Implementing just-in-time inventory management to address contextual operational issues: a case study of a commercial livestock farm in southern Nigeria

PurposeThis research focuses on the implementation of Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management, drawing on a case study of a commercial livestock farm located in a swampy area of southern Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a qualitative approach. Interviews and workshops were used for data collection.FindingsFindings from the study reveal that the commitment on the internal organisational members and skilful collaboration with supply chain partners are required for effective use of JIT, especially in an odd contextual situation such as the case in this study. This also justifies the embraced of additional cost of securing JIT inventory management practices such as the situation in the case study organisation that could not allow conventional inventory management.Originality/valueIt is suggested for further research to consider the topic from a mixed method approach as well as extend the focus on the possibility of legal regulations and government support to exceptional operational practices among organisations, especially those in the context of the food production sector, where this research was based.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B viral infection amongst pregnant women in rural community in Southern Nigeria

Background: Hepatitis B Viral (HBV) infection is a potentially fatal infection of public health importance globally. Pregnant women and their unborn children are at risk of this infection due to its mode of transmission especially when in contact with infected body fluids and from mother to child transmission respectively. The prevalence of HBV infection in Nigeria is 13.6%. Aim: To determine the prevalence of HBV infection amongst pregnant women in rural community in southern Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective cross sectional study of pregnant women at Ogoni Primary Health Centers and General Hospitals in Southern Nigeria carried over a 4-month period. Serological test results for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) of subjects were retrieved from the laboratories. Permission was gotten from Director of Public Health Rivers State Ministry of Health. The information gotten was analyzed using independent t test, chi square and fisher exact tests. Significance level was set at 0.05. Result: One hundred and eighty-five pregnant women were recruited for the study. The mean age of the antenatal clinic attendees was 28 ± 2 years, the mean gestational age at booking was 25 weeks and the mean parity was 2. Majority had secondary level of education represented by 122 (66%). Fifteen (8.1%) of the pregnant women were positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV infection was 8.1% in Ogoni southern Nigeria. This is worisome, hence preventive measures including HBV vaccines should be made available to the populace.

Pattern and Outcome of Paediatric Surgeries: A Private Paediatric Hospital Experience in Southern Nigeria

Aim: This study was undertaken to determine the pattern and outcome of paediatric surgeries in a private hospital in Southern Nigeria. Study Design: A retrospective study Place and Duration of Study: Study was carried out at a private paediatric hospital over a 14-months period from 1st April 2020–31st May 2021. Methodology: Essential information needed were retrieved from the hospital Health Management System and data analysed using SPSS version 23. Results: Of 1289 children admitted during the study period, 105 had surgical interventions (prevalence of 8.1%). Age range was from 8 days to 16 years (median age of 36months) with male predominance. Only 34.3% of the patients were self-paying. The most common surgical conditions were congenital anomalies (28.1%), followed by surgical infections (22.8%) and then urogenital diseases (19.3%). The least common were central nervous system diseases (0.9%). Emergencies accounted for 39.8% of cases done. The commonest surgeries done were circumcision (16.8%), appendicectomy (15.9%) and herniotomy/herniorraphy (14.2%). One child died (mortality rate of 1%). Duration of stay was mostly < 3days (41.7%). Longest duration was seen in those who had Laparotomy and Skin graft. Conclusion: The prevalence of surgical interventions in a paediatric private hospital in Southern Nigeria was high with emergency surgeries constituting 38.9% of all cases. Thus, for reduction in paediatric morbidity and mortality, we advocate the improvement of surgical infrastructure and manpower not only in tertiary but also in the private health sector.

Genetic Variability, Heritability and Correlation Studies in Fifty Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Accessions Collected from Southern Nigeria

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is an important food crop in southern Nigeria with high genetic variability. However, this variability is not characterized. Fifty sorghum accessions collected from different states in southern Nigeria were evaluated for eleven agronomic characters to determine the extent of genetic variability and character association among the accessions. The experiments were laid in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Ondo State and Federal College of Agriculture Ishiagu research farm during the rainy season of 2018 and 2019. Data were collected on eleven quantitative traits for genetic variability and character association. Panicle weight had the highest GCV (24.96%) and PCV (30.61%). Ten out of the eleven traits have heritability estimates above 50% which implies an opportunity for improvement among the traits with the number of days to 50% heading having the highest (98.84%). Correlation analysis showed significant and positive association among growth, flowering traits and head traits. The strong positive correlation coefficients of plant height with all the traits implies that simultaneous selection for these traits is possible for improvement in sorghum genotypes for fodder and grain traits.

