Cross River University of Technology

About: Cross River University of Technology is a education organization based out in Calabar, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Exergy. The organization has 465 authors who have published 507 publications receiving 2705 citations.

Poverty, Health Expenditure, and Health Status: A Long Term Perspective with Evidence from Nigeria

Abstract: In Nigeria, health indicators have continued to experience downward spiral movement despite government continued budgetary allocation to funding the health sector. This downward spiral movement seems to pose a question whether government expenditure on health alone is significant enough to provoke improvement in the health status of the population, or rather, if there are other social/economic factors necessary to cause this desired improvement in health status which have hitherto been neglected? The paper had utilized the Granger causality test and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to investigate the causal direction and long-run relationship between government health expenditure, poverty and health status, in Nigeria. The study established that there exists a strong causal uni-directional relationship running from life expectancy to poverty in Nigeria. This paper contends that health improvements/expenditure when concentrated among people living close to or below the poverty line, a “trickle-down” mechanism and redistribution of income will lead to poverty reduction and illnesses. Thus, increasing budgetary allocation to funding health sector alone without reducing poverty level, would not be sufficient enough to improve the health and social status of the population. A long-run relationship was also found to exist between poverty and health status. The paper did not find a significant long-run relationship existing between health status and government health expenditure. The paper therefore suggests that policies that can improve life expectancy should be such as would promote adult literacy level, reduce the poverty level, reduce income disparity and improve income distribution among the vulnerable and poor rural population of the society.

Linkage Banking Programme in Nigeria - Concept, Relevance and Implementation (A Case Study of Self-Help Groups)

Abstract: As part of its development promotion roles, and as the managing agent of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), sought to evolve a viable and sustainable credit strategy with a built-in growth factor that would improve the level lending under the scheme. This led to the introduction of the concept of “Self-Help Groups Linkage Programme” by the Central Bank of Nigeria in 1991. Under the programme, group members are expected to save on a regular basis an agreed sum of money with a partner bank of their choice over a reasonable period of time. The partner bank on its parts, lends on a timely manner to the group members in multiples of their savings. The group members are equally expected to continue with their regular savings simultaneously with loan repayment so that they would be qualified for higher loans from the bank. The advantage is that borrowers are able to overcome their collateral problem, catalyze savings mobilization and promote group synergy.

Evaluation of Selected Novel Delicacies of Wild Plants Using Wistar Rats: An Insight into Nutritional Quality

Abstract: The quest to improving the nutritional quality of a growing population is critical. Nutritional quality is lacking in terms of which vegetable will yield the desired nutrient. This research investigates the nutritional quality of some wild edible vegetables and their effect on rats. Four different delicacies were prepared with two novel vegetables - Adenia cissampeloides (ACD) and Arthropteris palisoti (APD) plants. The mineral and vitam profiles in these vegetables were determined using standard methods. Twenty four weanling rats with weight ranging from - 43.99 to 81.49 g, were randomly designated into four groups (n = 6). Two groups of the experimental rats were fed with the formulated experimental diets, while the other two groups were fed with protein-free (casein) and basal diets. Carbohydrate, protein, vitamins C and E were significant at p < 0.05 in the two wild vegetables; the mineral composition showed significance at p < 0.05 for delicacies with low Na+ content while Ca2+ concentration was significantly high in ACD and APD. Mg2+ was high in ACD while Phosphorus concentration was high in APD. The ACD-fed rats had a higher value (2.37 ± 0.01 %) compared to APD (2.18 ± 0.01). The reference group consumed more food (97.06 ± 14.70 g) followed by the basal group (88.98 ± 10.61), ACD (43.89 ± 14.34), and APD (42.02 ± 7.98), respectively. There was no significant differences (p ˃ 0.05) observed in the body weight changes, protein efficiency ratio, net protein utilization, net protein retention, true digestibility, fecal and carcass protein levels in all the groups. Findings suggest that nutrients in these vegetables are of good quality to benefit the user hence it is recommended in routine diet preparations.

Effect of alcohol and kolanut interaction on biochemical indices of neuronal gene expression in Wistar albino rats.

Abstract: Effect of alcohol and kolanut interactions on biochemical indices of neuronal gene expression in Wistar albino rats was studied. Thirty Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups of five (5) rats per group. The control group (1) received via oral route a placebo (4ml of distilled water). Groups 2 - 6 were treated for a period of 21-days with (10% v/v) 50mg/kg body weight of alcohol, 50mg/kg body weight of kolanut, 50mg/kg body weight of caffeine, 50mg/kg body weight of alcohol and 50mg/kg body weight of kolanut, and 50mg/kg body weight of alcohol and 50mg/kg body weight of caffeine in 4.0ml of the vehicle via gastric intubation respectively. One day after the final exposure, the brain of each rat was harvested and processed to examine several biochemical parameters, i.e., total protein, DNA, RNA and protein/RNA ratios. The status of neuronal gene expression was monitored through assessment of these parameters. The results showed that alcohol-kolanut co-administration decreased brain total protein, DNA, RNA levels and protein/RNA ratios, and inhibited gene expression. These effects, in turn, inhibited DNA transcription, MRNA splicing and protein synthesis, and polypeptide expression, which are necessary for the growth, development, differentiation and cell survival.