National Security, Religious Anarchism and the Politics of Amnesty in Nigeria

The Nigerian state is caught in the crossfire of national insecurity arising from the insurgency of various rogue groups. The most prominent of these groups, and one whose activities have had far -reaching destabilising effect on the polity, is the Boko Haram sect. The Boko Haram sect, which uses the Taliban - and al-Qaeda-style terrorist tactics of suicide bombing and targeted assassination, is responsible for between 3000 and 4000 deaths since it declared war and engaged in armed insurgency in 2009. The sect has targeted and bombed state institutions, the United Nations building as well as many Christian worship centres in furtherance of its avowed objective of deploying terror to achieve the islamisation of the Nigerian state. Relying on secondary sources of data, the paper interrogates the force theory that underpins Nigeria’s security engineering and contends that the continued insecurity in the polity is a demonstration of its ineffectiveness. The paper also contends that the proposition by the Federal Government to grant amnesty to the Boko Haram sect is not as simplistic as it appears as it transcends the narrow definitional criteria of bartering forgiveness for peace. While the paper is critical of the proposed amnesty programme, it advocates a holistic approach that incorporates other issues that are promotive of justice, morality and ethicalness in the polity

A Protective Role of FAM13A in Human Airway Epithelial Cells Upon Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Extract

BACKGROUND: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease characterized by chronic inflammation upon inhalation of noxious particles, e.g., cigarette smoke. FAM13A is one of the genes often found to be associated with COPD, however its function in the pathophysiology of COPD is incompletely understood. We studied its role in airway epithelial barrier integrity and cigarette smoke-induced epithelial responses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Protein level and localization of FAM13A was assessed with immunohistochemistry in lung tissue from COPD patients and non-COPD controls. In vitro, FAM13A expression was determined in the absence or presence of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in primary airway epithelial cells (AECs) from COPD patients and controls by western blotting. FAM13A was overexpressed in cell line 16HBE14o- and its effect on barrier function was monitored real-time by electrical resistance. Expression of junctional protein E-cadherin and β-catenin was assessed by western blotting. The secretion of neutrophil attractant CXCL8 upon CSE exposure was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: FAM13A was strongly expressed in airway epithelium, but significantly weaker in airways of COPD patients compared to non-COPD controls. In COPD-derived AECs, but not those of controls, FAM13A was significantly downregulated by CSE. 16HBE14o- cells overexpressing FAM13A built up epithelial resistance significantly more rapidly, which was accompanied by higher E-cadherin expression and reduced CSE-induced CXCL8 levels. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that the expression of FAM13A is lower in airway epithelium of COPD patients compared to non-COPD controls. In addition, cigarette smoking selectively downregulates airway epithelial expression of FAM13A in COPD patients. This may have important consequences for the pathophysiology of COPD, as the more rapid build-up of epithelial resistance upon FAM13A overexpression suggests improved (re)constitution of barrier function. The reduced epithelial secretion of CXCL8 upon CSE-induced damage suggests that lower FAM13A expression upon cigarette smoking may facilitate epithelial-driven neutrophilia

Patterns of Passage into protected areas: drivers and outcomes of Fulani immigration, settlement and integration into the Kachia Grazing Reserve, Northwest Nigeria

Abstract Increasing land use and associated competition for natural resources in the wake of high human and livestock population pressures have been major challenges confronting pastoralists of West Africa. This is especially true in Nigeria where Fulani make up 4% of the national population and prevailing national insecurity issues are impacting on pastoral livelihoods, including violent conflicts over land and ethnic, religious and political disparities. This study examined the dynamics of immigration within the Kachia Grazing Reserve (KGR), an exclusively Fulani pastoralist community in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria, prompted by concerns from both the farming communities and the authorities about mounting pressure on existing limited resources, particularly in regard to availability of cattle grazing resources. Drawing from a household census conducted in 2011 and employing a range of qualitative methods (focus group discussions and key informant interviews), this study explored the drivers and consequences of immigration and subsequent integration within the KGR community. The study revealed two types of immigration: a steady trickle of pastoralists migrating to the reserve to settle and acquire land, secure from the stresses of competition from cultivators, and the sudden influx of internally displaced persons fleeing violent clashes in their areas of origin. Population pressure within the reserve has risen steadily over the past three decades, such that it is severely overgrazed (as evidenced by reports from the KGR community that the animals run short of pasture even during the wet season due to desertification and the spread of non-edible weeds). The newer immigrants, fleeing conflict, tended to arrive in the reserve with significantly larger herds than those kept by established residents. Pastoralists in the reserve have been forced back into the practice of seasonal transhumance in both wet and dry seasons to support their herds, with all the attendant risks of theft, clashes with cultivators and increased disease transmission

