INFORMATION NEEDS OF USERS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARY: A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

INFORMATION NEEDS OF USERS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARY:  A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

ABSTRACT

The study examined the information needs of users of academic libraries in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Nasarawa State.  It was a descriptive research using questionnaire as the main instrument for data collection.  Results showed that the users of academic libraries in Nasarawa State need information in the following areas:  education, health and politics.  Analysis of questionnaire showed that students information needs are not adequately met even though they constitute the greater percentage of the library use.  the library is the centre of academic excellence in any academic institution, not the classroom or the lecture hall.  The library is the academic soul of an institution of higher learning.  The primary responsibility of the academic library is to aid the parent institution in carrying out its academic programmes.  It functions to satisfy the institutional teaching, study and research objectives.  It strives to meet the academic library needs of the students and teachers.  The excellence of the academic library is determined by the extent to which it supports its institution’s objectives.  The academic library goes at length to provide all forms of human records in all fields of knowledge needed by members of the academic community for the successful pursuit of academic programme such as teaching, study and research.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION

Information has always played a significant role in recorded history.  From time immemorial, information and communication has always formed the basis of human existence.  This fact has made man a relentlessly seek ways to improve the processing of information and communicating such information to one irrespective of distance and on a timely base.  But the restraints to these are the place, time, to whom what kind of information and how effective this information is disseminated to meet the needs of the users.  As such, for one to be fully armed with relevant information and varying ones too, constant use of the library is just the answer.  Information which is an assemblage of data in a comprehensive form capable of communication has no doubt played a leading role in the development and modernization of human society.  Information abounds in various fields of human endeavour, amongst which are academics, scientists even semi and non-literates need information for current awareness, retrospective searches factual information, improving existing services acquiring new ideas, research and to produce information.

Webster’s 3^rd New International Dictionary (1961) defines information as “knowledge of a particular event or situation” or as the “knowledge communicated by others or obtained through investigation”.  (Ehen and Hermen, 1982) “Human at times appears to have the capability to think rationally and thus have the way to develop its ability to “need” information to be used in making decisions”.  And information need reflects a desire for increased expected accuracy in the solution of a problem. The need should not be viewed in a negative sense as a “hole” needing to be filled. Instead, it should be seen positively as that which increases decision making accuracy, because they feel that the information might be of some use in the future. Haruna and Mabawonku (2001) contended that “needs arises when the state of possessed knowledge is less than what is needed to deal with some issues and that information needs are divers, constantly changing and not amendable to generalization”.  (Carty, 1995) advised researchers on user need to “understand the psychological and the sociological patterns of individuals in a group in order to explore the behavioural pattern of users in relation to the products of information technology.

Information users are persons that use information and they include government functionaries, housewives amongst others needs are matters of priority, what we need if an overriding reason.  With these, we can see that libraries can be designed to meet the demands of specific groups and thus, the direction of this work, which is an academic library.  The more the society grows and becomes more complex, so does the library responds to it by growing and becoming more complex to meet the needs of the society.  Gates (1976) noted that this is more pronounced in the 19^th nineteenth century when in the United States of America, the elitist status of the library from the earliest time to the 19^th eighteenth century began to crumble because of the great upsurge of interest in self-education and of the desire for universal public education.  As the society aggregates into different sectors, libraries were established in these sectors of the society.

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Different types of libraries, therefore, emerged to meet different needs of members of the society.  These libraries include:  the Academic Library, the National Library, the Private Library, the Public Library, the Research Library, the School Library, the Special Library.  It was encouraged by the movement led in the 1840s by Horace Mann and Henry Barnard, who were only promoting libraries for the school districts, to support the academic and public educational programme but also academic libraries for all people, which would be as Horace Mann said “the crowning glory of our academic and public school”.  These libraries failed to achieve the promise that their promoters had hoped.  The tax base was too small, the amount of revenue was inadequate to keep the libraries viable, and they were often the victims of exploitation by rather unethical publishers’ practices.

The central role of the academic library in education is more pronounced now with the learning process which takes place through interaction with a variety of learning resources, through groups of individuals carrying out studies and enquiries, or through research under the guidance of the teacher.  The funding and controlling authority of the library is the parent institution.  One of professional services provided by the libraries in academic libraries in academic library is the selection and development of library collection mainly on the basis of the education philosophy and objectives of the parent institution.  This is opposed to the old learning process which emphasized classroom instruction characterized by a teacher lecturing students, issuing handouts or dictating notes that are memorized and reproduced in an examination.    In most cases, because of its strategic role, the academic library building ranks amongst the best buildings and is usually strategically located in the institution’s compound, no academic institution achieves an academic height or excellence that is greater than the potentials of its library. The primary responsibility of the academic library is to aid the parent institution in carrying out its academic programme.  The services of the academic library are provided on the basis of equality.  For all students and teachers that are in needs of information regardless of age, religion, nationality, language or states.  Services and materials must be provided for users who cannot, for whatever reason, use the regular services and materials for linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, academic libraries are a worldwide phenomenon. They occur in a variety of societies; in different stages of development.  Although the varied contexts in which they operate inevitably result in differences in the service they provide, and the way those services are delivered, they normally have characteristics in common, which can be defined as follows:  Brough (1953) “Academic library is the centre learning” which could be interpreted as symbolizing not just the importance of the library in the entire life of the institution but also an ideal physical location of any higher institutions. Academic libraries are generally defined as the libraries in institutions of higher learning.  The academic libraries are as varied and distinctive as the institution which they serve.  There are the libraries in the institution of higher learning, institute of education; collections of education, schools of  theology, religious, legal and other professional colleges, and the universities.  The libraries are integral of parts of the institutions of higher learning in which they are located.  The library is the centre of academic excellence in any academic institution, not lecture hall.  The library is the academic soul of an institution of higher learning.  The library is, indeed, the true university of today.  In order to fulfill the above purposes, universities, polytechnics, colleges of education do the following:

• Collection and acquisition of knowledge
• Organizing and preserving of knowledge for easy storage.
• Maintained and funded by their parent institution
• Classification of library materials
• Preparation of bibliographies
• Indexes and abstracts
• Research work
• User education

As academic libraries build collection and plan programmes for the staffs and students for instance, in the library of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, a student of Nasarawa State University Keffi is not given free access to the materials in the library unless the student is given an introductory letter from the school and signed by the University Librarian before such student can be attended to.  The information relevant is usually considered either present or absent that is, information is relevant or not relevant to an information need or use.  information seeking in the first place.  Government needs information on the economy and changes in population, not to plan the provision of adequate services, but also to participate in international planning and development.  While staffs and student needs information on how to pass their examination and to carry research work.

