Effects of Socio-Economic factors of Loan Administrators on Recovery Rate among Agricultural Cooperatives in Benue State, nigeria

This study was undertaken to analyze the effect of socio-economic factors of loan administrators on loan recovery rate among agricultural co-operatives in Benue State of Nigeria. A purposive and simple random sampling technique was used to select 130 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. The result showed that majority of the respondents were male (58.46%), married (67.69%), educated (63.01%), with mean cooperative experience of 14.39 years (86.92%) and household size between 1 - 5 members. The result also showed that respondents were averagely young (36 years) and were relatively low income earners (N 2,480,000 per annum). The result shows that loan size was the only variable that significantly and positively affected loan recovery rate. The coefficients of salary, age, years in education, household size, cooperative experience, marital status and sex had no effect on recovery rate. It was recommended that administrators should give higher portfolio size loans as these will trigger them to carefully look at business activities in their coverage areas that are capable of repaying loans from precede of sales and cash flow

Sensitivity analysis of the dynamic CO2 storage capacity estimate for the Bunter Sandstone of the UK Southern North Sea

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) in subsurface reservoirs has been identified as a potentially cost-effective way to reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Global emissions reductions on the gigatonne scale using CCS will require regional or basin-scale deployment of CO2 storage in saline aquifers. Thus the evaluation of both the dynamic and ultimate CO2 storage capacity of formations is important for policy makers to determine the viability of CCS as a pillar of the greenhouse gas mitigation strategy in a particular region. We use a reservoir simulation model representing the large-scale Bunter Sandstone in the UK Southern North Sea to evaluate the dynamics and sensitivities of regional CO2 plume transport and storage. At the basin-scale, we predict hydrogeological changes in the storage reservoir in response to multiple regional carbon sequestration development scenarios. We test the sensitivity of injection capacity to a range of target CO2 injection rates and fluctuations in CO2 supply. Model sensitivities varying the target injection rates indicate that in the absence of pressure management up to 3.7 Gt of CO2 can be stored in the Bunter region over 50 years given the pressure constraints set to avoid fracturing the formation. Long-term (approx. 1000 years), our results show that up to 16 Gt of CO2 can be stored in the Bunter region without pressure management. With pressure management, the estimate rises to 32 Gt. However, consideration must be given to the additional operational and economic requirements of pressure management using brine production

Audit Committee Attributes and Financial Performance: Evidence from Selected Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

This study examined the effect of Audit Committee Attributes on Financial Performance listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. Audit committee size, gender diversity and audit committee meeting were proxy for audit committee attributes while financial performance was measured with return on asset. Ex-post facto research design was adopted and secondary data were collected from annual reports and accounts of selected deposit money banks covering ten years from 2014 to 2023. The population of the study comprised of the 15 deposit money banks listed on Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) as at 31st December, 2023. The study purposively selected ten (10) banks based on the availability of their annual reports. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and multiple regressions. The findings revealed that audit committee size has a negative and insignificant effect on return on asset, gender diversity has positive and significant effect on firm performance measured with return on asset, while audit committee meeting exhibit negative and significant effect on return on asset of selected listed deposit money banks. Based on the findings, this study therefore recommended that firm should sustain frequencies of audit committee meetings, so as to ensure that the committee has enough time to take decisions that will enhance financial performance

Evaluating extracts of spondias mombin for antimicrobial activitie

The plant Spondias mombin Linn. also called yellow mombin in English, Igongo/Ichankla in Idoma, and Uchakuru in Igbo, is common in the forest and savanna regions of Nigeria. It is used in several countries of the world to treat various ailments including infectious diseases. Water, chloroform, methanol, and petroleum ether extracts of leaf, root, and bark of the mature plant were screened for antimicrobial activity using an indicator-based microdilution technique. Inhibition was measured as minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The growth of Streptococcus pyogenes (mean MIC = 0.139 mg), Candida albicans (mean MIC = 0.148 mg), Salmonella typhi (mean MIC = 0.226 mg), Escherichia coli (mean MIC = 0.265 mg), and Staphylococcus aureus (mean MIC = 0.289 mg) in broth cultures were inhibited. Inhibition was significantly correlated with plant parts (r = -0.435; p < 0.05), leaf extracts having the greatest inhibitory effect (mean MIC = 0.060 mg), and the bark extracts the least (mean MIC = 0.389 mg). Statistical tests show that the mean MICs of leaf and bark extracts differ significantly (

