Contracting Out Services in the Nigerian Local Government: Implications for Internal Revenue Generation

The primary reasons for creating the Nigerian local government system was grassroots mobilization and development. The Council has however, consistently failed to provide critical services to the rural poor ostensibly because of poor funding. The work examined the structure, functions and accountability mechanisms of the Council vis-à-vis its revenue generation capacity. The problem identified is that the Council contracts out services and its statutory revenue sources at ridiculous prices to patrons even in the face of fiscal cutback and burgeoning demand from the critical populace. Using the Local Government Discretion and Accountability Diagnostic Framework of Analysis and Financial Agency Theory, the paper found that lack of political, administrative and financial accountability mechanisms provides the leeway for unscrupulous Council officials to grossly enrich themselves and their patrons. The paper recommends that the Public Procurement Act which emphasizes Due Process in tendering should be institutionalized by the local government. The anti-graft agencies should be repositioned to deal with treasury looters while the electoral process should be reformed to make it more transparent and inclusive

Obesity and associated factors in young adults attending tertiary institutions in south-eastern Nigeria

Objective: To assess prevalence of overweight/obesity and associated factors in a group of university undergraduates in south-east Nigeria.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting: Five tertiary institutions in south-east Nigeria.Methods: A total of 1610 undergraduates were selected using multistage sampling. A validated questionnaire on sociodemographic, dietary and lifestyle factors was used. Variables studied included body mass index (BMI), waist:hip ratio (WHR) and blood pressure (BP). Descriptive statistics and Chi square test were used for data analyses.Results: Prevalence of obesity and overweight were 6.5% [4.2% males; 8.4% females (p < 0.05)] and 13.4% [8.4% males; 17.7% females (p < 0.05)], respectively. A higher prevalence of central obesity and abdominal obesity was found in the females (15.7% and 27.2%, respectively) compared to the males (1.1% and 2.4%, respectively) (p < 0.05). Consumption of unhealthy snack foods (X2 = 13.39), being a female (X2 = 47.91), first year student (X2 = 41.82), and having high systolic (X2 = 88.18) and diastolic (X2 = 10.17) BP were associated with obesity (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Prevalence of obesity was high in the studied population and, if left unchecked, portends deleterious consequences, especially with respect to the development of cardiovascular diseases.Keywords: association, obesity, overweight, socio-demographic factors, young adult

A Methodology for Designing Airports for Enhanced Security Using Simulation

With the advent of the new security measures, today’s airports have become increasingly complex and congested. Air and passenger traffic continues to increase; consequently, the need for intelligent design concepts is required. Unlike all other existing airport designs that focused exclusively on operational performance, this study focused on the development of a new airport terminal design methodology that takes a proactive approach to minimizing the effects of security disruptions while simultaneously maximizing operational performance and passenger flow. The study addressed the impact of security operations on both the design of airport facilities and passenger flows, and discussed options and scenarios to integrate these factors in obtaining improved performance. Simulation analysis results revealed that alternative designs can result in cost savings from evacuation time reductions of up to 10%

An evaluation of some early maturing Cowpea genotypes for yield and yield components in Umudike, South Eastern Nigeria

No Abstract.Nigeria Agricultural Journal Vol. 35 2004: pp. 1-1

The effect of population density of four vegetable cowpea varieties on weed growth and occurrence on an ultisol

No Abstract.Nigeria Agricultural Journal Vol. 36 2005: pp. 71-7

Effects of row spacing on the yield and yield components of four cultivars of vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp)

No Abstract.Nigeria Agricultural Journal Vol. 36 2005: pp. 108-11

Barriers To Interspecific Hybridization Among Non-Tuberous Solanum Species

Crosses were made among four species of Solanum in an attempt to investigate the barriers to out crossing in this group. Interspcific crosses between non-tuberous Solanum species result in partial fertility or even complete sterility of the hybrids produced. Fertility was markedly reduced in F1 plants and the partial to absolute barrier to out crossing observed here were traceable to three causes barriers: Interspecific, hybridisation, non-tuberous Solanum.Journal of Applied Chemistry and Agricultural Research Vol. 7 2000-2001: pp. 37-4