The recognition of the importance of information in every fact of the national development plan of any country is an index of the operations of the nation’s information explosion and the desire for people to know, new innovations and rapid increase in research, science and technology and the general requirement for more relevant information becomes more pertinent and necessary up to the point of desperation.  This near desperation influences the nation acquisition and proper dissemination.  Those who use library are called library users.  The characteristics of the users of academic libraries are patrons of academic libraries and they include the entire body of staffs and students.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Some of the problems of academic libraries grow out of developments within the parent institutions such as increase in student’s enrolment and the growing number of courses offered in the institutions.  Since one library can acquire only a small percent of these materials and since some materials though soon obsolete must be kept by some institutions the problems of what to acquire, what to keep, and how to preserve the materials becomes challenging.  To be able to offer the challenging service in the library, the professional librarian must be broadly educated, and possession of subject specialization as an advantage. He must keep up with trends in higher education, information is so vital to these set of people in the improvement of practice and conditions in the area of production and scientific technological information.  It is necessary to identify users as well as provide library and information professionals amongst others with an assessment of the users need.  It involves working closely with the teaching staff in planning new courses and in determining the nature of library resources for their needs. The size of the professional staff in academic libraries is determined by a number of factors such as the type of organization within the library, the population of the library users.  The teaching methods in use, the number of hours the library is opened, the arrangement of the building and the range of services.  Libraries and information specialize among other concerns are interested in how scholars in various disciplines use resources and their awareness of current library services available.  This is for the purpose of providing information that will assist in building up the collections to best the meet the needs of their clientele

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1.3   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i) What are the characteristics of users of academic library in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa Library?
ii) What are the types of information needed by the users of academic library in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library?

iii)    To what extent are the information needs of users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library?

iv) What are the problems encountered in a bid to meet the information needs by the users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library?
v) What are the solutions to the problems of information needs by the users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library?

1.4   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

I) To identify the characteristics of users of academic library in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.
ii) To identify the types of information needed by the users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

iii)    To specify the extent of information needs of users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library.

iv) To identify the problems encountered by the users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library..
v) To proffer solutions to the problems encountered by the users of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa library..

1.5   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

i) The findings of this study will benefit the users of academic libraries in the sense that it will device means for efficient provision of their information needs.

ii) It will help the staff and students at all levels to realize the importance of academic libraries could play in information provision to academic dwellers so that they will assist by providing adequate materials for users to enable them update information materials in the library.

iii)    It would enable the libraries to realize the need to acquire requisite skills and competence on how to meet the needs of their clientele.

iv) Finally, it will help scholars and researchers in their research works as it will provide a background information to them.

1.6   SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study focuses on the information needs of users of academic library.  It therefore covers the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa as the scope of the study.  The study does not focus on other similar institutions within or outside Nasarawa.

1.7   DEFINITION OF TERMS

For the purpose of this study, the following terms are defined by the researcher in accordance with their applications in the study.

1.  Academic is an attribute of education in higher institutions of learning.
2.  Academic library is any libraries found in the higher institution of learning.
3. Information can be defined as a knowledge of a particular event or situation.
4. Information technology: The study or use of electronic equipment, e.g. computers for storing, analyzing and distributing information of all kinds including words, numbers and pictures.
5. Library: A collection of books and non-book materials organize for the benefit of its users.
6. Needs: To require because they are important or useful and not simply because one would like to have them.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE IN NASARAWA AND KEFFI LGA, NASARAWA STATE FROM 1999-2015

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE IN NASARAWA AND KEFFI LGA, NASARAWA STATE FROM 1999-2015

ABSTRACT

 This study is focused on  maternal and infant mortality in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s of Nasarawa state using age structure of women of child bearing age (15-49). Their mortality trend using descriptive statistic was also examined. Data in this study was collected from five hospitals in the two LGA’s with emphasis on maternal and infant mortality rate. Line graph was also used for preliminary analysis. The result obtained reveals that maternal mortality rate is very high in 2003 and 2006.The general fertility rate of women was high all through the years but higher in 2010. The number of women in the age 25-29, 30-34 was higher mostly, compared to other age groups and the age specific death rate was lower in age 20-24 and 25-29 years compared to other ages, in most cases. The neonatal mortality rate is higher than post- neonatal mortality rate in most cases except in 2013 and 2015 where post- neonatal is higher.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In April, the lancet published material mortality figures developed at the institute based at the University of Washington, seattle, USA Hogan, et al (2010). In September a different set was issued by UN agencies UNICEF, World Bank and world health organization, working in collaboration with technical experts from the University of Berkeley, California, USA,      WHO (2010).

However, maternal and child mortality is not a common event in several parts of the developing world. Mothers and children are at the highest risk for diseases and death while motherhood is often a positive and fulfilling experience for so many women, it is associated with ill-health and even death Olotoye (2009). The death of woman during pregnancy, labor or pueperium is a tragedy that carries a huge burden of grief and pain.

World health organization (WHO 2006) defines maternal death as the death of women during pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. Child mortality on the other hand is the death of a child under five years, while infant mortality is the death of a child under one year. Maternal mortality is a multi dimensional problem which does not only affect the family involved but also has a great effect on the society as a whole. When a mother dies the child chances of reaching adult life decreased. This is majority due to lack of everyday life and security. Younger ones may have to take care of themselves and this may in turn affect their school attendance. Lack of proper education may in turn weaken the child’s chances of reading better life standards.

