An Assessment of the Performance of State Institutions in Environmental Protection in Taraba State, Nigeria

This study examined the performance of State institutions in environmental protection in Taraba State with a view to ascertaining their capacity for environmental protection or otherwise and the challenges undermining their efforts. The study is anchored on the theory of Environmentally Responsible Behaviour (ERB). The study adopted survey research design using field observation and interview schedule. Yearly allocations to the two institutions were compiled from the yearly budget documents of the state. The study findings reveal that the state generate the highest revenue of ₦2billion in 2017 which is about 25% and ₦1billion in 2018, 15.17% of the IGR. These were the pick period of the trade in African Rosewood logs in the state. The huge revenue gave legitimacy to the logging activities and explains why the activity persisted despite the existing forest regulations and efforts to stop it. Despite the huge revenue, findings revealed that it was only in the years 2000, 2013, and 2014 that the Ministry of Environment received up to 4% of the state budgetary allocation. The lowest allocation was in 2002 (0.12%), 2016 (0.15%) and 2007 (0.18%). Findings also reveal huge gap between the budgetary allocation and the actual amount released or expended in the sector. The low budgetary allocation reveals low level of attention paid to environmental issues over the years. The findings of the study reveal that it is only in the area of revenue generation that the state institutions performed relatively well. In terms of staffing, capacity building, infrastructures and equipment, improvement in environmental legislation and enforcement of environmental regulation, the state institutions did not fare well. Based on the findings, the study recommended more political commitment, increase funding, employment of more technically skilled staff and establishment of data bank for environmental inventories in the state.

INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES AND THE NIGERIA TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

Nigeria with a total land area of 190,771 square kilometers and over 200 million populations requires not only a functional transportation system, but also adequate resources for development efficient operations, as well as management of transportation sector. Resources, most especially in financial context are extremely crucial to the provisions, maintenance, management and sustenance of transportation system in order to efficiently operate various socio-economic engagements in the country. Hence, government at all levels in Nigeria usually makes financial provisions, most especially through annual budget for this vital sector among other competing needs. It is in this context that this paper examined insufficient resources in relation to transportation system in Nigeria with a view to improving mobility and accessibility and enhancing investment potentials socio-economic transactions in the country. This paper relied mostly on data from secondary sources through literatures, publication and other prints materials. This paper established that the resources deployed to the transportation sector through the yearly budgetary allocation are grossly inadequate. It therefore recommended an upward review in the budgetary allocation to the transportation sector so as to meet the growing demand of Nigerian from the sector.

INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ COMPETENCE ON SUCCESS OF SUNDAY-SCHOOL AS A MISSION FIELD AT AFRCAN INLAND CHURCH, BONDENI LOCAL CHURCH, KENYA

Sunday-school is an important component of the church because it helps the church to produce healthy individuals that become active members. The objective of the study was to examine the influence on teachers’ competence on the success of Sunday-school as a mission field at A.I.C Bondeni in Nakuru County, Kenya. Specifically, the study examined how budgetary allocation, competence of Sunday-school teachers and also how administrative support influence Sunday-school as a mission field in the aforementioned church. The population of 548 Sunday-school instructors, youth, parents of Sunday-school children, pastors, and administrators at the AIC Bondeni Local Church was studied using a descriptive survey design. Stratified random sampling was used to select 85 respondents from the research population. To obtain data, a detailed self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was pilot tested before being used to collect data for the main study, in order to determine its validity and reliability. Prior to data collection, all necessary permits and consents were obtained. The collected data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively with the aid of the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences software. Results revealed that teachers’ competence have a positive and statistically significant influence on the success of Sunday-school as a mission field. From the discoveries, the study recommends that AIC Bondeni and other churches should create budgetary allocation for teachers’ stipends, assess the theological understanding of Sunday-school teachers, and create continual teachers’ training and development programmes

Complement or substitute: Private investment, public expenditure and agricultural productivity in Nigeria

This study examines the complementarity and substitutability effect of private investment and public expenditure on agricultural productivity in Nigeria for the period 1978 to 2018. The study employs the vector error correction modelling (VECM) technique, and the estimate shows that government expenditure on the agricultural sector had the most significant effect on agricultural productivity, followed by commercial bank credit for the agricultural sector. Also, the study found that public expenditure (proxied by government expenditure on the agricultural sector) and private investment (proxied by commercial bank credit for the agricultural sector) are complementary investments in promoting agricultural productivity, while public expenditure on the agricultural sector and foreign direct investment are substitute investments. The study recommends that budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector should be increased, and that commercial banks should be strengthened through the monetary authority by advancing more loans to agricultural businessmen and businesswomen at a reduced lending rate.

