Solid Mineral Resources: Alternative Source of Revenue for the Nigerian Economy
The mining of solid minerals in Nigeria accounts for only 3% of its GDP, due to the influence of its vast oil resources. The domestic mining industry is grossly underdeveloped and that necessitate the need to import mineral resources that could be produced at home such as bitumen, iron ore, salt etc. The Nigeria government is presently controlling the sector but given rights to corporate organizations to mine and sell mineral resources. This paper tries to expose the potentiality in solid mineral resources as viable alternative to the petroleum sector, which production in Nigeria is unpredictable and the crisis in the region that produce the oil make unreliable as source earning for the country. This paper further shows areas where full private ownership or in partnership with federal, state or local communities can be encouraged, so as to fully developed the sector and generate a reasonable foreign exchange for the government and serve as an input to other sectors of the Nigerian economy. The study intends to provides additional sources of revenue for the government in view of the crisis in the oil producing region of the country and the study further show the available revenue generating options available to the government of Nigeria.
Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Monetary and Fiscal Policy Variables on Net-Exports of Nigeria‟s Economy Eze, Onyebuchi Michael and Eze, Chinweuba Titus
The study investigated the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy variables on netexports of Nigeria‟s economy from 1981 to 2016. The research adopts multiple regression analysis in which ARDL model and Granger causality test were utilized in the analysis. Data on net-exports (NEX), money supply (LMS), interest rate (INR), exchange rate (LEXCR), government expenditure (LGEX), tax revenue (LTAR), public debt (LPUDT) and foreign direct investment (LFDI) were analyzed in the study. The results showed positive and significant relationship between LMS and NEX; but in the St. Louis model, LMS influenced NEX negatively and insignificantly. It also indicated that LEXCR had negative and significant impact on NEX, while INR affects NEX negatively. It further revealed that LGEX had positive and insignificant effect on NEX; in the St. Louis model, LGEX had positive and significant influence on NEX. Similarly, the results showed that LTAR and LFDI impact on NEX positively, while LPUDT had negative effect on NEX. The causality test found unidirectional relationship with causality running from LMS to NEX only. Therefore, the study recommends that government should apply monetary policy instruments (money supply) more than it uses fiscal policy instruments (government expenditure) in order to achieve higher netexports in the economy.
Effects of diet on urine composition of cats with calcium oxalate urolithiasis.
Ten client-owned cats with calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis were evaluated to determine the effect of diet on urine CaOx saturation. Two dietary treatments were evaluated in each cat: the diet consumed just prior to urolith detection and a canned diet formulated to prevent CaOx uroliths. This study revealed that hypercalciuria is a consistent abnormality in cats with CaOx urolith formation. When urolith-forming cats consumed a diet formulated to prevent urolith formation, activity product ratios for CaOx (which estimate the degree to which urine is saturated with CaOx) were significantly lower. These results suggest that consumption of an appropriately formulated urolith-prevention diet will reduce recurrence of CaOx urolithiasis.