Qualitative Assessment of Effects of Encroachment on Water Resources of Agba Dam, Ilorin Nigeria

The city of Ilorin in Nigeria has experienced high population growth and rapid urbanization. Agba Dam is one of the major sources of potable water in Ilorin, and currently been threatened by anthropogenic induced encroachment activities, with potential for significant derogatory effects on its quality. Therefore, this paper assesses the qualitative impact of encroachment on the water resources regime of Agba Dam, Ilorin, Nigeria. Field survey was carried out to scope proximal anthropogenic activities and to delineate historical and current extent of the encroachment area of the dam. Representative water samples were collected from locations within the dam catchment, and subsequently analyzed for alkalinity, dissolved carbondioxide, chloride, total iron, copper, sulphate, colour, calcium, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. In addition, historical physical and chemical data of water samples obtained from the dam were also acquired, and analyzed to determine temporal variation in the quality. The results show a reduction of 0.89 km2 or 63% in the historical buffer boundary of the dam. The values of the measured physico-chemical parameters were generally similar to that obtained for the historical values and therefore suggest limited impact of the anthropogenic activities on the water quality. However, slight increases were observed in the measured concentrations of the alkalinity, dissolved carbondioxide, chloride, iron, copper and sulphate, and this indicates possibilities of water quality alteration, with potential consequences for ecosystem and aquatic life if the trend is unabated. Keywords: Anthropogenic, Water quality, Agba dam, Ilorin Nigeri

EQUITY RETURN AND CONSUMPTION IN NIGERIA (1999-2014)

This study examined the trend and pattern of equity return and private consumption in Nigeria between 1999 and 2014. The trend analysis of equity return and consumption showed that there was considerable fluctuation in equity return throughout the study period and which was as a result of trading activities in the stock market. The behaviour of asset prices affected equity and that the fluctuation in the market was attributed to a lot of factors like waning confidence of investors and impact of the global financial crises and economic meltdown, liberalisation of the market. The fluctuation of the growth rate of private consumption was also affected by the economic situation and global economic and financial crises in 2008, oil shock and various government policies put in place to encourage savings. Also, an increase in equity return will increase consumption while a decrease in equity return had little effect on consumption and the effects were not significant

Review of Researches on Techno-Economic Analysis and Environmental Impact of Hybrid Energy Systems

Hybrid energy systems, which are combinations of two or more renewable and non-renewable energy sources, have been identified as a viable mechanism to address the limitations of a single renewable energy source, utilized for electricity generation. In view of this, several research works have been carried out to determine the optimal mix of different renewable and non-renewable energy resources used for electricity generation. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the optimization approaches proposed and adopted by various authors in the literature for optimal sizing of hybrid energy systems. It is observed that the objective functions - considered by a large percentage of researchers to optimize the sizing of hybrid energy systems - are cost minimization of the generated electricity, system reliability enhancement and environmental pollution reduction. Other factors covered in the literature are equally discussed in this article. Similarly, simulation and optimization software used for the same purpose are covered in the paper. In essence, the main aim of this paper is to provide a scope into the works that have been carried out in the field of hybrid energy systems, used for electricity generation with the view to informing researchers and members of the public alike, on trends in methods applied in optimal sizing of hybrid energy systems. It is believed that the information provided in this paper is very crucial in advancing research in the field

Assessing the low-cost buildings in Nigeria using Hydraform blocks as walling materials: the journey so far

Man’s growing desire for affordable and comfortable buildings have necessitated the diversification of materials and methods in the built sector. Thus, this paper assessed the hydraform blocks as walling materials to examine its current level of usage in the Nigerian built sector. Information was generated via literature reviews, newspapers, and professional perceptions. The findings revealed that despite the concerted feats of private developers in the use of hydraform blocks as walling materials for the low-cost building construction in Nigeria, efforts by the Federal Government has yielded limited success in this regard. Also, State Governments have not fared better. Therefore, this paper recommended and proffered solutions to bridge this gap

Energy generation from anaerobic co-digestion of food waste, cow dung and piggery dung.