The Detection of Wetlands And Wetland Fragmentation Using Sentinel 1 And 2 Imagery: The Example of Southern Nigeria

Wetland ecosystems play key roles in global biogeochemical cycling, but their spatial extent and connectivity is often not well known. Here, we describe an approach suitable for application on a 1000 km scale using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery, exploiting the implementation of Random Forest algorithm in Google Earth Engine. The approach was used to detect the spatial coverage of wetland types focusing on the case of southern Nigeria, thought to be one of the most wetland-rich areas of Africa. We compiled 1050 wetland and non-wetland control points for algorithm training and validation, primarily from visual interpretation of high-resolution (<1 m pixel) imagery. This allowed us to establish the relative importance of 18 input channels derived from Sentinel-1 polarimetric and Sentinel-2 indices for classification of wetland. We estimate that the swamps, marshes, mangroves, and shallow water wetlands of southern Nigeria cover 29,900 km² with 2% uncertainty of 460 km². We found larger mangrove and smaller marsh extent than suggested by earlier, coarser spatial resolution studies. Average continuous wetland patch areas were 120 km², 11 km², 55 km² and 13 km² for mangrove, marsh, swamp, and shallow water respectively. Our final map with 10 m pixels also captures small patches of wetland, with 20% of wetland patches being <1 km2; these were clustered around urban centres, suggesting anthropogenic wetland fragmentation. Our approach can now be used across rest of Africa and globally to detect wetlands and wetland change which, in turn, will be crucial for improved land-surface climate models and wetland conservation.

Corporate social responsibility and management of oil related conflict in Host Communities of Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

The study sought to examine the Corporate Social (CSR) and management of oil related conflicts in Host Communities of the Southern States. Corporate Social Responsibility is the commitment of businesses to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, the local community and the society at large to improve their lives in ways that are good for business and for development. The study was guided by three research objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses. The design adopted for this study is exploratory and descriptive research design and was conducted in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State in Nigeria. The population of this study comprised of 15,245,247 residents in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State in Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was a set of structured questionnaire. Data derived from the field were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. And statistical tools such as mean and standard deviation were used to respond to the research questions, while inferential statistical tool of independent sample T-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study showed that there is a significant difference in the mean ratings of male and female respondents on the level of relationship between IOC’s and hosts Communities in Niger Delta Region, Nigeria ((P=0.738>0.05), df (400) =. -0.49273, p=0.738); there is a significant difference in the mean ratings of male and female respondents on the on CSR programs carried out by IOCs in hosts Communities in Southern Nigeria (P=.117>0.05), df (400) = -401.618, p=.117); further findings showed that there is a significant difference in the mean ratings of male and female respondents on the Factors causing conflict between oil companies and host communities in Southern, Nigeria (P=0.775>0.05), df (400) =382.256 p=0.775). Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that host communities should be integrated into the planning process, a paradigm shift from planning for to planning with the host Communities, amongst others.

"Talk to my father": re-thinking social exclusion and access to justice in the context of bridewealth negotiation

Broadly, the concept of social exclusion denotes a condition in which peopie are unabie to voice their opinion freeiy and fuiiy in matters affecting their iives. It often manifests as unequai respect for, and protection of people's rights based on gender, age, race, and simiiar demographics. Sociai inciusion has become a concern for poiicy deveiopment and impiementation, particuiariy in cuiturai matters, where tensions often arise between traditionai norms and universaiist State iaws. In this context, brideweaith payment in Southern Nigeria presents an intriguing iens for examining social exclusion. Here, women's exciusion from their own brideweaith negotiation iiiustrates the interpiay of agency and unequai power reiations, two twin elements that affect access to justice and policy development. So, in what ways does women's exclusion from bridewealth negotiation broaden understanding of access to justice and development programming? This article argues that women's cultural exclusion from bridewealth negotiation hinders their agency in marriage under customary law. Using data obtained from Southern Nigeria in 2016, it shows how the sustenance of social exclusion stands at the intersection of law, culture, and justice.