Month: February 2023

Feb 28

Steps of Developing a Computer Assisted Instruction Package for Lessons

The CAI package may be focused on a single subject or it may be a large bundle with several discrete courses. The creation of a CAI course involves a team of developers. A typical team consists of one academic person who is the designer and programmer, one expert who is the CAI designer and developer, and one student programmer who handles the code. Planning, development, evaluation, and dissemination are the four (4) processes that make up the systems approach that is utilized to construct a single lesson utilizing CAI.

  1. Planning: At the planning stage, a professor decides whether or not CAI should be used in a particular course. The professor creates a proposal explaining the use of CAI in a subject after consulting with a CAI expert. identifying the intended audience, outlining the goals, outlining the lesson’s structure and content, and recommending an evaluation strategy
  2. Development: During the development phase, the CAI expert collaborates with the faculty member to best adapt the material to the interactive computer environment. A script, or precise display-by-display layout of the lecture, is created on paper. Every display has interaction built in, with suitable feedback for right and wrong replies, as well as potential alternate pathways the user can view depending on their responses. The script is examined by the subject head teacher, other subject teachers, and a group of lesson designers, and adjustments are made in response to their recommendations. The student programmer is handed the script to start coding once the subject head instructor has authorized i t.M The lesson goes through a similar cycle of evaluation and modification as it is being coded. The term “ecosystem” refers to a group of people who work in the construction industry. At this point, significant adjustments may be made to the evolving lesson. Programmers, designers, and subject matter experts officially examine the whole course once it is on the computer. The lesson is then prepared for student testing after revision.
  3. Evaluation Prior to the course’s following term, the subject heads and students are often given the lesson. The computer records formative data on each user’s reactions, support requests, and unique branching sequence upgraded version is taught to students in succeeding semesters when the course progresses to the next stage of the systems methodsemesters.
  4. Dissemination: The lesson is now prepared to start the publishing process with a firm that makes course materials. With a focus on editing, style, formand consistency, publishing, and standards, more reviews and revisions are necessary (Vanaja and Rajasekar, 2010).

 

Feb 28

THE IMPACT OF E-LEARNING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BUSINESS STUDIES STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

E-learning (EL) is primarily the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) at websites, personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, mobile phones, learning management systems (LMS), televisions (TVs), radios, and other techniques to improve teaching and learning processes. Many facets of the internet, online education, and technical breakthroughs are referred to together as “e-learning” (Oye, Salleh and Iahad, 2010). E-learning is considerably changing into a learning technique in the domains of teaching, experiential learning, skills training and development, and many corporate processes, as demonstrated by the quick growth of web technology.

Most secondary schools in Lagos State are under the control of the government. Other schools are operated by universities, advocacy groups, religious institutions, and immigrant communities. The majority of secondary schools in Nigeria provide junior and senior secondary curricula. Prior to the turn of the century, secondary school students did not have the same awareness of information and communication technology and its many advantages as we have today. The usage of chalk and board, graphical charts, drawings, and imagination facilitated learning activities back then. We did not physically engage with the technology that has subsequently developed to improve our understanding and experiences.

The use of more interactive e-learning approaches in junior secondary schools has significantly improved recently, effectively enhancing the general performance of college students and their trained personnel. In developed nations, many academic institutions use highly interactive online learning that directly improves student achievement (Soleymanpour, Khalkhali and Reayatkoonandeh, 2010). All physical obstacles to learning have been removed thanks to recent technology developments, which enable students to study whenever they want and wherever they are without having to interact with their teachers in person. Given this, e-learning makes it easy for students to access effective teaching and learning, which improves their academic achievement.

Heeger (2010) claims that e-learning enables mass enrollment in relevant courses for secondary school students. Modern educational systems have evolved to value acceptable instructions as well as students’ learning. E-learning systems offer instructional strategies intended to improve instruction quality and students’ academic achievement, according to study findings. Soleymanpour, Khalkhali, and Reayatkoonandeh (2010) found that students who attend private secondary schools that have successfully used e-learning regularly outperform their peers who place a high value on in-person interactions and physical ties with their professors.

Heeger’s (2010) study shows that students in secondary schools who frequently participate in online or e-learning achieve much higher levels than students in secondary schools who studied traditional methods. Due to advancements in educational technology, e-learning is now garnering a lot of attention in the field of education, and as a consequence, many educational institutions are looking into implementing electronic learning programs. As a consequence, e-learning is currently being used increasingly often in both public and private educational institutions all over the world. Now that e-learning has an impact on students’ academic achievement, the majority of these educational institutions are aware of this.

Information and communication technology is already used in many different learning techniques, including e-learning, blended learning, and remote learning (ICT). For instance, the use of ICT may benefit students in distant areas by enabling them to attend classes remotely and motivating them to learn. In this sense, the potential of e-learning is highly exciting, but owing to the disparities between developed and developing countries, information transfer is not only difficult but also costly. While there is a lot of interest in it, there isn’t much systematic study on how successful e-learning is as a learning tool overall. Yet, a number of e-learning programs focused at promoting sustainable development have been created, demonstrating how e-learning has the capacity to influence millions of people’s thoughts and bring about positive change.

