Assessing the Role of Legislation in the Development of Nigerian Solid Mineral Sector

This study assesses the role of legislation in the development of the Nigerian solid mineral sector. The aim of the assessment is to determine how well Nigeria mining companies comply with some key provisions of mining and mineral legislation and also to determine the influence of these legislations on the mining industries. For the purpose of this study, the Mining Act of 2007; The Mining Regulations of 2011; The explosives Act of 1964 and Explosives Regulations of 1967 which are the major legislations governing the activities of mining in Nigeria were reviewed, some specific provisions were extracted and compliance to theses extracted provisions were assessed. Thirty mining firms were assessed with the aid of a questionnaire in order to determine the level of their compliance to the identified provisions of mining legislations. Data acquired and assessed include compliance of these mineral industries with the provisions of the mining legislations on explosives magazines administration; Safety and health requirements; Production reporting and royalty payments. The results indicate that the mining industries assessed comply with most of the requirements on safety and health and also with royalty payments. It is however revealed that most of the provisions of mining legislations on explosives magazine administration are not well complied with

Assessment of Project Monitoring and Control Techniques in Ondo State Agency for Road Maintenance and Construction (OSARMCO)

Monitoring and control is an essential process in construction project management and delivery. It is therefore imperative for construction companies to employ the usage of the most effective monitoring and control techniques available to meet project objectives. This study examined project management techniques employed by Ondo State Agency for Road Maintenance andConstruction, a construction company in Ondo State, Nigeria.The research design that was used for this study is the survey method where copies of a well-structured questionnaire were distributed to elicit appropriate information from respondents. The results showed thatthere is a relationship existing between the type of project monitoring and control technique used by aconstruction company and project delivery/success and that the use of Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for time/schedule control and Earned Value Management (EVM) (alongside other monitoring and control techniques) for cost control as used by the company are very effective in meeting set project objectives.Based on the findings, a number of recommendations were made. Among these are, that monitoring and control units should be established withinconstruction companies and welltrained workers/professionals should be put in charge of handling these units and the techniques and tools used therein

The World Health Organization ACTION-I (Antenatal CorTicosteroids for Improving Outcomes in preterm Newborns) Trial: a multi-country, multi-centre, two-arm, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, individually randomized trial of antenatal corticosteroids for women at risk of imminent birth in the early preterm period in hospitals in low-resource countries

BACKGROUND: Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) have long been regarded as a cornerstone intervention in mitigating the adverse effects of a preterm birth. However, the safety and efficacy of ACS in hospitals in low-resource countries has not been established in an efficacy trial despite their widespread use. Findings of a large cluster-randomized trial in six low- and middle-income countries showed that efforts to scale up ACS use in low-resource settings can lead to harm. There is equipoise regarding the benefits and harms of ACS use in hospitals in low-resource countries. This randomized controlled trial aims to determine whether ACS are safe and efficacious when given to women at risk of imminent birth in the early preterm period, in hospitals in low-resource countries. METHODS/DESIGN: The trial design is a parallel, two-arm, double-blind, individually randomized, placebo-controlled trial of ACS (dexamethasone) for women at risk of imminent preterm birth. The trial will recruit 6018 women in participating hospitals across five low-resource countries (Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan). The primary objectives are to compare the efficacy of dexamethasone with placebo on survival of the baby and maternal infectious morbidity. The primary outcomes are: 1) neonatal death (to 28 completed days of life); 2) any baby death (any stillbirth postrandomization or neonatal death); and 3) a composite outcome to assess possible maternal bacterial infections. The trial will recruit eligible, consenting pregnant women from 26 weeks 0 days to 33 weeks 6 days gestation with confirmed live fetuses, in whom birth is planned or expected within 48 h. The intervention comprises a regimen of intramuscular dexamethasone sodium phosphate. The comparison is an identical placebo regimen (normal saline). A total of 6018 women will be recruited to detect a reduction of 15% or more in neonatal deaths in a two-sided 5% significance test with 90% power (including 10% loss to follow-up). DISCUSSION: Findings of this trial will guide clinicians, programme managers and policymakers on the safety and efficacy of ACS in hospitals in low-resource countries. The trial findings will inform updating of the World Health Organization's global recommendations on ACS use. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12617000476336 . Registered on 31 March 2017