His persistent high rate of infant and maternal mortality in the country is noted by Ogunjimi, Ibeand Ikorok(2012) negates the achievement of the 4^th and 5^th Millennium Development Goals (MDG’S). Nigeria, which constitutes just 1% of the world’s population, accounts for 10% of the world maternal and under-one (infant mortality) mortality rates.

Although, pregnancy is a physiological phenomenon women commonly experience physiological changes. Pregnancy may be accompanied by complication that could be of fatal consequences, pregnant women are thus prone to risk, it follows therefore, that the care of a pregnant women deserves the highest priority in every community especially Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s of Nasarawa State where the present study is been carried out.

Infant and maternal mortality has implication not only to the family and community but also, to the nation at large with high incidence of infant and maternal mortality a nation is regarded as a developing country.

Nigeria is also working towards the improvement of maternal and child health through the primary health care component. The objective of these maternal and infant health services is to ensure that as far as possible, women remain healthy during pregnancy, that they have healthy babies and recover fully from the effect of pregnancy.

Nasarawa State is one of the states created on 1^st October 1996. Health problem is Nasarawa State and Nigeria in particular and Africa at large are serious in terms of under five years, high fertility and low life expectancy. However, in some country 25% or more children less than five years of age dies before their fifth birthday, which is higher than developed countries Yakubu (2003).

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

For any country that wants to achieve the objective of the World Health Organization (WHO) that is, reduction on the risk associated with child birth and child bearing, such country must equip all the health care services in her country.

This work tends to emphasis on the factors responsible for high infant and maternal mortality rate in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s in Nasarawa State. Despite the fact that there is establishment of the institution of a safe motherhood initiative in the health sector, maternal mortality is still very high-recurring from ignoring the main aim of safe motherhood initiative.

The factors responsible for maternal and infant mortality rate are outlined as follow

1. Poverty
2. Malnutrition
3. Traditional belief
4. Ignorance
5. Carelessness of the obstetricians

1.3     AIM AND OBJECTIVES

1.3.1  AIM

The aim of this research work is to determine the rate of infant and maternal mortality in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s of Nasarawa State.

1.3.2  OBJECTIVES

          The objectives of this research work is to

1. Estimate infant mortality rate in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s in       Nasarawa State.
2. Estimate maternal mortality rate in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s in Nasarawa State.
3. Determine the age specific mortality rate of women.
4. Find out if death of infant occur mostly at neonatal (i.e death under         4 weeks) or post natal (death exactly 4 weeks to one years) in    Nasarawa and Keffi LGA in Nasarawa State.
5. check if there is significant difference in maternal mortality, infant mortality, number of live birth and neonatal death between Nasarawa and keffi LGA’s, Nasarawa state.
6. To forecast the rate of infant and maternal mortality in the next five years

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

          This research work is significant for many reasons. It provide information on whether the age of mother is one the factors responsible for high infant and maternal mortality rate in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s in Nasarawa State. The research will be useful be both to the government and health personnel’s, researchers and equally useful to the expectant mothers in other to protect themselves and their unborn babies.

          It is also of paramount importance to nurses, obstetrician and gynecologist in carrying out their duty to reduce the rate of infant and maternal mortality in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s of Nasarawa State.

1.5     DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

          This research work is limited to infant and maternal mortality in Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s, Nasarawa State. Also, it is limited to three selected hospital in Nasarawa LGA (i.egeneral hospital, primary health care centre and Alpha clinic Nasarawa LGA, Nasarawa State) and two selected hospital in Keffi LGA (general hospital and Federal Medical Centre Keffi) from the year 1999-2015.

1.6     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

          In the course of carrying out this research work, there are some limitation constraint to the scope of the research work, in which include

1. Time constraint, the time given for this research work did not allow         for detailed investigation.
2. Financial constraint.

1.7   RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Ho: = i.e. there is no significant difference in maternal death, infant death, number of live birth and neonatal death between Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s, Nasarawa state.

H1: ≠ i.e. there is significant difference in maternal death, infant death, number of live birth and neonatal death between Nasarawa and Keffi LGA’s, Nasarawa state.

1.8     DEFINITION OF TERMS

          HOSPITAL: is a place or building where people who are ill/sick or injured are given medical treatment and care.

PREGNANCY: is a period where a woman is having a developing baby inside her womb.

MATERNAL MORTALITY: is a death of women during pregnancy or after delivery.

INFANT MORTALITY: is the death of a child from 0-1 year of age.

NEONATAL MORTALITY: is the death of a child under 4 weeks of age.

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE:  is the medical treatment pregnant woman receives during pregnancy.

NURSE: is a person whose job is to take care of sick or pregnant women usually in the hospital.

DOCTOR: is a person who has been trained in medical science, whose job is to treat people.

LIVE BIRTH: is the actual bearing of child.

OBSTETRICIANS: They are physicians who specialize in child birth.

TOXEMIA: It is an adverse reaction of toxic by-product of systemic infection.

IMPACT OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ON ORGANIZATIONS PRODUCTIVITY

IMPACT OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ON ORGANIZATIONS PRODUCTIVITY

(A case study of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The training and development of human resources in an organization involves the acquisition of additional knowledge or skills and the application of the acquired knowledge to enhance their performance. Training is undertaken because the individual lack skills to use in performing his or her duty effectively and efficiently. The essence of training therefore, is to improve skill of the employee. It is assumed that when people are recruited into organization, they do not know anything about the organization and their job until they are given some element of training. It is necessary for all organization to train and aid to the development of their employees. The training programmes are to recommend not only the new entrance but also the old ones to keep in touch with the latest appliance, techniques and method of carrying out their assignment. For the ones, the modern trends in technology have made training and development a must in all organizations. The world at present is advancing rapidly in technology and all organizations raises the morale of workers thereby widening a situation whereby an employee is frustrated because he or she has no satisfaction.