Case studies reveal that numerous e-learning programs are presently offered in developing countries. These programs were created by a number of national and international efforts. According to Lockwood & Gooley, 2002, the growth of e-learning programs is being driven by the need for and potential for providing education in more economical ways, as well as improved access to information, effective learning, and greater flexibility.

 

 

Feb 28

IMPACT OF FIRMS CHARACTERISTICS ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF LISTED CONSUMER GOODS COMPANY IN NIGERIA

IMPACT OF FIRMS CHARACTERISTICS ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF LISTED CONSUMER GOODS COMPANY IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

According to many research on structural factors and financial reporting quality, firm size has a link that is favorably strong and substantial with the financial reporting quality of publicly traded manufacturing enterprises (Hossain, Momin & Leo, 2012; Ahmed, 2012; Mensah & Deajeon, 2013; & Asegdew, 2016). Firm characteristics, firm size, and leverage were found to be significant by Egbunike and Okerekeoti (2018), however Olowokure et al. (2015) found no significant relationship between business size, leverage, and financial reporting quality.

Academic literature often addresses the subject of a firm’s financial performance and the variables that affect it. To gauge the impact these factors have on a company’s financial success, several characteristics of the company have been connected to it. It is used to get a knowledge of the kind of elements that might affect a firm’s financial performance and to what degree. The phrase “ecosystem” refers to a group of people who work in the construction industry (Nikolaus, 2015). On the one hand, research like Hu and Izumida’s (2008) causal analysis of ownership concentration and corporate performance concentrate on the impact of corporate governance factors on performance. Other research focused on capital structure, specifically on leverage and its link to performance.

The research by Vithessonthi and Tongurai (2015), which compares the impact of leverage on performance in domestically and globally focused enterprises, is an example of such a study. The phrase “ecosystem” refers to a group of people who work in the construction industry.

One of the major businesses in the world, the consumer goods industry, is now dealing with a number of difficulties. The Nigerian manufacturing sector, a part of the Consumer Goods industry, had a disastrous year in 2016 as a result of the difficulties that producers encountered (Agency report, 2017). Operators said that the industry encountered a wide range of difficulties, including a shortage of raw materials, a shortfall in infrastructure, expensive banking fees, and a lack of foreign currency.

The fact that more than half of the businesses that survived the widespread shut down were deemed to be in poor condition put the existence of the manufacturing industry in danger. The inadequate power supply, lousy roads, high interest rate, and high cost of energy had a negative impact on every aspect of company, which increased the cost of manufacturing (Agency report, 2017). This has had a major negative impact on the companies’ liquidity as well as the economy’s overall inflation rate. Another significant issue was the severe lack of foreign currency, which made it difficult for businesses to import raw materials for manufacturing and negatively impacted the companies’ liquidity.

Another manufacturing operator bemoaned the approximately N500 billion foreign currency rate loss that was recorded in their account and that resulted in plant closure, unemployment (which had an impact on the GDP of the economy), and lost investment (which also affected the size of the investment contributed in the company, thereby distorting firm size). He said that the exchange rate losses necessitated the injection of working capital to cover the cash discrepancies between N320 and N197 (Agency report, 2017). The difficulty of manufacturers to get foreign currency via the interbank market, according to the managing director of May and Baker, had an impact on industrial output and increased inflation.

Due to the same issue, local tomato paste maker Erisco Foods Ltd moved its 150 billion USD tomato paste producing unit to China. With 22 brands and more than 2,000 employees in Nigeria, Erisco Foods has a 450,000 metric ton tomato paste manufacturing capacity (Agency report, 2017). Both internal and external variables may have an impact on a company’s financial success. The management-controllable internal elements are what cause profitability variations between businesses. External variables, on the other hand, are uncontrolled circumstances that influence a firm’s choice and over which management has no control. Yet, macroeconomic or market-specific variables, such as the expansion of the money supply, interest rates, inflation rates, and gross domestic product, are beyond of management’s control.

Thus, the research compared the financial performance of consumer goods businesses in Nigeria to three company-specific factors (liquidity, leverage, and firm size) and two macroeconomic variables (GDP growth rate and inflation rate). The selection of these five variables was based on their empirical relationship with the dependent variable as well as the fact that they frequently appeared in the literature as potential predictors of financial performance. For example, Duraj and Moci (2015), Mirza and Javaed (2013), and Ongor and Kusa (2013), among others, all used at least one of these variables, and their findings demonstrated that these variables were significant predictors of a firm’s financial performance.

Nigeria’s consumer goods industry has a lot of room to grow. Poverty levels are still relatively high, with food and other essentials dominating consumer spending. Because of this, the consumer goods industry’s food subsector has a relatively sizable market to serve, but penetration rates in the other categories still have a lot of opportunity to grow. The primary factors of the financial performance of the Consumer Goods sector are examined in this research, including liquidity, leverage, business size, GDP growth, and inflation.

