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This paper aims to examine the quantile-based frequency connectedness between cryptocurrencies and palladium returns across different market conditions and investment horizons. In this paper, it is also aimed to evaluate the asymmetric and time-varying spillover dynamics between cryptocurrency markets and palladium returns in order to determine their diversification, hedging, and safe-haven characteristics. The study discussed the Heterogeneous Market Hypothesis together with the concepts of cryptocurrencies and palladium as part of the theoretical and conceptual foundation of the analysis. We employed a hybrid analytical framework combining Quantile Regression (QR), Quantile-on-Quantile Regression (QQR), and Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) to capture the non-linear and frequency-dependent relationships between the selected variables. Daily time-series data on palladium prices and major cryptocurrencies, namely Cardano (ADA), Binance Coin (BNB), Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), TRON (TRX), Tether (USDT), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Ripple (XRP), sourced from CoinMarketCap and Bloomberg Terminal, were analysed over the study period. Main findings of the study demonstrate that (i) the connectedness between cryptocurrencies and palladium returns is generally weak in the short term, indicating limited immediate spillover effects between the two markets, (ii) medium- and long-term horizons exhibit stronger and predominantly positive connectedness across most quantiles, particularly from cryptocurrencies to palladium returns, suggesting increasing financial integration over time, and finally (iii) the cryptocurrency–palladium return nexus is asymmetric and state-dependent, with palladium occasionally displaying limited hedging and safe-haven properties during periods of market distress. The study concludes that cryptocurrencies primarily function as diversification instruments rather than consistent hedging assets against palladium market risks. Based on the findings, investors and portfolio managers are encouraged to adopt medium- to long-term investment strategies when integrating cryptocurrencies and palladium within diversified portfolios, while closely monitoring persistent cryptocurrency market trends that may influence palladium price dynamics over time.

The doctoral programme is an educational programme put in place to earn the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D). A criterion for assessing the successful administration of doctoral degrees in universities is the timely completion of the programme.  Research indicates that several Ph.D. candidates at Nigerian universities fail to finish their programmes within the anticipated five-year timeframe. This research examined the determinants of efficient administration of PhD programmes in universities in southern Nigeria. A sample of 528 respondents (PhD students, supervisors and coordinators) was drawn from the University of Ibadan 305, Olabisi Onabanjo University 38, Ekiti State University 50 and the University of Lagos 135. Two questionnaires titled “Effective Management of Doctoral Programme Questionnaire” (EMDPQ r=0.83) and “Predictors of Effective Management of Ph.D Questionnaire” (PEMPQ r=0.82) were used to collect data. Multiple regression analysis was used to test two null hypotheses at the significance level of 0.05. The research found that the successful administration of PhD programs in institutions in southwest Nigeria was significantly influenced by student, supervisory, and institutional variables (F(3;461) =25.973, Adj. R2=0.13), accounting for 13% of its variance. It was also shown that institutional (? = 0.277, t = 2.892, p < 0.05) and student-related (? = 0.275, t = 2.425, p < 0.05) factors are more powerful predictors of effective management of doctoral programmes than supervisory variables. The findings indicated that to improve the effective management of doctoral programmes in universities in southwest Nigeria, stakeholders should prioritise collaboration on student, supervisory, and institutional factors.

There has been increasing studies that details the transmission channels through which financial development permeates to speed up growth to higher echelon. Studies have underpinned that financial development yield more growth when these channels are optimized. With studies on real sector performance sparse, this paper contributes to this discussion as it examined the effect of financial development in fostering industrial growth under the condition of high and low human capital endowment. This was investigated for a sample of five (5) West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) countries from 1990 to 2022. The study developed a panel threshold regression (PTR) model where human capital functioned as threshold variable and data collected from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Development Indicator (WDI) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) databases. The study finds a threshold effect of financial development on industrial sector growth. The PTR estimator shows financial development can produce more industrial growth if human capital exceeds a gross of 62.9493%. Additionally, other factors such as trade openness, natural resource rents and higher labour participation in economic activities support industrial sector growth. In the design of industrial growth enhancing policies, policy mandarins should implement measures that improve human capital and further develop the financial system by scaling up education expenditure to the UNESCO prescribed 26% of GDP, educating women, leveraging technology to improve human capital productivity and outcomes, reducing loan collateral requirements, strengthening legal frameworks, and boosting banking competition by allowing entrant of capitalized financial institutions and timely exist of insolvent ones.

