Niger State Research Articles

Effects of Pricing Strategies on Marketing Decisions of Selected Bakeries in Bida, Niger State

Effects of Pricing Strategies on Marketing Decisions of Selected Bakeries in Bida, Niger State

Nutritional Assessment of Elderly People in Dokodza Ward, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria

Nutritional Assessment of Elderly People in Dokodza Ward, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria

Implementation of National Health Insurance Scheme for Civil/Public Servants in Nigeria

Introduction: Nigeria’s health system is characterized by gross underfunding, poor stakeholder coordination, and inadequate numbers and skills of health care workers. Thus, the study assessed the factors affecting the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Minna, Niger State, as well as the willingness of civil/public servants to enroll in the scheme. Methods: The study employed a descriptive research design that is also comparative. Data were collected using questionnaires and presented and analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 25.0 for Windows with the help of tables and graphs. The respondents were drawn from 10 ministries in Minna using a multi-stage sampling method. Results: A higher percentage of respondents (85.2%) said the scheme would be able to solve the problem of funding for health care delivery. However, more than half of the respondents, 56.1%, were either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their salaries. Nevertheless, 82.4% expressed good health status. All the respondents (100.0%) pay for their families’ healthcare services without receiving any financial support from any other person. Out of 127 that responded to the question asking about the effects of medical bills on their monthly expenditure. Yet, the majority, 265 (81.8%), were willing to part with a percentage of their salaries to contribute to NHIS. Conclusion: The State Government should see the willingness of the civil servants to participate in the scheme as an opportunity to commence the implementation of the scheme without further delay to enable civil servants to participate and enjoy the benefits that the scheme offers.

Advancing Programme Science approaches to understand gaps in HIV prevention programme coverage for key populations in 12 Nigerian states: findings from the 2020 Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey.

Effective HIV prevention programme coverage is necessary to achieve Nigeria's goal of ending the epidemic by 2030. Recent evidence highlights gaps in service coverage and utilization across the country. The Effective Programme Coverage framework is a Programme Science tool to optimize a programme's population-level impact by examining gaps in programme coverage using data generated through programme-embedded research and learning. We apply the framework using Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey (IBBSS) data from Nigeria to examine coverage of four prevention interventions-condoms, HIV testing, and needle and syringe programmes (NSP)-among four key population groups-female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID) and transgender people. Data from Nigeria's 2020 IBBSS, implemented in 12 states, were analysed to examine HIV prevention programme coverage among key populations. For each key population group and prevention intervention of interest, weighted IBBSS data were used to retrospectively generate coverage cascades that identify and quantify coverage gaps. Required coverage targets were informed by targets articulated in Nigeria's National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework or, in their absence, by guidelines from policy normative bodies. Availability-, outreach- and utilization coverage proxy indicators were defined using variables from IBBSS data collection tools. Sankey diagrams are presented to visualize pathways followed by participants between coverage cascade steps. Required coverage targets were missed for HIV testing and NSP among all key population groups. Condom availability coverage surpassed required coverage targets among FSW and MSM, while utilization coverage only among FSW exceeded the 90% required coverage target. Outreach coverage was low for all key population groups, falling below all required coverage targets. Our findings identify critical gaps in HIV prevention programme coverage for key populations in Nigeria and demonstrate non-linear movement across coverage cascades, signalling the need for innovative solutions to optimize coverage of prevention services. Programme-embedded research is required to better understand how key population groups in Nigeria access and use different HIV prevention services so that programmes, policies and resource allocation decisions can be optimized to achieve effective programme coverage and population-level impact.

Assessment of Naturally Occurring Radionuclide in Soil Samples from Kutayi Mining Sites in Muya Local Government Area, Niger State, Nigeria

This work examines the Kutayi mining sites with a view of assessing the activity concentration and effective dose rate of NORM (i.e. 40K, 232Th and 226Ra) in these site absorbed in 8 soil samples collected from different areas within the Kutayi mining sites, A γ-ray spectrometry NaI (Tl) at CERT. ABU Zaria, was used to carry out the analysis of the soil samples. The result shows that, activity concentration for 40K ranged from 428.9269 to 93.6236 BqKg-1; for 226Ra it ranged from 50.1738 to 13.7891 BqKg-1 and for 232Th the ranged is from 52.1095 to 18.7457 Bq.Kg-1, the absorbed dose for 40K ranged from 17.8863 to 3.9041 ŋGy.h-1, for 226Ra the range is from 23.1803 to 3.1614 ŋGy.h-1 and for 232Th range from 31.47419 to 11.3224 ŋGy.h-1. The total mean absorbed dose rate is 42.5341 ŋGy.h-1 and the annual effective dose range from 0.0355 mSvy-1 (i.e. 36 – 76 μSv.y-1), with an mean annual effective dose of 0.0522 mSv.y-1 (i.e. 52.2 μSv.y-1, Also the mean Radium Equivalents (Raeq) obtained ranged from 64.0280 BqKg-1 (KT6) to 135.3245 BqKg-1 (KT8). This results show that, the Raeq is 370 BqKg-1 which is the requirement for soil to be used for dwellings; hence the soil from this site is suitable use for buildings. The mean Hext ranged from 0.1730 Bqkg-1 (KT6) to 0.3438 Bqkg-1 (KT8). The maximum allowed value of (Hext = 1) corresponds to the upper limit of Raeq (370 BqKg-1) in order to limit the external gamma radiation dose from the soil to 1.5 mGy y-1, i.e. index should Hext = 1. All these values for Iα are below the maximum permissible value of Iα= 1 which corresponds to 200 Bq.Kg-1. Hence no radiological hazard is envisaged to dwellers of the study areas and the miners working on those sites.

