Search

Local government in Nigeria has constitutional responsibility in primary education; also, the state and federal government attend to all levels of education, including the primary education. Over the years, local and state governments have constituted the real actors in Nigeria primary education sector through the instrumentality of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA). Constitutionally and financially, local governments remain major actors in primary education, but practically, it is SUBEB who manage schools through LGEA with little or no consultation to local government council, regardless of their huge contributions. The paper intends to look at these challenges and reemphasis the contribution of Local government to Primary Education. Using the secondary method of data collection in form of content analysis, the paper revealed that Local government has contributed immensely to the functioning of primary education, both in mandatory and concurrent capacities with the state government especially in payments of teacher’s salary and allowances, provision of instructional materials, provision of classrooms and other infrastructures needed for the smooth running of primary education in Nigeria. The paper concluded that local governments remain the major actor and provider of primary education in Nigeria.Key Words: Primary Education, Local Government, UBEC, SUBEB, LGEA

This experiment was conducted in the laboratory of the Department of Crop Production of the Federal University of Technology Minna to evaluate the inhibitory effect ofAzadirachta indicaandMoringa oleiferaleaf extracts at different level of concentrations S (100 %), S/2 (50 %), S/10 (10 %), S/100 (1 %) on egg hatch ofMeloidogyne incognita.The experiments were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) and replicated four times. All the concentrations ofMoringa oleiferaandAzadirachta indicaand their various combinations inhibited egg hatch ofMeloidogyne incognitathroughout the period of observation with the standard solution. As the egg masses were exposed to these concentrations and the larvae hatched were recorded at time intervals of 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours respectively. It was observed that the standard solution (S) of the leaf of both extracts significantly (p ≤ 0.05) inhibited egg hatch ofMeloidogyne incognitain which the S, S/2, S/10 inhibited egg hatch of this parasite compared to S/100 and the control (distilled water) in which high number of larvae of 50, 137 and 75, 133 inA. indicaandM. oleifera,respectively.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a highly transmissible viral infection has spread worldwide causing exponential increase in morbidity and mortality. But so far, there is limited information available to describe the presenting characteristics, outcomes and treatment modalities of COVID-19 patients in Nigeria. This study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, underlying comorbidities, treatment modalities and outcomes of patients isolated and treated in a repurposed COVID-19 isolation and treatment centre in Abuja, Nigeria.A retrospective study which reviewed the medical records of 300 confirmed COVID-19 patients isolated and treated according to the World Health Organisation and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control guidelines between 22Out of 300 patients studied, 61.0% were male. The mean age of the participants was 38.2 ± 14.7. Less than half of the patients (40.3%) had one or more underlying comorbidities with hypertension the most common co-morbidity. Majority (62%) of patients were mildly symptomatic, 33% were asymptomatic while only 2% were severely symptomatic. The most common presenting symptoms include cough 34.0%, fever 30.3%, anosmia 28.7% and dysgeusia 22.7%. Older age (P0.001), tertiary education and the presence of underlying comorbidity (P0.001) were significantly associated with symptomatic presentation of COVID-19. The median duration of time between positive laboratory testing and presentation for treatment was 5 days (0-29). All patients were treated with a combination of Ivermectin, Azithromycin, Zinc and Vitamin C with no recorded death. The median length of stay at facility was 9 days.Close attention should be given to patients with co-morbidities as an inefficient management of such co-morbidities could lead to mortalities which may not be directly attributable to COVID-19.

This study examines the effect of board attributes (board size, board composition and CEO duality) on the extent of voluntary disclosure using data for 237 firm-year observations from 75 firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange from 2009 to 2012. The study constructs disclosure index score comprising 36 items. Using random-effects regression model, the result shows that CEO duality is negatively related to voluntary disclosure. This study also finds that board size and board composition do not have any significant relationship with voluntary disclosure. This study has implications for future researchers, regulators, and investors. Future researchers may find it interesting to examine board behaviour in order to understand the complexities of board operations as it affects their monitoring role. There is no evidence that the introduction of Corporate Governance Code by the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission has led to improvement in the voluntary disclosure made by listed companies. There is therefore the need for regulators to improve their enforcement and compliance mechanism at ensuring that listed companies comply with the disclosure requirements. It may also be appropriate that certain disclosures be made mandatory, since the management may not have the incentives to make such disclosures.