 

Feb 27

Duties and Functions of Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency (Task Force)

Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency (Task Force)
The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency was established by the Environmental Sanitation Edict of 1991, which took effect on November 4th (Task Force).
According to Law Act E6.Law of Lagos State 2003, the Agency was then restructured as an Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency.

Duties of Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency (Task Force)

Any vehicles, goods, wares, articles, or things discovered anywhere that are against any of the Laws listed in Chapter E6 Scheduled, Section 4 (1) of the Environmental Sanitation Law, or the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012, which listed Environmental Offenses throughout the State, may be impounded or taken custody of by the Task Force.

Among its duties are the following.

  • To address the problems of unhygienic living conditions, indiscriminate shanties, and slum communities in Lagos State.
  • It has the following regulatory authority:
    Arrest and charge street vendors
  • “Arrest and penalize violators of the Road Traffic Law 2012”
  • Anybody who utilizes public areas for social, commercial, or religious reasons should be detained and punished.
  • Catch and charge roadside mechanics.
  • Catch and penalize touts and anybody else who unlawfully issues tickets to drivers on public roads and highways.
  • collaborating with the Lagos State Film and Census Board in the arrest and punishment of people who sell, market, or exhibit uncut movies or pornographic recordings.
  • collaborating with LAMATA to conduct arrests of people who stray from the specified BRT routes and corridors.
  • In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, extremists in the medical profession are detained and punished.
  • To carry out any extra duties that the Governor may appoint.

 

 

 

 

Feb 27

A critical stylistic analysis on selected bible verses and quotations

A critical stylistic analysis on selected bible verses and quotations

The study of linguistics in general and several schools of linguistics in particular concentrate on the many kinds and forms that human language may take. Functional linguistics is especially interested in all languages, regardless of their nature or intended use. The main objective of linguistics is to study any component of language. So, for the study of religious English, namely the language of the Bible, this methodology was adopted. This Biblical love hymn has generated a lot of ambiguous interpretations to this point. Many writers have delved deeply into the book under study, including early Christians like Origen in his commentary on the Song of Songs (commentarium in canticum), (ante corium) (cetedoc 0198, TL G 2042. 026), Gregory the Great in his commentary on the Song of Songs (Expositio in conticumcantecorum) (cetedoc 1709), and Bede in his commentary on the Song of Songs in (canticum) (cetedoc 13 Early Christian writers mainly understood the Song of Songs metaphorically. Like how Christ and the church are portrayed as allegories in Origen’s interpretation of the Song of Songs, which is very spiritual in nature.
Origen’s method often begins with the “outer meaning” or “superficial” explanation before going on to the “inner meaning” or “mystical explanation,” which is the allegorical interpretation of the text.

Of all, given the book’s status as a poetic love song, there may be a wide range of interpretations. It undoubtedly explains why Theodore of Mopsuestia, an academic from the school of Antioch who flourished from 390 to 429, favored the daughter of the pharaoh over a literal and logical reading of King Solomon. A literal enjoyment of romantic love and the delights of sexual reciprocity seems to be the prevalent tendency in Song of Songs interpretation nowadays, but curiously, there is still a persistent sense among academics that no clear literal reading can truly capture their meaning. What does the term really mean? The name of the book has changed from “the Song of Songs,” which it was known by since the time of early Christian scholars and Bible commentators, to “the Song of Solomon,” which is the name it has been known by ever since the King James Version of the English Bible through the Revised Version and the New Revised Standard Version.

The Catholic tradition refers to the book as the Canticle of Canticles. In his Introduction to Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, J. Richard Wright asserts that commentators from the Alexandrian school were typically more interested in the deeper and spiritual, or allegorical, meaning of the sacred texts and were more willing to directly apply some of the other passages to the interpretation of a passage of scripture. Theodoret of Mopsuestia and other authors from the school of Antioch sought to steer clear of allegorizing in favor of examining the text for any possible moral lessons that may be drawn. The present issue is what should direct the linguistic study of the Song of Songs. How should this old piece of biblical writing be stylistically analyzed? The response to these questions will help to clarify the thesis we want to look into and support. We develop the idea that the Song of Solomon is a love song that illustrates Christ’s love for his church rather than a profane love story, as it may first appear, based on the two seemingly irreconcilable points of view. It is our goal to gather biblical, linguistic, and bibliographical evidence to support this assertion and, in the process, dispel any ambiguity about the Song of Songs’ meaning.

The functional approach of inquiry will be instructive since it will allow us to examine the inner workings of the book’s language structure. These phonological, syntactic, and semantic traits of this peculiar and holy language will be described in order to emphasize its singularity. The course we’re taking covers a variety of linguistic topics. The first kind of language is poetry, which differs significantly from Standard English in terms of its syntactic, semantic, and phonological features.

 

Feb 27

Availability And Usability Of Audiovisual Resources And Their Impact On Senior School

Availability And Usability Of Audiovisual Resources And Their Impact On Senior School

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

 

Teaching and learning remain an integral part of societal and national development. However, the instruments or apparatus deployed and the output of this educational process in Nigerian tertiary institutions remain a matter of concern. In Nigeria, the educational system is structured into nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary education. Tertiary education, where the university falls under, provides formal education for individuals who have completed secondary education or other smaller degrees.