Region, Location, and Age-Specific Comparison of Nutritional Status of In-School Adolescent Girls (10-19 years) in Nigeria

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of adolescent girls using anthropometric indices. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of 2261 in-school adolescent girls aged 10 -19 was conducted. A multistage stratified random sampling procedure was used to select participants from three geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Two states selected from each zone; North Central (Kogi and Niger States), South East (Abia and Imo States) and South West (Osun and Ondo States). Body Mass Index-for-age, Waist-Hip-Ratio (WHR), and Waist-Height-Ratio were calculated by anthropometry of weight, height, hip, waist and Mid-Upper Arm Circumferences. Data were analysed on SPSS Version 24. Frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviations were used for descriptive while logistic regression and chi-square analyses were used for inferential statistics. Significance was taken at p<0.05. Results: Mean age was 14.86 years (± 1.78 years) and actual body weight was 47.81 kg (± 9.02 kg), which is lower than the ideal weight of 54.52 kg (± 9.05 kg). The negative variance of -6.71 kg shows that the girls weighed 6.71 (±9.73) kg less than their ideal weight. Overweight/Obesity/Risk of Abdominal Obesity was highest in South East region (p = .005) while underweight/undernourishment was highest in South West (p = .005). However, no significant difference was recorded between the urban and peri-urban populations (p = .005). Older girls; 14 -16yrs (OR = 2.311, 95%CI = 1.263 – 4.229) and 17 -19yrs (OR = 2.182, 95%CI = 1.253 – 3.799) were twice more likely to be Overweight/Obesity compared to 10 -13yrs. Those who were within the 14 -16yrs age range were thrice more likely to have higher WHR (OR = 3.043 95%CI = 2.334 -3.978) than those younger. Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the nutritional status of adolescent girls across regions and age ranges hence a need for regional nutrition-sensitive intervention programmes among adolescent girls. Keywords: High School Girls; Health Status; Body Stature; Body Measurement; Nigeria Region

Effect of Family, School, Environment and Personality Factors on Career Awareness and Preference of Secondary School Students in Niger State

Effect of Family, School, Environment and Personality Factors on Career Awareness and Preference of Secondary School Students in Niger State

Comparative Assessment of Poverty Trends and Socioeconomic Inequality in Nigerian States

Comparative Assessment of Poverty Trends and Socioeconomic Inequality in Nigerian States

Annual Effective Dose due to Ingestion and Inhalation of 222Rn in Drinking Water of Daupe Village in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria

Radon is one of the sources of nuclear contamination in water and the largest contributor of the total radiation received by the general public from natural radioactive sources. In this research, the concentrations of 222 Rn were investigated from six (6) wells (WW) and four (4) borehole (BW) water samples collected within Daupe village, Tafa Local Government area using Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC).

Impact of Insecurity on Women’s Entrepreneurial Activities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State

This study examined the impact of insecurity on the entrepreneurial activities of women in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, focusing specifically on issues about women’s financial dependence, the kind of entrepreneurial activities common among them and the dimension of the impact of insecurity on their entrepreneurial endeavours. A sample of 377 women was surveyed, leading to the findings that women in Shiroro are highly entrepreneurial with high level of financial independence, engaging mostly in SMEs. The study also found that while insecurity has an adverse effect on women’s entrepreneurial activities in the form of loss of or decline of capital among other things, the number of women entrepreneurs has not experienced a significant decline. The study recommended that sustainable programmes to improve women’s access to and use of financial services should be created and community policing organisations should also be created and strengthened to combat insecurity in the study area.

