Effect of Periods of Field Establishment and Irrigation on Growth and Yield Performance of Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) Schum

Two irrigation regimes on the growth and yield performance of Thevetia peruviana (Pers) Schum were evaluated during the 2010 and 2011 rainy seasons. The study was carried out at the Research Farms of the Bio-fuel and Alternate Renewable Energy Ltd, Edidi, Kwara State in the southern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. Mature seeds were sown in March and May of both years and transplanted in May (early) and July (late) respectively. During each of the field establishments, early and late of the two years, the treatments consisted of two irrigation regimes (irrigated and non irrigated) and one plant population (2,500 plants ha-1), laid out in Randomised Complete Block Design with four replicates. Application of irrigation significantly increased plant height, number of primary branches, stem girth, number of harvested seeds, weight of harvested seeds, seed length, seed diameter but delayed number of days to first and 50% flower appearance at late period of field establishment while the effect of irrigation regimes was not significant on these parameters at early period of field establishment. The plants should therefore be irrigated during the dry season if the field establishment was done late (around July and August) to improve the vegetative growth and yield performance but if transplanting was done early (around May) irrigation may not be necessary. Early field establishment is therefore recommended

Assessing the Influence of Extension Delivery on the Perceived Effectiveness of Improved Cassava Production Technologies in Osun State, Nigeria

Extension support is essential for effective delivery of improved agricultural technologies. This study investigated the effectiveness of improved cassava production technologies and the requisite of extension delivery on it in Osun State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study identified the improved cassava production technologies disseminated to farmers. All the fifty extension personnel in the State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) were purposively interviewed. Data were summarized with frequency counts, percentages and means. Correlation coefficient was used for hypothesis testing. Result show that the following extension services were offered to famers in the study area: extension services, fertilizer procurement, agrochemicals, cooperative facilities, social networks, tractor hiring services, credit facilities, improved planting materials and marketing. The mean age of Extension Agents (EAs) was 44±7.11. About 84% of the Extension Agents were males while 16% were females. All the EAs had post-secondary education, while 92% of them had spent more than 10 years on the job. The mean fortnightly session training attendance was 18.22 ±8.93 over the past one year. The extension contact with farmers was low. Almost 89% of the EAs claimed to have disseminated all the cassava production technologies to farmers. Also, a positive and significant association existed between effectiveness of the improved technologies and EAs’ years of experience (r = 0.303; p<0.05) and the number of training had with farmers (r = 0.323; p<0.05). It was recommended that Extension Agents’ training and retraining programmes should be intensified so as to ensure effectiveness of improved cassava technologies

Academic Library Staffing and Implications for Librarianship Practice in Kwara State, Nigeria

Owing to the observed lackadaisical attitude of many University authorities towards the adequate staffing of University libraries, except towards accreditation exercises this study examined 'Academic Library Staffing and Implications for Librarianship Practice in Kwara state, Nigeria'The descriptive research method was adopted whereby interview served as the main instrument for data collection from the four Universities Librarians in the state.The descriptive method was used to present and discuss the findings alongside. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the library management should continue to lobby and persuade the University administration to appreciate the need to recruit more library staff to further enhance the performance of these University libraries towards their service delivery to the satisfaction to their communities of users

Determinants of Poultry Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in National Agricultural Insurance Scheme in Oyo State, Nigeria

Poultry enterprise development in Nigeria is affected by high cost of feeds and feed ingredients, outbreak of diseases, constrained smallholder access to inputs, climate change and marketing. This study examined the determinants of poultry farmers’ willingness to participate in National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) in Oyo State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 136 respondents with the aid of structured questionnaire using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Probit regression model. Results showed that the mean age of the respondents was 43.6 years while the majority of them (65.44%) were males and had tertiary education (58.8%). Mean years of experience in poultry farming stood at 13.5, while the mean value of stock of birds held was ₦1,984,660.61. The majorities of the farmers (60.29%) belong to at least one association, had access to credit (60.29%) and were not aware of NAIS (70.58%). Willingness to participate in the scheme increased significantly with experience in poultry enterprise (0.9828), awareness status (1.0031), access to credit (0.0018), and value of stock held (5.48e-07), but decreased with membership of association (0.1113). It was recommended that more awareness about the scheme should be created. Also, credit facilities should be made available to farmers at affordable rate

An Assessment of Community Policing-Oriented Training Programme in Benue and Lagos States, Nigeria

