The Integrity of Religion in Nigerian Politics, 1999 - 2019

That religion plays a major role in the governance of Nigeria is not an understatement but a fact that is unequivocal; it might appear a bit difficult to separate religion from the state because religionists are key players in the governance of the country. That religion has entered into politics and governance is not new; both are as old as the history of the nation itself. It has been discovered that religion has dominated national life of recent. If religion is thus important in the act of governance, it should therefore ensure its integrity is not dented. However, Nigeria has not had it so good since 1999 that the third democracy started because of greed, avarice and corruption. One may then wonder if religion has got any influence on the key players/actors of the art of governance in Nigeria because the scale and forms in which religious leaders are brazenly intruding into politics of recent is alarming. They are supposed to be detached from partisan politics but to encourage politicians to deliver good governance and sustainable development for citizens. The scope of this work covers a twenty year period from 1999 to 2009 which falls within the third republic. This article therefore seeks to situate that integrity of religion is sacrosanct to Nigerian politics before she can graduate from the underdeveloped stage to developing and developed using interdisciplinary approach which was drawn from historical perspectives. It is therefore recommended that in order to protect the integrity of religion in politics, leaders of religion should live and preach uprightness, probity, accountability and prowess in their daily preaching

Occurrence rate of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients attending chest clinics in selected hospitals in Akure metropolis

Background: The increase in incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and emergence of drug resistant strains of MTB is a serious issue especially in developing communities. The aim of this study is to investigate occurrence rate of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients attending chest clinics in selected hospitals in Akure metropolis Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of five hundred (500) sputum samples were collected from patients attending selected chest clinics in Akure metropolis and a specially designed questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic data of the individuals recruited for the study. The collected sputum samples were analyzed using GeneXpert machine (Cepheid, Model GX-IV) to detect MTB rifampicin resistance. Results: 51(10.2 %) of the 500 patients screened were positive for MTB while 8(15.7 %) of the MTB positive patients had rifampicin-resistant MTB. The occurrence of rifampicin-resistant MTB was higher in males (23.8 %) than in females (10.0 %). It was also higher among the age range of 20-31 years with percentage of (33.3 %) and higher among singles (87.5 %) than the married (2.3 %). Rifampicin-resistant MTB was higher among the illiterate (20 %). Conclusion: It is imperative that the health policy makers and government should increase the awareness campaign on tuberculosis prevention and also encourage more studies for the development of novel and more effective tuberculosis’ drugs by financing the project

Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on Salmonella typhi infection, gastrointestinal flora and hematological parameters of albino rats

The effect of consumption of garlic (Allium sativum) in treating Salmonella typhi infection and on the gastrointestinal flora and hematological parameters of rats was investigated. Crude garlic extract inhibited the growth of S. typhi on agar plate with a zone of inhibition averaging 23.8 mm in diameter using the agar diffusion assay. This inhibition was superior to that of all the conventional antibiotics used except streptomycin which gave a growth inhibitory value of 24.0 mm. In the in vivo assay, although, pretreatment with the extract did not protect rats orogastrically dosed with the infective dose of S. typhi from the infection, the consumption of crude garlic extract however, caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the number of S. typhi in the feaces of the infected rats from 2.0 x 108 to 9.0 x 101 cfu/ml and also reduced the duration of infection from 5 to 3 days. On the effect of consumption of garlic extract on the type and load of gastrointestinal flora and hematological parameters of rats, garlic extract caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the type of bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract of rats fed 1 ml daily for 7 weeks from six microbial types to one microbial species, reduction in microbial load of the flora from 1.64 x 1012 to 1.3 x 107 cfu/ml, reduction in packed cell volume (PCV), total white blood cells (WBC) and lymphocytes counts but caused an increase in neutrophils and monocytes counts of the rats. The observed increases in the neutrophils and monocytes counts of the blood suggested that garlic may possess immune-stimulatory effect in addition to its antibacterial effect.Key words: Salmonella typhi, Allium sativum, antibacterial activity, rats