Food prices in Nigeria have experienced significant increases due to rising fuel costs, unstable exchange rates, and socio-political challenges. This study examines the effects of fuel prices and exchange rate changes on food inflation using a Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) model, which provides insights into both immediate and long-term impacts. Monthly data from June 2015 to May 2024 shows a stable long-term relationship between food inflation, energy prices, and exchange rates, making it clear that these factors are key drivers of inflationary trends in Nigeria. Our findings reveal that increases in fuel prices, particularly for petrol and diesel, drive up the cost of food production and transportation, with noticeable impacts appearing within three to six months. Similarly, shifts in exchange rates raise the cost of imported foods, with effects becoming evident in about two to ten months. Recent economic reforms, such as the fuel subsidy removal in 2023, have intensified inflationary pressures, exposing structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s food supply chain, including poor infrastructure and insecurity. The study recommended a direct approach to tackle food inflation, we recommend the creation of a Food Price Stabilization Fund (FPSF), which would help manage extreme price volatility caused by energy price fluctuations and exchange rate changes among others.

This study investigates the validity of Thirlwall’s Law in Nigeria, examining whether balance-of-payments constraints affects economic growth in Nigeria. Utilizing annual data from 1980 to 2020, the analysis employs an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to estimate the income elasticity of imports and tests for cointegration to verify long-term equilibrium relationships. Findings reveal that Nigeria’s income elasticity of import demand exceeds unity, suggesting that income growth significantly heightens import dependency, which exacerbates balance-of-payments pressures. The results confirm Thirlwall’s hypothesis, indicating that Nigeria’s growth is constrained by its current account position. This study contributes to the literature by applying Thirlwall’s Law to a resource-dependent developing economy with high import reliance and limited export diversification. Key policy recommendations include the adoption of an import-substitution strategy to bolster domestic production in high-demand sectors, alongside export diversification efforts to reduce external dependency. These findings underscore the urgent need for structural reforms to stabilize the balance of payments and promote sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.

Conflict has been proven to be inescapable in the work environment because of the composite nature of organizations. The study on the Appraisal of the Relevance of Consultation in Organisational Conflict Management evaluated the relationship of consultation with conflict management in an organization. Deploying consultation strategies in conflict management douses the degree of impact and incidence of escalated conflict. The study administered a questionnaire to 200 respondents from Banking & Fintech, Manufacturing, Professional Institutes, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, Telecommunication, and Oil & Gas sectors in Southwest Nigeria through Google Forms, while 177 responded. A questionnaire was designed and validated by Industrial and Labour Relations Experts before administering it. Data were analyzed using charts, tabulations, percentages, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) methods. Findings confirmed that relationships exist between conflict management and consultation as a form of social dialogue. Most respondents agreed in strong and mild terms that deploying social dialogue in conflict management can trim down conflict; facilitate collaboration; replace confrontational relationships; establish a harmonious industrial climate; and open and encourage channels for consensus building. Since conflict is an intrinsic feature of organizational relations, sustaining a mutual relationship requires a deliberate commitment to adopt conflict management strategies. Social dialogue through consultation proved to be a potent apparatus for promoting effective conflict management. This highlights the need for organizations to prioritize consultation as a strategic approach to conflict resolution, ensuring harmony and collaboration across workplace dynamics. Hence, it is recommended that consultation should be deployed as a procedure to manage conflict in an organization.

This paper explores the nonlinear dynamics relationship between petroleum product prices and inflation in Nigeria. By focusing on the role of exchange rate fluctuations in amplifying the relationships, the paper employs a multiplicative interaction approach to address the nonlinear effects of petroleum prices on inflation. Utilizing data from 2016: Q1 to 2024: Q2 from the National Bureau of Statistics and the Central Bank of Nigeria, the study introduces interaction terms to capture how petroleum prices and exchange rates interact to influence inflation. The methodology includes static and dynamic panel estimators, with a focus on the within effect model to account for unobserved state-specific factors. Key findings reveal that AGO and PMS prices significantly drive both headline and food inflation, while DPK's impact varies, and GAS shows minimal effect. The study highlights those geographical factors—proximity to seaports and fuel depots—significantly influence inflationary pressures. States closer to these facilities experience lower inflation due to reduced distribution costs. This suggests that policies aimed at partial subsidization for states farther from key infrastructure could mitigate regional inflation disparities. The findings contribute to the understanding of inflation dynamics, emphasizing the need for targeted policy interventions tailored to regional economic conditions in Nigeria.

