Northeast Nigeria Research Articles

Sources of Farm Risk and Management Strategies among Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata SSP) Producers in North East Nigeria

Sources of Farm Risk and Management Strategies among Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata SSP) Producers in North East Nigeria

Assessing the Role of Mass Media in Reducing the Menace of Insecurity in North-East Nigeria

Terrorism refers an unlawful violence or any other unlawful harmful act committed against civilians by groups or persons for political or other ideological goals, a premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. Since the emergence of Boko Haram terrorist group in the North-East Nigeria in 2002, human lives had been lost to their attacks in thousands. The killings have continued unabated until recently that they are being gradually overcome. Employing agenda setting theory, this study aimed at assessing the roles of mass media in reducing the menace of insecurity in North-East Nigeria. The study found among others that mass media can help to reduce the insecurity menace by articulation and pursuit of the national interests, conveying information to the people and security agencies, speaking out against societal ills and vices, providing informed criticism and viable alternatives to public policies on security matters and monitoring the performance of government security agencies and other concerned agencies. The study made additional recommendations on the roles that mass media can play in tackling insecurity in the region.

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION OPTIONS FOR ADDRESSING SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NORTH-EAST AND NORTH-WEST NIGERIA

The issue of Boko Haram and Banditry insurgency has been characterized by the killing, of people, abduction of school children, kidnapping for ransom, army robbery, raping, rustling of cows, destruction of houses, schools, mosques, churches, markets, security posts, health care centers, and farms has become a great security problem in northeast and northwest, Nigeria. The issue has resulted in a waste of peoples’ lives and livelihoods in the two geopolitical zones. The researchers believe that Boko haram insurgency and banditry security issues in Nigeria can be better addressed through Non-formal Education options. This study, therefore, examined how non-formal education can be explored to end insecurity challenges in the northeast and northwest Nigeria. The researchers used the Google database to get relevant journal papers. The prism technique was used to get and extract data based on the known inclusion and exclusion criteria. According to the analysis, non-formal education options can be explored to address boko haram insurgency and banditry in north-east and north-west Nigeria and if non-formal education options as described in this study are adopted, boko haram insurgency and banditry will be of the past in Nigeria.

Virtual Classroom Competencies Required by Electrical/Electronic Technology Lecturers in Colleges of Education for Instruction in the Era of Covid-19 in North East Nigeria

The study aimed to identify the virtual classroom competencies needed for instruction in the COVID-19 period in North East Nigeria by Electrical/Electronic Technology lecturers in colleges of education. Descriptive survey research design was employed in the study. Two research questions and hypotheses guided the study.76 participants in total comprising 34 ICT unit employees and 42 electrical/electronic technology education lecturers from five colleges of education in Nigeria's North East. Sampling of the respondents were not observed because the total population was used. The research's instrument was a structured questionnaire created by the researcher under the name Questionnaire for Virtual Classroom Competencies Required by Lecturers in Colleges of Education (QVCCRTCE). Three professionals validated the instrument, and using Cronbach Alpha, a reliability index of 0.82 was established. The questions in the study were answered using the mean statistic, and the null hypotheses tested using t-test at 0.05 confidence level. According to study results, lecturers of electrical and electronic technology must be proficient in a variety of virtual classroom tools, including video conferencing, online whiteboards for real-time collaboration, instant messaging, participation monitoring, breakout rooms, screen sharing, file annotations, video playback, quizzing tools, and tools for movable partition walls. According to the results, colleges of education should work with the ICT departments in the schools to give electrical/electronic technology education instructors more training so they can become familiar with the many tools included into the virtual classroom interface and make effective use of them. Additionally, the government should make sure that the school's online platforms are regularly evaluated to determine whether they still suit modern demands.