Vermicasts are organic products released by worms (such as earthworm) in the forms of casts. These vermicasts are widely used as plant growth regulators and more importantly as disease inhibitors. However, no logical study has been undertaken to determine the efficacy of this natural cast. The present study was aimed at determining micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) and macro-nutrients (K, Mg and P) of both carbonized and non-carbonized samples. The vermicasts were collected from Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) herbal garden and the nutrients of the vermicasts (carbonized and noncarbonized) were characterized using Atomic Absorbance Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result showed variation in the amount of macro and micronutrients in the both samples of vermicasts (carbonized and non-carbonized). The carbonized vermicast contained significantly high content (Mn, Zn, Fe and Cu) (mg/kg) of the micronutrients while content of the macronutrients was significantly higher in Calcium and Potassium. These mineral nutrients are implicated to be used effectively for the management of some diseases which include cardiovascular disease, helminthiases, neurodegenerative disorders and pile.Keywords: vermicast,macro and micro-nutrients, diseases, remedies

The growth response of zygotic embryos of 'Albescens'- type of 'tenera' oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) using Eeuwens medium, supplemented with 1-Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) and 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) was investigated. The respective concentrations (0.00 mg/L, 0.05 mg/L, 0.10 mg/L) of NAA and BAP were used singly and in combination. Zygotic embryos extracted from the 'Tenera-albescens' type of oil palm were sterilized and inoculated in Eeuwens media containing the various combinations of growth regulators. The cultures were incubated in the dark room at 26oC, 50-60% relative humidity and later transferred to the light room at 26oC, 50-60% relative humidity at 16 hr photoperiod. Subcultures were carried out at intervals of 4 weeks. Data were collected on days to shoot and root emergence, shoot length at 3 weeks after inoculation (WAI), root length and plant height at 4, 6, 8 and 10 WAI, number of leaves and roots at 10 WAI. The results showed that the concentrations of NAA and BAP singly and in combinations had significant (p < 0.05) effect on in vitro plant regeneration and plantlet development. However, synergistic effect of the two plant growth regulators as supplements were optimal for all growth parameters measured.Keywords: Elaeis guineensis, 'Albescens', dormancy, germination, Eeuwens, in vitro

This paper examines directors’ remuneration disclosure transparency in an emerging economy (Nigeria). We specifically examine how the block share ownership influences the level of transparency in the disclosure of directors’ remuneration in a sample of companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2012. Using ordinary least squares and binary logistic regressions to examine the relationship, we find that block share ownership is associated with lower transparent disclosure of directors’ remuneration. The result shows a positive relationship between audit quality and transparent disclosure of directors’ remuneration. The study finds that the transparency score is less than 40%. On the whole, we provide evidence that managers in Nigerian Listed Companies are inclined not to make voluntary disclosure of their remuneration to the public. This paper has implication for policy makers and regulatory authorities in Nigeria on the need to embark on remuneration disclosures reforms so as to make directors’ remuneration disclosure mandatory for Nigerian Listed Companies to make it comparable with accepted global good practice. This study contributes to the remuneration disclosure transparency literature by providing support for the expropriation hypothesis in the behaviour of block shareholders from an emerging economy whose market is very much different from those of developed economies.

