The Political Economy of the New Slave Trade in Africa

A macro analysis of various inquiry into the nature and causes of Africa s crises may revealed a continent placed on perpetual slavery From trans-Atlantic slave trade to colonialism from colonialism to flag independence and Neo Colonialism from trade imperialism to human trafficking from the rampaging momentum of globalization to erosion of Africa culture and communal morality from Tokunbo Syndrome and currencies Africa seems to be on a verge of internationallyinspired perpetual servitude The costs of these old and modern vices are enormous and the task of salvaging them is not less so While the paper exposes the two divides it goes to argue that the actualization of the New International Economic Order NIEO remain a must for Africa as a continent if she must survive the present socio- economic and political disempowerment eating deep to her efforts at meeting aims and objectives of the millennium Development Goods MD

In the cesspool of corruption: The challenges of national development and the dilemma of anti-graft agencies in Nigeria

Most theoretical and analytical discourse on national development identified the virulent nature of corruption as development curse. In Nigeria, as in many other soft states, the epidemic nature of corruption and its destructive impacts on the national development has received wider attention in both national and international mass media. Similarly, scholarly literature on the culture of sleaze in many of these countries revealed the depth of the disease. Nigeria, undoubtedly remain at the front page of countries under the siege of sleaze. Its profile as one of the most corrupt nations feeds largely into the crisis of its national development. Conceptually and theoretically, corruption encompassed very distinct social problems of mismanagement of public resources, weak and dysfunctional government institutions, complex relationships between political actors and public moral and economic assets. Indeed, the curse of corruption has assumed more than tantalizingly simple act of sleaze but a clear, complex and contested reality of national underdevelopment. It explains to a large extent the abuse of public power and misuse of entrusted power for private gain in the context of attaining national development. In this paper therefore, a continuation of the literature on corruption that espouses the interplay between the culture of greedy sleaze and national development is given bolder attention. The paper analyses a broad understandings of corruption from the analytical usefulness of an effective national development imperative. It further explains the interventionist roles of the ambitious anti-graft agencies and their contemporary challenges

Seized by Sleaze: The Siege of Corruption and a Search for Workable Options in Nigeria

The Nigerian state presents a contradictory scenario. It is a country of immense human and material resources, yet it remains poor and grossly underdeveloped. Studies have identified two major obstacles to Nigerian’s development: widespread corruption, and the lingering money laundering scheme. Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has been enduring corruption with little or no serious efforts at combating it. Corruption has become a popular language in Nigerian governance to the extent that an average government political official in Nigeria is generally believed to be corrupt in one way or the other, thereby making Nigeria one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Given the foregoing, this paper examines the phenomenon of corruption in Nigeria. It argues that the prevalence of corruption at every level impedes the prospect of development and growth in the country. It concludes that for Nigeria to make any meaningful growth as a country, corruption must be vehemently opposed and genuinely fought. It then offers workable options on how to combat what has turned out to be a national scourge

A Comparative Analysis of Women Candidatures and Outcomes in the 2011 and 2015 Nigeria General Elections

One noticeable development in the Nigeria’s 2015 general elections is the differentials in the numbers and outcomes of women involvement as candidates in comparison to the 2011 elections. The percentage of women contesting for presidential position decline from 12.5% in 2011 to 7.1% in 2015. That of the gubernatorial election also witnessed a reduction from 10.2% in 2011 to 7.1% in 2015, while the percentage of women for deputy governorship positions was relatively stable with only an increase of 0.4%. However, there was a double increment in the contestations for Senatorial posts from 10.3% in 2011 to 22.2% in 2015. Also, the number of women candidacy into the House of Representative and State Houses of Assembly recorded an increase of 5.7% and 5.6% respectively. However, when it comes to actual successes at the polls, the outcomes were not encouraging. With the exemption of deputy governorship number that improved from 2.8% in 2011 to 13.8% in 2015, all others witnessed a sharp decline. While Presidential and Governorship numbers returned nil percentages, there were shortfalls of 1.8% and 2.5% of women elected into the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively. Given the presence of 35% affirmative action and incentives introduced by various parties, some questions arise: Why do the positive changes refused to come? What does this say about the Nigerian society?......

