Road infrastructure is one of the major channels of economic development in Nigeria. This study critically examined some of the factors that affect road infrastructure development in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. The study made use of primary data through the use of questionnaire shared to respondents in various professions in the state. The data was analyzed using the relative significance index (RSI). The result showed that over-dependence of road development on public financing was the major factor impacting road infrastructure in Akwa-Ibom state. Also, absence of specific ministry/agency saddled with role of road infrastructure development was the least ranked factor affecting road development in the state. The study thus recommended, among others, that there should be a holistic technical evaluation and cost assessment of road projects before its inclusion into annual budgets. Key Words: Road, Infrastructure, economic, development, Nigeria
The study investigated the effect of electronic-learning on the academic achievement of basic science students in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A pretest, posttest, control group, quasi-experimental design was adopted. One hundred and four (104) JS.2 students from two government owned junior secondary schools in Yenagoa Local Government Area were purposely selected for the study. The schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The study lasted for five weeks. Three instruments IGELS, IGMLM and BSAT were used for the study. One research question was posed and answered using mean and deviation standard and one null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The findings revealed that those taught with e-learning had a higher mean (72,33) than those taught with modified lecture method (50.59) with a mean difference of 21.74. E-learning had significant effect on student’s academic achievement in basic science. (f1,101=76.392; p<0.05 partial eta squared=0.558), with an effect size of 55.8%. Finding showed that there was a significant difference in students’ achievement in basic science when taught with e-learning and modified lecture method; the e –learning students performing better. It was recommended that government should provide e-learning materials for schools and train the teachers to acquire the basic skills. Key Words: Electronic learning, IGELS, IGMLM and BSAT
This systematic review is on the impact of income-support on older people’s health in developing countries. A systematic search for non-randomised and mixed methods studies published between 2013 and 2017 was conducted in academic and grey literature databases, websites and references lists of relevant studies. Study methodological quality was assessed with a risk of bias tool. Inclusion criteria were met by 7 studies, 3 in Latin America, two each in Africa and Asia. Five of the studies used a quantitative non-randomised approach while the remaining two used mixed methods analysis. Income-support was discovered to have positive effects on older people’s nutritional status, cognitive functions, health and psychological wellbeing. Income-support offers older people access to healthcare services and protection against detrimental effects of lack of money in accessing healthcare services. Key Words: Health, income-support, older people
Culture which provides order and meaning to the social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes, forms the basis of a people’s heritage and existence. Cultural expressions and religious manifestations engender the thought-process and development of societal values and behavioural traits, the world over. Although, several studies have been carried out on the Ijaw People of the Niger Delta, little attention has been devoted to their cultural practices and belief systems. This paper thus, interrogated the Ijaw People’s conception of the Supreme Being (God) as Feminine, which is reflective of their matrilineal lineage system. This is with the aim of bringing to the fore, the people’s cultural practice and religious belief that God is a woman and its manifestations in their communal existence. Keywords: God, Femininity, Religion, Culture, Ijaw People, Niger Delta
Given the paucity of youth employment opportunities in the non-agricultural formal sector in developing countries much more needs to be done to attract youth into the agricultural sector. The main objective of this paper was to assess the influence of the agricultural training on youth farm entrepreneurial attitudes. A cross-sectional design was employed and 300 respondents were randomly selected from three Folk Development Colleges (FDCs). The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings show that youth have favourable attitudes towards farm entrepreneurship. Furthermore, a significant difference was found in terms of farm entrepreneurial attitude across sex, age groups, college and programme studied. It is concluded that training in colleges where agricultural courses are blended with an entrepreneurship course have positive influence on youth attitude towards farm entrepreneurship. It is generally recommended that more theoretical components on the socio-economic benefits of farm entrepreneurship need to be added to the existing curriculum. Key Words: Courses, entrepreneurial attitude, intention, unemployment
