The concept of Pulaaku mirrored in fulfulde proverbs of the Gombe dialect

The paper gives a brief history of the Fulçe people who are found all over West and Central Africa. Since no study of a people is complete without mentioning their language, the paper also gives a very brief account of Fulfulde, the language of the Fulçe people. However, the central focus of the paper is the concept of pulaaku, that unique attribute of the Fulçe that serves as an unwritten code of conduct for all ‘true’ Fulçe. Pulaaku is Fulçe’s guiding principle in their dealings with their fellow Fulçe as well as with all other people. Rather than talk about pulaaku in isolation, however, the paper tries to mirror it through Fulfulde proverbs. Coded or loaded messages called wise-sayings or proverbs are widely used in all languages. Fulfulde is particularly rich in this, which is why the paper explores this reservoir of knowledge in trying to portray the rich culture of the Fulçe people. The corpus of proverbs from which the selected proverbs come, was compiled in and around Gombe with the help of Mallam Bappayo Bappa Yerima Djibril. Since the Fulçe are easily the most dispersed people in Africa, no single study can do real justice to all of them. This is why this study narrows its scope to cover just the Fulçe of Gombe area of the northeastern of Nigeria

Design and construction of a simple boat trailer for Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, New Bussa

A simple boat trailer with an overall length of 4.59m, breathes 1.68m, and weight of 87kg was designed and constructed using locally available metals and scrap materials. The boat trailer was used to tow a boat of 250kg weight through a distance of 14km without affecting the safety and speed of the car. The construction resulted to the production of an open cart that is light and easily maneuvered that one person can move it manually without difficulty. The total production cost was N32, 300 which is affordable in relation to the cost of transporting boats through the use of pick up vans. The boat trailer can be easily maneuvered when coupled to any car or van. This makes it adequate for towing and for safer movement of boats from the school boat yard to any water bodies

Tourism in Kenya: A preliminary examination

This study seeks to explore the trends in international tourist arrivals in a developing country - Kenya - which has been well recognized as an international tourist destination in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya’s tourism sector has undergone several challenges over the years. Several factors that affect the tourists’ propensity to stay longer in a destination are discussed and suggestions for marketing are proposed

Evaluation of Effect of Moringa oleifera-Based Agro-Forestry Practices on the Yields of Ipomea batata in North Central Nigeria

The study evaluated the effect of Moringa oleifera based agro- forestry system on Sweet potato yields in North Central Nigeria. The study was carried out in the Potato Multiplication Centre in Gikwoyi, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Randomized Complete Block Design with 3 replications was used. Data collected included, soil physico-chemical properties, aerial biomass weight, tuber yield, and weed biomass weight. Performance of Ipomea batata was significantly improved by Moringa oleifera based agro-forestry systems. Highest soil organic matter 0.76% (2010), 0.86% (2011) and soil pH 6.8 were obtained from Moringa+ Leucaena plots. Tuber yield of Ipomea batata peaked at 20.2 t ha-1 (2010) and 22.9 t ha-1 (2011) in Moringa + Leucaena plots. Although tuber yield of Ipomea batata that received N.P.K (20:10:10) was highest (18.6 t ha-1 ) in the first year of planting, in subsequent years the yields in N.P.K fertilized plots decreased drastically. Poorest tuber yield (3.6 t ha-1) was obtained from the control plots in the third year of planting. Weed infestation was drastically reduced (10.29 t ha-1 in Moringa + Leucaena plots compared to that in the N.P.K. fertilized plots; 21.61t ha-1 (2009), 29.10 t ha-1 (2010) and 27.63 t ha-1 in 2012 respectively.Key words: Moringa, Leucaena, Gliricidia, Agro-forestry system ,Ipomea batat

Male Involvement in Family Planning: A Qualitative Survey of the Barriers and Facilitators amongst Married Men in Sokoto metropolis