Increase in morale leads to increase productivity. The purpose of training is to develop skill and through the human resource development embrace all other diverse process which are aimed at transforming people so that they can contribute more effectively to social, political and economic development. During this period of economic recreation in the country, the country must embark on serious training activities.

Training is a development process which is oriented toward the need of the organization. The objectives of the company reflects on both present market situation of that organization and its future. Weather a man is operating on a complex machine tolls by the use of a computer or talking with consumers. He should have received training if his or her performance is to meet the set standard objective. Employees who have potentials should be developed in order to be capable of carrying out more responsibly jobs.

The main objectives of training therefore is to improve current performance and provide well training for their staff in order to meet the present and future needs of the organization.

The essence of this work therefore is to draw the attention of every organization in the country to the relevance of training and development of workers in their employment.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There are general feelings that the performance of staff in any organization and at the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa in particular could be far below the expected standard and most of them could be unskilled, ineffective and unproductive.

The general impression is that, this problem might be due to the fact that some of them if not most have never had any formal education and training in their respective areas of operation. It is in the light this assertions and feelings that this study is being undertaken in order to investigate the circumstance responsible for this problem.

Finally, the study will also seek to find out how much has been done by the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa in the area of training and manpower development of its staff.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The objective of conducting this research is to ascertain the following:

• To highlight the need for manpower training and development in the institution.
• To access the staff recruitment, selecting and training programmes and from it, established some relationship between this programme and problems enumerated.
• To highlight or identify some techniques of manpower training and development in the institution and their relevance to the institution needs and the organizations at large.
• To establish the relationship between personnel training and development and staff performance.
• To conduct an empirical investigation through a review of the manpower training and development policy of the FPN.
• To correct the belief that in this age of computerization and technological development, all that institution need to survive the acquisition of modern capital equipment.
• To proffer solutions to the identified problems.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The research will be paramount importance to the following Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, employee of the Federal Government, organization research readers and future researcher.

The study will be of corrective measures to Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa (FPN) in areas where deficiency has been highlighted as it concerns the training and development of manpower in Nasarawa.

Finally, it will enable the staffs to appreciate the important role that the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa plays in the life of the society.

1.5 Research Questions

The purpose of carrying out this research question is to gather data which will be used for research work only? Therefore all information provided will be kept secret and shall not be used for any other purpose than this analysis. The key question carried out during research work are:

1. What are the social and personal benefit you achieve from training?
2. To what extent does training and development improve the productivity in public organization?
3. When did you attend any training programmes since you were employed into the institution?

1.5 Statement of Hypothesis

According to “Bewen and Star (1976): hypotheses are assumption we make about the value of population parameters.

Kerlizer (1972): assert hypothesis as a conjectural statement of relationship between two or more variable. Formulation of hypothesis is significant to research studies particularly as they specify directions among which researches are to be conducted and pinpointing the research problem for investigation.

Hypotheses consist of two varieties namely:

Alternative Hypothesis: It is represented by H_i and it’s normally stated in the positive.

Null Hypothesis: It is represented by H_o, it’s usually stated in negative form.

The testable hypotheses of the research study are stated below:

Ho:   Lack of adequate manpower training and development is not directly responsible for high labour turnover in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

Hi:    Lack of adequate manpower training and development is directly responsible for high labour turnover in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This research work covers Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa in Nasarawa State. This is as a result of time constraint and other academics engagement which developed its impacts and effectiveness in an institution.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

The limitation of the study or problems encountered during the cause of research that can likely hinder the derivation of maximum result in the application of the research result include the following:

• Lack of co – operation by some of staff of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa to disclose information.
• Lack of co – operation to grant excess interview and also time constraint.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Effect was made at defining the following terminologies use in this study to avoid ambiguity in bringing out its proper understanding.

• Planning: Planning can be described as the process of setting goals and developing specific activities and procedures and schedule for meeting such goal.
• Development: Development is a process of inculcating more job knowledge on the existing employees in an attempt to broad their experiences.
• Manpower: Human capital represents the human factor in the organization, the combined intelligence skills and expects that gives the organization its distinctive character.
• Training:Training is the process of impacting job knowledge on the newly recruited personnel so as to improve the level of performances.
• Organization:Organization is defined as the structure or network of relationship among individuals and positions in a work setting and the process by which the structure is created maintained and used.
• Productivity: Means on average measures of efficiency of production output. 
• FPN: Means Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAPHIC DESIGN – A STUDY OF PLANE SHAPE

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAPHIC DESIGN – A STUDY OF PLANE SHAPE

ABSTRACT

Basically, it can be discovered that are a lot of problems in draw a plane shape manually. So this project is to draw and calculate plane shapes. Java is used to design this program, the program is in 2D and make work easy to draw and calculate some plane shapes likes (triangle, circle, rectangle, square etc.)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

In computer science, a graphical user interface (GUI), is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, instead of text-based user interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation. GUIs were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLIs), which require commands to be typed on a computer keyboard.

The actions in a GUI are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements. Beyond computers, GUIs are used in many handheld mobile devices such as MP3 players, portable media players, gaming devices, smartphones and smaller household, office and industrial equipment. The term GUI tends not to be applied to other lower-display resolutiontypes of interfaces, such as video games (where head-up display (HUD) is preferred), or not restricted to flat screens, like volumetric displays because the term is restricted to the scope of two-dimensional display screens able to describe generic information, in the tradition of the computer science research at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).

