by Admin | Sep 11, 2025
This study was motivated by the imperative to enhance financial transparency and stability within Nigeria’s critical insurance sector. Its primary objective was to evaluate board independence, audit committee expertise, and ownership structure on earnings management. Employed an ex-post facto research design, the study analysed secondary panel data collected from the annual reports of 34 Nigerian insurance companies (selected from a population of 67) spanning the years 2015 to 2024.Using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, the findings were mixed: Board independence (β=−0.074, p=0.25) and audit committee expertise (β=−0.019, p=0.75) were found to have no statistically significant impact on earnings management. However, ownership concentration (β=+0.045, p=0.041) showed a significant and positive relationship with an increase in earnings manipulation. The regression models were statistically robust, evidenced by high adjusted R² values (0.865 for discretionary accruals and 0.945 for real earnings management). This suggests a notable gap between formal corporate governance structures and actual oversight, implying that dominant shareholders may prioritize short-term gains. Consequently, the study recommended improving accountability by enhancing legal protections for independent directors, increasing ownership transparency, and strengthening regulatory oversight.
by Admin | Sep 11, 2025
This study assessed the adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices among rural cassava farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. The population comprised all rural cassava farmers in Benue State. A sample size of 175 respondents was selected using a multi-stage selection technique comprising purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed a balanced gender distribution, with women slightly outnumbering men (50.3%). The mean age of respondents was 28.4 years. Most farmers were married (49.7%), had small household sizes 4.8 persons and operated on modest farm holdings (mean farm size 2.2 hectares). Educational attainment was modest with 61.1% having secondary education, while Annual income levels were modest, with 41.1% earning between ₦100,000 and ₦300,000. Adoption of CSAPs varied significantly, improved cassava varieties were universally adopted (100%), followed by water conservation techniques (91.4%), organic fertilizer use (78.9%), crop rotation (65.7%), and agroforestry (54.3%). Farmers perceived CSAPs as beneficial, with increased yield (x̄ = 3.20), enhanced food security (x̄ = 3.00), and income growth (x̄ = 2.80) rated as the top advantages. The study concludes that cassava farmers in Benue State are increasingly engaging with CSA practices, offering a pathway to sustainable agricultural development. Despite these benefits, adoption was hindered by several constraints like financial constraints adequate access to inputs poor extension services and cultural resistance to change. The study recommends targeted input subsidies, strengthened extension systems, and culturally sensitive awareness campaigns to improve CSAP uptake and foster sustainable cassava production in the State.
by Admin | Sep 11, 2025
This study probed the ideological biases rooted in the reportage of Banditry and Kidnapping for Ransom (BaKiR) in selected Nigerian online newspapers. This research adopted van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of Critical Discourse Analysis; the research showed how language and discourse are used to generate reports about insecurity, state actors, and non-state actors. Four online news reports published in 2024 and 2025 were elicited in total: two each from The Daily Trust (representing a Northern perspective) and The Nation (representing a Southern perspective). The work examined the different levels of discourse, such as lexical choices, sentence structure, characterisation of state and non-state actors, how headlines are outlined, thematic focus and the intertextual allusions. These selected reports were chosen because they were suitable for the thematic consideration, had startling headlines, and focused on the dynamic security situation in Nigeria. The research identified rhetorical patterns that unveiled hidden ideological leanings ranging from state and non-state legitimation to civic critique and emotive appeals. The results showed that reporting of BaKiR is not politically balanced but rather reflects profound editorial opinions, political contexts, and socio-economic worldviews. It concluded that online media platforms function as ideological battlegrounds, framing insecurity in ways that either reinforce or resist dominant narratives of power, responsibility, and governance. The study recommended that interrogating media texts as ideological artefacts is crucial.
by Admin | Sep 11, 2025
The study investigated self-reliant skills in sciences and home economics undergraduate programmes and relevance to Nigeria world of work needs. The study adopted survey research design. The study population comprised of Science and Home-Economics undergraduates and graduates of tertiary institutions in Lagos State. A total of twenty Science and Home Economics respondents from the tertiary institutions located in Lagos state in three randomly selected tertiary institutions in the state, While samples of forty working graduates from Lagos state were randomly selected from civil service, secondary schools, five stars hotels and self-employed graduates constituted the sample for the study. Two instruments were used to collect data for the study. The first instrument is Undergraduate Questionnaire (UQ) and. The second instrument is Graduate Questionnaire (GQ). The data collected were analysed using t-test and Chi square). The findings indicated that the tc = 2.82 > tt =1.66 at df = 2 significant, Therefore there was no significant relationship i.e. the students preferred applied science courses Hence the hypothesis was rejected. The second hypothesis results indicated that the X2Cal=17.82> X2Tab =7.82 at df=3, This revealed that science graduates are not likely to secure government jobs even if they study education while Home Economics graduates utilized the skills acquired to be employer of labour, hence the hypothesis was rejected. Based on the findings it was recommended that tertiary institutions curriculum should be revisited to contain self-reliant contents, so that graduates of tertiary institutions are employable. Finally it was further solicited for adequate training for lecturer both locally and internationally.
by Admin | Aug 29, 2025
This study investigated the Impact of Adaptive Learning on Senior Secondary II Chemistry Students’ Achievement and Retention in Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The study used Lev Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory (1978) as theoretical framework. The study was guided by four specific objectives. Corresponding research questions and hypotheses were formulated to address these objectives. The study used quasi-experimental research design. The total population of the study comprised 1,200 SS2 Chemistry students drawn from 15 public secondary schools in Jos East. A sample size of 120 students was purposively selected from two comparable public schools—Experimental School, which received the adaptive learning intervention, and Control School, which continued with the lecture method. Pre-test, post-test, and retention test instruments were used to collect quantitative data on student performance. The mean score was used to answer the research questions while the ANCOVA was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that students taught using adaptive learning strategies significantly outperformed those taught using the traditional lecture method in both academic achievement and knowledge retention. Furthermore, no significant gender differences were observed in the achievement scores of students exposed to adaptive learning, indicating its effectiveness across both male and female students. Also, the study found meaningful differences in performance between the two schools, highlighting the role of instructional methods in shaping learning outcomes. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for the integration of adaptive learning techniques into the secondary school chemistry curriculum. It recommends policy support for digital learning innovations and teacher training to enhance adaptive instructional delivery.