Insurance plays an essential role in stimulating economic growth. Insurance is an intangible product, and prompt claim settlement proves that insurers fulfill their promises to the insureds. This paper analyses the impacts of insurance claims settlement on economic growth. It examines the effect of insurance claims' settlements on a nation's economic growth, using Nigeria as a case study. The research utilised an ex-post facto design, using 28-year time series data (1992 – 2019). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Nigeria's insurance companies' claims settlement are the dependent and independent variables used for the study, respectively. The Long-run co-integration result revealed that INCLM (Insurance claims) has an insignificant negative effect on GDP. The coefficient shows that a percentage increment in INCLM (Insurance claims) would result in a 1.22 decrease in GDP. The results indicate that insurance claims settlement has an insignificant negative effect on economic growth. This implies a negative relationship between insurance claims settled by insurance companies and economic growth in Nigeria. The finding is surprising as one expects that settlement of claims by insurers should positively impact economic growth. The implication is that the relationship between insurance claims settlement and economic growth varies depending on several factors, including country-specific factors and the performance of the country's insurance industry.

Commercial banks accept deposits and lend money for investment and consumption. This study used five (5) first-tier banks in Nigeria as a case study to analyze the effects of credit risk management on the financial performance of commercial banks. The study examined fifteen (15) years' worth of panel data (from 2005 to 2019), taken from the audited financial reports of five first-tier listed banks. Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) are the only banks used, and they are all listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Non-performing loans (NPL) and expected credit loss impairment provisions (ECL) were utilized in this study as indicators of credit risk management. At the same time, return on assets (ROA) was employed to measure financial performance.

This study evaluates resources allocated for risk management by business organisations (financial and non-financial firms) in developing countries, using Zambia as a case study. Primary data collected from 158 organisations were analysed using MegaStat. The findings revealed that the majority (54.5%) of organisations, especially non-financial institutions, only commit resources to risk mitigation on an Adhoc or post-event basis, while 45.5% showed a budgeted approach. A significant part of the budgeted 45.5% was used for risk management activities, and 54.5% was used for regular daily operations. Despite this variation, all organisations engaged reported a significant expenditure on risk management, at least on Adhoc. At 4 degrees of freedom (df), which was one less than the total number of possible outcomes, a non-parametric test for significance yielded a scientific P-value of 1.57e-0.7, (a numerical magnitude of 0.0014, P< 0.05). This suggests that the correlation and pattern of the findings were not random or by chance, but they carried a statistical significance. The study's main findings demonstrate that some business organisations in Zambia and other developing countries incur significant expenditure with a higher portion of their budgets to respond to risk management needs. Business organisations which do not have formal risk structures do so informally due to pressure from emerging business risks. The findings also indicated that financial institutions in developing countries allocate more resources towards risk management than non-financial institutions. The Phi coefficient (degree of association) was 0.486, showing a moderately significant relationship between the variables (risk management and resource allocation). Business organisations in Zambia and other developing nations must develop sound risk mitigation plans and allocate resources for risk management.