Challenges of State Institutions in Environmental Protection: A Case of Taraba State, Nigeria

This study examined the challenges of state institutions in environmental protection in Nigeria using the case of Taraba state. The institution theory was used as a theoretical framework for the study. The study adopted a descriptive design method using desktop review of secondary materials. Content analysis was used in analyzing the data. The findings of the study revealed that some of the challenges of the state environmental protection institutions include lack of political will, inadequate funding, inadequate qualified personnel, inadequate environmental protection infrastructures, poor condition of environmental protection laboratory, lack of office buildings for staff and poor capacity development. The study also revealed that since the creation of the Ministry of Environment in year 2000 in Taraba state, it is only in 2001, 2013 and 2014 that the ministry received up to 4% of the budgetary allocation of the state. The myriad of challenges have greatly constrained the capacity of the state institution to effectively achieve its mandate of environmental protection. Based on the findings, the study recommends the need for more political commitment to the issues of environmental protection through increased funding, employment of qualified personnel, establishment of environmental protection laboratories and increased capacity development. Environmental protection, institutional framework, Ministry of environment, State Institution and Taraba state.

On the Remuneration to Electrical Utilities and Budgetary Allocation for Substation Maintenance Management

The liberalization of electricity markets has produced a great change in electrical utilities. One of these changes has affected the methodology for setting their remuneration. Depending on the country, these are different. Despite the wide range of remuneration methodologies for the electricity market of each country, they all feature one common element: the remuneration of operation and maintenance. One of the messages that this remuneration transmits is the need to extend the useful life of the facilities to allow sustainable development. This article focuses on the remuneration schemes of electrical utilities, the classification of substations for the definition of their maintenance programs, and the budget allocation for the execution of maintenance in these critical infrastructures. The particularity of these facilities, in which it is generally necessary to de-energize some of their parts for maintenance, has also been taken into account. To this end, a simple methodology currently used is presented based on the standardization of the bays of the substations and their classification into levels of importance. This classification into levels enables the facilities to be grouped according to similarities in their maintenance plans, although they differ from each other in terms of the periodicity of the application of maintenance procedures. This methodology guarantees a similar distribution of maintenance activities and financial needs over the years. In addition, the methodology allows one to know the importance of each substation (since the greater the equivalent weight, the greater the importance). Finally, the application of the proposed methodology in a real case is presented. It shows the simplicity, effectiveness, and lamination of the budgetary allocation of the proposed methodology, this being the main contribution of the formulation.

Evaluation of the maintenance level within the ambits of budgetary provisions in universities

This research was therefore, aimed at evaluating the level of maintenance within the ambits of budgetary provisions in Universities. The methodology involved survey design, review of related literature, questionnaires, direct observations and interviews. The sample techniques involved both purposive and stratified random sampling applied on a population of 1300 staff, students and 84 buildings respectively. Data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages and mean scores. Pearson correlation coefficient, regression analysis and student t-test were employed in testing the hypotheses. Results revealed that maintenance of buildings in the institution is not effective. The research concluded that lack of building maintenance, funding and management decision play an important role in the physical condition of buildings which in turn affect staff productivity and students’ academic achievement. The study recommends among others regular annual budgetary allocation to building maintenance; review the budgets from time to time to accommodate inflationary trends and early release of funds. Management should explore other ways and means of generating and sourcing funds for maintenance as a result of restrictions on government subsidies to institutions.

DYNAMICS AND CAUSALITY AMONG ECONOMIC GROWTH, FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND BUDGETARY ALLOCATION TO THE TOURISM SECTOR OF BANGLADESH

Tourism contributes to economic growth and financial development in many countries around the world. The aim of the study is to examine the cause and effect relationship between economic growth, financial development and budgetary allocation to the Bangladesh tourism industry during 2000-2019. Several methods such as Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF), Phillips-Perron (PP), Johansen-Juselius Cointegration, and Granger Causality tests have been applied to measure the associations between the variables. The results show that there is a cause and effect relationship between the budgetary allocations and economic growth and budgetary allocation also causes of financial development.

ASSESSMENT OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES ON SEAPORTSAND AIRPORTSSTRATEGIC PROJECTS DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE IN ZANZIBAR TANZANIA

The study aimed at assessing thefinancial resource challenges facing airports and seaports development projects in Zanzibar. However, there was inadequate information on howfinancial resources determines the performance of airports and seaports development projects in Zanzibar. The study adopted positivism research philosophy, explanatory, and descriptive cross-sectional research designs. Also, quantitative data were collected by the use of questionnaires. The questionnaire was administered to 214 respondents all randomly drawn from the five projects selected in Zanzibar. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyse and test the hypotheses. The study found that the effect of financial resources on the performance has a positive contributed to the performance of airport and seaports development projects. The study recommends that the government should enforce and strengthen the policy on acquisition of financial budgetary allocation for public development projects.

THE EFFECTS OF OUTCOME FROM HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURE IN INDIA: A TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS

The effects of outcome from Health Care Expenditure in India: A Time-Series Analysis is the objective of this article with reveals that the level of health expenditure on various schemes and indicates is a little bit low. It can be suggested that some relevant measures need to be taken towards the improvement of the role of government for providing proper schemes related to the health sector and increments budgetary allocation at both national and states governments’ level. Moreover in India, many more problems arise in government hospital scheduled at poor physical or health care facilities in medical supplies, ineffective leadership and faculty with staff problems. Regarding health care facilities in a private hospital, it is not there rather many modern facilities with proper staff working regularly are available. In view of the above, the present article analyses the trend and pattern of health care expenditure in India. This article carries some statistical methodologies for the analysis like regression and some statistical tests. KEY WORDS: Health care Sector, Public & Private Healthcare Expenditure, Regression, Budgetary allocation.