 

There, we have undergraduates and postgraduates. According to Onuoha and Chukwueke (2020), the Nigerian school system has continued to experience a series of transformations as a result of the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the teaching and learning processes, as well as the constant increase in the number of pupils and students, enrolled into the system. The authors further maintained that the duo is now making it difficult for effective teaching and learning to take place without appropriate tools and mechanisms. Among these tools, are audio- visuals or AV resources.According to Anzaku (2011), the term audio-visuals is commonly used to refer to those instructional materials that may be used to convey meaning without complete dependence upon verbal symbols or language.

They serve as aids for training or educational materials directed at both the senses of hearing and sight, used in classroom instructions, library collections or the like, examples may include computers (or a computer lab), films, slides, transparencies, projectors, photographs, maps, posters, charts, audio/video CDs, tape recorder/player, video cassette recorder (VCR) & video cassette player (VCP), Xerox machine among others. Some audio-visual components are like process and experience, for example, dramatizing an event or a procedure or making a diorama (Ashaver & Igyuve, 2013). It is also clear that while some AV resources like motion pictures, require the use of equipment to release their latent value, others do not need equipment at all like an exhibit or a study print. To this end, this designates in common usage both material things as well as processes such as field trips. Anzaku (2011) further states that audio-visual materials include materials and equipment alike, that materials are considered to be a system, or body of content of potential value when put to work, while equipment or instructions, often referred to as hardware components are the means of presenting such content.

 

Today, one sees these audio-visual resources playing a major role in making teaching and learning permanent. Gopal (2010) stressed that “audio-visual methods do seem to facilitate the acquisition, the retention and the recall of lessons learned, because, they seem to evoke the maximum response of the whole organism to the situations in which learning is done. Natoli (2011) stressed that audio-visual materials are important in the teaching and learning processes because “having seen something, most people remember, for whatever that thing was, it raises an image at a mere mention and can be talked about freely. Additionally, the world is becoming more digitalized, thereby trying to eradicate the manual method of teaching and learning using the chalkboard (Onuoha & Chukwueke, 2020).

Corroborating the assertion, Adamu, Ibrahim, Adamu and Ibrahim (2018) observed that with audio-visuals, the communication of information can be done in a more effectively it can be an effective instructional medium for delivering information. Consequently, AV resources facilitate access to all human knowledge, anytime, and anywhere in a friendly, multi-modal, efficient and effective way by overcoming barriers of distance, language and culture, and by using multiple Internet-connect devices.

It is important to say that the use of audio-visual technology has great significance in colleges, universities and research institutions in the western countries. However, preliminary observations have shown that despite the importance attached to AV resources in the teaching and learning process, most universities in Nigeria do not have either adequate or contemporary AV resources or seem not to be adopting the technology at all. This can be assumed to be caused by poor funding of university education in Nigeria as most of these aids are very expensive. On the other hand, there are speculations that some lecturers in Nigerian universities lack the requisite skills to handle some of these contemporary AV resources for their teaching and learning processes.

This is also not different from the assertion that some university students are not ICT-inclined and exhibit technological phobia. Hence, from the speculations, both the lecturers and students find it difficult to effectively deploy these AV resources in the teaching and learning process in their universities. However, except empirically proven, speculations or assumptions cannot be used to explain the state of availability and utilization of AV resources for teaching and learning in Nigerian universities, hence the reason for the present study which seeks to examine the Availability And Usability Of Audiovisual Resources And Their Impact On Senior School In Oji River Local Government Area,

 

Feb 27

Concepts and Literature Review on Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

The study of quantity, structure, space, and change is known as mathematics. The science that results from the study of numbers and numerical computation is called mathematics. There is no widely agreed-upon definition of mathematics, although it is often characterized as a science that examines self-created abstract structures for their qualities and patterns. According to Elaine((Elain, J. F. (2013),Variable definitions, data and programs for teachers, students and academic achievement, econometrical supplementary materials 73,2, www.econometric society.org/ecta/supmat/4139data.pdf.)), mathematics is the branch of science that works with the logic of amount, form, and order. We use mathematics in everything we do and all around us. Everything we use every day, including mobile devices, buildings, artwork, money, engineering, and even sports, is built on it.

Teaching may be described in a variety of ways, from a variety of angles, and by a variety of persons. Teaching is the act of passing information from sender to receiver and from the recipient back to the sender, according to ((Nwaegbu T. O. (2005), Predicting Students’ Performance in Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations from Performance in Junior Secondary Certificate Examinations in Ondo State.))

According to Nwachukwu (2000), every person goes through this process from the moment they are born until they are buried. This process is known as the “cradle to grave” process. Yet, according to Goble and Porter((Gopal, B. (2010). Digital Games in Education: The Design of Games-Based Learning Environments. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, v40(1), p23-38)), teaching is the act of imparting knowledge to another person. Goble and Porter continue to hold that sharing information with someone who is less knowledgeable than you in order to aid that person in achieving their goals is an act.