Designing the visual composition and temporal behavior of a GUI is an important part of software application programming in the area of human–computer interaction. Its goal is to enhance the efficiency and ease of use for the underlying logical design of a stored program, a design discipline named usability. Methods of user-centered design are used to ensure that the visual language introduced in the design is well-tailored to the tasks.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Like many developments in the history of computing, some of the ideas for a GUI computer were thought of long before the technology was even available to build such a machine. One of the first people to express these ideas was Vannevar Bush. In the early 1930s he first wrote of a device he called the "Memex," which he envisioned as looking like a desk with two touch screen graphical displays, a keyboard, and a scanner attached to it. It would allow the user to access all human knowledge using connections very similar to how hyperlinks work. At this point, the digital computer had not been invented, so there was no way for such a device to actually work, and Bush's ideas were not widely read or discussed at that time.

However, starting in about 1937 several groups around the world started constructing digital computers. World War II provided much of the motivation and funding to produce programmable calculating machines, for everything from calculating artillery firing tables to cracking the enemy's secret codes. The perfection and commercial production of vacuum tubes provided the fast switching mechanisms these computers needed to be useful. In 1945, Bush revisited his older ideas in an article entitled "As We May Think," which was published in the Atlantic Monthly, and it was this essay that inspired a young Douglas Englebart to try and actually build such a machine

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to create an application that will be able to draw plane shapes and calculate the area and the perimeter of the shapes. The objectives of this study are as follow:

1. To develop an application that will be able to a draw some plane shapes
2. To create an application that will make learning easy for student.
3. To develop an application that will draw accurate plane shapes

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is to show or import to the user the theoretical and physical way computerizing plane shapes. The computerizing will ensure accuracy, efficiency, and reducing the drudgery involved in the manual process of drawing and calculating plane shapes.

The application we help a lot in smooth drawing of various plane shapes, and helping in enabling student to be able to calculate area and perimeter of various plane shapes

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In order to get what I want java is use to write the program,

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Graphics: - (from Greek graphikos, ‘something written’ e.g. autograph) are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone to inform, illustrate, or entertain.
2. User: - An individual who uses a computer. This includes expert programmer as well as novices. An end user is any individual who runs an application program.
3. Interface: - An interface is a shared boundary across which two separate components of a computer system exchange information.
4. Plane: - This is an abstract surface which has infinite width and length, zero thickness, and zero curvature.
5. Shape: - A shape is the form of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material composition.
6. Plane shape: - A 2-dimensional shape. Has width and breadth, but no thickness

ANALYSIS ON QUEUING PROBLEMS AT UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA (UBA) ATM SYSTEM IN NASARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, NASARAWA STATE

ANALYSIS ON QUEUING PROBLEMS AT UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA (UBA) ATM SYSTEM IN NASARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, NASARAWA STATE

ABSTRACT

This research work “Analysis on Queuing Problems at United Bank for Africa (UBA) ATM System in Nasarawa Local Government Area, Nasarawa State” was carried out to determine the expected time a particular customer is to spend in the bank for transaction. The data for the research was collected using observatory method, and was analyzed using; Multi-Channel queuing model. It was found that44 customers arrives the bank every 1 hour and the time interval between each arrival is 1 minute; on arrival the customer is expected to spend 54 minutes in line waiting for service and use 4 minutes to receive service, in total, the customer is to spend 58 minutes in the bank to complete his/her transaction. To address the problem of waiting time,the management should make provision for banking facilities and bank administrators to address gaps in human resources, logistics and other internal procedures aimed at reducing waiting times and thus ensuring an effective banking delivery system which often lead to increase performance.The management should adopt a five ATM model to reduce waiting time at the ATMS during peak periods in other to increase customer satisfaction. The efficiency of the present ATMs should also be increased.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Time is a major determinant of individual or organizational success and/or failure. An effective usage of time will most likely lead to success, while time abuse or mismanagement will inevitably lead to delay in service, loss of income and consequently, business failure. Man has evolved into a time conscious being, bearing in mind that he has limited period to accomplished goals that are incremental in nature. In this modern era our daily life is encompassed by routines such as driving the kids to school, keeping the garden, shopping, fixing of furniture, banking, cooking and regular exercise, which demand effective usage of time. An attempt to over stay or spend much time in one of such activities will lead to a delay or failure to accomplish the other. Inherently, customers have developed the sense of getting results and replies on demand, such that they can move to the next scheduled activity without delay.

Unavoidably, all the sectors; agriculture, media, transport, oil and gas and mining among others in the country, depend directly or indirectly on the banking sector. For instance, an agriculturist who wants to import fertilizer from India will have to use the bank for financial transaction. If there is delay in the transaction, the delivery of fertilizer may also be delayed.

Customers arrive banking halls and ATMs in a random pattern, which frequently requires joining a queue, when the arrival rate is more than the service rate, they will have to wait till it is their turn for service; although, there are exceptions where high priority customers are attended to, irrespective of their time of arrival. Queuing is pleasant or endurable when the waiting time is small, but when queues become crowded and stagnant; agitation, discomfort and quarrels, even robbery, often breakout.

According to Cowling and Newman (1995), service quality has been widely used to evaluate the performance ofbanking services. Nowadays, with the development of information technology, customers increasingly expect higher services. At the same time, most of them are becoming more time conscious and wanting more convenience. In a country where customers queue in filling stations, restaurants, saloons, bus stops and banks, they are always on the look for a better alternative where they can spend less time to get the service they desire. However, queuing becomes an unavoidable bottleneck, when customers are faced with service alternatives that are synonymous with choosing between the deep blue sea and the devil.A queuing process consists of customers arriving at service facilities, then waiting in a line (queue) if all servers are busy, eventually receiving service, and finally departing from the facility. Thus, a queuing system is a set of customers, a set of servers, and an order whereby customers arrive and are served.

A common slogan in the U.S Army is “Hurry up and wait”. In many occasions in life, we had had to queue up, because of congestion i.e. the demand of customers on a particular facility is beyond what it could cope with. Many practical applications of queuing problems are encountered in Traffic flow, scheduling and facility design, employee allocation  and telephone.