Economic Impact Analysis of Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) on Net Farm Income of Rice Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria

This study evaluated economic impact analysis of VCDP on net farm income (NFI) of rice farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. Primary data were used. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total sample size of 292 rice farmers which comprised of 155 value chain development program beneficiaries and 137 non- beneficiaries. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, multiple regression analysis, difference-in-difference method (DD), propensity score matching (PSM), principal component analysis, F-Chow test, and t-test. The gross margin ratio for VCDP beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries was 88% and 71%. Rice production was profitable. The result of the difference-in-difference regression analysis showed that treatment (P< 0.10), period (P< 0.01), interaction (P< 0.10), level of educational (P< 0.10), and farm experience (P< 0.10), were statistically significant variables influencing the net farm income of rice farmers in the study area. The results of PSM show that the coefficient of Average Treatment Effect for all matching algorithms for net farm income of rice farmers such as nearest neighbor, radius, kernel, and stratification were significant at (P< 0.01). The F-Chow test conducted for difference between NFI of participant and non-participant of VCDP was statistical significant. This shows that VCDP impacted positively on NFI of rice farmers. The study recommends that low-interest loans should be made available to rice farmers to increase income.

Loan Repayment and Diversion among Anchor BorrowerProgramme’s Beneficiaries in Niger State, Nigeria

The Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) involves the provision of farm inputs in kind and cash to small-holder farmers to boost production of targeted commodities. This study assessed loan repayment among ABP beneficiaries as well as to examine its diversion. A total of 138 farmers were randomly selected. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results showed that majority (75.4%) of the beneficiaries were men with average age of 40 years with an average farm size of 1.7 hectares. Majority (85.5%) of the beneficiaries defaulted in repayment of the given loan. Although 43.5% and 14.5% of them made a partial and complete loan repayment respectively. Also, 28.3% of them payback with produce and cash while 18.1% and 16.7% of them payback with produce and cash only respectively. Furthermore, personal/familyneeds (62%) topped the reasons for loan diversion. Also, ?20% diverted the loan to serve other purposes. It was concluded that without proper management, the scheme would die. The study recommends that the scheme should be given better management in order to prevent diversion of funds as well as to ensure prompt repayment.

Socioeconomic Determinants of Insect Pest Control Methods’ Utilization for Storage in North Central Nigeria

The impetus for this study is the need to understand factors influencing the use of insect pest control methods in North Central Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents, assessed awareness and use of insect pest control methods, examined farmers’ considerations and investigated factors influencing insect pest control decisions. Using a structured interview schedule to elicit information, data was collected by means of multi-stage sampling technique to select a total of 384 cowpea farmers for this study. A purposive selection of Kwara and Niger States paved way for the purposive choice of two agricultural zones in Kwara state and one agricultural zone in Niger state. Percentages, frequency counts, ranks, mean, and ordinary least square regression was used to analyze the data. The study revealed that the intended time of sale, time required to apply method, and time of application were the factors most considered for store insect pest control. Ordinary Least Square regression estimates demonstrate positive significant relationship between farm size (t=4.681), group membership (t=4.688), and quantity stored in tons (t=2.312) and intensity of use. Conversely, years of education (t=-2.196), years of cowpea farming experience (t=-3.419), and frequency of extension contact (t=-.534) had significant negative relationship with intensity of use. In conclusion, it is recommended that policy makers and extension staff put into consideration farm size, group membership, quantity stored, years of education, years of cowpea farming experience and frequency of extension contact in optimizing extension strategy for promotion of indigenous and alternative insect pest control methods.

Managerial Factors, School Security as Correlates of Academic Staff Job Effectiveness in Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria

The study examined the managerial factors, school security and academic staff job effectiveness in Colleges of Education in Niger state, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research design of the correlational type. The population of the study comprised 926 academic staff in public Colleges of education in Niger state as at year 2024 of carrying out this study. The sample for the study was 615 academic staff selected from 2 Colleges of Education in Niger state, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedures, involving simple random sampling technique and proportionate random sampling technique were used to select the sample for this study. Two sets of instruments tagged “Managerial Factors School Security Questionnaire (MFSSQ) and Academic Staff job Effectiveness Questionnaire (ASJEQ) were used for the study. The instruments were validated by experts in the field of test and measurement as well as Educational Management that ensured the face and content validity of the instruments. The reliability coefficients of 0.78 were obtained for the MFSSQ and 0.85 for the ASJEQ. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. All the hypotheses formulated were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that the level of academic staff job effectiveness was high in Colleges of Education in Niger state Nigeria. The study equally revealed that the commonly used managerial factors in the Colleges of Education in Niger state were delegation of duties, committee system and decision-making. There was significant relationship between managerial factors, school security and academic staff job effectiveness in Colleges of Education in Niger state, Nigeria. Also, it was revealed that managerial factors made significance contribution to academic staff job effectiveness in Colleges of Education in Niger state, Nigeria. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the College authorities (Deans and HODs) should sustain the current high level of academic staff job effectiveness through the use of appropriate managerial factors. College authorities should always ensure that college environment that is secured for both lecturers and students for teaching, learning and research activities to take place among others.