Reinventing Nigeria’s Diplomatic Machinery: The Challenge of Citizen and Diaspora Diplomacy

Nigeria’s diplomatic machinery has been very much driven by the officialdom of career and appointed diplomats. Their effectiveness in meeting the country’s foreign policy objectives, especially the welfare and security of the citizenry, is suspect. The ubiquity of Nigerian citizens around the globe, the xenophobic attacks on them and the seeming nonchalance of Nigerian missions abroad have all combined to spawn a new thrust in Nigeria’s foreign policy. Under the auspices of citizen and diaspora diplomacy, the Nigerian state experimented with the policy option of making its citizens the centrepiece of its foreign policy engineering. Since this idea was mooted in 2007 by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, there does not seem to be any structure on the ground for its logical pursuit, depicting the Achilles heel of Nigeria’s foreign policy-making – lack of continuity and extreme personalisation of its processes. This paper examines the underlying factors that motorised the trajectory towards citizen-centric foreign policy as well as the forces that stymie its efflorescence into an effective tool to cater for Nigerians. The paper contends that the incapacity of the Nigerian missions abroad in terms of crisis of funding manpower challenges, and timely intervention in protecting the interest of Nigerians demand the expansion of the frontiers of diplomatic politicking by harnessing the abundant army of human resources to meet the goals of its foreign policy

A method to reduce the uncertainty of pressure prediction in HPHT prospects: a case study of Onshore Niger Delta depobelt, Nigeria

Abstract The search for hydrocarbons has gone beyond shallow hydrostatic reservoirs, necessitating deep drilling beyond known depths in the mature Onshore Niger Delta fields. Often times, the challenge has been the ambiguity in pore pressure prediction beyond the shallow depths where disequilibrium compaction is no longer the active overpressure contributor. This leads to underbalanced drilling with the implication that well drilling is terminated at the occurrence of the first kick, before reaching the target depth. Thus, in this study, the dominant overpressure mechanism is determined by the analyses of velocity, density versus depth cross-plots. The Eaton empirical approach, equivalent depth method (EDM), a deterministic approach, and Bowers velocity–vertical effective stress (Vp–VES) relationship were applied to Vp-sonic log to compare prediction profiles. Pressure data were used to infer geologically consistent Eaton’s exponents and Vp–VES curve for loading and unloading scenarios. The results show that deeper than the approximately 11,000 ft where unloading began, EDM and Eaton’s exponent of 3.0 would fail. However, higher exponents can be adopted for the area at onset of unloading temperatures ranging from 98 to 100 °C. The estimated shale pressure profile from the EDM, Eaton’s exponents and Vp–VES models accurately fit the measured pressure data. In that way, the uncertainty in the prediction can be quantified. Hence, predrill estimates of shale pressures can be generated beyond known depths since the model can be used to transform seismic velocity to formation pressure, thereby ensuring better anticipation of potential risks and cost-effective drilling

Comparative effects of Potash Sodium Chloride (PSC) mixture and honey on incisional wound healing in albino rats