Appraisal of the magnetic and geothermal anomalies of bornu basin northeast nigeria involving aero-magnetic data

The Bornu Basin in northeast Nigeria was studied using high-resolution airborne magnetic data with the objective of improving the reliability of mapped magnetic and geothermal anomalies, and depth solutions. Necessary enhancement operations like analytic signal (ASIG), upward continuation, depth assessment methods involving standard Euler deconvolution (SED) and source parameter imaging (SPI) as well as spectral analysis applying the centroid technique were applied. The middle and southern parts are dominated by high frequency anomalies as revealed by the ASIG map. Furthermore, the magnetic data, when upward continued to 5 km, revealed avalanche of deeply buried igneous intrusions that created near-surface magnetic sources and geologic structures. Maximum thicknesses of sedimentary series estimated from SED and SPI, are respectively ~5974.7 and ~5885.3 m. These values correlate correlated relatively well with depth to the top boundary (Zt) of ~6550 m obtained from the centroid technique. These depth estimates reveal sequence of thick sediments overlying igneous intrusions and falls under the prospective geothermal anomaly zones characterised by high geothermal gradient (GG) (>55 °C/km) and heat flow (HF) (>130 mW/m2) values. Areas characterised by high geothermal anomalies correspond to igneous intrusion-dominated shallow Curie point depths (CPD or Zb).

Healthcare workers knowledge of cholera multi-stranded interventions and its determining factors in North-East Nigeria: planning and policy implications

BackgroundHealthcare workers’ (HCWs) knowledge of multi-stranded cholera interventions (including case management, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), surveillance/laboratory methods, coordination, and vaccination) is crucial to the implementation of these interventions in healthcare facilities, especially in conflict-affected settings where cholera burden is particularly high. We aimed to assess Nigerian HCWs’ knowledge of cholera interventions and identify the associated factors.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire with HCWs from 120 healthcare facilities in Adamawa and Bauchi States, North-East Nigeria. A knowledge score was created by assigning a point for each correct response. HCWs’ knowledge of cholera interventions, calculated as a score, was recoded for ease of interpretation as follows: 0–50 (low); 51–70 (moderate); ≥ 71 (high). Additionally, we defined the inadequacy of HCWs’ knowledge of cholera interventions based on a policy-relevant threshold of equal or lesser than 75 scores for an intervention. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with the adequacy of knowledge score.ResultsOverall, 490 HCWs participated in the study (254 in Adamawa and 236 in Bauchi), with a mean age of 35.5 years. HCWs’ knowledge score was high for surveillance/laboratory methods, moderate for case management, WASH, and vaccination, and low for coordination. HCWs’ knowledge of coordination improved with higher cadre, working in urban- or peri-urban-based healthcare facilities, and secondary education; cholera case management and vaccination knowledge improved with post-secondary education, working in Bauchi State and urban areas, previous training in cholera case management and response to a cholera outbreak—working in peri-urban areas had a negative effect. HCWs’ knowledge of surveillance/laboratory methods improved with a higher cadre, 1-year duration in current position, secondary or post-secondary education, previous training in cholera case management and response to a cholera outbreak. However, HCWs’ current position had both positive and negative impacts on their WASH knowledge.ConclusionsHCWs in both study locations recorded a considerable knowledge of multi-stranded cholera interventions. While HCWs’ demographic characteristics appeared irrelevant in determining their knowledge of cholera interventions, geographic location and experiences from the current position, training and involvement in cholera outbreak response played a significant role.

THE IMPACT OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING ON TAX PAYER ATTITUDE AND COMPLIANCE TOWARDS TAX EVASION WITHIN SMES IN THE NORTH EAST NIGERIA

Income tax has contributed to a considerable amount of Nigeria's revenue generation, despite the fact that it is fraught with difficulties in both collection and execution. This study examines the impact of forensic accounting on tax payer attitude and compliance towards tax evasion within SMEs in the north east Nigeria. The study is cross-sectional, with data collected using simple random sampling. With the help of Smart PLS 3, partial least square structural equation modelling PLS-SEM on 102 responses was utilized to evaluate the data. The findings revealed that a forensic accounting check is required to address the issue of tax evasion in Nigeria to ensure a good attitude and compliance. Forensic Accounting (FA) improves Tax payers Attitude (TA) and Tax Compliance (TC) when they interact. Hence, when a taxpayer develops a positive attitude and comply with the tax laws, they are more likely to have a good financial record and the state would have better control over the tax evasion scale. In other words, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Northeast are more inclined to tax commitment if they are checked, and if the government use their contributions toward improving their standard of living, this will develop a positive attitude toward the behaviour of taxpayers in the region. Therefore, the government should provide awareness on the uses of tax revenue through sustainable enterprise support, infrastructure, and social welfare.

