Tiv People and the Provision of People-Oriented Security Services Before the Establishment of Chieftaincy Institution in Tiv, 1900 -1960

Admittedly, most societies in the world were ruled by kings or queens during the 19th and early 20th century probably because it was believed that “strong” or dictatorial kings or queens would provide better protection against external aggressors than a group of “weak” or democratic people. But few societies including Tiv people in the present day central Nigeria, were ruled by their elders for reasons that scholars are yet to satisfactorily   explain. In this paper, the writer explains that Tiv people preferred democratic administration with people-oriented security services to autocratic or dictatorial administration which over emphasizes security for state institution to the detriment of the common people. People –oriented security services denotes welfare package which the administration provides for the benefit of both the poor and the rich   in the society.  The writer has, however, observed that the British colonial administration compelled Tiv people to abandon the budding   democratic culture with associated people –oriented security services for the Tor-Tiv chieftaincy institution with its emphasis on the provision of security services for the British colonial state in 1946. The writer explains that the British colonial administration destroyed the evolving democratic culture among Tiv people and established chieftaincy institution in order to facilitate the exploitation of human and natural resources and integrate Tiv economy into the global capitalist system. The paper criticizes the tricks and methods employed by the British colonialists to force the chieftaincy institution on Tiv people with consequent destruction of the evolving humane or people oriented security services. The writer  suggested that the functionaries of the chieftaincy institution should provide people-oriented security services for Tiv people. The paper concludes that the provision of people-oriented security services will convince Tiv people and other Nigerians that the chieftaincy institution is not simply another exploitative colonial legacy left by the British to maintain socio-economic and political inequality as well as insecurity among Tiv people in the 21st century

The Role of British Colonial Administration in the Establishment and Workings of the Nigerian Police Force, 1930 – 1960

Ideally, colonial administrations, including the British colonial administration, played significant role in the establishment and workings of security agencies to maintain peaceful coexistence and protect the lives and property of all members of any given society around the world. This paper examines, critically, the role of the British Colonial Administration in the establishment and workings of the Nigerian Police Force, contrary to bourgeois claim that the Nigerian Police Force protect all members of the Nigerian society; the paper posits that the Nigerian Police Force was established primarily to save guard the British colonial state and also to protect the lives and property of British Officials and influential members of the Nigerian society. Although the British colonial administration ended in 1960, the Nigerian Police Force continued providing state security services for the Nigerian state with minimum attention to the people – oriented security services for common Nigerians. The writer has observed that the preoccupation of the British colonial administration with the provision of state security services instead of providing people – oriented security services for all members of the Nigerian society provoked nationalist agitation against the British colonial administration. The writer has out rightly condemned colonialism and the associated discriminative practices against the colonized Nigerians. The paper concludes that it was the British colonial state’s preoccupation with the protection of colonial state institution and the lives and property of the British and influential Nigerians rather than the provision of people – oriented security services for all members of the Nigerian society that brought about the end of British colonial administration in 1960

Toward a Global PhD: Forces & Forms in Doctoral Education Worldwide

This is a book review for Meresi Nerad and Mimi Heggelund, eds. (2008) Toward a Global PhD: Forces & Forms in Doctoral Education Worldwide

Spot Speed Study of Vehicular Traffic on Major Highways in Makurdi Town

Spot speeds of vehicular traffic along Otukpo, Gboko, Lafia and Iorchia-Ayu highways in Makurdi town where examined. Manual traffic count was carried out to ascertain traffic volume per hour per lane on each lane of the sampled road segments, and spot speeds of vehicles travelling in both directions of the highways where randomly measured using a Brushel speed gun at different spots for a period of 12 hours (6: 00 am – 6:00 pm) daily. Data analysis using statistical techniques revealed that vehicles travelled at average speed of 51 km/h, 53 km/h, 63 km/h and 50 km/h on the Otukpo, Gboko, Lafia, and Iorchia-Ayo highways respectively. Also, the range of travel pace and corresponding percentages of traffic (in brackets) on highways in Makurdi town were; 46-56 km/h (57%), (47-57km/h (50%), 55-65(32%) and 46-56(49%) for the Otukpo, Gboko, Lafia and Iorchia-Ayu roads respectively. Therefore speed limit ranging between 50-55km/h was proposed for highways in Makurdi town to guarantee safe travel. The study also revealed that highways in Makurdi town operated at a design speed below design specifications of 80–100 km/h required by the Nigeria Highway Design Manual except the Lafia road that has design speed of 80km/h. Speed calming devices, high traffic volume, geometrical layout or highway capacity and possibly pavement condition were identified as factors affecting vehicles speeds on highways in Makurdi town. Road rehabilitation for improved capacity and traffic volume to satisfy design speed, and use of speed limit warning signs to guarantee travel safety were recommended. Keywords: Highways in Makurdi town, spot speed, speed limit, design speed, travel pace