Semantic Connotation of Hadith and the Emergence of Arabic Schools of Grammar

Scholars focused the contributions of the Qur’ān to the evolution of Arabic Grammar, but few of them focused on the effect of prophetic tradition on the area. This paper, therefore, focuses on semantic connotation of prophetic traditions: “Guide your brother, he has gone astray” and “Divergent opinion of my followers is a blessing” These sayings of the prophet led to the evolution of Arabic grammatical studies and the establishment of its schools that enriched Arabic grammar. It opens with the grammarians’ contribution to the development of Arabic grammar such as Abul-Aswad Addu’alī (d.69 A.H), Seyyid ‘Ali b. Abī Talib, al-Khalīl ibn Ahmad al-Farāhidī and so on. Although, There were five major schools of Arabic grammar namely: al-Madhhab al-Basra, al-Madhhab al- Kūfa, alMadhhab al-Bagdād, al-Madhhab al- Andalusī and al-Madhhab al- Misrī but this paper, mainly focuses on the two prominent schools - Basran and Kūfan. It analyses the conflict of theory in Arabic grammar on some topics and other terms, grammatical debates between notable scholars of the two schools with their divergent opinions. The discussion ends with the justification of analogical deduction employed by the two schools in their analysis as a commendable exercise

Antimicrobial activity of leaf extracts of Ocimum gratissimum on selected diarrhoea causing bacteria in southwestern Nigeria

The antibacterial activity of different extracts from the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Salmonella typhimurium, pathogenic bacteria that cause diarrhea. These extracts evaluated include cold water extract (CWE), hot water extract (HWE) and steam distillation extract (SDE). Only SDE has inhibitory effects on the selected bacteria and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 0.1% for S. aureus to 0.01% for E. coli and S. typhimurium, and 0.001% for S. typhi.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 682-684, 200

Evaluation of ogi liquor from different grains for antibacterial activities against some common diarrhoeal bacteria in Southwest Nigeria

The effect of raw ogi liquor from five varieties of grains; white maize, yellow maize, white guinea corn, red guinea corn and millet on some diarrhoeal bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter species was investigated. The ogi liquors prepared using cold and hot water methods were effective in inhibiting the growth of most of the test organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 4.0 - 14.0 mm. The growth inhibition mediated by theseliquors, however, was not as wide as that of some of the antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, gentamycin and ofloxacin, but in most cases superior to that of tetracycline, nitrofurantoin and cotrimoxazole

BENISEEDS (Sesamum indicum Linn.) PREPARATION TREATMENTS THAT AFFECT PROXIMATE ANALYSIS, PHYTOCHEMICAL, AND MINERAL VALUES

Beniseeds, also called sesame seed can be prepared in different ways to alter its nutritive and medicinal value. Here, beniseeds were prepared by roasting, boiling, and open fermentation. The proximate analysis compositon, mineral content, and phytochemical quantities varied by preparation treatment relative to the untreated fresh seeds. Open fermentation best decreased anti-nutrient and alkaloid quantities while simultaneously increasing the extractable protein content. These results provide a nutritional data base for a local seed stock and quantitatively demonstrate how preparative techniques can be applied to increase the human consumption value of beniseeds as well as its medicinal properties

The Effect of Temperature on the Antibacterial and Physicochemical Properties of Fermenting Beniseeds

The effect of temperature on the antibacterial property of fermenting beniseed was assessed on six diarhoeagenic bacteria by keeping the fermenting seeds at 40C and 290C respectively. Both the liquor and the slurry were used in this study. The pH, total titratable acidity, microbial load and the microflora of the samples kept at the two different temperatures was determined daily for 7 days. The results showed that the liquor kept at 290C had its highest antibacterial activities after 24hrs of fermentation while the sample kept at 40C had its highest antibacterial activities after 72hrs of fermentation. The highest inhibitory effect was observed on B. cereus with zone diameter of 42mm by the sample kept at 290C and 36mm the sample kept at 40C. This result, when compared with standard commercial antibiotics showed that the fermenting liquor is more effective against four of the six bacteria used. The microbial load of the fermenting liquor increased from 2.4 x104 cfu/ml to 9.2 x106cfu/ml in the sample kept at 290C and 2.4 x104 cfu/ml to 2.8 x105 cfu/ml in the sample kept at 40C by day 4. Microorganisms found to be associated with the fermentation are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Pediococcus cerevisiae and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The pH of the fermenting liquor decreased from 5.50 at day 0 to 4.90 by day 4 for the sample kept at 40C while it decreased to 3.80 by day 4 for the sample kept at 290C. The total titratable acidity for the sample kept at 40C was highest by day 1 with a value of 27.00 and lowest by day 6 with a value of 10.00 while the one kept at 290C recorded the highest value of 56.10 by day 1 and lowest value of 15.50 by day 4. Since the fermented liquor significantly inhibited the growth of the test organisms used, it is therefore suggested that in the absence of antibiotics, fermented beniseed liquor can be used to treat diarrhoea within 24hours in rural areas where they may not be quick access to conventional antibiotics and can be used up to seven days when preserved in refrigerator to combat diarrhoea caused by these organisms