SOCIAL CAPITAL, CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF SOME CONTRACTS AWARDED BY NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION IN AKWA IBOM AND CROSS RIVER STATE

Social capital is acquired through goodwill which a person poses over time. It is a very vital tool for mutual trust. It creates wealth since confidence is reposed on whoever has it. However, due to generational change, this vital societal instrument has begun to fade off as people now use this opportunity for selfish gain. It has paved way for corruption be it political or any other form. The resultant effect is that this social deficit has translate into infrastructural decay as people who are trusted to handle vital project defines it immoral to render moral justice to the obligations of the society, hence, a fall in total productivity and a tin relay on Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The overall result is a negative impact on economic growth. To effectively carry out this study, the researcher collates all contracts awarded by NDDC from 2004 to 2011; assess the level of completion by using simple percentages. It was discovered that contracts were poorly executed due to high leveled corruption by government officials who sometimes award the said contract to ‘trusted’ persons’. Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is set by Nigerian government to empower and provide infrastructural facilities to the people living within the Niger Delta region.   Keyword: Social Capital, Corruption, Economic Growth, Gross Domestic Product and Niger Delta Development Commission

The Hamite Must Die! The Legacy of Colonial Ideology in Rwanda

April 07, 1994, will forever remain in the history of Rwanda, as it commemorates the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. In 100 days, an estimated 800,000 people, who were overwhelmingly Tutsi, lost their lives at the hand of their neighbors, friends, and families. Although the genocide occurred 26 years ago, there is still much debate surrounding the cause of this tragedy. While some scholars have suggested that the genocide was triggered by contemporary economic and political factors, this thesis is taking a post-colonial approach by bringing into context the colonial history of Rwanda. In the discussion of these colonial roots, one important factor is taken into consideration: a colonial ideology known as the Hamitic hypothesis. This thesis argues that the Hamitic hypothesis or the Hamitic myth, which was exported by European colonizers to Rwanda, planted the seeds for the hatred that led to the massacre of Tutsis in 1994. The effect of the hypothesis was twofold. First, it shaped the institutionalization of ethnic differences through a series of discriminatory reforms and administrative systems that favored Tutsis during the colonial era. Second, the recontextualization and weaponization of the myth after independence resulted in discrimination against Tutsis during the first and second Hutu republics and their subsequent extermination during the genocide

Some aspects of physical and mechanical properties of hollow blocks procuced from hot water treated sawdust.

The study investigated sawdust as a partial replacement for sand in production of hollow blocks with a view to reducing cost and converting waste to resource use. Sawdust of Daniella oliveri was collected from Timber Shed along New Bridge Wurukum, Makurdi. It was boiled and spread to dry. Standard ratio of 1:8 (cement and sand) was used in the study. Replacement levels of 0%, 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% of sawdust were used for sand, while cement was kept constant throughout the mixture. Density, percentage water absorption (PWA), and compressive strength (CS) of the blocks were tested after 28 days of curing. PWA results showed that blocks produced from 0% sawdust replacement level had least mean of 10.06%, while 8% sawdust replacement had the highest mean of 11.40%. Mean density values showed that 8% sawdust replacement had the least value of 1090.40Kg/m3 and while the highest value (1346.60Kg) was observed for 0%. The mean CS for 0% sawdust replacement was highest (3.20N/mm2)and falls within the Nigeria Building Codes of 2.5N/mm2 - 3.45N/mm2 and Ghana Building Code of 2.75 N/mm2. Mean CS value of 2.0N/mm2 was obtained for 2% and 4% sawdust replacement levels respectively. The value meets the minimum standard of 2.0N/mm2 according to National Building Code for non-load bearing walls and 1.7 N/mm2 according to Ghana Building Code. However, 6% and 8% sawdust replacement levels showed the least CS of 1.00N/mm2 which is below standards. In conclusion, blocks produced with 2% and 4% sawdust replacement levels as obtained in this study are recommended for building and construction purposes

Mental Health and Traumatization of Newly Arrived Asylum Seeker Adults in Finland: A Population-Based Study

Asylum seekers frequently experience potentially traumatic events (PTEs), but the type and frequency vary depending on the country of origin. The cumulative effect of multiple PTEs and other stressors expose asylum seekers to a significant risk of mental ill health. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of PTEs, depression and anxiety symptoms, risk for psychological trauma, psychotropic medication use and previous mental health diagnoses among adult asylum seekers in the Asylum Seekers Health and Wellbeing (TERTTU) Survey (n = 784 respondents, participation rate 78.6%). A substantial majority (88.7%, 95% CI 86.9–90.3) of asylum seekers reported one or more PTEs before arriving to Finland. PTEs during the asylum-seeking journey were reported at 12.0% (95% CI 10.7–13.4), however, when examined by region of origin, the proportion was 34.5% (95% CI 29.5–39.8) for asylum seekers from Africa (excluding North Africa). Significant symptoms of depression were reported by 41.7% (95% CI 39.6–43.9) of asylum seekers and symptoms of anxiety by 34.2% (95% CI 32.1–36.2). Half of the asylum seekers were assessed as having at least a medium-risk for psychological trauma. Prevalence rates were higher among females and asylum seekers from Africa. This study highlights the importance of using screening tools to identify asylum seekers with severe mental health problems that may need referral to further assessment and treatment. Asylum seekers from Africa (excluding North Africa) should be given additional attention in initial health screenings and examinations

