Post-Amnesty Plan, Peace-Building and Peope-Centred Development in the Niger Delta: A Polycentric Planning and Poverty Reduction Strategy (PPPRS)

This proposal charts a course of action that the Federal Government of Nigeria can take in order to consolidate the gains of amnesty programme by building peace and engineering people-centred development in the Niger Delta. From theoretical formulations to empirical analysis, this proposal uses the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to diagnose the missing links in several efforts and programmes designed to addressing the crisis in the Niger Delta. While the present amnesty programme has yielded some good results, the grey area – post-amnesty plan – that can address the problems and challenges that triggered violence, insecurity and economic loss in the Niger Delta requires urgent attentions. In other words, amnesty programme needs be complemented with pragmatic post-amnesty poverty reduction and development strategies that are people-oriented. It is apposite to make hay while the sun shines. In the light of this exigency, this proposal considers it imperative to adopt a polycentric planning and poverty reduction strategy (PPPRS) to resolving the Niger Delta crisis. The proposal is a summary of innovative problem-solving and solution-seeking ideas that area capable of addressing several challenges that are confronting the Niger Delta. It contains a well designed post-amnesty plan and programmes that can ensure economic empowerment, poverty reduction, people-centred development and peace-building in the region. The proposal designs a Niger-Delta Post-Amnesty Development Model (NDPADM) that derives inspirations and workability mechanisms from fifteen (15) African development models that are problem-solving and solution-seeking in several sectors of the economy in the Niger Delta. At the heart of NDPADM is African Public Sphere Restructuring Model (APSRM) designed for the setting up self-governing community assembly (SGCA) for deliberation, collegiality, mutual trust, reciprocity and shared community of understanding to enable citizens, both elite and non-elite to operate in synergy to collectively achieve socio-economic and techno-political objectives. Without a restructuring of the public space that could enable all the diverse interests in the Niger Delta to operate as colleagues with equal standing such that oil benefits are shared equitably, amnesty programme will be tantamount to fire brigade exercise, a waste of resources and a cycle of reinforced violence. Under the proposed new institutional arrangement, amnested persons will be involved in the activities of community assembly where they can function as agents of change in development arenas. Invariably, the amnesty programme of the federal government would enable ex-militants, freedom fighters, revolutionists and other citizens to make meaningful contributions towards development. The outcome of the restructuring is emergence of new institutional arrangements, which would reflect integrative constitutional order in socio-economic and techno-political realms. It is this joint action and synergy by the major stakeholders (public officials, scholars, oil companies and representatives of community self-governing institutions) that would eventually determine how government policies in all spheres of life in the region are to be implemented. After the institutional arrangement has been designed, operational strategy for implementation of any programme/project (e.g. employment generation, food security, road development, poverty reduction, environmental management, security of life and property, electoral reform and democratisation, conflict detection, prevention and resolution, etc.) can then be fashioned out. It is at this stage that any of the fifteen models can be applied to any of the specific action situations. For example, the Nigerian government can kick start post-amnesty programmes by implementing food security and employment generation programmes in the Niger Delta

Online Mobile Phone Recharge System in Nigeria

An e-portal system that allows mobile phone users to recharge their phones online without necessary purchasing any recharge card is proposed. With this e-portal system, users simply provide the amount to be loaded on the specified phone number and some series of validation are performed before finally recharging the phone with the specified amount. This e-portal system also eliminates the burden of generating random numbers as recharge cards and the subsequent huge database accompanied with the storage of these randomly generated numbers. Mobile service providers are still faced with the challenges of inefficient bandwidth utilization and congestion in the transmission channel. One of the main reasons for this congestion is the toll placed on the network by the need to reload/recharge phone credits in order to enable calls. The solution proposed in this paper is meant to improve bandwidth utilization by taking the process of recharging off the mobile clients

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL POST-UTME DATA ANALYSIS: A CASE STUDY OF DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA

The open access to higher education is introducing admission challenges among universities in Nigeria and requires them tointroduce alternative methods for admitting students, in order to identify and select the most appropriate students to reachbetter performance. The study accumulated admission data of prospective Computer Science candidates invited for Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) interactive tests conducted at the University of Ibadan for a period offour academic sessions (2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/2011). A data warehouse was implemented with a star schemafor the data. Multidimensional analysis was thereafter performed on the data. This study reveals that something very urgenthas to be done to some Centres being used for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) conducted by the JointAdmissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Nigeria.Keywords: Admission, JAMB, UTME, Data Warehouse, Multi-Dimensional Data Analysis