While teaching mathematics, a teacher who thinks knowledge can be conveyed to pupils’ minds often uses lecture techniques. These instructors often stand in front of the group while writing formulae on the board and giving various examples for formula practice. Instructors then provide several practice assignments to pupils with the expectation that they would remember the formula. Hüvelmeyer,( 2003).

Yet, several research have shown how this strategy harms kids . Many students conclude that mathematics is either about right or wrong, is unrelated to real life, or is only suitable for smart students as a result of teachers’ tendency to expect students to memorize a lot of facts that may not necessarily make sense to them and ask them to listen and practice many exercises in preparation for a test. This indicates that a student’s performance is greatly influenced by the manner an idea is presented to them by their professors.

According to Onwu((Onwu , J. A. (2001). Need for improvisation in classroom teaching. The Punch, June 20)), learning is a somewhat permanent change in behavior brought on by experience, instruction, practice, or exposure to the environment. The development of new reactions, ideas, abilities, information, and perceptions is a consequence of contact with the environment, he said, and learning is an active process. According to Eke (2003), learning is a continuous process that draws on practice and experience to adapt to and improve the environment.

 

 

Feb 24

The Effect of Naira Currency Redesign on Foreign Exchange Rate in Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

In today’s interconnected globe, there are very few nations that are completely isolated. Via asset or/and products markets, enabled through trade and foreign currency, the economies of all the nations in the globe are directly or indirectly connected. Understanding the development pattern of the world’s economies consequently requires knowledge of the price of foreign currencies in terms of a local currency.

In Nigeria, exchange rate schemes have existed since the early 1960s. When the Central Bank of Nigeria was established in 1958 and the Exchange Control Act was passed in 1962, the private sector generated foreign currency, which commercial banks retained in balances overseas on behalf of Nigerian exporters, according to Bakare (2011:3). In order to prevent shortages during the 1970s oil boom, it was important to control the foreign currency rate. The government had to enact a number of ad hoc measures to rein in the excessive demand for foreign currency due to shortages in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Nevertheless, effective exchange restrictions were not implemented until 1982. Back then, there was a fixed exchange rate system in use.

On September 26, 1986, the exchange control system was abandoned in favor of a new mechanism developed under the Structural Adjustment Programmes due to the rising demand for foreign currency and the exchange control system’s inability to develop a mechanism for allocating foreign currency that was appropriate and consistent with the goal of internal balance (SAP). The fundamental goals of exchange rate policy during the structural adjustment programs were to maintain the value of the native currency, a positive external balance, and the general purpose of macroeconomic stability, as well as to establish a reasonable exchange rate for the naira.

Exchange rate management uses exchange rate regulation as a key instrument. This is based on the reality that changes in the exchange rate may have a big impact on a country’s balance of payments, income distribution, and even GDP. It promotes the interchange of products and services internationally, as well as developing and sustaining global competitiveness, which guarantees a stable balance of payments situation. It acts as a stabilizing factor for domestic pricing and promotes internal equilibrium and price stability (CBN, 2011). So, it is not unexpected that monetary authorities place a high priority on a country’s foreign exchange policy given that it is believed to have a significant impact on the behavior of a number of macroeconomic indicators (Oyejide, 1989). That is especially true for Nigeria, which had started on a path of fast economic expansion with a large reliance on imports. One of the most significant costs in an open economy is the exchange rate, which is the price of one country’s currency in relation to another’s. It has an impact on the movement of capital, products, and services inside a nation and has a significant impact on the balance of payments, inflation, and other macroeconomic factors. As a result, choosing and managing an exchange rate regime is a crucial component of economic management to maintain growth, macroeconomic stability, and competitiveness (Cooper, 1999).

The macroeconomic performance of various exchange rate regimes has been the focus of ongoing study and debate. Using a three-way categorization, Ghosh et al. (1996) examined the relationship between inflation, growth, and exchange rate regimes. According to the findings, anchored exchange rates are linked to lower inflation and less volatility. Therefore, they claimed that this was caused by two factors: a discipline effect, where the political costs of failing to defend the peg induce disciplined monetary and fiscal policy; and a confidence effect, where there is a stronger willingness to hold domestic currency to the extent that the peg is credible, which lessens the inflationary effects of a given expansion in the money supply. The research also found that fixed rates are linked to slower productivity growth but greater investment. Overall, production growth is somewhat slower under fixed exchange rate regimes than it is in floating or intermediate rate regimes (Ghosh, et. al., 1996)

Similar conclusions are reported in an IMF research that extends the analysis period to the middle of the 1990s (IMF 1997). Nevertheless, Caramaza and Aziz (1998) concluded that the differences in inflation and production growth between fixed and flexible regimes are no longer substantial after analyzing the experience with increased capital market integration and the removal of fixed exchange rates in the 1990s.