The common experience in Nigeria is that most banks do not have the facilities and capacities to service the number of customers without much delay on the part of the customers. The problem in this regard had been that though bank customers for instance, have always been desirous of spending the least possible time in banking transactions, this age-long desire is yet to be met by the banks. Banks on the other hand, want to attract, retain customers and at the same time optimize profit. Profit making in banks is a function of management ability to provide efficient services to customers at little or no time wastage (Agbadudu, 1995).

To curb the menace and epidemic of queuing that has plagued its banking system, in the recent past, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had initiated and implemented initiatives and policies varying from the liquidation of banks to the cashless policy which includes e-banking, mobile banking and the use of automated teller machines (ATMs). Punch Newspaper (2012) reported that 60,000 Nigerians depend on   one ATM, whereas the ideal number is 15,000 people to one ATM.

In Nasarawa local government area of Nasarawa state, the situation is not different. Its population which includes; farmers, teachers and lecturers, traders, business men and women, and a large proportion of polytechnic students also face the menace of poor service delivery at ATMs as a result of queuing. At UBA Plc. customers are seen sweating profusely from heat and long hours of standing in the queue to use the ATM. Poor network, insufficient and inefficient ATMs are some of the perceived causes of these queues. Furthermore, the queues in UBA Plc. can also be attributed to unavailability of banks to meet the demand of the increasingly Nasarawa population. The problem of queuing in the banking system of Nasarawa, has however not been clearly understand.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The obvious cost implications of customers waiting, ranges from idle time spent when queue builds up, which results in man-hour loss, to loss of goodwill, which may occur when customers are dissatisfied with a system. However, a number of customers go to bank hoping to complete a transaction within a particular period of time and return to some other activity but eventually spend unimaginable long time waiting to be served; however, what is the expected time a particular customer is to spend in the bank? The focus of this research work therefore is to carry out an analysis of queuing problems with interest to answer the above question using UBA ATM services in Nasarawa LGA.

1.3     AIM AND OBJECTIVES

1.3.1  AIM

The aim of this research project is to examine queuing problems atUnited Bank for Africa (UBA) ATM system inNasarawa, Nasarawa state.

1.3.2  OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of this research work are to estimate:

1. Traffic intensity.
2. The possibility that a customer will have to wait for service.
3. The mean time a customer is to spend in the ATM system.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

At the end of this research work, the researcher intends that it provides valuable information on queuing system and customer satisfaction to banks, bank customers, financial policy makers and the society at large; thereby prompting actions toward a better customer service experience.

• This research can help bank ATM to increase its QoS (Quality of Service), by anticipating, if there are many customers in the queue.
• The result of this paper work may become the reference to analyse the current system and improve the next system.
• Banks can now estimate the number of customers waiting in the queue and the number of customers going away each day.

1.5     DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is limited to only one commercial bank in Nasarawa local government area; United Bank for Africa (UBA) plc. Makama road, Nasarawa, Nasarawa state.

1.6     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Some of the challenges faced at the cause of this work are;

• The research was conducted within limited time
• Unavailability of finance
• Gathering of data through observation was time consuming and labour intensive.
• There is a room for systematic bias on the part of the researcher as he collects the data.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Queue: a collection of items in which only the earliest added item may be accessed. It is line feeding a number of servers.

Server:  an operation fed by a queue

Utilization: a measure of how busy the system is.

ATM: Automated Teller Machine

KPMG: Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler

THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS IN MARKETING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS IN
MARKETING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

(A CASE STUDY OF PERISHABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN BOKI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE)

ABSTRACT

Physical distribution channels has created a created a great impact by bridging the gap between the producers and the final consumers. The inability of farmers to effectively reach out to distance markets and most final consumers with their agricultural products have resulted to waste of resources in Boki local government area. The main objective of the study is to find how best to market agricultural products in the area. Primary and secondary data were collected through the use of questionnaires and documented materials respectively. The population of the study was 227,400, while the sample size was 399. Chi-square test statistics was used to test the high hypotheses. Among the findings of the study; in effective and high cost of transportation, lack of storage facilities and basic infrastructure hindered the marketing of agricultural products in the area. The researcher thus recommended the provision of basic infrastructure like accessible road, storage facilities and improved transport system among others to assist in improving the marketing of agricultural products in the area.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

In many marketing science, the effective management distribution of product are essential to those that determine the extent of product availability at consumption point. Channel analyses is important in evaluating marketing system because it indicates how the various market participants are organize to accomplish the movement of products from the producer to the final consumer.

Distribution channel according to Philip, Kotler and Garry Armstrong (1999:362) is viewed as an interdependent organization involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by the consumer or business user.

Channels of distribution are management tools used in moving goods from the point of production to that of consumption. This function of getting goods into the hands of consumers is often referred to as „‟distribution„‟. Hence physical distribution involves planning, implementing and controlling the physical flow of materials, final goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption to meet customer requirements and satisfactorily.

Distribution channels however, play major roles in the marketing of goods and in the business sector as a whole. Williams {1984: 38} stated the following as the usefulness or the importance of distribution channels to include: firstly, it gives place utility i.e. by moving goods from one place to another. Secondly, by bringing goods to the place of consumption when needed, it adds time utility.

Also by bringing the goods to the consumer in convenient shape, unit size and packaging, it adds convenient value. Thirdly, by making it possible for consumers to obtain goods at a price he is willing to pay and under condition which brings satisfaction and ownership. Efficient and effective distribution system is particularly essential in moving perishable products from the points of production to the point of consumption due to the nature of the products.

1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Physical distribution has impacted greatly in ensuring that goods and services are made available when and where they are desired and in safe conditions. But due to the rise in technological development and global marketing, the process however, is not without problems as many companies and business people still lack adequate physical distribution facilities leading to the spoilage of these products before getting to their destination points.

Appropriate strategies for efficient and effective distribution of these products are required in distributing agricultural products in Boki local government area.

In Boki L.G.A lack of adequate and efficient distribution system has badly affected marketing of perishable products in the area as many of them perish on their way before getting to their consumption point.

