Self-reported Psychosexual lifestyles of University Students in South-Western Nigeria: Implication for Professional Counselling

Human sexuality is generally described as the sum total of manner through which people experience and articulate their sexual sensation. It encompasses physiological make-up as well as socio-cultural, psychological and spiritual aspects of life.Considerable researches have been conducted on human sexuality among university students but this paper measures twelve psychosexual constructs among six hundred and eight university students (376 males and 232 females) randomly selected from three universities in South-western, Nigeria. Snell (1997) Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ), consisting of 12 different psychological constructs related to sexual relationships was used to gather data. One research question and one research hypothesis guided the study. Descriptive statistics of frequency count, mean and t-test statistic were employed to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the participants reported higher mean score of 18.37 for psychosexual constructs of sexual esteem and the lowest mean rating of 10.76 for sexual depression,. Further analysis showed that there were no significant differences on sexual esteem and depression of the participants on gender basis. It is recommended that counsellors should broaden sexual recovery psychotherapeutic intervention programmes that will further enhance psychosexual lifestyles of university student

Positivity yield of HIV index testing services from selected healthcare facilities in Ondo State, southwest Nigeria

Background: Index testing is a voluntary process whereby HIV seropositive clients are counselled and, after obtaining consent, their sexual and needle sharing partners are offered HIV testing services. Index testing has been associated with high HIV positivity yield. The aim of this study is to determine the positivity yield and identify factors influencing the yield from index testing strategy in selected healthcare facilities in Ondo State, southwest Nigeria. Methodology: Six public hospitals in Ondo State with the highest HIV clients currently on treatment were selected. Records of all clients newly diagnosed to be HIV positive at the selected facilities from June 2018 to September 2019, and who had an outcome for index testing services were reviewed. Data were collected using a chart abstraction template from the index testing registers. Information collected included age and gender of the index clients and their partners, method of referral and notification of partners, HIV test results of partners and linkage status of new HIVpositive partners. Data analyses were done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 24.0. Chi-square was used to test association between variables at a significance level of p<0.01. Results: The records of a total of 904 index clients and their partners were reviewed with partner elicitation ratio of 1:1. The mean ages of index clients and their partners were 38.52±10.96 and 38.98±10.79 years respectively, and majority of the index clients (34.6%) and partners (35.5%) were in the 35-44 years age group. A total of 548 index clients were females (60.6%) while 528 of their partners were males (58.4%), indicating  predominantly heterosexual (96.4%) and few homosexual (lesbian) relationships (3.6%). One-fifth (20%) of partners tested positive for HIV andwere all (100%) linked to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The HIV positivity rate in partners of male index clients (26.9%) was significantly higher than in partners of female index clients (15.5%) (p<0.01). Partner referral method was mostly through assisted referral (56%) and most (82%) were contacted by the index clients through phone. Conclusion: Due to its high positivity yield, index testing is a veritable strategy to increase HIV case detection and linkage to ART. Hence, proper deployment of index testing will be critical to improving ART coverage and achieving epidemiological control. Keywords: HIV, client; partner; index testing; ART; southwest Nigeri

Perception of companions hip in relation to marital satisfaction: A study of married men and women

The study assessed perception of companionship in relation to marital satisfaction by married men and women. The study utilised a stratified random sampling technique. Two research questions were generated for this study and a sample of 240 married men and women in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State were selected. Results indicated that 95.9% agreed that couples who are each other’s best friend are always happy with their marriage, 95% agreed that companionship plays a vital role in marital satisfaction. Also, 91.3% submitted that they no longer tell their spouse how much they love him/her and reassure their commitment to the relationship as they used to during courtship and 89.6% submitted that they no longer talk freely about things of common interest to their relationship as they used to during courtship. It was therefore recommended that couples should not just be aware of the importance of companionship but exhibit it in their marriages. Keywords: Companionship, marriage, intimacy, marital satisfaction, courtship, relationsh

Reclamation of desertified farmlands and consequences for its farmers in semiarid Northern Nigeria: a case study of Yambawa Rehabilitation Scheme

As a trial relief measure to rehabilitate abandoned desertified fields at Yambawa in semiarid northern Nigeria, the forest department, acting on advice from the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), established a system of multiple shelterbelts using a monoculture of Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Farmers returning did so not because of the shelterbelts but for socioeconomic reasons related to unemployment and food security. Local farmers were not consulted at the planning stage, and this led to their resentment of the rehabilitation scheme. They would have preferred their choice of tree species that have medicinal or food value. This omission by the government was worsened by inadequate design rules and failure to pay adequate compensation for the 15-20% of land utilized. The use of much land led to more fragmentation in the family tenure, which negatively influences farm use and planning. Income wise, farmers in unsheltered areas appear, therefore, better off. Although 50% of all farmers consulted extension workers, services of the forestry and agricultural extension units were inadequate and uncoordinated, resulting in farmers in the protected area not fully understanding what measures they should take to improve on their crop yields. Farmers who had expected that the belts would enhance their financial and social status became also disappointed when they saw that revenue generated from fuel wood and poles harvested went to the government. Grain yields of millet in farmers' plots were 46 +/- 3% lower in unprotected areas than in the areas between the belts, during the very different 1993 and 1994 rainy seasons for two differently determined planting dates. Better extension would have brought more of such benefits to the farmer and better design rules would have even increased these advantages

Market institutions and urban food supply in West and Southern Africa: a review

As the urban share of Africa's population increases, the importance of understanding how food supply is shaped by market institutions has grown. However, this topic has received little attention from policy makers and researchers despite the implications of market institutions and regulatory systems for livelihoods and poverty. This paper reviews the existing literature on market intermediaries, access to selling spaces, finance for traders and sources of information on prices and supplies. The gaps in research are identified and a set of key research issues in this crucial, yet under-researched, area are articulated