Defending the Africa Renaissance: A Critique of Nigeria Policy of Afrocentrism

Nigeria’s commitment to the development of the Africa project through it foreign policy of afrocentrism has been unparalleled but without corresponding values for the Nigerian people.  Moreover,  There is currently a disconnect between Nigeria external policies especially as regard pan-Africanism from current domestic realities such as; dwindling national reserves, increasing debt profile, corruption complex, insecurity and high rate of unemployment. This work interrogates the sustenance of Nigeria Afrocentric foreign policy against the backdrop of global realities and domestic challenges. It also reviews Nigeria foreign policy since independence. It attempts an evaluation of the Afrocentric foreign policy against the backdrop of Nigeria’s national interest. This work concludes that the Afrocentric foreign policy of the Nigeria state can no longer be sustained due to compelling domestic exigencies and consequently, recommend a re-evaluation in pursuit of concrete national interest in the international environment. Keywords: Foreign policy, Afrocentrism, Africa Renaissance, domestic challenges, National interest

Influence of Third Cemetery Location on the Quality of Domestic and Groundwater Resources in Benin City, Nigeria

The present study investigates impact of burial practices on water quality in Benin City, Nigeria by collecting groundwater samples from boreholes located by the peripheral area of Third Cemetery in Benin City and a reference site approximately 4 km away using standard methods. With the exception of SO4, CaCO3, Fe and DO, the concentrations of other parameters were higher in water samples obtained from the peripheral area of Third Cemetery than that from the reference site. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that pH, Fe, and CaCO3 were differentiating parameters related to reference site, similar condition was attributed to SO4 and Mg for site 2 and Pb, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn and DO for sites 1 & 3. Cluster analysis (CA) placed the reference site as outlier to other sites. Higher concentrations of Cl, NO3, Na, K and BOD5 in samples obtained by  cemetery peripheral when compared to reference site and positive correlations among these parameters are indications of impacts of decomposing activities in cemetery upon water quality in underlying aquifer. Limiting water quality index (WQI) computation to pH, EC, Cl, NO3, SO4,Na and BOD5 showed that quality of groundwater obtained from cemetery peripheral is not good for domestic uses.Keywords: Cemetery, Groundwater, Physicochemical, Multivariate, Water Quality Inde

Xenophobia in South Africa: Re-thinking the Nigeria foreign policy of Afrocentrism

The pervasive nature of xenophobia in South Africa interrogate the ethos of Africa Renaissance and provides alibi to the dysfunctional character of the Africa project. This paper interrogate the essence of Nigeria foreign policy of Afrocentrism against the backdrop of xenophobic manifestation in South Africa, it attempted to deconstruct the axiom that limit the anomie to street urchins by providing evidences for institutional implications. It created a platform of discourse of xenophobia in relation to enabling international law. This work concludes that the continuous outburst of negative collective ideas, social stereotypes and prejudices especially to black immigrant is a share display of majority insecurity defined by the defensive internal identity, which is constructed on strong ethnic or national basis. The work therefore, recommends a re-evaluation of Nigeria foreign policy to pursue strict national interest while tending to domestic challenges.Keywords: Xenophobia, Afrocentrism, foreign policy, violence, foreigners, discriminatio

Airborne microflora in an hospital environment of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria

A study was undertaken to determine typical concentrations of airborne bacteria and fungi (microflora) in Teaching Hospital environment in Benin City in the tropical rainforest environment of Nigeria. Aerial sampling wasconducted at various hospital wards each day. The air samples were collected thrice daily, that is, in the morning, between 8am and 10am, in the afternoon, between 12noon and 2pm and in the evening between 4pm and 6pm. Concentrations of airborne microflora exceeded available local guidelines for indoor quality in the accident and emergency ward, female ward, male ward, pediatric ward and the maternity ward, but not in the restricted wards like the theatre, intensive care unit and bacteriological laboratory. Results showed that the occupant density was the keyfactor influencing the levels of airborne microflora, while humidity was also observed as a factor, depending on the particular location with the hospital. The concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi in the nine different hospital units varied from wards to wards. The bacterial population ranges from 3.0cf/m3 to 76.0cf/m3, with the highest bacterial population recorded in the accident and emergency ward. The fungal population ranges from 6.0cf/m3 to 44.7cf/m3, while the highest fungal population was recorded in the accident and emergency ward. The microflora characterized and identified, were representative ofthe normal microflora of the human body (skin, gastrointestinal tracts, respiratory tract) and the opportunistic pathogens. The microbial isolates included six bacterial genera, among which are, Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermis, Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp. and Proteus mirabilis, the fugal isolates included, Aspergillus sp, Penicillium sp., Mucor sp., Candida sp and Verticillium sp. The variations in hospital units in concentrations of total airborne microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) in the air of hospital environments were statistically significant (p<0.001).The concentrations of airborne microflora recorded in the hospital environment, specifically in the accident and emergency ward was significantly different from other wards (p<0.001), with the mean value of 40.0 and 72.2 for fungal and bacterial population respectively

An Assessment of African Union Security Architecture in the Management of Conflicts in Africa: Case Study of Somalia

Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents in the world due to social dislocation, international politics and compelling internal contradictions. Research shows that towards the close of 1966, almost half of the war-related deaths in the world were located in Africa accounting for over 8 million of the 22 million refugees across the globe. The Rwanda genocide claim over 800,000 deaths in 1994, over 4.5million death occurred in the last decade of the 20th century in other conflict zone in Africa such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, Liberia, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique, Uganda etc. this work interrogate the AU security architecture APSA in the management of Africa conflicts. APSA is the collective term for a number of specific capability areas intended to strengthen Africa’s ability to respond to the peace and security challenges facing the continent. The work uses the Somalia conflict as a case in study. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of APSA however, it concludes that APSA perfumed creditably well in Somalia but call for deeper commitment by member states to the cause of Africa development and integration. Keywords: APSA. Conflict, peace keeping, peace enforcement, Protocol, AMISO