Sand-Digging and Soil Excavation as an Environmental Degradation Factor in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area,Ogun State:An Interrogation of the Appropriateness of Construction Technology in Nigera

This paper uses Polycentric Planning, an off-shoot of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to interrogate the appropriateness of construction technology in sand-digging and soil excavation in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State. The paper found that the technology adopted in sand-digging and soil excavation for the purpose of road and housing constructions is inappropriate for clean technology. Thus, the processes of degradation of the communities studied have intensified in recent times due to uncontrolled urbanization. It was also found that the average depth of digging in three sites is 6 meters; the average distance of sites distance to nearest building is 9 meters; the average distance to the nearest stream is 750 meters; the average distance to the nearest road is 18 meters; and the average area covered by the dug sites is 4.6 hectares. The crude method of soil excavation is causing untold damages to private property and infrastructures such as roads, electricity poles, drainage, etc. Similarly, it was found that excavation activities have induced damages on the existing drainage pattern due to sediments discharge to adjacent water bodies with the implication of inducing flooding. Using Polycentric Planning and Poverty Reduction Strategy, this paper adopts an African Polycentric Sustainable Environment Model (APSEM) for restructuring decision making on environment to conserve and protect environmental resources. The model and the proposed new institutional mechanism would enable local people and professionals/practitioners in the built environment to have a robust dialogue with the local government officials in order to reposition urban councils to effectively manage urban environment and conserve natural resource

Modeling of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for Transmission in Broadband Wireless Communications

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a multi carrier modulation technique that provides high bandwidth efficiency because the carriers are orthogonal to each other and multiple carriers share the data among themselves. The main advantage of this transmission technique is its robustness to channel fading in wireless communication environment. This paper investigates the effectiveness of OFDM and assesses its suitability as a modulation technique in wireless communications. Several of the main factors affecting the performance of a typical OFDM system are considered and they include multipath delay spread, channel noise, distortion (clipping), and timing requirements. The core processing block and performance analysis of the system is modeled usingMatlab

Climate Change,Urban Degreening and Flooding in Nigerian Cities:Reducing Vulnerability Through Polycentric Planning and Urban Greeenery Strategy(PPUGS)

This paper uses the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to analyse the missing links in attempts to address the problems of flooding in Nigerian cities. Previous flooding and the recent ones have been attributed to heavy downpour, blockage of water channels and drainages, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and building of houses along channels. Areas that are neglected but pertinent to flood mitigation include: (1) degreening activities that remove green cover; (2) paving of open spaces with asphalt and concrete that accentuate storm water volume as percolation is reduced; and (3) unpaved surfaces that generate debris and silts that cause siltation and sedimentation of Atlantic Ocean and Lagoon with the consequence of rising sea level and coastal flooding. The paper reports the findings of longitudinal studies on causative factors of urban flooding. The studies commenced in Ile-Ife and Ibadan in 1997, conducted in Lagos in 1998-2000 and 2011 and in Ibadan in 2011 and 2012. The paper identified gaps between and among the stakeholders in environmentalism and ecosystemic balance at state and local levels. Indications from Ile-Ife, Lagos and Ibadan show that the three cities are experiencing degreening activities. For example, in Ile-Ife and Lagos, the green areas account for the least proportions, 24.1% and 27% of open spaces around buildings respectively, while 75.9% and 73.0% of the available open spaces are either paved or unpaved with the problem of heat radiation that demands additional energy for operating artificial cooling system and consequently increased global warming. In addition, degreening activities cause flooding. As more and more land is urbanised, and trees and grasses are replaced by asphalt and concrete, rainwater has less chance to be absorbed. Thus, storm water rushes down the streets while areas that were never flooded are now routinely under water. Other studies in Lagos show that: (i) there is an increase in the rate of sedimentation and sea level rise (ii) rainstorms in the city have become more intense and urban flooding will be more severe. Floods have devastated many parts of Lagos and Ibadan leading to loss of several lives and property and the displacement of several people. Statistics confirms that between 2011 and 2012, more than 150 billion naira (about $1 billion) was lost in Lagos, while 2,105 buildings were flooded in Ibadan with property damaged estimated in billions of Naira. As a result, the Lagos and Oyo States‟ Governments spent several millions of Naira on relief to the victims. This paper raises some fundamental questions on the roles of stakeholders (scholars, public officials, practitioners, professionals and citizens) within the built environment in designing strategies at mitigating urban flooding. This paper considered it imperative for the adoption of pragmatic and problem-solving strategies that can help in mitigating flooding in Lagos and Ibadan. Consequently, the paper designs an African Polycentric Urban Greenery Model (APUGM) that can be applied to addressing the challenges of flooding in the two cities. The paper emphasizes, among other considerations, the use of traducture in reaching the grassroots for solution to the recurrent challenges of flooding. The paper also designs strategies that Lagos and Oyo states‟ governments could adopt for the depopulation of the two cities – Lagos and Ibadan respectively through de-urbanisation, de-migration and re-migration

