The Skills Acquisition Programme and Youth Empowerment in Ondo State of Nigeria: An Empirical Study

Youths are said to be the future leaders of any country in the world Nigeria inclusive It is also a general belief that government all over the world try to invest strategically in her youth for them to be able to assume the position of leadership when the time comes In spite of this it appears that the training the investment of the Nigerian governments as well as the socialization of youth in Nigeria and Ondo State in particular seem to be inadequate because many of them instead of contributing meaningfully to the development of the society they are doing otherwise The Ondo State government in one of its spirited effort to combat this problem introduced the Skills Acquisition Programme to develop empower and engage the youth in the State This empirical study therefore assessed the level of impact this programme has on Youth empowerment and development in the State 27 copies of the questionnaire were administered on the trainers at the skill acquisition centers while 557 copies were given to the beneficiaries of the skills acquisition programme in Ondo State Thirteen members of the coordinating departments were chosen for an in-depth interview Findings revealed that the skills acquisition programme has been able to provide employment opportunities for youth beneficiaries reduce their involvement in social vices improved their standard of livin

Adoption of Urea Deep Placement Recommended Practices among Rice Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria

This study assessed the factors influencing adoption of UDP recommended practices by rice farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. A total of 86 rice farmers were selected for the study using multi-stage sampling procedure. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and multiple regressions were used for data analysis. Results revealed that majority (60.5%) of the rice farmers were male and the respondents' mean age was 49 years. The mean household size was 7 people whileless than half (48.9%) of the respondents had no formal education. The average farm size cultivated by the rice farmers was 0.8ha and all (100.0%) the respondents had no access to credit facilitates2015/2016 cropping season.The significant variables were sex, education, rice farming experience, farm size, paddy output, training and complexity. Constraints hindering adoption of UDP recommended practices were lack of credit facilities, labourious nature of line transplanting and USG application as well as limited USG supply, time spent on application of USG, inadequate training and health status of the rice farmers. It was recommended that government should ensure that credit facilities are made available and accessible to rice farmers in the study area. Also, trainings on UDP recommended practices should be a focal point for the government, non-governmental organizations and private sector actors to deal with the inadequate knowledge of UDP recommended practices among the rice farmers

Effect of formaldehyde on the upper respiratory tract _ormal flora of humans and rabbits

Background: Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used to fix a tissue after death or removal from the body to prevent autolysis and putrefaction. Exposure to formaldehyde can occur as a result of occupation. Objective: To determine the effect of the formaldehyde on the throat and nasal flora of upper respiratory tract of rabbits and humans were examined in this study. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the College of Health Sciences (Mercylandcampus) and Teaching Hospital of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo. Ten rabbits and 25 human subjects were used. Throat and nasal swabs were taken from these rabbits exposed todifferent concentrations of formaldehyde and human subjects exposed to formaldehyde as a result of occupational exposure and non exposed individuals. Bacterial count was done using Miles and Mistral method. Microbial culture was done using the traditional cultural techniques.Results: Culture yielded growth of different species of microorganisms, majority of which were bacterial species. Bacterial counts showed reductions both in normal flora of upper respiratory tract of rabbits and humans. The reduction in the normal flora of humans was found to be statistically significant. While reduction in the normal flora of rabbits was significant when compared between controls and those exposed to 10% formaldehyde, but were not significant between controls andthose exposed to 100% formaldehyde. Conclusion: This study concluded that there was significant reduction in the normal flora ofhumans and rabbits exposed to formaldehyde compared to non-exposed humans and rabbits.Key words: Formalin, formaldehyde, normal flora, Upper respiratory trac

The possible effect of the bioaccumulation of disinfectant by-products on crops irrigated with treated wastewater

The shortage of potable water for irrigation of food crops in semi-arid developing countries led to the use of alternative sources of water. Wastewater is gaining importance for productive use in agriculturethroughout the world. A widely used and efficient method to reduce the occurrence of waterborne diseases in numerous wastewater plants is water chlorination. In early 1970s, some volatile halogenated organic compounds such as chloroform were identified in chlorinated surface waters containing high levels of natural organic material. Generally, the trihalomethanes (THMs), including chloroform, bromodicholoromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform were the most prevalent in chlorinated surface water. Predominant research studies focused on the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of these compounds in treated wastewater. But little attention was paid to how these compounds in treatedwastewater could affect crop performance in agriculture, physiological changes amongst crop varieties and the build-up of these organic compounds in edible plant tissues with persistent use of treated waste-water. A probable reason for this was the absence of the practice of wastewater irrigation in food crop agriculture in the past. Current knowledge on the trihalomethanes and possible plant interactions with this group of volatile organic compounds are assessed in this review

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF BUSHMEAT TRADE IN ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE

