsat image of TM 1991, ETH+ 2002 and OLI 2015 were used for the study. The satellite images were digitally processed using Arcgis10.3 and Fragstat 3.0. Species Diversity and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis was conducted to assess the vegetation degradation in the study area. The result showed that rainfall and temperature pattern between the year 1975 to 2014 experience an upward trend with maximum rainfall observed in year 2010 (1692.500mm) and temperature distribution reached its peak in year 2010 (27.046o C); annual temperature increment over the years is at regression model 0.016o C per year. Furthermore, results showed that anthropogenic activities as a result of tourism developmental programmes accounted for 25.93% increase in built-up between the periods of 1991 and 2015 with a substantial loss (29.97%) of dense vegetation were observed within the study area. In addition, Shannon Diversity Index (SHIDI) showed diversity decrease of 0.54, 0.47 and 0.21 for year 1991, 2002 and 2015 respectively; NDVI analysis revealed a degraded vegetation with the epoch of the years assessed. The result revealed that changes in rainfall and temperature pattern negatively affected the luxuriant vegetation; uncultured human activities led to massive reduction in the quality of remnant forest. However, tourism vegetation potentials of the study area were threatened; hence, ecosystem imbalance and animal migration were observed. The study concluded that climate change and vegetation removal has significant effect on the green infrastructures, nature-based tourism and biodiversity conservation. The study recommends a need for ecotourism practices and strict protection of the tourist sit

In vivo Antiplasmodial Activity of Crude Ethanolic and N-hexane Extracts of Moringa oleifera Leaves

This study was carried out to determine the antiplasmodial activity of leaves of Moringa oleifera. Cold extraction method was carried out on grinded leaves to prepare the crude ethanolic and n-hexane extracts. Mice models (Mus musculus) were passaged with chloroquine resistant Plasmodium berghei, which are similar in morphology, physiology and life cycle to P. falciparum that infect humans. Stock solutions of 5 mg/mL 5% DMSO were prepared and the extracts were administered at different treatment concentrations, 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body weight over 4 days. Positive and negative control groups, Chloroquine diphosphate (25 mg/kg) and 5% DMSO, respectively were set up. Crude ethanolic and n-hexane extracts of M. oleifera showed anti-plasmodial activity at the three different concentrations used. Both crude ethanolic and n-hexane extracts of M. oleifera leaves showed a significant inhibition of parasitaemia (p < 0.05) ranging from 74.7 to 95.6% for ethanolic extract and 59.3 to 87.9% for n-hexane extract. EC50 value of crude ethanolic and n-hexane extracts were 32 mg/kg and 42 mg/kg body weight, respectively. M. oleifera showed potential for possible future use as an alternative to some conventional drugs. © 2016 Friends Science Publisher