Emergency powers in the newly independent African countries in the Commonwealth

The subject has been studied under eight chapters. In a very brief introductory chapter an attempt hasbeen made to delimit the scope of the subject-matter. As the title suggests not all the newly-independent countries within the Commonwealth have been discussed but an attempt has been made to bring in at least one country from each part of the four corners of the Continent. The study has been limited to the newly-independent countries mainly because of their relative political and consti¬tutional instability following the attainment of independent status, with the result that quite often emergency powers have had to be invoked to restore a measure of stability. It is believed that a subject is better appreciated by an understanding of its history, hence the first chapter deals with the historical development of emergency powers. All Commonwealth countries in Africa had at one time or another been under the colonial control of Great Britain and the colonial administrators had found it necessary to provide for and use emergency powers to deal with a number of situations. There is no doubt that the emergency powers in the new nations are part of their colonial heritage. The various types of emergency legislation which are found in the countries within the area of study are discussed in chapter Two in such a way as to bring out the scope and content of the powers which they confer on the executive during a period of emergency. Chapter Three deals with the practical operation of these powers and the situations which had led to their use. Some of the illustrations bring out clearly the daggers inherent in the use of such wide discretionary powers. The Fourth Chapter deals with the effect of emergency powers on citizens' rights. A declaration of an emergency invariably leads to the suspension or denial of some vital rights of the citizens. The next chapter (Chapter V) deals with the role of the judiciary during emergency periods and to what extent they have been able to stand against the possible excesses of the Executive in operating emergency powers,as well as the danger and extent of possible involvements of members of the bench. In the chapter which follows,broad aspect of checks on the exercise of emergency powers is discussed. The point is whether the various types of checks or safeguards both constitutional and institutional are sufficiently effective in preventing the encroachment of totalitarianism. Chapter Seven discusseS the effect of military intervention in politics and to what extent they are able to cope with the various problems of government, even by use of emergency powers. The last chapter, as well as giving a brief summary of the general trend of the discussion in preceeding chapters, indicates the reasons why the present writer believes that the present prevalent reliance on emergency powers by the governments of the new nations is merely one of the growing pains which must lessen and eventually disappear as the new nations mature

Effects of Thermal and Non-Thermal Pre-Processing Methods on Physical Parameters of Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) Seed

Effects of thermal and non-thermal pre-processing methods on the physical parameters of jackbean seed were investigated. The bean was subjected to three pre-processing methods roasting and autoclaving which are thermal and sprouting a non-thermal pre-processing method. The physical parameters evaluated include length, width and thickness which were done by the use of digital venier caliper, sphericity index by the use of formula and aspect ratio which is the ratio between length and width. The results of physical characterization revealed that all the pre-processing methods used had effects on the seed. With roasting, there was decrease in all these parameters except sphericity index: length 19.00– 15.00 mm, width 13.00–11.00 mm, thickness 10.75–10.55 mm and sphericity index 72.88–80.20 %. The aspect ratio decreased with pre-processing time for all the treatments used from 1.46- 1.33. Kernel density (g/cm3), bulk density (g/cm3) and density ratio for the untreated seed were 1.24, 0.73 and 0.59 respectively. However, with autoclaving and sprouting, there was increase in length from 19.00–24.00 mm, width 13.00–18.00 mm, thickness 10.75-11.10 mm but a decrease in sphericity index (72.88- 67.46 %) as the pre-processing time increased. These results are very useful in designing of processing equipment for the jackbean seeds thus, encouraging the industrial utilization of the seed.Keywords: Jackbean, roasting, autoclaving, sproutin

Influence of Sprouting on Proximate and Anti-nutritional Factors of Jacbean ( Canavalia ensiformis ) Flour

The influence of sprouting on proximate and anti-nutritional factors of Jackbean flour was investigated. Jackbean was procured from the Genetic Resources Unit of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria. The seeds were carefully sorted and sprouted for 10 days. The sprouted and unprocessed (control) bean were then milled into flour and thereafter assessed for proximate and antinutritional factors. The data generated were subjected to statistical analyses using SAS 2.0 and SPSS 20.0 packages. The results of influence of sprouting on proximate constituents and anti-nutritional factors revealed that sprouting for nine days (S5) resulted in flour sample with highest protein content and significant reduction in anti-nutritional factors most especially trypsin inhibitor from 32.08 \ub1 0.13; 29.18 \ub1 0.46 in control to 39.50 \ub1 0.06; 18.33 \ub1 0.03 in the sprouted samples respectively. Sprouting thus had positive effect on proximate and anti-nutritional factors of Jackbean flour

Investigation Of An Epidemic Of Meningitis In Baruten Local Government Area Of Kwara State, Nigeria