Studying self-efficacy beliefs in medical education

AbstractThe aim is to identify a relevant framework to study self-efficacy in relation to the impact of medical education curricula. In medical education research, self-efficacy beliefs have mostly been studied in relation to their impact on the mastery of communication competencies and clinical skills. Few studies are available – in the medical domain – that centre on a broader range of medical curriculum competencies, the way self-efficacy improves self-regulated learning, how self-efficacy affects motivation, provides study support, how self-efficacy boosts the career development of students and, how self-efficacy influences social and emotional support of students

Investigating the Suitability of Coconut Husk Ash as a Road Soil Stabilizer

There is a pressing need to locate cheaper alternatives to traditional stabilizers such as Portland cement and lime which will reduce the cost of stabilized roads and make the practice of treating local soil materials very attractive to road development agencies in poor countries of the underdeveloped world, where deficient soils are often used without treatment, the consequence of which is premature deterioration of roads. This paper presents a study that was conducted to investigate the suitability of coconut husk ash (CHA), a waste product from crop plants, as a road soil stabilizer. The oxide composition of CHA was determined to establish its suitability as a pozzolanic material. It was then mixed with a lateritic soil (classified as A-2-6(1) using the AASHTO system of soil classification) in varying proportions, ranging from 0–20% by dry weight of soil at increments of 2%. The physical and strength properties of each of the soil-CHA blends was then determined in the laboratory. The results show that oxides of K2O, SiO2, Cl, CaO, P2O5, MgO and Al2O3 constitute 92% of CHA, indicating that it is a pozzolanic material. The optimum moisture content (OMC) of the soil increased, while its maximum dry density (MDD) decreased, with increasing CHA content. The CBR and UCS of the mixes increased with CHA content up to 8%, but decreased with a further increase in CHA content. However, the increase in the strength of the soil obtained at the optimum CHA content was not significant enough to warrant its usage as a lone stabilizer for sub-base and base materials, but it can be used for subgrade stabilization. For sub-base and base stabilization, CHA should be admixed with conventional stabilizers for improved performance

Pattern of Domestic Water Supply in Ugbokolo Community in Benue State, Nigeria

ABSTRAC

Fabrication and biomechanical characterization of a spider silk reinforced fibrin-based vascular prosthesis

With fibrin-based vascular prostheses, vascular tissue engineering offers a promising approach for the fabrication of biologically active regenerative vascular grafts. As a potentially autologous biomaterial, fibrin exhibits excellent hemo- and biocompatibility. However, the major problem in the use of fibrin constructs in vascular tissue engineering, which has so far prevented their widespread clinical application, is the insufficient biomechanical stability of unprocessed fibrin matrices. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated to what extent the addition of a spider silk network into the wall structure of fibrin-based vascular prostheses leads to an increase in biomechanical stability and an improvement in the biomimetic elastic behavior of the grafts. For the fabrication of hybrid prostheses composed of fibrin and spider silk, a statically cast tubular fibrin matrix was surrounded with an envelope layer of Trichonephila edulis silk using a custom built coiling machine. The fibrin matrix was then compacted and pressed into the spider silk network by transluminal balloon compression. This manufacturing process resulted in a hybrid prosthesis with a luminal diameter of 4 mm. Biomechanical characterization revealed a significant increase in biomechanical stability of spider silk reinforced grafts compared to exclusively compacted fibrin segments with a mean burst pressure of 362 ± 74 mmHg vs. 213 ± 14 mmHg (p < 0.05). Dynamic elastic behavior of the spider silk reinforced grafts was similar to native arteries. In addition, the coiling with spider silk allowed a significant increase in suture retention strength and resistance to external compression without compromising the endothelialization capacity of the grafts. Thus, spider silk reinforcement using the abluminal coiling technique represents an efficient and reproducible technique to optimize the biomechanical behavior of small-diameter fibrin-based vascular grafts