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

Flood Menace in Nigeria: Impacts, Remedial and Management Strategies

Flood menace in Nigeria have become a normal and re-occurring phenomenon which sometimes has devastating impacts on human livelihoods and infrastructural development. Causes of this problem such as rapid population growth, poor governance, poor drainage facilities and decaying infrastructures, lack of proper environmental planning and management strategies, poor practice of dumping waste/refuse and climate change coupled with inadequate preparedness have been traced and among others, human activities in terms of developmental involvements adjudged to be very important factors in accelerating the rate of this disaster which often leaves in its wake spread of diseases, loss of thousands of lives from various parts of the country and properties worth billions of naira being destroyed. The impacts of floods are more pronounced in low-lying areas. In more recent years, 2011 and 2012 appears to be the worst incidence of flooding in Nigeria with a lot of reported cases indicating how flood menace ravaged affected states of the country when water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon was released. Although the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had alerted Nigeria that there would be an above normal rainfall in strategic parts of the country which might lead to flooding incidents in 12 states of the federation, yet nobody gave consent to that warning. This paper provides an overview of how Nigerian cities have been affected by flood menace incidences as it takes a look at the devastating impacts, remedial and management strategies at curbing flooding in Nigeria. A review of literature on flood menace was done. The articles were accessed from public libraries, as well as online through internet search engines and relevant information extracted. Onsite assessment of some areas affected by flood was done and pictures taken with the aid of a camera. Flooding in Nigeria is a serious issue requiring the attention of all stake holders aimed at preventing and remedying its adverse effects which threatens human existence. Keywords: Flood, Menace, Nigeria, Infrastructure, Impacts, Remedial and management strategies

E-Banking Payment Instruments and Deposit Money Banks' Performance in Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation

This paper carried out an empirical investigation of the impact of e-banking payment instruments on the performance of Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria for the period 2009 to 2017. The major findings of the paper showed that ATM exerted a negative effect on ROA but was significant at the 5% level; exerted a positive effect on ROE at the 5% level, and negative effect on NPM at the 5% level. POS exerted a negative effect on ROE but was significant at the 5% level; it exerted positive and significant impact on NPM; WB exerted positive and significant effect on ROA and NPM at the 5% level. These findings were robust and impressive as the value of the ECM(-1), -0.3988, -0.4857, -0.5863 and -22682 appeared with the right signs. The coefficients of determination, R2, in the three columns showed that all the independent variables accounted for over 50% fluctuations in the dependent variables. The paper concluded that e-banking payment instruments have great potentials in enhancing the performance of the DMBs. It was therefore recommended that the DMBs make it a matter of policy to continually upgrade the efficiency of these all-important instruments to meet the expectations and satisfaction of their clients and hence shareholders' wealth

Effect of Iron Ore Tailing on Compressive Strength of Manufactured Laterite Bricks and Its Reliability Estimate

In recent years there is a significant demand of building materials in Nigeria. It is therefore imperative to use mining and mineral wastes in the production of bricks, paving blocks and other value added products since some of these waste materials possess potential characteristics, which can be tapped for various uses. Varying grams of IOT were mixed with constant measured portion of laterite sample and cast into lateritic brick cubes, which were later subjected to compressive strength test at 7 days interval for 21 days. The result of the compressive strength test revealed that the lateritic mix containing varying grams of IOT had higher strength value of 27 N/mm2 when compared with laterite having compressive strength of 14 N/mm2 both for 7 days curing. Reliability of estimates of the compressive strength values from laboratory results for specimens was developed by incorporating data obtained from compressive strength to produce a predictive model. Data obtained were incorporated into a FORTRAN-based first-order reliability program to obtain reliability index values. Variable factors such as water quantity, hydraulic modulus, iron ore tailing, water cement ratio produced acceptable safety index value of 1.0 at the energy levels of all curing period i.e. 7 days, 14 days and 21 days respectively and they were achieved at COV ranges of 10-100 %. The use of iron ore tailing which is a waste material will serve as an alternative source of building material when used as an admixture or replacement of fine aggregate ratio and also possible reduction in quantity of cement. It will also help reduce environmental problems associated with iron ore tailing disposal problems. Keywords: Building Bricks, Compressive Strength, Reliability Analysis, Reliability Index, Iron Ore Tailing, Pozzolana, Utilizatio

High Voltage Transformers and Elecrtomagnetic Emissions: Consequence on Students’ Health in Apata, Ibadan, Nigeria

The last decade has witnessed a remarkable growth in all aspects of modern technology such as mobile phones, wireless communication links, antennas, microwave ovens, and high voltage transformers which are sources of electromagnetic radiations (EMR). This research work investigates the effect of exposing building occupants to electromagnetic emission from high voltage transformers. The sample of this study is 150 students comprising 78 males and 72 females. Spectra RF3040 was used to measure magnetic flux density in the five schools used for this research. Measurements were also taken to determine the effects of electromagnetic emission on student's tympanic temperature, blood oxygen saturation, heart pulse rate and arterial blood pressure (diastolic and systolic). Tests on health situations were done indoor four times at (9:00 – 9:30) a.m. and four times at (1:30 – 2:00) p.m. each day. The results show from analysis that the measured values of power flux density were within slight concern limit. The gradual increase in tympanic temperature, heart pulse rate, and arterial blood pressure is an indication that EMR has adverse health effects on building occupants within 200m distance from such transformers. Recommendations were given. Keywords: High voltage, Transformer, Electromagnetic, Emission, Health effect

Fuzzy-based dosage model of aqueous decoction of Adansonia digitata for the management of sickle cell anaemia patients in African Traditional Medicine

In recent time, fuzzy logic-based systems have been deployed in the area of orthodox medicine; especially in situations where precision is most valuable such as kidney transplant, diagnosis of ailments, drug prescription, etc. However, in the area of traditional medicine, no much attention has been given to its enhancement with the use of information technology especially in the area of herbal prescription. In this study, a fuzzy logic-based system is presented, which is used to simulate a prescription model for determining the precise herbal dose suitable for the management of patients suffering from Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Data on the management of SCD patients were collected from forty Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) at four different local government areas of Edo State, Nigeria. The mass of herb and volume of solvent were used as input parameters to design the dosage model, and simulated using MATLAB. The Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) results obtained for some patients were compared to the prescription given by the TMPs. The results show that the model will eliminate the ordeals of imprecision associated with the management of SCD patients in Nigeria using herbs.Keywords: African Traditional Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Traditional Medical Practitioners, Sickle Cell Disease, Fuzzy logic, Measuremen

The impact of flooding on Nigeria’s sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Nigeria has Africa’s biggest economy and a population of over 200 million people. Nigeria faces numerous challenges as it struggles to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with flooding being the most serious with wide-reaching impacts. This paper highlights the impact flooding has on Nigeria reaching SDGs and enumerates the specific SDGs most directly impacted. A systematic literature review provides an overview of the relationship between flooding in Nigeria and the SDGs. It highlights the main causes of Nigeria’s flooding problem are man-made and advocates spatial planning as a suitable Flood Risk Management (FRM) strategy for the Nigerian environment. The paper calls for collaborative action by all concerned stakeholders to address the flooding problem and to help move Nigeria closer to meeting the United Nations (UN) 2030 SDGs. Most importantly, the evidence presented in this paper seeks to promote action on a national scale to combat the flooding in Nigeria and help the nation work more effectively toward achieving the SDGs