The study investigated bioenergy generation from anaerobic co-digestion of food wastes (FW), cow dung (CD) and piggery dung (PD). The physicochemical parameters of the substrates were determined before and after digestion following standard procedures after mechanical pretreatment. Throughout the study, pH remained slightly alkaline while temperature varied between 26 and 32 °C. The highest cumulative biogas yield of 0.0488 L was recorded from the digestion of FW + CD + PD on the ninth day. After analyses, the highest methane content of 64.6 was obtained from the digestion of FW + PD while the lowest (54.0%) was from the digestion of FW only. Overall, cumulative biogas production for the four digestion regimes followed the order: FW + CD + PD, FW + PD, FW + CD and FW only respectively. Accumulation of VFAs was recorded at a slow rate during the digestions

A pilot randomized controlled trial of a stepped care intervention package for depression in primary care in Nigeria

Background Depression is common in primary care and is often unrecognized and untreated. Studies are needed to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing evidence-based depression care provided by primary health care workers (PHCWs) in sub-Saharan Africa. We carried out a pilot two-parallel arm cluster randomized controlled trial of a package of care for depression in primary care. Methods Six primary health care centers (PHCC) in two Local Government Areas of Oyo State, South West Nigeria were randomized into 3 intervention and 3 control clinics. Three PHCWs were selected for training from each of the participating clinics. The PHCWs from the intervention clinics were trained to deliver a manualized multicomponent stepped care intervention package for depression consisting of psychoeducation, activity scheduling, problem solving treatment and medication for severe depression. Providers from the control clinics delivered care as usual, enhanced by a refresher training on depression diagnosis and management. Outcome measures Patient’s Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), WHO quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-Bref) and the WHO disability assessment schedule (WHODAS) were administered in the participants’ home at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Results About 98% of the consecutive attendees to the clinics agreed to have the screening interview. Of those screened, 284 (22.7%) were positive (PHQ-9 score ≥ 8) and 234 gave consent for inclusion in the study: 165 from intervention and 69 from control clinics. The rates of eligible and consenting participants were similar in the control and intervention arms. In all 85.9% (92.8% in intervention and 83% in control) of the participants were successfully administered outcome assessments at 6 months. The PHCWs had little difficulty in delivering the intervention package. At 6 months follow up, depression symptoms had improved in 73.0% from the intervention arm compared to 51.6% control. Compared to the mean scores at baseline, there was improvement in the mean scores on all outcome measures in both arms at six months. Conclusion The results provide support for the feasibility of conducting a fully-powered randomized study in this setting and suggest that the instruments used may have the potential to detect differences between the arms

Traumatic physical health consequences of intimate partner violence against women: what is the role of community-level factors?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a serious public health issue with recognizable direct health consequences. This study assessed the association between IPV and traumatic physical health consequences on women in Nigeria, given that communities exert significant influence on the individuals that are embedded within them, with the nature of influence varying between communities.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional nationally-representative data of women aged 15 - 49 years in the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey was used in this study. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between IPV and several forms of physical health consequences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bruises were the most common form of traumatic physical health consequences. In the adjusted models, the likelihood of sustaining bruises (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.05 - 3.46), wounds (OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.31 - 4.95), and severe burns (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.63 - 6.28) was significantly higher for women exposed to IPV compared to those not exposed to IPV. However, after adjusting for individual- and community-level factors, women with husbands/partners with controlling behavior, those with primary or no education, and those resident in communities with high tolerance for wife beating had a higher likelihood of experiencing IPV, whilst mean community-level education and women 24 years or younger were at lower likelihood of experiencing IPV.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Evidence from this study shows that exposure to IPV is associated with increased likelihood of traumatic physical consequences for women in Nigeria. Education and justification of wife beating were significant community-level factors associated with traumatic physical consequences, suggesting the importance of increasing women's levels of education and changing community norms that justify controlling behavior and IPV.</p

Clusters of alcohol abstainers and drinkers incorporating motives against drinking: a random survey of 18 to 34 year olds in four cities in four different continents

Objective: The aim of this analysis was to identify alcohol consumption clusters for adolescents and early adults according to attitudes to drinking, motivations against drinking and perceptions associated with alcohol. Method: Interviews were undertaken with people aged 18–34 years old living in four cities in different regions of the world. Multistage random sampling was consistent across the four cities (Ilorin (Nigeria), Wuhan (China), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Moscow (Russia)). The questionnaire was forward and back translated into relevant languages and face-to-face interviewing undertaken. The data were weighted to the population of each city. In total 6235 structured interviews were undertaken (1391 in Ilorin, 1600 in Montevideo, 1604 in Moscow and 1640 in Wuhan). Questions regarding motivation against alcohol consumption (14 items), assessing perceptions (3 items) and attitudes to drinking in certain situations (8 items) were asked of all respondents including abstainers. Factor analysis was initially undertaken to identify highly related correlated variables. Results: Cluster analysis provided a variety of clusters (Ilorin (3 clusters), Montevideo (5), Moscow (4) and Wuhan (4)). At least one cluster in each city was dominated by abstainers and another by heavy episodic drinkers. Variations by city and alcohol consumption patterns existed in regards to variables included. Conclusion: This analysis detailed the city specific motivations against drinking alcohol, and the attitudes towards alcohol consumption. Differences highlight the influence of country/city specific culture, customs, laws, societal norms and traditions