Background: Although large families are desired in Nigeria, women tend to want fewer children than men but are often unable to limit or space childbirth due to gender dynamics within relationships. Studies have identified men as a significant barrier to the use of  contraceptives by their wives. The study explored married men’s knowledge and perception on family planning (FP), involvement in FP, barriers and facilitators of male involvement (MI) in FP in Sokoto Metropolis.Methods: A qualitative study was done among married men in Sokoto Metropolis in November 2017. Four focus group discussions were conducted among thirty-two men grouped based on educational status and age. Data was transcribed verbatim and a content analysis on emerging themes was done.Results: All the participants were aware of FP and most of them said that it is beneficial to everyone in the community. Most of the  participants perceived that FP is an issue for both men and women. All the participants said that men should be involved in FP. The barriers to MI in FP mentioned were lack of knowledge on FP and poverty while increasing awareness on FP, religious leaders and traditional rulers championing FP, and making FP free were the facilitators suggested.Conclusion: The participants said that FP is beneficial to everyone in the community and men should be involved in FP. Traditional and religious leaders should be made the champions of FP in their various communities to improve acceptance and utilisation

Effect of N, P and FYM rates on DM accumulation and uptake of K, Ca and Mg by Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) in the Northern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria

An investigation was conducted during 2005, 2006 and 2007 wet seasons at the experimental farm of the institute of Agricultural Research, Samaru (11o 11ŒN, 07o 38ŒE, 686m above sea level) to study the effect of N, P and farmyard manure (FYM) rates on dry matter (DM) accumulation and uptake of cations by Roselle in the Northern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. The experiment consisted of three levels of N (0, 60 and 120 kg N ha-1)) in the form of urea, three levels of P (0, 13.2 and 26.4 kg P ha-1)) in the form of single super phosphate (SSP) and three levels of FYM (0, 5 and 10 t ha-1). A total of twenty seven  treatments were laid out in a split plot design with three replications. The factorial combinations of N and P were assigned to the main plots, while the FYM was allocated to the sub-plots. The result showed that application of 60 kg N and 5 t FYM ha-1) recorded significant increase in DM accumulation in Roselle, while applied P had no significant effect on DM production. Combined application of 120 kg N ha-1) with 5 t FYM ha-1) was optimum for DM production in Roselle. N application reduced K and Mg content but increased the uptake of the nutrients. Similarly, FYM reduced K and Ca content of shoots, while the uptake of these nutrients was increased by manure application. P application increased K and Mg, but reduced Ca contents of shoots. Application of P did not however exert significant effect (P<0.05) on the K and Mg uptake, but reduced Ca uptake of Roselle. Further trial of N application at higher rates is recommended in the study area.KEY WORDS: DM Accumulation, FYM, Nutrients, Multiproduct, Roselle, and gZoborodo

Energy Use Patterns in Sugar Production: A case study of Savannah Sugar Company, Numan, Adamawa State, Nigeria

A study was conducted on the evaluation of energy use patterns in sugar production in Savannah Sugar Company, Numan, Adamawa State. Energy use and production data in this agro-allied company for seven years (1998-2004) were collected through the administration of a structured questionnaire. Results show of the two energy sources examined electrical energy consumed accounted for 93% of the total energy inputs over the years under review. The balance of 7% was in the form of manual energy. The minimum and maximum values of energy use ratios were 16.2:1 and 23.9:1 were obtained for 2000 and 2002 respectively. A correlation between energy inputs and outputs with R2 value of 0.57 was obtained. Some energy use lapses were identified in the course of the study, which includes malfunctioning of some electric motors and other auxiliary equipment and general wastage. Manufacture, Transport and Repair (MTR) energy was not evaluated due to insufficient data on the masses of machines available in the industries and on their usage. Thus, the results of energy use obtained from the industries are incomplete because the MTR energy plays a significant role in energy use analysis. The significance of the results obtained in this work is that since the level of use of each energy source was determined, the agro-allied industry would be able to relate energy use with commodity production so as to enhance production with minimum energy input