Levy-Yeyati and Sturzenegger (2000) categorized the exchange rates into three categories (float, intermediate, and fixed) and examined the link between the actual (de facto) exchange rate regimes and macroeconomic performance using data from 159 countries during the 1974–1999 periods. The main conclusions are as follows: (a) fixed exchange rate regimes appear to have no discernible impact on the level of inflation when compared to pure floats, while intermediate regimes are the glaring under-performers; (b) pegs are significantly and negatively correlated with per capita output growth in non-industrial countries; (c) output volatility declines monotonically with the degree of regime flexibility; and (d) real interest rates appear to be lower under fixed rates than under floats.

Currency redesign were seen as the cornerstone for further fortifying the macroeconomic framework, particularly monetary transmission. The greater the population’s reliance on the local currency as opposed to U.S. dollars, the greater the government’s ability to influence the macroeconomic environment policy. Nigeria’s currencies have been introduced and redesigned over the years, with the CBN playing pivotal roles in preserving its stability (Naseem, 2012). The operations and performance of this sector directly affect achieving macroeconomic objectives and boosting the economy. Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN 2022) announced that plans to redesign the Naira have been completed. The unusual decision was made, according to the CBN Governor, in large part due to money hoarding, inflation, and counterfeiting. According to the CBN, of the N3.23 trillion in currency in circulation in Nigeria, approximately N2.73 trillion is stored outside of bank vaults. This represents around 85% of the entire amount of money in use. Also, the Naira lacks the necessary security since it is simpler to counterfeit the N500 and N1000 denominations.

Experts in policy, including economists, lawyers, and others, have been debating this subject in depth. Many of them believe that these policy changes will have little or no economic impact for the populace and are only a diversion from the nation’s dire economic woes. According to the CBN’s most recent report, the 2020 Currency Report, 67,265 counterfeit notes totaling N56.83 million in nominal value were seized in 2020, representing a 20.80% decline in volume and 12.18% fall in value compared to 84,934 pieces valued at N64.71 million in 2019. 100 is the global average for counterfeits per million. In 2020, there were 13 pieces of counterfeit currency for every million banknotes in circulation, down from 20 pieces per million in 2019.

This demonstrates that the problem of counterfeit money is not as pervasive as would need a modification of the currency. For instance, Afghanistan recently saw a drop in the value of its currency. As a result, a new Afghanistan design was released, eliminating several zeros. In many ways, Turkmenistan’s 2008 complete and orderly makeover of its monetary system, which prevented civil war in Afghanistan from breaking out, serves as a role model for other nations. Renovating current currencies is a serious undertaking. Hyperinflation, exchange rate collapse, widespread currency counterfeiting, war, anxieties, and political instability are all potential drivers. Alternatively it may be a deliberate move, like deciding to join a monetary union like the European Monetary Union. A highly political choice, changing a country’s currency is. The demands of the economy are sometimes not addressed by the current currency. The typical currency reform candidate is a cash-based, heavily dollarized economy with many currencies in circulation.

Recently, a number of nations have debated the relative merits of “Dollarization,” or using the currency of an anchor nation. Literature emphasizes that the costs of dollarization are inversely related to the correlation between rising productivity, wealth, and capital accumulation. One of the main potential costs of dollarization is that macroeconomic stability may be reduced by the loss of monetary policy autonomy. As a result, the home nation suffers from dollarization to the point that it experiences idiosyncratic shocks. In order to assess the scope of these stability costs, a number of academic studies on currency changes and their impact on national monetary policy were reviewed.

Several viewpoints on the influence of exchange rate on a country’s macroeconomic fundamentals have been explored in many more recent research conducted in Nigeria and overseas. Yougbare (2006) discovered that fixity in nominal exchange rates increases the volatility of real GDP growth when looking at the impact of exchange rate regimes on growth volatility. Moreover, it intensifies the negative effects of terms of trade instability on growth volatility while attenuating the negative effects of exchange rate fixity on growth stability. These findings also imply that by implementing more flexible exchange rate policies, developing nations will benefit more in terms of lower economic volatility.

According to Bacchetta and Wincoop (2009), the link between the exchange rate and macro fundamentals is quite unstable, and this is widely recognized from anecdotal, survey, and econometric data. They contend that large and frequent variations in the relationship between the exchange rate and macro fundamentals naturally develop when structural parameters in the economy are unknown and change very slowly. This could be explained when structural parameters are known and very volatile, but neither of these scenarios seems plausible.

In their 2008 study, Junye-Li and Weiwei-Yin used a no-arbitrage international macro-finance approach to examine the relationship between short-run exchange rate dynamics and macroeconomic fundamentals. Under this approach, the macroeconomic fundamentals enter exchange rate dynamics in a nonlinear form, and after being amplified by time-varying market prices for risks, the macroeconomic innovations help capture large volatility of exchange rate changes. The forward premium anomaly may be significantly reduced by the foreign currency risk premium.