Effect of Opportunity Recognition Competence on Youth Empowerment in Selected States in Northeast Nigeria

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of opportunity recognition competence on youth empowerment in Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe states in Northeast, Nigeria. Some researches have reported that many youths in Northeast, Nigeria do not engage in entrepreneurship practice and are at the fore front of those carrying out most of the deadly attacks and committing social vices that have rocked the Northeast zone for many years. The population consisted of 1,694 indigenous youth from Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe states who participated in training at the skill upgrading and vocational training center from 2017-2021. A sample size of 322 was determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determination table. Given the heterogeneity of the population for each state, Bowley’s sample allocation formula was applied for the determination of proportionate sample size for each state while stratified and simple random sampling techniques were adopted for selecting the study participants. The quantitative data were collected through standardized questionnaire adapted from previous related studies and analysed through descriptive statistics and path analysis. All measurement items on the adapted questionnaire were carefully reworded then subjected to the criticisms of experts in the field for content and face validity. The construct reliability and internal consistency of the instrument was determined through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Out of 322 copies of questionnaire administered, 305 representing 94.72 percent were returned. However, out of this number, only 289 copies of questionnaire representing 89.75% were correctly filled and thus suitable for data analysis. The results showed that opportunity recognition skill had a significant effect on youth empowerment (β=-0.307, P>.001) in selected states in the Northeast, Nigeria. The paper recommends that Northeast state governments of Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe and community leaders should engage in vigorous media literacy to mobilize greater youth participation in skill acquisition programmes and also establish well-funded vocational training centers along with industrial parks in each state. Successful indigenous entrepreneurs should be encouraged with tax holidays in exchange for providing apprenticeship training to interested indigenous youths over a stipulated time frame. Keywords: Opportunity recognition, Skill acquisition, Youth empowerment, Northeast Nigeria

Challenges and prospects of neurosurgical services in Bauchi, north-east Nigeria

Background: Nigeria has few neurosurgeons and her population has little or no access to neurosurgical services. Neurosurgical care has become the vital components of tertiary health care delivery. Within the last three (3), we have pioneered the neurosurgical services in our centre though with lack of materials and manpower. Our objectives was to recount our previous experiences and challenges. Methods: A retrospective observational study of all in-patient neurosurgical cases managed from September 2018 to September 2021. Descriptive data analysis was used for the data obtained. Results: A total of 1714 patients were managed with male:female ratio of 2.5 to 1.74% were age 40 years and below. Trauma is the leading cause of admission accounted for 83% while vascular lesions accounted for the least (0.06%). Conclusions: Pioneering a neurosurgical service is a herculean task, it takes a huge sacrifice. There is an urgent need to deploy materials and manpower to sustain and improve these services. Collaborative effort among public, private and donor agencies will brighten our future neurosurgical practice.

Boko Haram insurgency and livelihood vulnerability of rural households in Northern Adamawa State, Nigeria

This study examines the vulnerability of rural households in eight selected insurgency-affected communities using the household vulnerability index with particular consideration to six main components of socio-demographics, healthcare, food security, water resources, conflicts and marketing, and access to finance as effect factors caused by Boko Haram Insurgency. Primary data used for the analysis were generated using an interview schedule among 280 household respondents in eight communities, selected using a purposive random sampling technique in July-September 2019. Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) was used to analyse the data. The result showed that Gulak, Shuwa, Vih, and Lughu were the most vulnerable communities. The major components that contributed substantially to the overall LVIs were the conflict index, market, and financial index. The results have implications for adaptive and household resilient projects by the government and other humanitarian organizations for specific target interventions in the area. The insurgency has adversely affected rural households in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria. Therefore, enhancing infrastructure facilities, provision of basic amenities, access to market and finance, and improving the security architecture of the region will go a long way in addressing the plight and vulnerability of the people.

Diversity, abundance, and conservation status of woody species in a West African dry forest

AbstractThis study presents data on woody plant species richness and diversity of an inaccessible dry forest of Tula Mountains Woodland (TMW) located in the northeast of Nigeria. TMW supports a minimally disturbed mosaic of dry forest‐woodland. We sampled woody species in 190 plots of size 0.01‐ha, spaced 50 m apart on series of line transects. We found a total of 133 woody species belonging to 88 genera and 39 families in 1.9 ha area sampled in total. Out of 133 species, 120 were identified to species level, and 113 were recorded as trees, shrubs and lianas with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥ 5 cm. Species accumulation curve was non‐asymptotic. Fisher's logseries model suggests that the plots sampled in the dry forest communities of TMW are represented by a high number of rare species. Of 120 identified species, 46 (38%) lacked evaluation on conservation status by IUCN. Out of 74 (62%) evaluated species, 2 were listed as critically endangered, 3 were vulnerable, and 69 were of least concern. In the TMW, 27% of woody species were restricted to Sudanian savannah biome, 61% occurred in Sudanian and Zambezian savannah biome. TMW serves as refugia for native plant species and plant communities in northeastern Nigeria.