The Application of Geophysical Techniques in Tracking Leachate Plumes Migration in a Typical Cemetery within the Sandy formation in Benin City, Nigeria

The survey aim is to track leachate plumes within the sandy formationwhich is below the surface laterite layer. It investigates the presence andmigration of leachate plumes in the sandy region in a typical cemetery(Third Cemetery), in Benin City, Nigeria. The research engaged VerticalElectrical Sounding (VES), 2-Dimensional computation of migrationin both the vertical and horizontal directions. The electrical resistivitydata collected in parallel equidistant lines was processed to obtain geoelectric models using Res2dinv. The leachate plumes in the cemeterymigrate vertically and horizontally at different rates. The maximum andminimum rates of vertical migration are 4.1 and 0.2 cm/day respectively,while the maximum and minimum rates of horizontal migration are 32.8and 1.7 cm/day respectively. Volumetric analysis of the plume zonesindicates that of the 75,231m3 of the subsurface imaged, 6,322 m3 is thezone contaminated by leachate plume, that is, 8.4 % of the earth volumeinvestigated contained leachate plume. The research also showed thatrepeated ERT surveys can track movement of leachate plume emanatingfrom decomposed dead bodies over time in active cemetery. The averagetravel time for a leachate plume to transverse a vertical distance of 6.6 min coarse sand is 366.7 days at constant migration speed of 1.8 cm/day

The Incidence and Pattern of Puerperal Pyrexia Amongst Post-Natal Women in Benin City, Nigeria

Based on the fact that statistically, Nigeria contributes significantly to all recorded cases of preventable maternal morbidity and mortality, this study was designed to evaluate the incidence pattern of puerperal illness amongpostnatal women. It was carried out at the post-natal ward of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, over a period of 6 months (March to August, 2011). A total of 135 patients with illness secondary todelivery, and who gave an informed consent, were recruited for the study. Their demographic details as well as clinical histories were documented. They were also examined for malaria parasite and urogenital infections using standard laboratory procedures. The results showed that the  incidence of puerperal pyrexia was 64.44% and common among patients between the ages of 18–25 years (33 out of 41), low educational status (12 out of 12) and low socioeconomic status (5 out of 6). Although puerperal pyrexia is preventable, the incidence level remains a public health concern if the global Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of reducing maternal mortality by 75% is to be achieved by 2015.Keywords: Puerperal pyrexia, Postnatal, Maternal morbidity and mortality, Millennium Development Goal

Weight changes induced by ingestion of Alomo bitters (A combination of herbal constituents): Experimental study on wistar rats

This study investigates Weight changes induced by ingestion of Alomo bitters (A combination of herbal constituents): Experimental study on  Wistar rats. The sixteen Wistar rats (151.67 ± 2.89 grams) involved in thestudy were divided into four groups; a control (Group A) and three test groups (B, C and D). For 3 weeks, group A (control) received normal feed (growers mash) with distilled water only, while groups B-D (test) received normal feed with water mixed with graded quantities of Alomo Bitters: B (7.5ml/kg), C (15ml/kg) and D (22.5ml/kg). Comparatively, the results showed that body weight gain was highest in the test groups (B-D) in a dosage duration fashion and lowest in the control group (22.40 ± 11.21g). Also, a non-significant variation in organ-weight was observed for the testis. The observed changes on body weight and weights of the liver, kidney and testis were dosage and duration dependent. Thus, alomo bitters may be important in weight and appetite management considering its effect on body weight. However, further investigations are required in this regard.Keywords: Mondia whitei, Herbs, Weight, Obesity, Appetite, Public Health issues

Assessment of yield stability of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) using genotype and genotype-environment interaction biplot analysis

Open Access JournalBiplot analysis has emerged as a crucial statistical method in plant breeding and agricultural research. The objective of this research was to identify the best-performing genotype(s) for the environments in three distinct regions of Nigeria while also examining the characteristics and magnitude of genotype–environment interaction (GEI) effects on the yield of Bambara groundnut (BGN). The study was conducted in Ibadan, Ikenne, and Mokwa, utilizing a sample of 30 accessions. The yield of BGN was found to be significantly affected by accessions, environment, and their interaction through a combined analysis of variance, with a p-value < 0.001. Biplots were utilized to demonstrate the pattern of interaction components, specifically the genotype’s main effect and genotype–environment interaction (GEI). The initial two principal components elucidated the complete variance of the GGE model, encompassing both genetic and genotype-by-environment interaction effects (PC1 = 87.81%, PC2 = 12.19%). The accessions that exhibited superior performance in each respective environment, as determined by the “which-won-where” polygon, were identified as TVSu-2223, TVSu-2236, TVSu-2240, and TVSu-2249 in Mokwa; TVSu-2214 in Ikenne; and TVSu-2188 in Ibadan. The accessions TVSu-2207 and TVSu-2199 exhibited stability in all environments, whereas the accessions TVSu-2226, TVSu-2249, TVSu-2209, TVSu-2184, TVSu-2204, and TVSu-2236 demonstrated adaptability. In addition, the accessions TVSu-2240 and TVSu-2283 were stable and adaptable in all environments. The accessions that were chosen have been suggested as suitable parental lines for breeding programs aimed at enhancing grain yield in the agro-ecological zones that were evaluated. This study’s findings identify BGN accessions with adaptability and stability across selected environments in Nigeria, suggesting specific accessions that can serve as suitable parental lines in breeding programs to enhance grain yield, thereby holding promise for improving food security