Neighborhood Citizen Participation in Environmental Planning and Management in Lagos State:The Estate Surveyors' View

Sound environmental planning is in the interest of the society and as such those whose neighborhoods are being planned must be carried along through intensive participation as provided for in the existing environmental planning legislations. In the opinion of the general public, this is not seen to be entirely the case in Lagos State. Therefore, this paper is a study into existing planning legislations in Lagos State with emphasis on the opportunities provided for citizen participation. The paper attempts a critic of environmental planning approaches between and among the Town Planning Authority and land owning families in Alimosho Local Government Council Area of Lagos State to date. In-depth interviews were carried out between and among various built environment professionals and six land owning families in the study area. The study shows that land-owning families are only interested in how much they can realize from sale of plots of land as against establishing sustainable neighbourhoods. Land speculators still carry out estate layouts with impunity without complying with approvals earlier obtained from the Town Planning Authority as it affects the road width, plot sizes, etc. The study suggests the need to introduce environmental awareness education as early as nursery school to undergraduate levels in college. This is to ensure early awareness that could lead to active participation of the youth as they grow up to become community leaders, industrialists, academia, and other interest groups

QUALITY OF ACADEMIC FACILITIES IN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA: ARE STUDENTS’ NEEDS MET?

The quality of facilities in educational institutions has been on the increase globally and is receiving much attention in educational research. This is necessitated by the fact that higher educational institutions worldwide are facing commercial competition imposed by economic forces resulting from the development of global education markets. In view of this, this study assessed students’ perception of the quality of academic facilities in private universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. This is with a view to improving the quality of university facilities in order to provide a conducive learning environment for students which will aid in good academic performance. 954 questionnaires were randomly administered to students in five private universities in the study area and a response rate of 71% was achieved. Using descriptive statistics, the results revealed that their needs were fairly met with the majority of the facilities sampled in the library, ICT laboratory and classrooms. The study recommended that facility providers should take note of the facilities whose quality students perceive as not meeting their needs, so as to be able to respond appropriately. This will entail ensuring that provision is made for such facilities in terms of budgeting for upgrading or replacemen

Defective Selection and Application of Valuation Data as the Cause of Valuation Inconsistency in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria

There has been increasing criticisms of the ability of Nigerian valuers to undertake investment valuations in a reliable and consistent manner. The earlier studies have focused mainly on the range of disparity between either the sale prices and valuation figures or between the valuation figures of two or more valuers. This study however sought to examine the roles of training and exposure to valuation inputs/data often employed in investment valuation by the professional valuers plays in the disparity/variance of the valuation figures produced by the valuers in cases where two or more valuers may have cause to carry out the valuation of the same property(ies) at about the same time/period. To achieve the aim of the study, the researchers employed quasi-experimental method whereby forty five estate surveyors and valuers with varying number of years in practice were sampled by requesting them to carry out valuation of twelve residential properties recently sold within Lagos Metropolis, the study area. The results of their valuations showed wide disparity/variance in the valuation outcomes between and amongst the valuers. These wide variance/disparity is traceable largely to lack of uniformity in the choice of valuation inputs employed by the valuers for valuation assignments and which has direct link to the training received by the respondent valers. The study concluded that there is the need by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) and the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) to take up the responsibility of ensuring that for any Estate Surveyor and Valuer to qualify to carry out valuation assignment(s) such Estate Surveyor and Valuer must have undergone sufficient training and acquire relevant exposure to the art and science of valuation which will afford them opportunity of how to employ relevant valuation data and inputs with a view to curtailing the problem of disparity in valuations amongst the valuers

A preliminary investigation of the biometry of knee pain for development of therapeutic device for the management of knee osteoarthritis

In engineering design there is the necessity to carry out biometry of an ailment on sufferers as a pedestal for development of a device that manages the ailment. In this paper, we have carried out the biometry of pain in patients of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The study evaluates causes of knee pain, its severity and effects on daily activities, psychosocial life and sleep. The study population was drawn from five government hospitals in Lagos State. After initial treatment, only patients with knee pain were enlisted as subjects in the study. A standardized questionnaire was used for data collection to determine the causes of the pain, its severity and effects on the operational performance of individuals with OA. Chi-square analysis was carried out on our samples at a statistical level of significance of α = 0.05. Out of 525 questionnaires that were distributed, 431 (82.10%) were responded to. The outcomes of this study indicate that OA affects individuals of all ages and genders irrespective of their topographical locations. 242 (89.67%) women and 189 (88.97%) men were affected with higher incidence recorded within the age groups of (41-50) and (61-70) with frequency values of 62 (84.00%) and 85 (92.85%) respectively. The risk factors include overweight, occupational hazard and previous history of knee injury. Overweight 132 (91.86%), Obesity 59 (92.28%) and Extreme Obesity 5 (90.37%). Previous injury 173 (90.52) % and non-previous injury is 258 (87.78%). This work studies biometrics of OA as basis for developing a therapeutic management of knee OA, and this is to improve the patient’s pain tolerance and relief of swollen knee without adverse effect.Key words: knee, joint pain, osteoarthritis, therapeutic device, weight, injur

