Sclerotium Rot Disease Management in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus, L.) with Sawdust or Ash Extract

The potency of sawdust or ash extracts of Gmelina arborea and Ficus exasperata to manage Sclerotium rot disease of two sunflower varieties (SAMSUN 1 and SAMSUN 2) was investigated. Sunflower plants were sprayed with 50% extracts once every three weeks after planting. Results showed that all extracts significantly (p<0.05) reduced the incidence and severity of the disease. Specifically, ash extracts of G. arborea and F. exasperata reduced the incidence of Sclerotium rot disease on sunflower plants and minimized disease development, thereby, preventing achene and flower infection. Seeds from the plots sprayed with ash extracts of F. exasperata recorded significant lower fungal infection ranging from 23.78 to 40.04% compared to unsprayed plots (70.29 to71.27%). Similarly, germination percentage of seeds from sprayed plots was significantly (p<0.05) higher (range: 67.21 to 89.71%) than that of control (15.09 to 20.14%). Seed stored with extracts had a significantly (p<0.05) lower fungal incidence (13.61 to 16.11%) than that without extract (21.81 to 24.11%). Likewise, extract-stored seeds recorded significantly (p<0.05) higher germination (69.11and 98.14%) than control (17.26 and 20.17%). In conclusion, sawdust or ash extracts of G. arborea and F. exasperata were comparable to Benlate (Benzimidazoles 50% WP) in their effect to suppress Sclerotium rot disease in sunflower varieties; therefore they hold promising prospects for use in the management of sunflower Sclerotium rot disease

Mobility as a contradictory resource: Peripatetic Qur’anic students in Kano, Nigeria

Mobility is a powerful resource young people can draw on to improve their lives, but it can also entail risks. This paper explores how mobility becomes a contradictory resource for peripatetic Qur'anic students (almajirai) in Kano State in northern Nigeria. Moving to urban areas allows the young almajirai to escape difficult conditions and to access educational and income opportunities absent in their rural homes. It makes it possible for them to adopt self-conceptions as migrants in search of sacred knowledge who were once widely respected. However, economic decline has made survival in the city more difficult. Lacking the economic and cultural resources to participate in displays of status, and without social superiors to speak for them, the almajirai feel they have become fair game for those searching for scapegoats

Fiscal federalism and economic development in Nigeria: An auto-regressive distributed lag approach

This study examines the impact of fiscal federalism on economic development in Nigeria for the period 1981–2017 using the auto-regressive distributed lag approach. The data for the study were sourced from various issues of Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and International Country Risk Guide. It was found that revenue decentralization with a coefficient of −2.15 significantly retarded economic development at 5%, while expenditure decentralization with a coefficient of 2.935 significantly increased economic development at 5%. The overall decentralization indicator, captured as simultaneity measure with a coefficient of 4.264 significantly increased economic development at 1%. From the empirical evidence, fiscal federalism will encourage economic development in Nigeria. These findings support and reinforce the need for greater decentralization of fiscal responsibilities to sub-national government. Also, government should enact legislations to improve bureaucratic quality, and implement appropriate security reforms to further strengthen law and order to ensure economic development in Nigeria

A bound testing analysis of Wagner's law in Nigeria: 1970-2006

This study tests Wagner's law (the tendency for government activities to expand along with economic expansion) for Nigeria using annual time series data between 1970 and 2006. It adopts the bounds test approach proposed by Pesaran et�al. (2001) based on unrestricted error correction model (UECM) and Toda and Yamamoto's (1995) Granger noncausality tests. Empirical results from the bounds test indicate that there exists no long-run relationship between government expenditure and output in Nigeria. In addition, Toda and Yamamoto's (1995) causality test results show that Wagner's law does not hold for more than the period being tested. Rather we found a weak empirical support in the proposition by Keynes that public expenditure is an exogenous factor and a policy instrument for increasing national income.