Comparing Changes in IPV Risk by Age Group over Time in Conflict-Affected Northeast Nigeria.

Increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been well documented among women and girls living in conflict zones. However, how residence in a conflict area differentially impacts adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) compared to older women is less understood. This paper examines whether the levels of IPV changed more among AGYW compared to older women in six Boko Haram (BH)-affected States in Nigeria. The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data was used to compare the level of the three types of IPV (emotional, physical, and sexual) among AGYW compared to older women before and during the BH conflict (2008 and 2018). We ran a multiple linear regression model with an interaction term for ever-partnered female respondents living in six Northeast States, adjusting for relevant covariates. A significantly higher proportion of both older and younger women reported experiencing emotional and sexual IPV in 2018 than in 2008, with a higher increase reported among AGYW. Sexual IPV increased by six percentage points more among AGYW compared to older women. AGYW in the BH-affected States are more vulnerable to experiencing sexual IPV relative to older women. This study highlights the need for youth-focused IPV interventions in the BH-affected States.

The Influence of Work Stress and Job Satisfaction on Soldiers’ Morale in Theater of War in Northeast Nigeria

Military deployment has consistently been shown to expose soldiers to distressing situations, with reported deleterious effects on emotional and mental functioning. It was hypothesized that work stress and job satisfaction would significantly influence the morale of soldiers deployed in northeast Nigeria. The design was a cross-sectional survey which was employed to purposively select One Hundred and Sixteen military personnel who are currently serving in different military formations across the North East. Result from correlational analysis for hypothesis one showed a statistical significant negative relationship between work stress and soldiers’ morale (r= -.06; p<.01). Multiple regression analysis findings on hypothesis two indicated a significant joint [R = .585, R2= .34, F (2,113) = 29.33, P<.01] and independent influence of work stress on soldiers’ morale (β= -.57, t = .75, P<.05); it was recommended that Nigerian Army should make work environment less stressful.

Comparative Study of Indoor Environmental Performance of Church Buildings in Northeast Nigeria

Today, Christianity in Nigeria has increased in churches in large cities to the point where Nigeria now has the highest number of churches per capita globally. As good as that is, the concern of this paper was whether building professionals consider indoor environmental indices performance about worshippers' comfort and well-being. This paper aimed to compare the indoor environmental performance of church buildings to develop design guidelines for improved environmental indices performance of churches in North-East Nigeria. Ten church buildings were purposefully chosen, and the effects of temperature, CO, CO2, RH, PMs, HCHO, TVOCs, Radon, Sound, Ventilation, Moisture, Dewpoint, and Lighting were investigated using a questionnaire, observation, and indoor environmental detectors. A case study evaluation was used to evaluate this pragmatic approach. The paper found that seven out of fourteen parameters had low performance on church members in North-East Nigeria. The paper recommends that information about the danger of these indices be made public. Creating a design guideline to improve worshippers' comfort and well-being became necessary.

Trends in Bacterial Blood Culture Isolates and Resistance in Children in Two Microbiologic Eras from a Tertiary Health Facility in North East Nigeria

Trends in Bacterial Blood Culture Isolates and Resistance in Children in Two Microbiologic Eras from a Tertiary Health Facility in North East Nigeria

The Challenges of Sustainable Fish Farming Culture in North-East of Nigeria

The study was conducted in North East Zone of Nigeria where fishing has been the occupation of the inhabitants. The study focused on the challenges of sustainable fish farming culture in the study area. Data for the study was obtained from both primary and secondary sources through a public participation and stakeholders’ interview with the application of focus group discussion. The data collection for the research work was carried out within the period of 1st to 31st March 2023. Primarily, conservative qualitative method with snow-ball technique was applied and information was elicited from the respondents on challenges of sustainable fish farming culture. The study revealed the challenges associated in sustaining fish farming culture involves conflict associated with fisheries management system, the use of crude implements, the system is self-subsistence, over-exploitative, degradable, limitation of cultural adaptation and lack of support system. Recommendations were made for formulation of policy framework that will transformed and sustained the fish farming culture.