Mental Health and Traumatization of Newly Arrived Asylum Seeker Adults in Finland: A Population-Based Study

Asylum seekers frequently experience potentially traumatic events (PTEs), but the type and frequency vary depending on the country of origin. The cumulative effect of multiple PTEs and other stressors expose asylum seekers to a significant risk of mental ill health. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of PTEs, depression and anxiety symptoms, risk for psychological trauma, psychotropic medication use and previous mental health diagnoses among adult asylum seekers in the Asylum Seekers Health and Wellbeing (TERTTU) Survey (n = 784 respondents, participation rate 78.6%). A substantial majority (88.7%, 95% CI 86.9–90.3) of asylum seekers reported one or more PTEs before arriving to Finland. PTEs during the asylum-seeking journey were reported at 12.0% (95% CI 10.7–13.4), however, when examined by region of origin, the proportion was 34.5% (95% CI 29.5–39.8) for asylum seekers from Africa (excluding North Africa). Significant symptoms of depression were reported by 41.7% (95% CI 39.6–43.9) of asylum seekers and symptoms of anxiety by 34.2% (95% CI 32.1–36.2). Half of the asylum seekers were assessed as having at least a medium-risk for psychological trauma. Prevalence rates were higher among females and asylum seekers from Africa. This study highlights the importance of using screening tools to identify asylum seekers with severe mental health problems that may need referral to further assessment and treatment. Asylum seekers from Africa (excluding North Africa) should be given additional attention in initial health screenings and examinations

Pig-farming systems and porcine cysticercosis in the north of Cameroon

A survey was conducted in 150 households owning 1756 pigs in the rural areas of Mayo-Danay division in the north of Cameroon. A questionnaire survey was carried out to collect information on the pig-farming system and to identify potential risk factors for Taenia solium cysticercosis infection in pigs. Blood samples were collected from 398 pigs with the aim of estimating the seroprevalence of T. solium cysticercosis. The results showed that 90.7% of the pigs are free roaming during the dry season and that 42.7% of households keeping pigs in the rural areas have no latrine facility. Seventy-six per cent of the interviewed pig owners confirmed that members of the household used open-field defecation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antigen and antibody detection showed an apparent prevalence of cysticercosis of 24.6% and 32.2%, respectively. A Bayesian approach, using the conditional dependence between the two diagnostic tests, indicated that the true seroprevalence of cysticercosis in Mayo-Danay was 26.6%. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that a lack of knowledge of the taeniasis–cysticercosis complex and the absence of a pig pen in the household were associated with pig cysticercosis

A New Pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Morocco

The Kem Kem beds in South Eastern Morocco contain a rich early Upper (or possibly late Lower) Cretaceous vertebrate assemblage. Fragmentary remains, predominantly teeth and jaw tips, represent several kinds of pterosaur although only one species, the ornithocheirid Coloborhynchus moroccensis, has been named. Here, we describe a new azhdarchid pterosaur, Alanqa saharica nov. gen. nov. sp., based on an almost complete well preserved mandibular symphysis from Aferdou N'Chaft. We assign additional fragmentary jaw remains, some of which have been tentatively identified as azhdarchid and pteranodontid, to this new taxon which is distinguished from other azhdarchids by a remarkably straight, elongate, lance-shaped mandibular symphysis that bears a pronounced dorsal eminence near the posterior end of its dorsal (occlusal) surface. Most remains, including the holotype, represent individuals of approximately three to four meters in wingspan, but a fragment of a large cervical vertebra, that probably also belongs to A. saharica, suggests that wingspans of six meters were achieved in this species. The Kem Kem beds have yielded the most diverse pterosaur assemblage yet reported from Africa and provide the first clear evidence for the presence of azhdarchids in Gondwana at the start of the Late Cretaceous. This, the relatively large size achieved by Alanqa, and the additional evidence of variable jaw morphology in azhdarchids provided by this taxon, indicates a longer and more complex history for this clade than previously suspected

Web-based Surveillance and Global Salmonella Distribution, 2000–2002

Surveillance improves control of Salmonella infections