According to Mahmood, Ehsanullah, and Ahmed (2011), the exchange rate has a key role in influencing the macroeconomic performance of any nation. So, the purpose of their research was to determine if exchange rate volatility or uncertainty had an impact on Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators. If so, in what direction will it have an impact? While there are many macroeconomic indicators, this research only took into account the four following: GDP, FDI, growth rate, and trade openness. The results of this research supported the effect of exchange rate volatility on macroeconomic factors in Pakistan. Also, it was shown that exchange rate volatility had a beneficial impact on GDP, growth rate, and trade openness while having a negative impact on FDI.

Moreover, there are several local works in Nigeria. Ofurum and Torbira (2011) looked at how supply and demand for foreign exchange affected the Nigerian economy’s gross domestic product over a fourteen-year period (1995–2008). They found that while demand for foreign exchange has a negative relationship with gross domestic product, supply of foreign exchange has a positive and significant relationship with output level. This study suggests that the increase in foreign exchange supply has increased Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, so the factors that determine foreign exchange demand should be annualized to better understand what caused the negative relationship between foreign exchange demand and GDP.

Opaluwa, Umeh, and Ameh (2010) examine the effect of exchange on Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and contend that changes in exchange rates have a negative impact on the manufacturing sector’s output. They claim that this is due to Nigeria’s manufacturing being heavily dependent on input and capital goods imports. These are purchased using foreign currency, whose exchange rate is unstable. This apparent fluctuation will therefore unavoidably have a negative impact on activities in the sector that depends on outside sources for its productive inputs. In the end, the study’s findings are all statistically significant and demonstrate a negative impact. In order to reduce the manufacturing sector’s dependency on imports to a manageable level, they said that the relationship between agricultural and the manufacturing sector has to be strengthened via the sourcing of raw materials locally.

Bakare (2011) asserts that empirical cross-country research have produced confusing findings when examining the effects of various exchange rate regimes on macroeconomic performance, notably on private domestic investment. By conducting an empirical investigation of the effects of the foreign exchange rate changes on the results of private domestic investment in Nigeria, his work added to this body of information. The study’s findings and conclusion back up the need for the government to abandon the floating exchange system and switch to purchasing power parity, which is thought to be more suitable for determining a realistic exchange rate for the naira and to positively affect Nigeria’s macroeconomic performance.

A brief review of the literature on macroeconomic fundamentals and exchange rates reveals that the majority of research focus on exchange rate volatility and how it affects key macroeconomic indicators (Choo, Lee and Ung, 2011; Canales-Kriljenko and Habermeier, 2004). Where the study does not focus on exchange rate volatility, it considers the impact of macroeconomic and institutional factors (Claessens, Klingebiel, and Schmukler, 2003), impact on stock market indices (Gan, Lee, Yong, and Zhang, 2006), growth of government bond markets (Claessens, Klingebiel, and Schmukler, 2003), alternative wage-setting regimes (Kouretas, 1991), exchange rate volatility, and exchange rate uncertainty (Mbutor, 2010; Subair and Salihu, 2010). The goal of this research is to determine how exchange rate fluctuations affect foreign direct investment. This research examines the Effect of Naira Redesign on Foreign Exchange Rate in Nigeria given this backdrop.

 

Feb 23

KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS PREVENTION OF MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION SERVICES AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is now a serious global public health emergency1. Arisegi, Awosan, Abdulsamad, and Adamu are young women who continue to have disproportionately high rates of new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa despite worldwide advances in reducing HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality (2017). Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nine out of 10 women and children who have HIV3. Nigeria represents for 30% of the global burden of mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT), which is an unacceptablely high incidence (Arisegi S, Awosan KJ, Abdulsamad H, Adamu) (2017). HIV/AIDS affects 220000 children in Nigeria between the ages of 0 and 14 in 2017. (2020). Nigeria has a significant burden of MTCT of HIV due to high HIV prevalence in women of reproductive age and insufficient MTCT preventive coverage. Dadi, Addis, Assefa Tessema, and Birhane (2015) found that during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding, an HIV-positive mother may transmit the virus to her unborn child. Assefa Tessema, Dadi, Addis, and Birhane (2015).

90% of HIV infections in children have been reported to have originated from these primary entrance sources. PMTCT, which is recommended as a strategy of almost eradicating pediatric HIV and lowering the proportion of MTCT of HIV, is one of the largest advancements in public health in recent years. De Paoli, Falnes, Tylleskär, Manongi, R., and Engebretsen (2010). The World Health Organization (WHO) supports a thorough approach for PMTCT programs that includes preventing new HIV infections among women of childbearing age, preventing unintended pregnancies among WLHIV, preventing HIV transmission from a woman living with HIV to her baby, and offering appropriate treatment, care, and support to mothers living with HIV and their children and families. Falnes EF, de Paoli, Engebretsen, Tylleskär, and Manongi (2010).

The use of antenatal services, antenatal HIV testing, antenatal ART use, safe childbirth practices, appropriate infant feeding, infant HIV testing, and other post-natal healthcare services are just a few of the interventions or services that women and their infants must receive in order for PMTCT programs to be successful. Megerssa, Feyera, and Legesse (2018).