Abstract The increase in crime rates and poor police-public relations in crime prevention and control has led to the dissatisfaction with traditional policing style of enforcement. The clamor for change in policing focus has led to the emergence of community oriented policing. Community policing is a policing style that allows the police to partner with the public in crime prevention and problem solving in the community. This change in policing style requires a corresponding change in training focus and methods. Studies on community policing-oriented training have largely been general in nature without paying much attention to the training content and post-training challenges. This study therefore, assessed the perceived influence of community policing-oriented training on police interactions with the public in crime prevention in Benue and Lagos States. Gap theory was adopted as theoretical framework Questionnaire was administered to 600 respondents selected through simple random sampling method, while post-training observations, twenty one in-depth interviews (IDI) and six Focus Group Discussions (FGD) sessions were conducted among purposively selected police trainers, divisional police officers and key community leaders. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and T-test while qualitative data were content-analyzed. There was a significant relationship between years of policing experience and the perceived relevance of training materials to daily policing experience (p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between years of policing experience and effectiveness of community policing-oriented training in crime prevention among the trainees p<0.05). However, post-training field observation indicated the complaints of unfriendly attitude on the part of officers towards the public. The study concluded that community oriented policing style is good for Nigeria, but the police need to demonstrate a positive attitudinal disposition towards the public so as to earn their trust and confidence in crime prevention and control. Emphasis of the training should be more of practical rather than theoretical demonstrations in class. The members of the public needed to be adequately sensitized to embrace this new policing style and form a synergy with the police in their community

Cultural Confrontations, Women Navigation into Peace Process and the Role Lessons for Africa First Ladies

Abstract Prejudiced gendered cultural arrangements have continued to either restrict or exclude contemporary Nigerian women in public space as in most Africa States. This is socially shaped by the dominant patriarchal authority across different Africa societies with Nigeria as no exception. Even with the Nigerian women’s feminist strives, little break through from these cultural arrangements have been meaningfully attained. The changing gender relations experience of women varied across different African contexts, yet in Nigeria, with the emergence of the Nigeria First Lady in 1984 and with successive Nigeria First Ladies, some significant penetration of women through these cultural arrangements was achieved. This was due to several campaigns for and by Nigerian women re-perception of themselves, re-orientation about their feminine personality and their societal gender status in different sectors of Nigeria societies as the economic, politics, education, arts, media-journalism, and technology and science. This increasing presence and participatory role-positions with power have however not extended significantly to formal peace processes. They have been left with little place in informal peace process. For the demanding need to expand the peace process for Nigerian women and Nigeria First Lady inclusion, this article present lessons of women from conflicts contexts such as Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Northern Ireland, where women were able to break through prejudiced gender cultural institutions and behaviors that had barred the women from peace processes. This was attained through their collective resilience to redefine the peace processes for women inclusion since they realized women were most victims of such violent conflict contexts. Such lessons can be capacity development strength for Nigeria women and other Africa women with which they can adopt manipulative persuasion to penetration prejudiced gendered cultural arrangements for women inclusion in formal peace process in Nigeria and they rest of Africa. With this background, this article is organized and presented in four sections with introduction as the first, successive Nigeria First Ladies: the tension between role idealism and realism as second politics of role struggle for public profile or role collaboration for peace action as third, and the lessons of women in mediation elsewhere for Nigeria and other Africa countries in security and peace approach as the fourth section

Impact of Chemical Inputs on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Spores in Soil :Response of AM Spores to Fertilizer and Herbicides

Effects of chemical inputs on abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi spores were investigated under a maize monoculture in Southern Guinea Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria. The experimental plots received 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N/ha of fertilizer (N.P.K. 15: 15: 15) and 0, 1, 2 and 3 kg active ingredient (a i) pre-emergence herbicide (atrazine) per hectare. AM fungal spores were isolated from the conventionally tilled, treated soils, cropped with maize by wet sieving and decanting method. Isolated AM spores were counted and spore abundance calculated. The spores were morphotyped and 13 AM fungi taxa were identified. These belong to six genera of AM fungi: Glomus, Paraglomus, Acaulospora, Enthrophospora, Gigaspora and Scutellospora. Increasing atrazine concentrations resulted in significant deduction in AMF spores while increasing N.P.K. content led to an initial significant increase in AMF spores but a later decline in spore population. Both fertilization and herbicide application resulted in a decrease in AMF spore numbers at maturity of maize crop. Application of 160kg N/ha and 3kg a.i. ha – 1 of atrazine caused a significant reduction in spore density (117g – 1 of soil as against 202 g – 1 of soil at 0 kg N ha -1 and 0kg a.i. ha -1 atrazine)

Potential of Moringa oleifera (Lam.) fresh root-bark extract as an organic piscicide in aquaculture pond management

This study examined the effectiveness of Moringa oleifera fresh root-bark extract as an organic piscicide to control predatory fish in ponds. Acute-lethal toxicity (LC50) of Moringa oleifera extract for 96-h exposure for Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings was determined at 26.45 mg l-1. The extract was more toxic on at higher concentrations of 100 mg l-1, with fingerlings showing abnormal swimming, restlessness and uncoordinated behaviour before death. Moringa oleifera extract could be used as an organic piscicide in aquaculture pond management. Baseline information on its toxicity to fish could serve as a tool in fisheries management to wipe out predatory fish in ponds prior to stocking