Honey (Mellifica sp) is produced by Apis mellifera africana, widely consumed without prescription or restriction, and has been shown to possess wound healing and antitusive properties. Comparative study of the effects of honey paste and Potash Sodium Chloride (PSC) mixture on the healing of incisional wound on albino wistar rats was undertaken. Fresh and open incisional wound was inflicted on healthy rats, and was treated with honey paste and Potash Sodium Chloride (PSC) mixture comparatively. Results showed that PSC mixture demonstrated faster wound healing than honey because the WBC and platelets in test groups increased by 20% while the lymphocytes and eosinophil decreased by 48% and 96.9% respectively. The duration of healing was also faster in animals treated with PSC mixture (10.9 ± 3.9days) than rats treated with honey paste (13.4 ± 3.5 days). We conclude that although honey paste may have effect on wound healing, PSC mixture has proved to be more efficacious and faster duration of healing.Keywords: incisional wound healing, honey, potash

Transition to Green Energy and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: A Prospective and Evaluative Analysis

Since the global discussions on climate change and environmental sustainability began, Nigeria has been actively involved in terms of participating, flowing with global trends and meeting its international obligations in that context. Thus, from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to Kyoto Protocol and then the Paris Agreement, Nigeria has been involved as it ratified and became a Party to them. Corollary to being a Party to the Paris Agreement, Nigeria committed itself to reducing its carbon emissions by 2030 by embracing clean, low carbon alternative energy sources to meet its domestic energy needs. Nigeria’s commitment is not without challenges considering a number of factors, namely it is dependent on fossil fuels for its foreign exchange earnings, it has a lingering problem with gas flaring and oil spills, its energy holdings are mainly dependent on fossil fuels, and there is evident lack of capacity and capability to harness its renewable energy resources. These challenges notwithstanding, Nigeria has developed various policy frameworks with targets and projections aimed at harnessing its abundant renewable energy resources in order to transit to green economy. The question that this paper attempts to address is whether Nigeria has been able to harness its renewable energy resources to address its energy challenges as well as transit to green energy as envisaged by its various policy documents. This paper engages secondary data in evaluating the extent to which the country has or has not transited to green energy as projected and targeted. This paper finds that the policy projections of transiting to green energy have no discernible pathways to assure its sustainable realization. It also finds that this disconnect between green energy transition targets and non-realization is linked to inadequate influx of private investments and therefore, recommends the provision of regulatory framework necessary to inspire investors’ confidence and commitment

Gas Chromatographic Analysis of the Phyto-Constituents and the Assessment of the Anti-Microbial Properties of the Leave Extracts of Nigeria-Grown Gingko Biloba

Purpose: Gingko biloba (GB) leaves have been recognized for their therapeutic effects, dating back to traditional Chinese medicine where the ground leaves were used to treat several health problems. GB extracts are renowned for their medicinal properties in Asia, Europe and South America. However, GB leaves are rarely grown and used in Nigeria. In this study, we screened the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activities of GB leaves (aqueous and ethanol extracts) grown in Enugu, Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Study Design: Experimental Materials and Methods: Quantitative analyses of phytochemicals were done using gas chromatography while disk diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to determine the antimicrobial activities. Results: The phytochemical analysis of aqueous and ethanol extracts showed high quantity of flavonoids (anthocyanin, rutin, epicatechin, kaemferol and catechin), alkaloids (lunamarine and ribalindine) and saponin while the moderate quantity of steroids and terpenes, tannin and phenols were also observed. The phytochemical analysis also showed very little concentration of antinutrients (phytate and oxalate) in both extracts. The ethanol extract showed some degree of antibacterial and antifungal activities as observed from their zones of inhibition (mm). Activity was observed on gram-positive bacteria; Staphylococcusaureus (15.5+0.71mm) and less activity on gram-negative bacteria; Escherichia coli (10.5+1.41mm) and Pseudomonasaeruginosa (no activity). Also there was an activity on yeast; Candida albicans (16.5+0.71mm) and less activity on moulds; Penicilliumcyclopium (9+1.41mm) and Aspergillus fumigatus (no activity). The aqueous extract showed no antimicrobial activity on both bacteria and fungi. Conclusion: This study revealed the medicinal potentials of Ginkgo biloba leaves grown in Nigeria. The findings, therefore, will be useful for pharmaceutical industries and medical practice in Nigeria and beyond for the provision of good health to individuals