Antimicrobial activities of honey from different geographical locations on gram negative and positive organisms

Honey samples were obtained from the different agro-ecological zones of Nigeria including: the tropical rainforest, mangrove swamp, plateau grassland, guinea savannah and sudan savannah. The antimicrobial activities of these differently sourced honeys were assessed against six bacteria organisms (Staphylococcus aureaus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella aerogenes and Proteus mirabilis). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were studied using standard methods. Results obtained showed that geographical locations had effects on the antibacterial activities of the different honeys at different concentrations (6.25-100%). Honey originating from Vom, Plateau State showed the highest antimicrobial activity. All the honeys showed varied bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities. None of the honeys produced any effect on Klebsiella aerogenes and Proteus mirabilis. Further work is encouraged

Evaluating the Solid Waste Dump Site within Lokoja Metropolis using Geospatial Techniques

Solid waste management has become a complex global environmental problem in both developed and less developing Countries. The problem is widely noticeable in Lokoja area of Kogi State, Nigeria. This is mostly caused by poor planning and lack of adequate information need to tackle urban solid waste management. Therefore, adequate information on solid waste dump site (SWDS)is required to mitigate future hazards that may emanate from these wastes within Lokoja Metropolis. This study applied Geospatial Techniques to assess the trend of the Solid Waste Dump site within the period of three years. Due to different parameters involved, the study adopted the principle of Separation Distances as recommended by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Landfill Manual 2006. The separation distances parameters considered in the monitoring of the Dump Site include; the distance of the dump site to water body (&gt;960m), the slope of the Dump Site (0 o -5 o ), distance of the dump site to the road (100m-1000m), and distance to the residential areas (&gt;8000m). LandSat ETM imagery of 2014, 2016, and 2018 of the study area wasused for the supervised classification as well as the distance analysis over the years. ASTER imagery, and Quickbird satellite imagery were used to generate the slope, extraction of the roads/buildings and delineation of rivers within the study area. The study revealed that the distance of the dumpsite to the road accounted for 160m in 2014, 57m in 2016, and 14m in 2018.The distance of the dumpsite to the built-up areas accounted for 1547m in 2014, 1287m in 2016, and 876m in 2018. It can be seen from the analysis that the slopes were 3 0 in 2014 and 2016, and 5 0 in 2018. It is recommended that the existing dumpsite be relocated to another area. Suitability analysis should be carried out before siting new dumpsites

Relationship Between Plasma Homocysteine and Vitamin B12 Levels in Clinically Diagnosed Cases of Cardiovascular Accident in Lagos, Nigeria

Vitamin B12 deficiency interferes with the normal pathway for homocysteine metabolism, even in the presence of adequate serum folate and pyridoxine. Homocysteinaemia, is an elevated level of homocysteine in plasma which has been established as a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disorders. However, there has been conflicting report from various research works on the role of Vitamin B12 in the occurrence of major cardiovascular disorders. The study was set to determine the mean values of homocysteine, and correlate same with mean plasma levels of vitamin B12 in the subjects, and to estimate the prevalence of anaemia in the stroke patients, using Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as indices. One hundred (100) participants were recruited, comprising 40 clinically diagnosed stroke patients (hemorrhagic or thrombo-embolic), and 60 normal adults as control group. Plasma homocysteine levels were measured by HPLC and plasma vitamin B12 levels by Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immuno-assay method. Anticoagulated whole blood samples were evaluated for Hb, and MCV using automated Advia-60. Mean value of plasma homocysteine for the stroke patients (17.7±4.4umol/l) was significantly higher than values obtained in the control group at 9.5±2.4umol/l (