Production and characterization of aluminosilicate refractory brick using Unwana beach silica sand, Ekebedi and Unwana clays has been carried out with a view to determining the suitability of localy available raw materials for refractory bricks production. The sand was used to compose six (with 65%, 60%, 55%, 50%, 45%, and 40% of Unwana beach silica sand) refractory brick body together with Ekebedi and Unwana clays. The properties of the produced bricks investigated after firing shows that samples A - F had total shrinkage ranging from 3.2% to 8.3% with % porosity of 16.58 to 18.66 respectively. The bulk density result revealed that Samples A- F had 1.63g/cm3 to 1.53g/cm3 with compressive strength ranging from 7.90Mpa to 21.49Mpa respectively. The estimated refractoriness result indicated that the samples A-F had values ranging from 16080C to

The profitability of a cement plant depends largely on the efficient operation of the blending stage, therefore, there is a need to control the process at the blending stage in order to maintain the chemical composition of the raw mix near or at the desired value with minimum variance despite variation in the raw material composition. In this work, neuro-fuzzy model is developed for a dynamic behaviour of the system to predict the total carbonate content in the raw mix at different clay feed rates. The data used for parameter estimation and model validation was obtained from one of the cement plants in Nigeria. The data was pre-processed to remove outliers and filtered using smoothening technique in order to reveal its dynamic nature. Autoregressive exogenous (ARX) model was developed for comparison purpose. ARX model gave high root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.408 and 4.0199 for training and validation respectively. Poor fit resulting from ARX model is an indication of nonlinear nature of the process. However, both visual and statistical analyses on neuro-fuzzy (ANFIS) model gave a far better result. RMSE of training and validation are 0.28167 and 0.7436 respectively, and the sum of square error (SSE) and R-square are 39.6692 and 0.9969 respectively. All these are an indication of good performance of ANFIS model. This model can be used for control design of the process.

Production of extended-spectrumβ-lactamases (ESBLs) producingE. coliin animals and different methods of identifications from Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, were investigated. Three hundred and fifty fecal samples, collected from apparently healthy cattle and pigs, were cultured and identified following standard procedures. ESBL phenotypic detection was carried out using combination disc test, double disc synergism test, and ESBL brilliance agar screening. Molecular detection of TEM, SHV, and CTX-M genes was carried out using standard molecular method. One hundred and fourteenE. coliisolates were recovered from the 350 samples processed, out of which 72 (63.2%) isolates were positive for ESBLs with multiple resistance to the antibiotics used. Eighty-one (71%) isolates were positive for ESBL by combination disc test, 90 (78.9%) were positive for double disc synergism test, and 93 (81.6%) were positive for ESBL brilliance agar. TEM and CTX-M genes were detected in 48 (42.1%) and 51 (44.7%) isolates, respectively. SHV gene was not detected in any of the isolates while TEM and CTX-M were detected in 33 (28.9%) isolates. This study showed high resistance ofE. colito antibiotics, particularly to the third generation cephalosporins. Regular monitoring and regulated use of antibiotics in livestock should be encouraged.

Many African economies are developing fast but concerns abound about the quality of this development. Large groups of poor and vulnerable people have remained excluded from this development. Sustained poverty reduction and economic growth require inclusive development that allows women to contribute to and benefit from the development process. This chapter establishes the need to include the girl child in the African development process through quality education. This chapter examines whether, given equal opportunities as the boy child, the female child can contribute to sustainable poverty reduction in Africa. This chapter assesses the legal framework of the protection and development of the girl child in a bid to determine the adequacy of laws to ensure inclusive development of the girl child in Africa.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the coconut hybrid varieties based on Genotype by Traits (GT) biplot to examine its usefulness in visualizing coconut trait relationship and its application in genotypes comparison. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with two replications; each block consisted of 5 plots with a total of eight palms per plot while the remaining palms were used as guard rows. This experiment was conducted at the Main Research Station of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The materials for the present study consisted of 5 hybrid varieties of Coconut palm. Data on individual palms were recorded on seven quantitative traits: thickness of petiole (TP), number of fronds (NFD), number of leaflets (NL), number of fruits per palm (NF), number of bunches per palm (NB), width of leaflet (WL) and circumference of the stem 20 cm from the soil level (CF).The GT biplot analysis revealed close associations among the studied traits. The two Original Research Article Odewale et al.; IJPSS, Article no. IJPSS.2014.005 271 axes explained 90.4% of the total variation among the cultivars due to the various traits measured thus reflecting the accuracy of inter-relationships among the measured characters. Correlation coefficient between the studied traits showed that there is a strong positive relationship between number of fruit and number of bunches. These two traits were however negatively correlated with other traits except number of fronds. Based on the Auto Find QTL function of GGE biplot, bunch yield and width of leaflets were identified as traits suiTable for indirect selection for nut yield improvement. H4 was identified as an ideal genotype as it combines several good traits in its genetic composition and thus could serve as a good genetic raw material from which better cultivars, synthetic varieties and pure lines can be developed. H1 was the best in terms of nut and bunch yields, indicating that it can be used as parents in the development of hybrid varieties and populations that are outstanding in these traits.

