NAPTIP: Nigeria's institutional response to human trafficking

This is an examination of the Nigerian government’s main institutional response to the human trafficking conundrum. This is done through the lens of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). Here we present the responsibilities and functions of the national agency and critically review how it operationalises its mandate, taking care to lay bare its achievements, challenges, and the way forward for policy, practice, and partnerships for success over the scourge of human trafficking.ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Strengthening retinopathy of prematurity screening and treatment services in Nigeria: a case study of activities, challenges and outcomes 2017-2020.

OBJECTIVES: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) will become a major cause of blindness in Nigerian children unless screening and treatment services expand. This article aims to describe the collaborative activities undertaken to improve services for ROP between 2017 and 2020 as well as the outcome of these activities in Nigeria. DESIGN: Descriptive case study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care units in Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Staff providing services for ROP, and 723 preterm infants screened for ROP who fulfilled screening criteria (gestational age <34 weeks or birth weight ≤2000 g, or sickness criteria). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A WhatsApp group was initiated for Nigerian ophthalmologists and neonatologists in 2018. Members participated in a range of capacity-building, national and international collaborative activities between 2017 and 2018. A national protocol for ROP was developed for Nigeria and adopted in 2018; 1 year screening outcome data were collected and analysed. In 2019, an esurvey was used to collect service data from WhatsApp group members for 2017-2018 and to assess challenges in service provision. RESULTS: In 2017 only six of the 84 public neonatal units in Nigeria provided ROP services; this number had increased to 20 by 2018. Of the 723 babies screened in 10 units over a year, 127 (17.6%) developed any ROP; and 29 (22.8%) developed type 1 ROP. Only 13 (44.8%) babies were treated, most by intravitreal bevacizumab. The screening criteria were revised in 2020. Challenges included lack of equipment to regulate oxygen and to document and treat ROP, and lack of data systems. CONCLUSION: ROP screening coverage and quality improved after national and international collaborative efforts. To scale up and improve services, equipment for neonatal care and ROP treatment is urgently needed, as well as systems to monitor data. Ongoing advocacy is also essential

Influence of human activities on diversity and abundance of insects in Akure Forest Reserve, Ondo State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess the impacts of human activities on insect diversity and abundance in Akure Forest Reserve, Nigeria. Three land uses (fallow land, cocoa agroforest and unlogged forest) wereselected for field work within the forest reserve. An hectare block was centrally demarcated in each of the land use types where insects collection and enumeration of trees species took place. 13,578 insects distributedamong 30 families belonging to 15 orders were collected and identified and preserved in the insect boxes in the Museum. Within the fallow land, a total of 5,182 insects belonging to 46 families and 8 orders wereencountered, while in the cocoa agroforest, 5,884 insects distributed among 50 families and 10 orders and unlogged forest, consist of 2,490 insects distributed into 10 orders and 56 families. The families and order with the highest number of individual insects are Lepidoptera (4,000) and Orthopetera (1,260). These insects are mainly defoliators. The Shannon-weiner diversity index shows that unlogged forest is more diverse than thecocoa agroforest and fallow land. The tree species with the highest frequency per hectare is Cordia platythrsa (Boragiaceae) (6) in fallow land, Theobroma cacao (50) in cocoa agroforestry land Celtis zenkerii (Ulmaceae) in unlogged forest land. A total of 14, 26 and 41 species of tree were identified in the fallow land, cocoa agroforestry land and untouched forest respectively. Keywords: Biodiversity, agroforestry, insect defoliators, land uses, fallow land, conservation