BEIJING DECLARATION AND WOMEN’S PROPERTY RIGHTS IN NIGERIA

In Nigeria, women have suffered various forms of discrimination and oppression during property sharing, especially in terms of land for economic purposes and other physical assets. The challenge has been that, in patriarchal societies, like Nigeria, women are regarded as subservient to men and are never considered in property sharing. Rather, the woman is often regarded as part of the property to be shared especially during the loss of her spouse. Most disturbing is that, though statutory law and international laws have affirmed women’s rights to land and other property, women are often denied access and ownership to property due to unfavorable customary practices. This paper examines women’s property rights in Nigeria. In doing so, it looks critically into Nigeria’s compliance with the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action. It also identifies some factors such as customary and statutory laws as responsible for the discrimination of women vis-à-vis their rights to property and inheritance. In addition to these, it concludes that, the 1995 Beijing Declaration is yet to be fully integrated and domesticated in the national legislations that protect women and their rights to property. In carrying out this research, secondary sources were consulted. Recommendations were made bordering on equality between men and women and gender-sensitivity in legal institutions

Beijing Declaration and Women’s Property Rights in Nigeria

In Nigeria, women have suffered various forms of discrimination and oppression during property sharing, especially in terms of land for economic purposes and other physical assets. The challenge has been that, in patriarchal societies, like Nigeria, women are regarded as subservient to men and are never considered in property sharing. Rather, the woman is often regarded as part of the property to be shared especially during the loss of her spouse. Most disturbing is that, though statutory law and international laws have affirmed women’s rights to land and other property, women are often denied access and ownership to property due to unfavorable customary practices. This paper examines women’s property rights in Nigeria. In doing so, it looks critically into Nigeria’s compliance with the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action. It also identifies some factors such as customary and statutory laws as responsible for the discrimination of women vis-à-vis their rights to property and inheritance. In addition to these, it concludes that, the 1995 Beijing Declaration is yet to be fully integrated and domesticated in the national legislations that protect women and their rights to property. In carrying out this research, secondary sources were consulted. Recommendations were made bordering on equality between men and women and gender-sensitivity in legal institution

Reversible Blockade of Complex I or Inhibition of PKCβ Reduces Activation and Mitochondria Translocation of p66\u3csup\u3eShc\u3c/sup\u3e to Preserve Cardiac Function after Ischemia

Aim Excess mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) play a vital role in cardiac ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury. P66Shc, a splice variant of the ShcA adaptor protein family, enhances mROS production by oxidizing reduced cytochrome c to yield H2O2. Ablation of p66Shc protects against IR injury, but it is unknown if and when p66Shc is activated during cardiac ischemia and/or reperfusion and if attenuating complex I electron transfer or deactivating PKCβ alters p66Shc activation during IR is associated with cardioprotection. Methods Isolated guinea pig hearts were perfused and subjected to increasing periods of ischemia and reperfusion with or without amobarbital, a complex I blocker, or hispidin, a PKCβ inhibitor. Phosphorylation of p66Shc at serine 36 and levels of p66Shc in mitochondria and cytosol were measured. Cardiac functional variables and redox states were monitored online before, during and after ischemia. Infarct size was assessed in some hearts after 120 min reperfusion. Results Phosphorylation of p66Shc and its translocation into mitochondria increased during reperfusion after 20 and 30 min ischemia, but not during ischemia only, or during 5 or 10 min ischemia followed by 20 min reperfusion. Correspondingly, cytosolic p66Shc levels decreased during these ischemia and reperfusion periods. Amobarbital or hispidin reduced phosphorylation of p66Shc and its mitochondrial translocation induced by 30 min ischemia and 20 min reperfusion. Decreased phosphorylation of p66Shc by amobarbital or hispidin led to better functional recovery and less infarction during reperfusion. Conclusion Our results show that IR activates p66Shc and that reversible blockade of electron transfer from complex I, or inhibition of PKCβ activation, decreases p66Shc activation and translocation and reduces IR damage. These observations support a novel potential therapeutic intervention against cardiac IR injury

Parental influence on substance use among young people in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to assess the pattern and compare the rates of substance use in parents of children with substance use disorders in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Between January 2009 and December 2011, a total of 528 participants, comprising 255 fathers of children with substance use-related problems (study group) and 273 fathers of children without problems (comparison group) attending the Psychiatric Unit of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, were assessed, using a modified form of a 117-item self-report instrument based on the World Health Organization’s guidelines for students’ substance use surveys. The demographic characteristics of the respondents were similar. Locally available substances including alcohol were used more frequently than illicit substances by both groups. Possible reasons for using these substances included ready availability, unidentified personal problems, performance enhancement and unemployment. Substance use ison the increase in our environment and this may be attributable to environmental pressures and weak parental discipline.Key Words: Parental influence, children, substance use, Niger Delta regio

A Comparative Study of Pattern of Substance Use in Two Nigerian Cities Located in the Southern and Northern Nigeria

The study compared the pattern of substance use in two cities, Uyo and Kiru in the Southern and Northern Nigeria respectively, to determine the level of involvement among youths. A total of 338 male inmates, 190 from Uyo and 148 from Kano completed a modified form of 117-item self-report instrument based on the World Health Organization guidelines for students’ substance-use surveys. Data from 320 (94.7%), comprising 179 (94.2%) from Uyo and 141 (95.23%) from Kiru were analyzed; 18 ((5.3%) were discarded due to incomplete information. The mean age of inmates from Uyo was 26.3±2.7 years and Kiru 23.7±3.9 years. The lifetime  prevalence of alcohol/substance use was more in Uyo than Kiru (47.4% vs. 33.7%; p=0.002); but current use prevalence of more than one substance was (48.3% vs. 54.6%; p=0.340). The use of alcohol in various forms washigh in Uyo, compared to inhalants, sleeping drugs, cough syrup in Kiru. Cigarettes and Indian hemp were high in both cities. Reasons for use were similar. This study has shown that substance use cuts across all boundaries in Nigeria. Therefore, efforts must be made to strengthen measures aimed at controlling the use, in order to prevent amplifications of social and  health hazards.Key words: Alcohol; Psycoactive substances; Use; Inmates; Localit