Total Anti-Oxidant Capacity, Flavonoid, Phenolic Acid And Polyphenol Content In Ten Selected Species Of Zingiberaceae Rhizomes

Background: Natural products such as herbs, fruits, spices, beverages, vegetables are becoming more popular among scientific community and consumers because of their potential to arrest the effect of free radicals in human system. This study determined the total antioxidant capacity of ten selected species of Zingiberaceae (Ginger) used as spices and for medicinal purposes in Southeast Asia.Materials and Methods: Methanol was used as the extraction solvent, 2,2 – diphenyl -1- picrylhydrazil (DPPH) for free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Phenolic compounds were measured using Total flavonoid, Phenolic acid and Polyphenols content assay to evaluate the quality of the antioxidant capacity of the rhizomes and vitamin C as positive control.Results: The results obtained revealed that Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale had the highest free radical scavenging capacity of 270.07mg/TE/g DW and 266.95mg/TE/g DW and FRAP assay, Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale also gave the highest ferric reducing power of 231.73mg/TE/g DW and 176.26mg/TE/g DW respectively. For Phenolic compounds, Curcuma longa and Curcuma xanthorrhiza gave the highest values of flavonoid (741.36mg/NGN/g DW and 220.53mg/NGN/g DW), phenolic acid (42.71mg/GAE/g DW and 22.03mg/GAE/g DW) and polyphenols(39.38mg/GAE/g DW and 38.01mg/GAE/g DW) respectively. Significant and positive linear correlations were found between Total antioxidant capacity and Phenolic compounds (R = 0.65 – 0.96). Conclusion: This study provides evidence that extracts of Zingiberaceae (Ginger) rhizomes are a potential source of natural antioxidants and could serve as basis for future drugs and food supplementsKey words: Zingibearaceae, Antioxidant, Free Radical, Oxidative stress, DPPH, Flavonoid, Phenolic acid, Polypheno

Azadirachta indica Leaf Extract Ameliorates Hyperglycemia and Hepatic Glycogenosis in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Wistar Rats

We studied the effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Azadirachta indica (AIE) on hepatic microscopic anatomy and oxidative stress markers in diabetic rats. Seventy-five Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups: control; diabetic; diabetic+AIE; AIE only; and diabetic+glibenclamide. Hyperglycemia was induced in fasted rats with streptozotocin. AIE was administered orally at 500 mg/kg bw/d and glibenclamide at 600 μg/kg bw/d for 50 days (50 d). Animals were sacrificed on treatment days 7, 21 and 50. The liver was stained with PAS. Hepatic markers of oxidative stress were also estimated. At 50 d, histological study of the liver of diabetic rats showed swollen PAS+ hepatocytes, whose content was confirmed to be glycogen. On the contrary, hepatocytes of AIE-treated diabetic rats lacked glycogen. The major finding in these rats was exacerbated oxidative stress. Our findings in this model showed the beneficial effect of AIE in the amelioration of diabetic hepatic glycogenosis.Keywords: Diabetes, Azadirachta indica, hepatic glycogenosis, oxidative stress, live

Azadirachta indica Leaf Extract Ameliorates Hyperglycemia and Hepatic Glycogenosis in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Wistar Rats

We studied the effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Azadirachta indica (AIE) on hepatic microscopic anatomy and oxidative stress markers in diabetic rats. Seventy-five Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups: control; diabetic; diabetic+AIE; AIE only; and diabetic+glibenclamide. Hyperglycemia was induced in fasted rats with streptozotocin. AIE was administered orally at 500 mg/kg bw/d and glibenclamide at 600 μg/kg bw/d for 50 days (50 d). Animals were sacrificed on treatment days 7, 21 and 50. The liver was stained with PAS. Hepatic markers of oxidative stress were also estimated. At 50 d, histological study of the liver of diabetic rats showed swollen PAS+ hepatocytes, whose content was confirmed to be glycogen. On the contrary, hepatocytes of AIE-treated diabetic rats lacked glycogen. The major finding in these rats was exacerbated oxidative stress. Our findings in this model showed the beneficial effect of AIE in the amelioration of diabetic hepatic glycogenosis.Keywords: Diabetes, Azadirachta indica, hepatic glycogenosis, oxidative stress, live