This paper examined the mediating role of trust in government on the influence of public governance quality indicators (accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption) on tax compliance in Africa. Cross-country data obtained from 38 African countries for 2015 was used and analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis. The study found that accountability, political stability, control of corruption, and trust have a significant influence on tax compliance among the sampled African countries, but government effectiveness, regulatory quality, and the rule of law and have insignificant influence on tax compliance. The result of the mediating effects revealed that trust mediates the influence of accountability and political stability on tax compliance in Africa. However, it failed to mediate the influence of government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption on tax compliance among sample African countries. The study offers theoretical insights on the role of trust as a mediator on social exchange relationships from the context of public governance quality on tax compliance. It also implies to the policymakers that building trust is an important mechanism through which the impact of public governance on tax compliance would be more pronounced. The study further calls for replication of its findings in other continents such as the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Despite the institutionalization of operational risk management in banks and the strict supervision of bank regulators, operational risk events are still on the increase. It is becoming evident to banks that there is a need to identify the drivers of this risk and nib it at the root to reduce the probability of recurrence. Hence, this study examined the drivers of operational risks in Nigerian commercial banks and the extent to which each driver contributes to operational risk. To achieve the study’s objectives, primary data were collected from the Operational Risk Management Desks of six (6) sampled commercial banks and analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The result showed that Internal processes, IT systems and Quality of Risk Officers are determinants of operational losses in banks. The internal process was however indicated as having the most impact. The study concluded that Internal Process is the major driver of operational risk in Nigerian Commercial banks. The researcher, therefore, recommends that bank management must have defined procedures for core activities and prioritize regular review of their critical processes to reduce operational risk events and the associated costs.

There is a pool of techniques and methods in addressing dynamics behaviors in higher frequency data, prominent among them is the ARCH/GARCH techniques. In this paper, the various types and assumptions of the ARCH/GARCH models were tried in examining the dynamism of exchange rate and international crude oil prices in Nigeria. And it was observed that the Nigerian foreign exchange rates behaviors did not conform with the assumptions of the ARCH/GARCH models, hence this paper adopted Lag Variables Autoregressive (LVAR) techniques originally developed by Agung and Heij multiplier to examine the dynamic response of the Nigerian foreign exchange rates to crude oil prices. The Heij coefficient was used to calculate the dynamic multipliers while the Engel & Granger two-step technique was used for cointegration analysis.  The results revealed an insignificant dynamic long-term response of the exchange rate to crude oil prices within the periods under review. The coefficient of dynamism was insignificantly in most cases of the sub-periods. The paper equally revealed that the significance of the dynamic multipliers depends greatly on external information about both market indicators which are two-way interactions. Thus, the paper recommends periodic intervention in the foreign exchange market by the monetary authorities to stabilize the market against any shocks in the international crude oil market, since crude oil is the main source of foreign exchange in Nigeria.

This paper focuses on the phenomenon of suicide ravaging Nigerian society. It specifically espouses the causes, manifestations, and feasible panacea to the scourge of suicide in the context of students in higher education in Nigeria. It adopted the content analysis methodology whereby existing secondary data on suicide were comprehensively reviewed and major strands and themes in the data analyzed were used as the basis for the discourse in this paper. The results of the reviewed data reveal that the major causal factors of the upsurge in suicide in Nigeria are attributed to a myriad of problems bedeviling Nigerian society such as; the comatose economy, abject poverty, anomie, globalization, get-rich-syndrome, peer influence, stress, and anxiety associated with socio-economic and political realities of the Nigerian society. These systemic and personal problems negatively impact the youths especially those in the higher institutions of learning because of the rigors associated with academic pursuits in Nigeria. A feasible panacea on how to stem the tide of suicide in Nigeria was discussed at the end of the paper.

The study examined the dynamic responses of profitability indexes to capital adequacy ratios of authorized internationalized deposit money banks in Nigeria. The data were sourced from the financial year books of the deposit money banks and analyzed with static and dynamic panel estimators. The static estimator shows that the banks have differences in managerial style, size and profitability. Also, it was revealed that return on asset and return on equity responded positively to asset size, efficiency of the use of asset and current ratio in the static models and they were highly significant. However, they were insignificant in the dynamic specifications except asset size that was significant in the return on asset model showing a weak dynamic response of profitability to capital adequacy ratios. Hence the study recommended that Banks should improve their share based as to increase the asset as this will improve profitability.

This paper investigated the impact of tax revenue on private domestic investment in Nigeria from 1980 to 2018 using the modified ordinary least squares- Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). The paper used oil revenue, non-oil revenue, and Corporate Income Tax (CIT) as the independent variables while Private Domestic Investment (PDI) is the dependent variable. Oil revenue and non-oil revenue were used as a proxy for oil and non-oil tax. These data were obtained from secondary sources- central Bank of Nigeria, World Bank database and Federal Inland Revenue service statistical bulletin. The result showed that a long-run relationship exists between the aforementioned variables. Also, the paper revealed that oil and non-oil do not have a significant impact on PDI but CIT has a positive and significant impact on PDI. The paper recommends that proper measures/reforms should be put in place in order to reduce the impact of tax on private domestic investment in Nigeria.