Using PMTCT services could make MTCT of HIV less frequent for WLHIV. Using PMTCT services is linked to decreased rates of MTCT or a lower chance of a child contracting HIV from the mother, per research. Agyei-Baffour, Kwapong GD, and Boateng D (2013). Healthcare establishments all across the globe, besides Nigeria, provide PMTCT services. Even though these treatments are accessible, PMTCT services are not being used to their full potential. Ageda, Angilájé, and more (2016).

According to the National Agency for Prevention of AIDS, only 59010 of the estimated 246896 children living with HIV in Nigeria were getting treatment in the first quarter of 2017. (NACA, 2017). Antiretroviral drugs were given to around 50,000 HIV-positive pregnant women to prevent MTCT of HIV, and by the middle of 2017, 25% of HIV-positive children were getting antiretroviral therapy. It was also shown that 12 states in Nigeria, including Oyo state, had the highest unmet demand for PMTCT. 10000 pregnant women in Oyo State are HIV positive, according to the director of NACA (as reported in Daily Trust, 2017); there are gaps between those who are infected and those who are receiving treatment; and around 50 people in the state get HIV on a daily basis. Also, there weren’t enough resources for referral networks, early neonatal diagnostic coverage, and viral load testing (NACA, 2017).

Just a few of the variables that have been connected to its utilization include knowledge, perception, and accessibility to PMTCT services. Many studies have shown that understanding and perception of health care are key components and factors in the adoption of such services. Radio Owoaje and Balogun (2016). Women’s knowledge of ART, MTCT, and PMTCT services varied from good to inadequate, according to studies. Feteh VF, Tanyi JT, Sama CB, Tindong M, and Bihle (2017). Women were seen to be crucial in the uptake of PMTCT services if they were sufficiently knowledgeable of MTCT and PMTCT, but women who were not sufficiently informed were more likely to default on ART. So, a pregnant woman’s knowledge of the MTCT of HIV has an impact on the child’s exposure to HIV. As earlier studies had inconsistent findings and were not carried out in the study location, it was required to evaluate the situation there.

Also, how people utilize PMTCT services will depend on how they see HIV and MTCT. Research that discovered a link between women’s views and the usage of PMTCT services Sitohang supports this (2017). Thus, it’s critical to assess the information and practices pregnant women employ to prevent illness transmission from mother to kid.

 

 

 

Feb 23

ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF IRON AND FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN

ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF IRON AND FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN RURAL NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

Anemia is a serious public health issue that affects both emerging and industrialized nations, having a significant negative impact on both social and economic development and human health. While it may happen at any stage of life, it is more common in small children and pregnant women. In 2002, one of the most significant contributing causes to the global burden of illness was thought to be iron deficiency anemia (IDA) (WHO, 2002). Anemia is mostly brought on by a lack of iron in the diet worldwide. Pregnancy and women of reproductive age are the two times when it is most prevalent. From the beginning of pregnancy until the end of pregnancy, the demand for iron rises by roughly six to seven times.

Anemia affects pregnant women more often for a variety of reasons. Biological changes (menstruation), undernutrition brought on by poverty, food insecurity, gender disparities, a lack of understanding of healthy eating habits, and a rise in iron and folic acid insufficiency are a few of these. Y. P. Khan, Yakoob, and Z. A. Bhutta (2010) Also, due to their inadequate iron intake and limited iron absorption, pregnant women have higher micronutrient needs, notably for iron, which is necessary for metabolism and fetal development. A. A. Mirza, R. Kumari, K. Sharma, Naithani, V. Saxena, J. Bharadwaj, and (2016).

According to the IFAS advice, women who didn’t take the pills would develop iron and folic acid (IFA) deficiency anemia, which would have a severe impact on both the mother and the unborn child. Preeclampsia and premature birth are linked to folic acid deficiency in pregnant women. Moreover, it is connected to birth obesity, type 2 diabetes, fetal deformity, and neural tube abnormalities.

Similarly, bleeding, preterm birth, membrane rupture, reduced work ability, and maternal mortality are associated with iron deficiency anemia in women. The hazards of iron anemia in the baby were small for gestational age, low birth weight, poor cognitive development, stillbirth, and cardiovascular illness. Globally, anemia causes 50,000 maternal fatalities after delivery each year, with 22% of those deaths attributable to iron deficiency alone. Anemia led to 10% of maternal fatalities in Tanzania and 28.6% of maternal deaths overall in sub-Saharan Africa, according to S. A. Tiruneh, B. A. Abate, M. T. Engidaw, and D. T. Asnakew (2019)

Age, socioeconomic position, level of education, worry about or personal experience with side effects, cost, use of health care services, and availability of these supplements at health care facilities are just a few of the variables that affect the use and adherence to IFA supplementation (Kamau et al. 2018). There are very few studies addressing the knowledge and variables influencing the use of IFA supplements among Pakistani pregnant and non-pregnant women, including participants from different areas (Hisam et al. 2014, Nisar et al. 2014a, Nisar et al. 2014b). This study was done since there hasn’t been any research on IFA supplementation among pregnant women in Ikare-Akoko.