Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: Causes and Preventive Measures.

Road accidents have become a normal and re-occurring phenomenon in Nigeria which constitutes a menace in modern times. Although both the developed and developing nations of the world have suffered from varying degrees of road accidents, the developing countries clearly dominates with Nigeria having the second highest rate of road accidents among 193 ranked countries of the world. Deaths from reckless driving are the third leading cause of death in Nigeria. In 2012, at least 473 persons died from a total of 1,115 vehicular accidents nationwide. Already in 2013, April may go down as the worst month in terms of road accidents as according to reported cases, April 3, 2013: A luxury bus and a smaller bus crashed on the Abuja-Lokoja Road, 18 died. April 5, 2013: A petrol tanker set luxury bus and articulated vehicle ablaze at Ugbogui village on Ore-Benin Expressway, 80 people were burnt beyond recognition. April 6, 2013: At Dazigan, 11 kilometers from Potiskum, Yobe State, 20 died in an accident. April 11, 2013: 10 died on the Damaturu-Gashua Road also in Yobe State. April 14, 2013: Seven died on the Abuja-Lokoja Road, a car ran into an articulated vehicle. April 15, 2013: Five died on the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway. By the middle of April, 142 people had died from reported motor accidents, 30 per cent of the 473 deaths recorded in 2012 had been covered in only 15 days! There could be more unreported cases, and as often happens, some of the injured die without making the statistics. This paper examines road traffic accident problems in Nigeria. The causes of accidents and their general preventive measures are discussed. A review of literature on road traffic accidents and it impact was done. The articles were accessed from public libraries, as well as online through internet search engines and relevant information extracted. There is need to view road traffic accident as a very serious issue requiring urgent attention aimed at preventing untimely deaths, reducing the health, social and economic impacts it portends to the average Nigerian. Keywords: Road traffic accident, Nigeria, Vehicle, Causes, Preventive measures

Analysis of Thermal and Electrical Properties of Laterite, Clay and Sand Samples and Their Effects on Inhabited Buildings in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

Buildings are faced with situations bothering on effects of heat and electric current flow on occupants. Thermal comfort as well as the quantity of current expected in buildings is of paramount importance. Core materials used in erecting buildings were considered during this study.   This study is meant to analyze the thermal and electrical properties of laterite, clay and sand samples thereby picking out the most suitable for inhabited buildings. Each sample of laterite, sand and clay was placed in the sample chamber of Lee's disc apparatus and sufficient heat was passed to the samples through the conical chamber. The in and out temperatures of the specimens were determined. The cooling curves of temperature against time were employed to determine their thermal conductivities while the resistivity was obtained through the thermocouple and multi-meter. A very low thermal conductivity of 3.5 x 101kgms-2ÆŸ-1 and high resistivity of 0.0337Ωm were obtained for laterite samples. The results obtained revealed that the samples considered have different thermal conductivities, electrical resistivity and rates of cooling. The rate of cooling of laterite sample showed that it has low temperature fluctuations when it absorbs heat. The salt content of laterite sample in Ota was observed to be very minimal due to small quantity of current flowing through buildings constructed with such laterite sample analyzed. The electrical and thermal conductivity of laterites show they can easily withstand high current and intense heat much more than clay and sand. Based on the thermal and electrical properties of laterites obtained, it is therefore imperative to establish the need to embrace it as local building material while sand and clay could be used in the production of pipes, roof tiles and interior floor where the heat conductivity is of secondary concern. Laterite based buildings using NBRRI interlocking should be encouraged more in Nigeria especially those living in hot regions