Assessment of genetic variation in accessions of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) and its crosses by seed protein electrophoresis

Seed storage proteins of seventeen accessions and seven crosses of sesame were analysed using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a view to assessvariation. A total of 19 protein polypeptide bands were detected with relative migration of 0.13 to 0.87. The maximum number of protein bands (12) was recorded in EVAx69B-882 and the minimum (6) in 69B-882xPACH, 69B-882xEVA, CK21xPACHcrosses and E-8 accession. Band number 1 and 13 were exclusive to 65-8B while 5 to 69B882xC-K21. Each genotype was distinct from the other, but certain bands were shared by several genotypes. Principal component analysis of protein data revealed the first three principal components accounting for 57.08% of the total variability. The dendrogram generated from cluster analysis grouped the accessions and the crossesinto four distinct clusters. This study reveals moderate genetic variability among the genotypes from various sources and suggests possibilities for improvementthrough breeding

Modulatory Role of Vitamin E on Proton Pump (ATPase) Activity of Cadmium Chloride-Induced Testicular Damage in Wistar Rats

Proton pumps are membrane-bound enzymes important in generating gradients that help in maintaining cellular ion homeostasis, cell membrane potential, water, and solute transport across the cell surface. This study investigated the modulatory role of vitamin E on proton pump activity and reproductive parameters in cadmium-induced testicular damage. Twenty (20) male Wistar rats weighing between 180 and 200 g were sorted into 4 groups of five rats each. Group I served as the control and was given normal saline orally, Group II rats were treated with a single dose of 2 mg/kg BW cadmium chloride (CdCl2) intraperitoneally, Group III rats were given 100 mg/kg BW of vitamin E orally, and Group IV rats were given 100 mg/kg BW of vitamin E orally for 30 days prior to intraperitoneal administration of single dose of 2 mg/kg BW of cadmium chloride. The rats were anaesthetized with diethyl ether, and blood samples were obtained for sex hormonal analysis; caudal epididymis was dissected for sperm count, motility, and viability, and the testis were homogenized for lipid peroxidation and proton pump (Na+/K+ ATPase, Ca2+ ATPase, and Mg2+ ATPase) activity. Proton pump activity was assayed spectrophotometrically using the Stewart method to determine the inorganic phosphate level. Histopathological changes of the testis were also studied. The group treated with CdCl2 showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in proton pump activity, sperm count, and motility and a significant (p<0.05) increase in malondialdehyde level when compared with the control group. The CdCl2-treated group also showed decrease reproductive organ weights and hormonal levels and cause necrosis of spermatogonia lining the seminiferous tubules. Rats treated with vitamin E orally for 30 days prior to CdCl2 exposure showed improvement in proton pump activity, a significant (p<0.05) increase in sperm parameters and luteinizing hormonal level, and a decrease in the lipid peroxidation level as compared with the CdCl2 group. This study showed that vitamin E ameliorated the toxic effect of CdCl2 on proton pump activity in the testes, hence improving testicular integrity, structures, and functions

Evaluation of prognostic risk models for postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a systematic review and international external validation cohort study

Background Stratifying risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery allows clinicians to modify risk through targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate prognostic models against a new consensus definition of postoperative pulmonary complications. Methods We did a systematic review and international external validation cohort study. The systematic review was done in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched MEDLINE and Embase on March 1, 2020, for articles published in English that reported on risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery. External validation of existing models was done within a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing major abdominal surgery. Data were collected between Jan 1, 2019, and April 30, 2019, in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Discriminative ability and prognostic accuracy summary statistics were compared between models for the 30-day postoperative pulmonary complication rate as defined by the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine Core Outcome Measures in Perioperative and Anaesthetic Care (StEP-COMPAC). Model performance was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC). Findings In total, we identified 2903 records from our literature search; of which, 2514 (86·6%) unique records were screened, 121 (4·8%) of 2514 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 29 unique prognostic models were identified. Nine (31·0%) of 29 models had score development reported only, 19 (65·5%) had undergone internal validation, and only four (13·8%) had been externally validated. Data to validate six eligible models were collected in the international external validation cohort study. Data from 11 591 patients were available, with an overall postoperative pulmonary complication rate of 7·8% (n=903). None of the six models showed good discrimination (defined as AUROCC ≥0·70) for identifying postoperative pulmonary complications, with the Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia score showing the best discrimination (AUROCC 0·700 [95% CI 0·683–0·717]). Interpretation In the pre-COVID-19 pandemic data, variability in the risk of pulmonary complications (StEP-COMPAC definition) following major abdominal surgery was poorly described by existing prognostication tools. To improve surgical safety during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and beyond, novel risk stratification tools are required. Funding British Journal of Surgery Society