This is a report of an investigation into an outbreak of meningitis in three communities of Baruten Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 41 cases of cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) were reported. There was a preponderance of males (78%). Thirty-eight (92.7%) did not receive CSF vaccine while the remaining 3 (7.3%) that receive the vaccine were vaccinated less than a week before the onset of illness. Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 7.3%. About half (46.3%) of the cases were aged between 6-15 years. The outbreak could have been prevented if adequate supplies of CSM vaccine were provided and vaccination conducted early enough. Government policy of mass immunization against meningitis in November of every year should be implemented and properly monitored to prevent future outbreaks of meningitis and its resultant morbidity and mortality. Key Words: Cerebrospinal meningitis, Outbreak, Kwara State, Nigeria. Afr. J. Clin. Exper. Microbiol. 2004; 5 (3): 247-25

Health Management Information System in Private Clinics in Ilorin, Nigeria

This descriptive survey was conducted among private clinics located in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria to determine the awareness and level of involvement of private clinic operators towards the National Health Management Information System. A total of 37 functional clinics responded to the survey. Structured questionnaire and direct observation were used to collect data. Most of the respondents interviewed in the clinic were the medical directors (73.0%). About two-thirds (67.6%) were aware of the National Health Management Information System (NHMIS); awareness was not associated with length of establishment of the clinic or the profession of the proprietor. Very low proportion (10.8%) was able to correctly mention the two types of Diseases Surveillance and Notification (DSN) forms. Awareness of how often the forms are to be sent to the next level was also low. While almost all respondents considered data collection important in health facilities, only 11 (29.7%) out of the 37 health facilities had ever been supplied NHMIS forms, only 6 (16.22%) had any NHMIS forms during the interview and only 4 (36.4%) had made returns within the previous 6 months of the study. A large proportion of the Nigerian populace patronize private health facilities, with the low level of the private sector involvement in the National Health Management information System significant health information remains unavailable. The private sector involvement needs to be enhanced with adequate training, supply of relevant forms and regular supervision. Key words: Management, Information System, Clinics Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol.46(5-6) 2004: 103-10

Competition and commercial banks risk-taking: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa region

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Psychosomatic Halitosis: The Need for a Cross Speciality Consultation

No Abstract Available African Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Vol.6(2) 2001: 53-5

Insulin resistance in Nigerians with essential hypertension

BACKGROUND: Reports on the association between hypertension and insulin resistance have been inconsistent even though most studies show a definite association. It is also not certain if the association between insulin resistance and hypertension applies to all populations. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of insulin resistance in hypertensive Nigerians and to examine the association of insulin resistance with hypertension and some anthropometric indices. METHODS: Thirty five adults with essential hypertension and thirty five normotensives were studied. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin were measured. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was used to determine insulin resistance (IR). RESULTS: The hypertensive subjects had significantly higher fasting insulin and HOMA-IR compared with normotensives (p =0.02 and 0.04) respectively. There were significant correlations between HOMA-IR, BMI, waist and hip circumference in subjects with hypertension. At multiple linear regression, hypertension and body mass index were found to be the only significant predictors of insulin resistance. CONCLUSION: The hypertensives we studied had a higher occurrence of insulin resistance compared to the normotensives. This makes it necessary for persons with hypertensive to have regular screening for diabetes and other categories of glucose intolerance as the increased insulin increases their risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus

Insulin resistance in Nigerians with essential hypertension

Background: Reports on the association between hypertension and insulin resistance have been inconsistent even though most studies show a definite association. It is also not certain if the association between insulin resistance and hypertension applies to all populations. Objective: To determine the prevalence of insulin resistance in hypertensive Nigerians and to examine the association of insulin resistance with hypertension and some anthropometric indices. Methods: Thirty five adults with essential hypertension and thirty five normotensives were studied. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin were measured. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was used to determine insulin resistance (IR). Results: The hypertensive subjects had significantly higher fasting insulin and HOMA-IR compared with normotensives (p =0.02 and 0.04) respectively. There were significant correlations between HOMA-IR, BMI, waist and hip circumference in subjects with hypertension. At multiple linear regression, hypertension and body mass index were found to be the only significant predictors of insulin resistance. Conclusion: The hypertensives we studied had a higher occurrence of insulin resistance compared to the normotensives. This makes it necessary for persons with hypertensive to have regular screening for diabetes and other categories of glucose intolerance as the increased insulin increases their risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus

Mycoplasma haemocanis: Sub-clinical and haematological findings in a mongrel dog, Nigeria

We report the appearance of Mycoplasma haemocanis in a mongrel dog, which has been documented previously in different parts of the world, yet never in Nigeria. An apparently and clinically healthy mongrel was presented for Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvoviral enteritis, Parainfluenza (DHLPP) vaccination in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria, when pyrexia (40.30C) of unknown origin was discovered. Heamatological profile revealed marked responsive macrocytic, hypochromic anaemia and presence of erythrocytic abnormal morphologies such as anisocytosis, schistocytosis, polychromasia and spherocytosis, which suggest autoimmune haemolytic anemia. There was no leukocytosisdespite the presence of band neutrophils, although there was monocytosis with thrombocytopenia. In conclusion this report appears to be the first reported case of Mycoplasma haemocanis in dog in Nigeria. This will help clinicians in the management of haemoparasitic diseases and researchers will not find M. haemocanis as a confounding factor in experimental setup