Banking sector reforms in Nigeria: legal implications for the banker–customer relationship

In 2005, the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced a programme of reforms which created a new minimum paid‐up capital for all banks, from two billion Naira to 25 billion Naira; with a compliance deadline of 31 December 2005. This reduced the number of banks operating in Nigeria from 89 to what is now the 25 mega banks. However, the process equally threw up a major legal issue in terms of the impact on the bank‐customer relationship. This article analyses the new reforms, their implications for the banker–customer relationship and concludes with proposals towards better achieving the objectives of the reforms.     

Governing the Water Use in the Greater Richmond Area: Dispute and Resolution

This study probes into the governing issues centering around the water use dispute and resolution between Richmond City and Henrico County in the Greater Richmond area, Virginia. For a variety of reasons, Richmond City strongly opposed the initiative by Henrico County to construct and operate its own water treatment plant in 1987. As a result of rigorous multi-party planning, mediation, and negotiation processes, Richmond City and Henrico County finally reached a compromise settlement in 1994. This study concludes that mediating and resolving public policy disputes between localities within the metropolitan area is a highly complicated and politically charged process, which can involve different levels of government, business community elites, and other stakeholders; driven by their common interests, the public-private intersectoral boundaries are increasingly blurred; and a planning process blends both political and technical factors together. In this case, the Henrico County's newly proposed water treatment plant project was environmentally cleared by the Water Review Panel's technical report.     

Tempest in a Textbook: A Report on the New Middle-School History Textbook in Japan

How does a middle-school history textbook go about promoting nationalistic pride in adolescent Japanese? Trying to reconcile this goal with the sorry examples of Japan's military exploits before and during World War II has created considerable domestic and international concern, not to mention highly emotional protests. This report presents some of the provocative contents, strategies of presentation, and political repercussions of the “new history textbook,” approved by Japan's Ministry of Education and Science in 2001 for use in public and private middle schools nationwide. Sponsored and authored by the Japan Society for History Textbook Reform (Atarashii Rekishi Kyōkasho o Tsukuru Kai), the textbook's problematic rendition of history has produced an uproar over the government's screening and approval process, renewed concern about an upsurge of nationalistic activity in Japan, and adversely affected Japan's relations with China and South Korea.     

Should Science Class Be Fair? Frames and Values in the Evolution Debate

Communicators try to shape public opinion to their advantage by invoking social values. We examine a vivid example of this value framing in the debate over teaching evolution in the public schools. Supporters of intelligent design (ID) theory have pressed for greater acceptance in public schools by framing the issue as a question of fairness. A survey experiment revealed overwhelming agreement that including ID in science class is fairer than excluding it. This belief had a greater impact on tolerance for ID when the issue was framed with respect to fairness. A second study showed similar effects from a pro-ID documentary film. A final study showed that training in scientific reasoning counteracts the impact of the fairness value, thereby decreasing tolerance for ID. Combined, these studies show how political debate can be understood as a contest over which values deserve greatest consideration or emphasis.     

The Food Stamp Program and Supplemental Security Income

The Food Stamp Program (FSP) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are important parts of national public assistance policy, and there is considerable overlap in the populations that the programs serve. About half of all SSI recipients reside in FSP recipient households. This article uses Social Security administrative data and the Food Stamp Quality Control samples for federal fiscal years 2001-2006 to study the prevalence of food stamp receipt among households with SSI recipients, the contribution of FSP to household income, and the importance of various FSP features in contributing to the well-being of recipient households. The prevalence of FSP participation among households that include SSI recipients is estimated to have grown steadily over the entire 2001-2006 period, rising from 47.4 percent in 2001 to 55.6 percent in 2006. This growth has occurred across all age groups of SSI recipients. The FSP contribution to household income has grown as well. In 2001, FSP increased the income of the households of SSI/FSP recipients by 13 percent; by 2006 the increase was 16.8 percent. Almost 80 percent of the food stamp recipient households that include SSI recipients receive increased benefits because of excess housing costs. In 2006, 44 percent of SSI recipients lived in households that did not receive food stamps. Given available information, it is difficult to gauge the FSP eligibility of nonparticipating households and, therefore, to assess the potential benefit of outreach efforts. Currently available measures of FSP take-up probably overstate participation among eligible households that include SSI recipients, and there is some evidence that enhanced state promotion of the FSP raises participation among households with SSI recipients. We conclude with recommendation for review and renewal of collaboration between the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the agency responsible for administering the FSP) and the Social Security Administration in ensuring that eligible SSI recipients utilize FSP benefits.     

Forensic mitochondrial DNA analysis of 116 casework skeletal samples

Between February 1999 and May 2005, 116 DNA extractions were completed on skeletal remains from routine casework. Overall, at least a partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profile was obtained on 83.6% of samples. Skeletal remains fell into two general categories: (1) samples for body identifications submitted by law enforcement and (2) samples submitted to answer historical or family identity questions. Body identification cases were more likely to yield full mtDNA profiles, whereas historical cases were more likely to result in partial profiles. Overall, the ability to obtain a full or partial profile primarily reflects the difference in the average age and condition of the samples in these two categories and thus, difference in the quantity and quality of the DNA. Cremated remains were uniformly unsuccessful, whereas infant/fetal remains were uniformly successful. Heteroplasmy in skeletal remains was observed at a rate similar to that in hair ( approximately 10%). For body identification cases, skeletal remains had the same mtDNA profile as the accompanying reference sample in 50% of cases.