Sporting Equipment and Students\' Academic Performance in the Concept of Projectile in Nigerian Senior Secondary School Physics

This study investigated the effect of sporting equipment on students academic performance in the concept of projectile in Nigerian senior secondary school Physics in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A total of 183 senior secondary two (SS2) Physics students were involved in the study. The design adopted in the study was non randomized pretest – posttest control group design. The instrument used in gathering data for the study was Test On Projectile (TOP). The reliability coefficient of TOP was 0.79 using Kuder Richardson formula-21. The result showed that javelin was found to be the most effective in facilitating students' academic performance in the concept of projectile in secondary school Physics. This was followed by discus while shot-put was seen to be the least facilitative. The results also showed an insignificant gender difference in the academic performance of Physics students taught the concept of projectile using sporting equipment (javelin, discus and shotput). Also, the facilitating influence of sporting equipment on students' academic performance in the concept of projectile in Physics is about the same at all levels of gender. It is recommended that teachers should adopt the use of sporting equipment in the teaching of the concept of projectile in secondary school Physics. Keywords: Sporting Equipment, Students' Performance, Projectile, PhysicsAfrican Research Review Vol. 2 (1) 2008: pp. 1-1

Pattern of psychoactive substance use in the northern region of Nigeria

Recent events in Nigeria seem to suggest that young people are being indoctrinated and used under the influence of psychoactive substances to perpetrate various crimes including terrorism. There is need to examine and control use of these substances in order to prevent escalation of these social maladies. The purpose of this study was to assess the pattern of psychoactive substance use among inmates at Kiru Rehabilitation Centre, Kano in the North Central Region of Nigeria, to determine the extent of their involvement. A total of 148 male inmates completed a modified form of 117-item self-report instrument based on the World Health Organization guidelines for students’ substance-use surveys. The mean age of the inmates was 23.7±3.9 years. A total of 58.9% had primary school and below level of education; 14.9% were school dropped-out; 29.1% unemployed; while 65.9% were engaged in menial jobs. The lifetime prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 47.4%.Current use prevalence of more than one substance was 54.6%. Ready available substances were consumed more and the potent habit-forming ones like Cocaine and Heroin were used more than alcohol. Uses of inhalants were also on the increase. Reasons for use of substances were ready availability, feeling high, enhancing performance and unidentified personal problems. This study has shown that psychoactive substances are commonly used and abused, especially among the uneducated youths in the Northern part of Nigeria. There is need for massive enlightenment campaigns to increase awareness and strategies aimed at discouraging youths from indulging in substances.Key Words: Alcohol; Psychoactive substances; Youths; Northern Nigeri

Implementing a Web Based On-Demand Mentorship Platform for Young Entrepreneurs

Over 90 percent of startups fail after the first five years of kick-off in many developing economies like Nigeria due to the lack of entrepreneurial experiences, understanding of the environment and relevant insights required to handle peculiar challenges that come with running a startup company. Entrepreneurs and founders of startup companies can, therefore, improve the longevity of startups and mitigate the degree of startup failures if they can be equipped with the required knowledge and capacity. Such capacity can be harnessed from years of experiences gathered from trying, making efforts, succeeding and failing. However, entrepreneurs and founders, who are starters or lack substantial experience, may contribute to the failure rate of startups. This, nevertheless, can be addressed by taking advantage of those who have already gathered substantial experiences. These are referred to as mentorship in this study. Thus, a sound relationship between an experienced entrepreneur (mentor) and a starter entrepreneur (mentee) can enable the transfer of knowledge that mitigates the failure rate of startups. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the development of a web-based mentorship platform, where experienced entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs meet and transfer knowledge. The platform is meant to give young entrepreneurs a leverage such that they harness the already existing experiences of experienced entrepreneurs, such as their failures, successes, methods, leadership styles and efforts. This will foster mentorship relationships, quick-finding help, and knowledge-sharing such that the failure rate of startup companies in Nigeria is reduced

Dynamic organization of ligand-grafted nanoparticles during adsorption and surface compression at fluid-fluid interfaces

Monolayers of ligand-grafted nanoparticles at fluid interfaces exhibit a complex response to deformation due to an interplay of particle rearrangements within the monolayer, and molecular rearrangements of the ligand brush on the surface of the particles. We use grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) combined with pendant drop tensiometry to probe in situ the dynamic organization of ligand-grafted nanoparticles upon adsorption at a fluid–fluid interface, and during monolayer compression. Through the simultaneous measurements of interparticle distance, obtained from GISAXS, and of surface pressure, obtained from pendant drop tensiometry, we link the interfacial stress to the monolayer microstructure. The results indicate that, during adsorption, the nanoparticles form rafts that grow while the interparticle distance remains constant. For small-amplitude, slow compression of the monolayer, the evolution of the interparticle distance bears a signature of ligand rearrangements leading to a local decrease in thickness of the ligand brush. For large-amplitude compression, the surface pressure is found to be strongly dependent on the rate of compression. Two-dimensional Brownian dynamics simulations show that the rate-dependent features are not due to jamming of the monolayer, and suggest that they may be due to out-of-plane reorganization of the particles (for instance expulsion or buckling). The corresponding GISAXS patterns are also consistent with out-of-plane reorganization of the nanoparticles