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The following are objectives of the study:

i. To determine the problems that affects the selection of channels of distribution for agricultural products.

ii. To identify the basic components of physical distribution of agricultural marketing used in the area.

iii. To identify physical distribution strategies necessary or applicable for perishable agricultural products

iv. To make recommendation that could help to improve the efficient and effective physical distribution of agricultural products.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Do channels of distribution have any effect in the distribution of agricultural products in Boki L.G.A?
2. Do Government policies have influence on the distribution channel to be used for agricultural products in Boki L.G.A?
3. Does Boki have enough storage facilities that will promote agricultural products?
4. To what great impact has physical distribution channel in providing agricultural products when and where they are needed?
5. Does lack of infrastructures like access roads affects the distribution of agricultural products in Boki L.G.A
6. Does inadequate processing plant affect large scale production of perishable agricultural products in Boki L.G.A?

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ho: channels of distribution are not effective in the distribution of agricultural products in the area
HI: Channels of distribution are effective in the distribution of agricultural products in the area
HI: Inadequate processing plants discourage large scale production of perishable agricultural products.
HO: Inadequate processing plants encourage farmers into large scale production of perishable agricultural products.
3. HO: Lack of basic infrastructure like access roads has no significance effects on agricultural products distribution in Boki L.G.A
Hi: lack of basic infrastructure like access roads has significance effects on the distribution of agricultural products in Boki L.G.A
4 HO: Government policies do not have significance influence on agricultural products in the area.
HI: Government policies have significance influence on agricultural products distribution in the area.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research would be of great importance and will assist farmers in the management of physical distribution channel in the area. It will also help business firms and organization that are involved in physical distribution in Boki Local government area.

This study will also reveal the available distribution channels in Boki L.G.A and how to effectively utilize them. It will serve as reference materials to other researchers who may carryout similar work in the nearest future. Furthermore the result of this study will be of tremendous importance. It will also help consumers of perishable agricultural products to have these product when and where they are needed at the time they are needed .the study will equally assist channel member to know how best to perform their marketing activities to satisfy their clients, to local government, state and federal government ministries and parastatals seeking information as regards marketing of perishable agricultural products

1.5 Scope and limitation of study
This study is based on the perishable and none-perishable agricultural products in Boki local government. Information and data about „‟the impact of physical distribution channel in the marketing‟ is given only as related to these areas. Scarcity of resources in our depressed economy made it extremely difficult to conduct the research in a wide scope and area.

The financial commitment involved in this research work can also militate against wider coverage.

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS

DISTRIBUTION
Distribution is that which cover abroad range of activities aim at efficient movement of finished goods from the end of the production line to the consumers (Boon & Kurtz, 2000; 390)

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Distribution channels consist of a set of interdependent organization involved in the process of making a product or consumption by the consumer or business user (Philip Kotler & Gary Armstrong 1999; 362).
Etzal, walker and Stanton (2007;380) defined marketing channel as the set of people and firms involved in the transfer of title of a product as the product mores from producer to ultimate consumer or business users.

Nwokoye (200; 105) define marketing channels as „‟the combination of institution through which a seller markets his products to the ultimate buyer‟‟ marketing channel are individuals or institutions that facilitates the flow the producer to the final user. Individuals and institution mentioned in this definition refer to middle men like wholesalers‟ retailers, distributors and agents.

RELIABILITY: The ability of an item to perform a required function under stated condition for a stated period of time (Baily and Farmer, 19: 44).

MARKETING CONCEPT: According to kinnear and Bemhardt (1990:12,), marketing concept is a decision making approach that focuses on customer needs and their societal consequences as it integrates all activities of the organization to satisfy these consumer needs in a way that is consistent with concern for broader societal consequence. The purpose is to achieve long-run objectives through the satisfaction of these customer needs, which must be balance against the needs of society as a whole.

MARKETING MIX: Mc McCarthy and Perrault, (1991: 33) defined marketing mix as those controllable variables which a firm can use to influence favorable response and stimulate profitable sales in the marking place. Nell Borden popularize the concept of marking mix

AGRICULTURE: According to Webster‟s Dictionary (1980) agriculture is a science or practice of farming.

IMPACT OF MOBILE PHONE USAGE ON AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AMONG OTUKPO FARMERS

IMPACT OF MOBILE PHONE USAGE ON AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AMONG OTUKPO FARMERS

(A STUDY OF FARMERS IN OTUKPO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE)

ABSTRACTS

The study “The Impact of mobile phone usage on Agricultural Information among Otukpo Farmers”. A study of Agric information dissemination among Otukpo farmer, Otukpo Local Government Area. Using a survey of five villages in Otukpo town, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, the researcher found that Otukpo farmers has adopted the impact of mobile phones in getting agric information due to the benefits derived from it such as enabling verification/discussion with chief farmers and extension workers, facilitating communication and saves transportation cost, institution relationship with agricultural extension officers, helps to obtain information on price of goods and services. This research also finds that the following problems are associated with the use of mobile phones - poor network services, high charges, network congestion, power failure and reduction interconnectivity. The study is anchored on the diffusion of innovation theory. It recommends that Nigeria communications commission should set a standard for the mobile phone operators in Nigeria with regards to signal strength, voice quality, successful recharge and balance inquiry call centre operations and call success rate to improve services. This study recommends among others that the chairman of Otukpo local government area should provide frequent power supply for the Otukpo town, also the extension workers should pay serious attention to the information needs of the farmers

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Communication which is so much a part of us, sees to be everywhere at the same time, it is central to all human interactions. It is the most basic and one of the earliest activities of human beings. Communication is an integral part of our existence. For there to be any meaningful development, there has to be communication between initiator of the development process and the target audience of these development projects. All development depends on knowledge and this knowledge is a function of the amount and quality of facts at ones disposal. The farmers need information on possibilities that exist for improving on their lot and how to effect the necessary changes. They also need specific information on how to do things that will result in an improvement of their farming yield.