Sustainable Facilities Management Practices in Selected Universities in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

 Sustainable development is being pursued at a global level and acknowledged across all sectors of the economy including universities. In order to apply sustainable measures, universities need to be vigilant in their management approaches. This study aimed at assessing the extent to which the selected universities in Ado-Oda/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have incorporated sustainability principles into their facility management practices. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach where interviews were conducted with experts from Covenant University (CU) and Bells University of Technology (BUT) who were purposefully sampled. The study population was comprised of facility managers from the physical planning and development units of the two universities who were chosen because of their expertise and responsibility. The interview guide contained questions about the types of buildings in the universities, sustainable facilities management (SFM) strategies being used by the universities, factors influencing the adoption of SFM strategies at the universities and challenges to the adoption of SFM practices. Data was analysed using conventional content approach. The study found that the universities have partially implemented SFM practices. The common practice adopted by the universities includes energy management. The universities have also done well in waste management. Legislation and cost savings were the drivers for the adoption of SFM practices. Despite such being the case, there are challenges to the adoption and implementation of SFM. These include resource constraints, design constraints, and lack of knowledge about SFM. Therefore, the study recommends development of a system that monitors and evaluates progress of sustainable facilities management practices in the Universities in Ado-Odo/Ota LGA, Ogun State

Hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations in subjects with metabolic syndrome

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a clinical condition characterized by insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, has been linked with raised levels of serum ferritin (Sfr) concentrations. Objectives This study was carried out to compare hemoglobin (Hb) and Sfr concentrations in patients with MetS, regular donors and first-time donors. Materials and Methods A total of 102 subjects who were between 18 and 60 years were enrolled for the study. They were divided into three groups. The first group (n = 20) was made up of 5 males and 15 females, all who met the criteria that define MetS. The second group (n = 52; M = 34, F = 18) were regular donors, while the last group (n = 30; M = 16, F = 14) were first-time donors or those who had not donated before. Following an overnight fast, 20 mL of venous blood was drawn from each subject. About 5 mL of this was put into sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) specimen bottles for the full blood count parameters with Sysmex KX-21N hematology analyzer (made in Japan). The remaining 15 mL had serum separated for Sfr assay using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a commercial assay kit manufactured by Teco Diagnostics. Results Significant difference was found in the mean Sfr concentration of subjects with MetS (163 ± 136.92 ng/mL) and regular donors (41.46 ± 40.33 ng/mL), P = 0.001. The mean Sfr concentrations of subjects with MetS (163 ± 136.92 ng/mL) were also higher than that of first-time donors (102.46 ± 80.26 ng/mL), but it was not statistically significant, P = 0.053. The Hb concentrations of the three groups were not significantly different. Conclusion Sfr concentrations of regular donors were lower than that of subjects with MetS and first-time donors. The difference between regular donors and subjects with MetS was statistically significant. However, there is no significant difference in the Hb concentrations in the three groups. MetS is not associated with anemia or hyperferritinemia

Biodiesel Washing Water Treatment Using Zeolite and Activated Carbon as Adsorbents

Biodiesel production was produced from the transesterification of palm oil and methanol using KOH catalyst. The process variables considered are methanol to oil mole ratio of 4 – 6 and catalyst concentration of 0.2 – 1.0 wt/wt% Oil, at constant reaction temperature of 60℃ and constant reaction time of 60 minutes. Response surface plot showed that maximum yield of biodiesel (92 %) was obtained at 0.4 wt/wt% catalyst concentration and methanol/oil mole ratio of 7. The conventional activated carbon and zeolite produced were used separately as adsorbents in the treatment of biodiesel washing water. Comparatively, zeolite produced displayed better adsorption property compared to the conventional activated carbon in removing the six heavy metals considered from the biodiesel washing water. For instance, Chromium concentration of 0.0096 mg/L was reduced to 0.0023 mg/L after adsorption treatment with activated carbon (76 % efficiency), while the concentration was reduced to 0.0010 mg/L after the adsorption treatment with zeolite (89 % efficiency)