This paper examines bushmeat trade in Abeokuta comprising of Abeokuta north and south LG areas of Ogun State. Forty-five (45) respondents were accidentally selected across the two local government areas. The respondents were involved in bushmeat trade at three different levels. There were hunters (31%), ethno-medicine sellers (49%) and bushmeat sellers (20%). The result of the study revealed that majority (69%) of the traders were female. Also, 87% of the respondents had poor education. Therefore respondents could not keep record of their transactions, but from qualitative and quantitative analysis of the profitability of the business, the trade may be described as profitable (89%). An estimate of average annual profit of the trade in the study area was N453,004.  Other benefit though insignificant is that of protein supplement of the family (8%) derived from the trade. Major constraint of the business is the seasonal fluctuation of supply (85%) which affects income of respondents. However, a total of  11 common species of wild animals were traded, therefore it is recommended that conservation policy in terms of educational programme that target hunters and sellers, in order to sensitize them on the danger of indiscriminate harvesting of the animals must be put in place along with improved domestication effort.Â

Evaluation of LD 50 of Cashew Gum and the Comparative Study of its Functionality in Cotrimoxazole Granule and Tablet Formulations

Abstract: This study evaluated the level of contamination of cashew gum, its acute toxicity in rabbits and its functionality in cotrimoxazole granule and tablet formulations in comparison to three standard binders (polyvinylpyrrolidone, gelatin and corn starch BP). The level of contamination was determine using physical and microbiological tests, while the acute toxicity was studied using Lorke's method and the granules were formulated via wet granulation and characterized micromeritically. Subsequently, the granules were compacted using a force of 15 KN and the resulting tablets subjected to all the compendial and non-compendial quality control tests. The results indicated that the contaminants in cashew gum were safe and within acceptable levels and the gum was not toxic in rabbits even at the dose of 5000 mg/kg. Granules formulated with cashew gum exhibited the best micromeritic properties, in comparison to the standards between 2 and 4% w/w binder concentrations, respectively. Furthermore, all the formulated tablets, except those formulated with gelatin at 4 and 5% w/w met the compendial and noncompendial requirements for good quality conventional tablets. In all the tests conducted, there were no significant differences between the properties of granules and tablets formulated with cashew gum or polyvinylpyrrolidone (p>0.05). Finally, since cashew gum possessed very low level of inorganic and microbial contaminants and is nontoxic, it may be economically worthy to exploit it for pharmaceutical purposes

Protective Roles of Adansonia digitata (African Baobab), Cucumeropsis mannii (Melon), and Abelmoschus esculentus (Okro) Supplemented Diets against Cadmium-Induced Lipotoxicity, Bone Demineralization, and Cytotoxicity in Rabbits

The present study was undertaken to investigate the protective roles of Adansonia digitata (African baobab) Cucumeropsis mannii (Melon), Abelmoschus esculentus (Okro),  on lipid profile, bone health, and selected organs (liver, kidney, brain, and testis) against cadmium-induced toxicity in rabbits. Twenty male rabbits were grouped into five with four rabbits in each group. Group 1 served as positive control and received standard feed and 1.5 mg/kg body weight normal saline, group 2 served as negative control and were exposed to 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride, group 3 received 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium Adansonia digitata supplemented feed, group 4 received 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride and Citrullus lanatus supplemented feed, while group 5 were given 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride and Abelmoschus esculentus supplemented feed. All administrations were orally and lasted for 28 days. At the end of the administration, blood, liver, kidney, brain, and testes were harvested from the rabbits for biochemical and histological analysis. One-way analysis of variance followed by Turkey’s test was used to analyze the results with p < 0.05 considered significant. The results revealed that cadmium exposure caused a significant increase in serum total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and atherogenic index in rabbits exposed to cadmium. Cadmium exposure also reduced bone calcium concentration. Adansonia digitata maintained the atherogenic index of plasma at 2.67 compared with the positive control group (2.66). The three vegetables reversed the cadmium-induced up-regulation of total cholesterol and triacylglycerol in the liver, kidney, and brain but not in the testis. All the vegetables also restored bone calcium. Citrullus lanatus and Abelmoschus esculentus prevented organ damage induced by cadmium exposure. These vegetables however play different protective roles against cadmium exposed rabbits

Occurrence of PAHs in water samples of the Diep River, South Africa

Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in freshwater may aggravate the water crisis currently being experienced in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. However, there is dearth of data on the levels of PAHs, which is necessary for effective assessment of water quality as well as remediation strategies. This study therefore assessed levels of PAHs in the Diep River freshwater system of Western Cape Province, South Africa. A liquid-liquid extraction solid-phase extraction gas chromatography flame ionisation detection (LLE-SPEGC-FID) method was developed to simultaneously determine the 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) listed priority PAHs in water samples. The SPE-GC-FID method allowed an acceptable linearity (R2 > 0.999) within the calibration range of 1 to 50 μg/mL. Instrument detection limits ranged between 0.02 and 0.04 μg/mL and instrument quantification limits between 0.06 and 0.13 μg/mL. Recovery study results were also acceptable (83.69–96.44%) except for naphthalene, which had recovery of 60.05% in spiked water matrix. The seasonal averages of individual PAH detected at the studied sites ranged between not detected (nd) and 72.38 ± 9.58 μg/L in water samples.Keywords: PAHs, Diep River, GC-FID, freshwate