This paper investigated this disparity in the literature using Nigeria data from 1980 to 2016. In doing this, energy consumption was disaggregated, and their impacts on economic growth investigated using a modified Ordinary Least Square technique which allows for time gaps in the model. It was observed that only renewable energy impacted on economic growth in the long-run whereas non-renewable energy component impacted on economic growth in the short-run. Therefore, the study sees the impact of energy consumption on economic growth to be indistinct in Nigeria within the period under review. This further buttresses the need for improvement in electricity production and distribution in Nigeria. Given the importance of energy consumption on productivity, the study, therefore, suggests policies/measures that will bring about increasing the supply or improvement of energy production in the country.

The primary objective of this paper is to test the hypothesis that the population age structure could contribute to carbon dioxide emission levels (environmental degradation) in Nigeria. Real income (Gross Domestic Product) was used as another determinant of CO2 emissions to test the EKC hypothesis in this study. Also, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) econometric technique was applied in this paper to annual time series data from 1970 to 2018. The results show that age structure’s influence on the environment is significant. As expected, young adults (LOGYONG, i.e., ages 15-64) and children (LOGCHIL, i.e., ages 0-14) are environmentally intensive (due to energy-intensive goods consumed). But the older age group (LOGOLD i.e., ages 65 and above) exert a negative effect. The results of long-term estimation for the population structure-induced EKC hypothesis show that none of the coefficients of economic growth were statistically significant at any of the conventional levels. In other words, this finding did not prove the existence of EKC hypothesis. However, appropriate macroeconomic policies, technological innovations, and institutional developments are very important in maintaining a sound environment in Nigeria. 

Agriculture is the bedrock for combating poverty and developing rural areas. This motivated government policies on agriculture. This paper evaluated the performance of Fadama III in addressing food productivity and rural development in Rivers State. A critical review of secondary materials from Rivers State National Fadama III Development Programme Coordinating Office Report on implementation of National Fadama III projects in Rivers State formed the methodology for the study. It revealed the concept, approaches and implementation process of economic interest groups and government financial commitments to various farming activities in the local government areas. There were remarkable improvements in rural development in the participated local government areas. The assessment further revealed committed efforts by officers and management of the program which ensured effective implementation of rural infrastructure in participated communities. It is recommended that expenditure control measures adopted by the management of fadama program in Rivers State should be applied in future agricultural projects to ensure quality deliverables. The government should pursue only rural development-oriented agricultural policies, and finance projects that have certified Local Development Plans. Seemingly bottleneck criterion that would delay the release of funds should be relaxed for agricultural program managers to be proactive to beneficiaries’ requests and function effectively. Finally, the fadama program should be extended to increase communities’ dual opportunities of experiencing both agricultural and rural development.

This research analyzed the insurance industry and economic growth in Nigeria between 1980 and 2015. Secondary data ranging from real gross domestic product, the premium of the insurance business, claim expenditure of insurance industry and inflation rate were utilized and sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple regression techniques, Descriptive statistics, Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test of stationarity and ARDL Bound Test Co-Integration were adopted for the model in the Study. The findings revealed that the premium of the insurance industry (PMI) impacts negatively on economic growth both in the extended and short run period. The claim expenditure of the insurance industry (CEX) revealed a progressive relationship with economic growth in the long run and a negative relation with growth in the short run. We therefore conclude following the Keynesian theory of aggregate demand which states that, ‘’if we will have to wait till the long run, we will all be dead’’, that insurance industry in Nigeria has not impacted positively on economic growth of Nigeria within the period under review and its operations and investment have not been prominent and contributory to the growth and development of Nigeria. Based on these outcomes, we recommend amongst others, that more investment ought to be made towards the insurance industry in Nigeria especially in terms of proper policy formulation by the government that would channel funds and encourage competition among the players in the industry and invariably contribute to the growth of the economy.