The current study was carried out to investigate the in‐vitrobial examination of microflora of wheat obtained from different locations in Kano state, Nigeria. Five samples of wheat were cultivated on six different selective culture media. The growth of Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp, Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp and Hydrocrella rhombospora was recorded in varied proportion. The variation in growth and the species of fungi recorded in this study serves as indices of selec􀆟vity and inhibitory or growth factors present in the culture media appropriated.

Date palm progress derived from 60 crosses replicated twice, subjected to analysis of variance using nested design for the purpose of estimating fulsibs, broad sense and narrow sense heritability’s, genetic advance and genetic advance as percentage mean for the eight fruit traits. Positive estimates were recorded for fulsibs heritability for the traits. Broad sense heritability for the traits was high. Narrow sense estimates were low and negative indicating that the estimates were not different from zero or they were very small. Heritability indicates the effectiveness with which selection of genotype can be based on phenotypic performance, though it does not provide any indication of the amount of genetic progress that will result from selecting the best individuals. The relatively high estimates obtained for broad sense and medium estimates for fulsibs heritability suggest that variation in these traits may be attributed to a high degree of additive gene action and selection for these traits would therefore be effective and thus shows that the traits are under strong genetic control. Broad sense heritability estimate for any one trait is useful when high genetic advance in that trait is feasible, because high heritability coupled with high genetic advance is the true index for effective selection. It was necessary that expected genetic advance be estimated to know what level of improvement can be expected from selection of each of the characters examined. Pollen source has strong influence on fruits and seed characters of date palm. Among the palms used for this study, male 1R12 GPIII; 6R3 GPIII and 1R7 NCRP performed better than the rest. Mass, recurrent and backcross selection are recommended for further breeding programs in development of date palms in Nigeria.

This document contains relevant information on biomass generation, utilization for the production of organic fertilizers and their alternative uses with respect to The Nigerian Institute for Oil Plam Research (NIFOR) mandate crops. The production of organic amendments using empty fruit bunches from the Oil palm Elaeis guineensis and its utilization in soil fertility management is well established. On an average, for every tonne of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) processed wastes of 230 to 250 kg empty fruit bunch (EFB) and 130 to 150 kg of fiber is produced. This large amount of biomass/waste can be successfully converted to fertilizer through the process of composting and can then be ploughed back into the soil. The palm oil mill effluent (POME) is also available, which in more recent times is being used as a soil conditioner and a source of bio fertilizers. Composted coir pith obtained from coconut Cocos nucifera husk is found to be rich in plant nutrients with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium percentage values of 1.24, 0.06 and 1.20, respectively among other required plant nutrient. Percentage nutrient values for composted date palm Phoenix dactylifera biomass are also available in this paper. These mandate crop posses several alternative uses which makes them useful to the food and feed industry as well as oleo chemical, fuel, building and construction, pharmaceutical and confectionary industries. The information presented strongly suggests and confirms that the various biomass and residue produced by the palms and shea tree industry can be fully harnessed for organic fertilizer (manure) production even for commercial purposes by and for farmers in order to increase crop production. Key words: Organic fertilizer, composting, biomass, alternative uses.