The Politics of Policy and Practices to Advance Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services in Nigerian States

The Politics of Policy and Practices to Advance Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services in Nigerian States

Impact of Discipline on Students Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools in Minna Metropolis, Niger State, Nigeria

Impact of Discipline on Students Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools in Minna Metropolis, Niger State, Nigeria

N-Power Programme and Poverty Reduction in Niger State, Nigeria

N-Power Programme and Poverty Reduction in Niger State, Nigeria

Multicriteria GIS-based assessment of biomass energy and hydropower potentials in Nigeria

The deployment of hybrid renewable energy systems remains the quickest way to salvage the dwindling grid supply in Nigeria and improve energy access. The assessment of biomass and hydro potentials across the geopolitical zones of the country to determine the optimal locations for a Biogas fired thermal plant for energy generation is thoroughly addressed in this paper. Multiple Geographical Information System (GIS) approaches were used to assess the energy potentials of crop and forest residues for biomass, as well as waterbodies, and waterlines for a hydrothermal power plant. The study applies the inverse distance weighting and weighted overlay multicriteria decision analysis. Forest areas, waterbodies, distance from water sources and road accessibility were considered for locating the biomass and hydrothermal facilities within multiple ring buffer distances of 200 m–2000 m from the combined biomass and hydropower resources. The result shows four states with potentials to host biomass-hydrothermal power plants in Nigeria; Niger, Kaduna, Bauchi and Taraba states with biomass potentials of 831.9 tonnes/yr, 1173.27 tonnes/yr, 322 tonnes/yr and 739.48 tonnes/yr, respectively and inland waterways. It further shows that these plants can be optimally located within 2000 m from the source of the biomass and hydro resources. This paper recommends the utilization of these results to carry out feasibility studies and make informed decisions on the exploration of these resources for power generation. It also advocates for a control in the commercialization of forest residues to sustain the production from these hybrid plants and supports the Nigerian bio-energy policy that proposes to effectively utilize the Nigeria's non-fuelwood as substitute to felling of trees.

The Performance of Drought Indices on Maize Production in Northern Nigeria Using Artificial Neural Network Model

Drought is widely known to put the ecosystem at risk. It ensues when there is a major rainfall shortage that causes hydrological discrepancies and alters the land productive structures. The degree of rainfall influences the growth and harvests of maize, particularly where irrigation is not practicable. In some parts of northern Nigeria, rainfall is unpredictable and often lower than the quantity needed for a viable crop. For the detection, classification, and control of drought conditions, drought indices are used. There has been notable progress in the last few years in terms of modelling droughts by utilizing statistical or physical models. Despite the successes documented by most of these approaches; a plain, effective, and well-built statistical model is the artificial neural network (ANN). The use of artificial neural networks (ANN) to evaluate the impact of drought indices on maize output in the 17 northern Nigerian states is presented in this research. For a 25-year period from 1993 to 2018, observed annual data of drought indices, RDI, and the Palmer drought indices, which comprise SCPDSI, SCPHDI, and SCWLPM, as well as maize yield (measured in tonnes) in Northern states of Nigeria. The ANN model was evaluated using several activation functions (sigmoid, hyperbolic tangent, and rectified linear unit), hidden layers (1, 2, and 3), and training sets (70%, 80%, and 90%). The Mean Square Error (MSE) was employed to evaluate each ANN model's performance. In summary, most of the states' lowest mean square errors (MSEs) were generated via RELU. Also, as the training percentage increases, the mean square error increases.

Analysis of Topics Perceived Difficult by Pre-service Mathematics Teachers and Lecturers in Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to investigate the topics perceived as difficult by pre-service mathematics teachers and Mathematics lecturers in Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria. One Hundred and seven (107) 300 level Pre-service Mathematics Teachers and Seventeen (17) Lecturers were purposively selected from two (2) Colleges of Education in Niger State, Nigeria. A twenty-three items questionnaire named Mathematics Topic Analysis Questionnaire (MTAQ) with two sections was administered to respondents (Pre-service Mathematics Teachers and Mathematics Lecturers). The questionnaire was validated by experts, and its internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.87. Data analysis was done using Mean and Standard deviation and independent sample t-test. A criterion means of 2.5 was set as the basis for judgment. A mean score of 2.5 and above indicated an easy topic, while less than 2.5 indicated a difficult topic. Findings revealed that Pre-service Mathematics teachers perceived 9 topics as difficult to comprehend while 3 topics were perceived as difficult to teach by Mathematics lecturers. The study also showed that Pre-service Mathematics teachers’ gender has no significant influence on their perception of difficult topics in mathematics. It was therefore recommended that students should be encouraged and motivated to learn mathematics, curriculum developers should develop instructions that would improve students’ knowledge by laying more emphasis on the perceived difficulty areas in mathematics and further studies should be conducted to find out the factors responsible for the perceived difficulty and also if there is a relationship between perception and students’ achievement.