Boko Haram and Ansar al-Sunna: A Comparative Analysis of Insurgency Dynamics and Governance Failures

This paper examines the manifestation and problems relating to the Islamist insurgencies of Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria, and Ansar al-Sunna in northern Mozambique. The thrust of the paper is that Islamist movements, driven by the ideas of jihadism, exploit conditions in weak and fragile states and expand their reach in territories affected by poor or deteriorating socio-economic conditions. In Africa, Boko Haram and Ansar al-Sunna are two striking examples. Following the introduction, the phenomena of Islamism and jihadist insurgencies in Africa are under review, after which state fragility is theorised. The focus then moves to Boko Haram and the conflict dynamics in the north-east of Nigeria, and the political conditions and related fragility in that country. From there, the emphasis shifts to Ansar al-Sunna and the conflict dynamics in northern Mozambique, focusing on the emergence and existence of the movement, and the political conditions and related fragility in the country. The paper argues that in both insurgencies under review – Nigeria and Mozambique – fragility and violent conflict fuel each other, and thus we can argue that the state fragility–conflict dynamics nexus is key in understanding the contemporary security landscapes and conflict in these two states. Finally, the paper concludes by highlighting and reflecting on six of the most striking similarities between the Boko Haram and Ansar al-Sunna insurgencies, and the governance (political and military) challenges that have thus far limited or prevented successful counter-insurgency measures in both countries.

Taxpayers’ Perception and Direct Assessment Tax Compliance of Micro and Small Enterprises in North-East, Nigeria

This study assesses the taxpayers’ perceived psychological behaviours of direct assessment tax (DAT) compliance of MSEs in North-East of Nigeria. The data for the study was collected using and online questionnaire administered to the 527 Micro and Small Enterprises in the North Eastern States of Nigeria. PLS-SEM (Smart PLS3) was employed to ensure validity and reliability of the instrument and to test the study’s hypotheses. The result of the study revealed that direct assessment tax compliance is positively influenced by government spending, trust in authorities and fairness in tax system. However, perception on corruption was found to have no significant effect on DAT compliance.

Assessment of Reservoir Quality of the Cretaceous Yolde Sandstone: A Case Study of Doma Stream, Gongola Basin, Northern Benue Trough, Northeast Nigeria.

Sedimentology, petrography and petrophysical studies were applied to the Cretaceous Yolde Formation sediments along the Doma stream, to evaluate its reservoir quality. The Yolde Formation along the Doma Stream is composed of lithologies that are laterally extensive and have reached a thickness of about 80m. They are lithologically made of sandstones with dark grey mudstones, laminated shales and grey to pale yellow limestones. The Sandstones are structurally characterized by planar, tabular and trough cross-beds, convolute beds, and hummocky cross-stratifications with reactivation surfaces. Some of the sediments are bioturbated. The petrophysical evaluation indicated porosity values ranging from 6% to 26%, and permeability values between 12.7mD and 108mD. These values are comparable to the reservoir rocks of proven petroleum basins of the North Sea and Niger Delta. Therefore, the Yolde Sandstones of the study area can have great potential to serve as good reservoir rock in the Gongola Basin.

Business Educators Perception of Digital Skills Required by Office Technology and Management Students for Employability

The management of any organization be it private or public expects its employees to possess relevant digital skills to perform effectively in this dispensation. The study examined business educators’ perception of digital skills required by Office Technology and Management students for employability. Based on the objectives of the study, two research questions guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 111 business educators drawn from Polytechnics in North-East Nigeria. The entire population was studied, no sample since the population was manageable. A structured questionnaire developed on a five point Likert rating scale tagged ‘’Business Educators perception of Digital Skills Required by Office Technology and Management students for Employability’’ (BEPDSOTMSE) with 23 items was used to elicit data from the respondents. The instrument was validated by three specialists in the field. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbrach Alpha which yielded a co-efficient of 0.77 signifying that the instrument was reliable. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that all the skills were highly required for employability by OTM students’ based on the perception of business educators. The researchers recommended among others that Management of institutions should ensure that orientation be given to prospective candidates which is vital in the early stage of entry into the Polytechnics about the skills required for employment.