Objective The objective of this study is to develop an isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay to screen for hepatorenal tyrosinemia (HT) from newborn filter paper samples using pooled extracts to increase high throughput screening. Design and methods Succinylacetone (SUAC), the marker for HT, was extracted from dried blood spots with the formation of the hydrazone derivative of SUAC; up to eight sample extracts were pooled and the SUAC-derivative was analyzed by mass spectrometry methods with an injection-to-injection time of one minute. If any pooled sample extract screened positive, then the samples comprising the pooled sample were assayed individually. Results Two newborn infants were identified with high levels of SUAC (7 & 23 μM) and later confirmed to have HT. Three older children whose initial filter paper samples were taken at 195 days to 614 days of age with elevated SUAC (range 4.9–5 μM) were identified; one of the three had clinical signs of HT and was placed on treatment (diagnosis of the other two are unavailable). Conclusion MS/MS analysis of pooled dried blood sample extracts permits sensitive, reduced instrumental analytical time and increase high throughput screening for HT.

A wide range of minerals are found in the soil as natural occurring and purposely added elements as well as by adventitious contamination. These mineral elements can generally be classified as nutritionally essential major elements, nutritionally essential minor and trace elements, and those regarded as toxic with an essential/toxic duality. An investigation was carried out regarding the concentrations of some of these nutritionally essential elements in the soil samples from Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Nigeria. The results revealed the presence of some of these mineral elements studied in moderate concentrations in the locations sampled. The study also showed that the institution soil is of low fertility and therefore recommend the use of fertilizers to improve its fertility and hence increase crops yield. Keywords: Unwana soil, mineral elements, fertilizers, nutrient deficiency, agricultural yield.

This paper assesses the impact of local government on social service delivery in south-western Nigeria in tandem with their full constitutional responsibility particularly on primary education and road constructions. The related concepts were review. The study utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through questionnaire administration and in-depth interviews. The study revealed that local government has a significant impact on social service delivery in Southwestern Nigeria (r = 0.438, p < 0.05). The paper highlighted some recommendations and concluded that local government had performed considerably well in delivery of social service to the populace in their concurrent responsibility with the state government, but relatively low in their mandatory functions.

The growth response of zygotic embryos of 'Albescens'- type of 'tenera' oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) using Eeuwens medium, supplemented with 1-Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) and 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) was investigated. The respective concentrations (0.00 mg/L, 0.05 mg/L, 0.10 mg/L) of NAA and BAP were used singly and in combination. Zygotic embryos extracted from the 'Tenera-albescens' type of oil palm were sterilized and inoculated in Eeuwens media containing the various combinations of growth regulators. The cultures were incubated in the dark room at 26oC, 50-60% relative humidity and later transferred to the light room at 26oC, 50-60% relative humidity at 16 hr photoperiod. Subcultures were carried out at intervals of 4 weeks. Data were collected on days to shoot and root emergence, shoot length at 3 weeks after inoculation (WAI), root length and plant height at 4, 6, 8 and 10 WAI, number of leaves and roots at 10 WAI. The results showed that the concentrations of NAA and BAP singly and in combinations had significant (p < 0.05) effect on in vitro plant regeneration and plantlet development. However, synergistic effect of the two plant growth regulators as supplements were optimal for all growth parameters measured.Keywords: Elaeis guineensis, 'Albescens', dormancy, germination, Eeuwens, in vitro

The prevalence of heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, increases with age. Optimal therapeutic interventions that antagonize aging may reduce the occurrence and mortality of adult heart diseases. We discuss here how molecular mechanisms mediating life span extension affect aging of the heart and its resistance to pathological insults. In particular, we review our recent findings obtained from transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of Sirt1, which demonstrated delayed aging and protection against oxidative stress in the heart. We propose that activation of known longevity mechanisms in the heart may represent a novel cardioprotection strategy against aging and certain types of cardiac stress, such as oxidative stress.