Agreeing on the role of communication, Ebo (2014:24) observes that communication in development can teach new skills act as multiplier of resources, raise levels of aspiration as incentive for action, raise level of people, help to find new norms and harmony in periods of transaction change the structure in a society by knowledge to the mares, create sense of nationality and led to increased political participation, promote people’s need in satisfying developmental projects and making economic, social and political development a self-perpetual process.

Due to this important role of communication, mobile phones have been given a prominent role in communicating development messages to the people. In a similar view Abiri (2014:1) says that today’s world seems to be dominated by improved technology made much impact in communication, mass communication in particular. Improved technology has greatly increased the efficiency of communication to the extent that the process can send and receive messages around the world and into space with maximum speed and efficiency.

The point of the matter here however is on the telecommunication industry. Technological revolution has impacted so much on telecommunication sectors to the extent that it becomes the fastest growing industries in the world. Efficient telecommunication services play vital role in modern societies of money developed and developing nations. In Nigeria, the first national development plan (1963 – 1968) identified the need for rapid development of telecommunication sector.

Commenting on telecommunication Ndula asserted that today the growth of telecommunication has been accompanied with significant advances in technology research. One of the latest in modern telecommunication, central to information technology is the mobile phones. Today the much anticipated system of mobile communication recently introduced in Nigeria has brought about a total revolution in the history of telecommunication development in Nigeria.

The importance of mobile phones among farmers cannot be overemphasized as it makes it very easy for farmers to interact with ease and immediacy. Farm operators use mobile phones to make speedily appointments, clarification and instant reply of the messages.

Mobile phones have gone through a long process of evolution and all through about six decades of continuous evolution, the mobile phone has retained its relevance to the life of the modern man. At every stage in his growth curve, it has undergone metamorphosis, adding features and functionalities that make it even more indispensable. It started as an extension of the landline, a bridge between the home and office landlines. It found relevance in the need of the modern professional to remain in communication in and out of home or office, and anywhere else. Mobilephones have since moved up from this sophistic role to become more actually involved in the way modern business are educated. Apart from being a tool for mobile voice communication, mobile phones today are a hybrid of personal computers and a communication device. They come with screens, minikyboards’ storage for personal information such as contacts, email, documents, the ability to play video files, games and a communications capacity. Come a wide range of other uses, a mobile phone can put into a business or work environment apart from the traditional voice communication. Now mobile phone makes it possible for a busy executive to work from any part of the world. He can access the treats critical emails sent to him regardless of how far away from the office her or she works. All he needs to do is to access the internet via his or her mobile phone.

What promises to be a killer application in mobile services in a short while is mobile television. This service will enable mobile phone subscribers watch television programmes on the mobile phones. Imagine driving in your car to your office and watching amplitude modulation express on Nigeria television authority on your mobile phone or at the airport for a flight and catching up with your favourite comedy series on a local television station. Imagine sharing your television experience with your friends and family and receiving advertising targeted to your needs. These are all possibilities that mobile television offered.

It was in this regard that Comer and Howthon (2015:11) says communication is essentially a social affairs man has evolved from different systems of communication which render his social life possible and not in the sense of living a packs for hunting or making war, but in a sense unknown to animals.

1.1       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over the years, our rural farmers depend on indigenous or local knowledge for improved farming system/animal husbandry. Such knowledge (indigenous or local knowledge) refers to skill and experience gained through oral tradition and practice over many generations. Acquisition of such primitive skills by our rural farmers in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State has not helped to improve agricultural yield. All that is witnessed in our rural agricultural system range from poor farm yield, emergence of new crop and animal diseases, resistant plant weeds and pests that attack farm crops, old farm implements, poor quality fertilizers etc. Agricultural information are always meant to get to rural farmers via extension workers, community libraries, radio, television, film shows, agricultural pamphlets, state and local government agricultural agencies etc. Rural farmers in their effort to access these agricultural knowledge and information from available sources for better farming system and improved agricultural yield are confronted with certain constraints.  The present study was therefore designed to identify the constraints which hinder rural farmers in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State from accessing agricultural information for improved crop production and better animal husbandry practice.

1.2       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The following are the objectives of the study:

1. To find out ways of getting agricultural information outside the extension workers.
2. To identify major solution to the problems facing farmers in Otukpo in getting agricultural information easily. 
3. To find out other alternative sources of power for charging their phones in order to get adequate agricultural information.

1.3       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What alternative source do farmers in Otukpo get agricultural information from aside from extension workers?
2. What kind of problems do farmers in Otukpo encounter using mobile phone? 
3. What alternative source of power do Otukpo farmers use to charge the mobile phone?

1.4       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study are as follows:

The study will provide information on the alternative source of information for Otukpo farmers, outside agricultural extension workers, the study will provide information on solutions to problems of GSM phones used by Otukpo farmers.The study will also provide information on alternative source of charging their mobile phone.

1.5       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is limited to the impact of mobile phone on agricultural information among Otukpo farmers in 2016.

This study would have extended to all the farmers in Benue State but due to time factor and financial problems, the researcher is compelled to limit its focus on only Otukpo farmers, of Otukpo town in Otukpo local government area of Benue State.

1.6       AREA OF STUDY

            The study looks at how mobile phones can be put into a business or work environment apart from the traditional voice communication. Now mobile phone makes it possible for a busy executive to work from any part of the world.

How technological revolution has impacted so much on telecommunication sector to the extent that it becomes the fastest growing industries in the world.

1.7       DEFINITION OF TERMS

Mobile phone: Mobile phones are electronic devices used to make mobile telephone calls across wide geographical areas.

Impact: This refers to the powerful effect that something has on somebody or something.

Farmers: A farmer is a person who own or manage a farm.

Agriculture: This refers to the science or practice of farming.

Information: This refers to facts or details about somebody or something.

Communication: This is the method of sending information, especially telephone, radio and computer.

G.S.M: Means global system for mobile