Ebo tan ebo ku? Yoruba Indigenous Religion’s Viewpoint on the Death of Jesus Christ as the Final Sacrifice

E bo is an offering made to the Deity the divinities and other agents considered by the Yoru ba to be responsible for the imbalances in the life of humanity in order to correct the inevitable disequilibrium or to show appreciation The offering of e bo could be on daily basis for those who are priests and priestesses Personal or communal exigencies determine the frequency of sacrifice except offerings for thanksgiving for success and good health which are regular However in Christian religion it is ageneral belief that Jesus Christ came to the world to die for the salvation of humanity According to Christians Christ offered himself as the final sacrifice for the sins of the whole world Therefore there is no reason for further offering of e bo of any form If this is the case the questions one needs to ask are if Jesus truly came for the salvation of man from sin and the sacrifice has been made once and for all why do we still have sicknesses of all kinds in the world today Can we say his own manner of salvation does not cover sickness pestilence and other social vices like murder and stealing Why is it that some Christians still carry on in the tradition of offering e bo till today Why is it that god has not struck the adherents of African Indigenous Religion who still offer sacrifices in Yoru ba land These are some of the questions that this paper tried to answer Data were collected through oral interview and was subjected to descriptive analysi

Antiulcer and gastric antisecretory effects of landolphia owariensis extracts in rats

Water, Methanol and Chloroform Extracts of Landolphia owarensis were investigated for their effects on gastric acid secretion and ulceration in male albino rats. Two models of gastric lesion induced in experimental Wistar rats- HC1/ethanol- induced gastric lesions and Pylorus ligation-induced gastric lesions – were employed. In both models, the antiulcer activity of LA was compared with that of cimetidine (100 mg kg p.o.). In the HCl/Ethanol model, ulcer index and mucus production was determined. In pylorus ligated rat, ulcer index, mucus production, total volume of gastric juice and gastric acidity level were measured. Pre-treatment of animals with the aqueous extracts (100mg/kgand 200mg/kg) orally once daily for two weeks significantly reduced formation of ulcers induced by HCl/ethanol mixture, the percentage inhibition being 43.8% and 55.27% respectively. The Chloroform extract afforded the least protection with 23.07% and 14.77% inhibition. This was also accompanied by significant increases in gastric mucus production. In pylorus ligated rats, total volume of gastric juice and gastric acidity was significantly decreased ascompared to control group, to levels comparable to that produced by cimetidine. The results indicate that the leaf extracts of LO contains antiulcer principles

Youths and non-consensual sex: exploring the experiences of rape and attempted rape survivors in a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Non-consensual Sex (NCS) is a worldwide problem with far reaching effects on the survivors. This study explored the experiences of rape and attempted rape (AR) survivors in a tertiary institution in Nigeria.Methods: In-depth interviews with fourteen survivors of rape and AR were used to explore the context of experience of NCS, its consequences and help-seeking. Interviewees consisted two males and five females for each form of NCS who were identified during the quantitative aspect of the study. Interviews were subjected to content analysis.Results: Mean age of the respondents was 22.3±2.5 years. Context of non-consensual sexual experiences varied with sex. Female survivors reported use of physical violence on them by their perpetrators while males reported verbal threats, nudity, forceful hugging and kissing. Means of escape adopted by survivors of AR varied between the sexes. Female AR survivors used physical force as a means of escape while males employed deception/plea. Perpetrators were majorly acquaintances of the survivors. Consequences of the experiences reported include physical injuries and pregnancy among females and psychological disturbances among males. Majority, both males and females did not report, nor seek help due to shame and did not know appropriate methods of preventing future experience.Conclusion: Although both males and females reported they have experienced rape and AR, the context of the experiences and consequences reported varied between both sexes and most did not know how to prevent future experience. This call for urgent development of gender sensitive sexual violence prevention programmes to address this phenomenon.Keywords: rape, perpetrators, attempted rape, Students, non-consensual sexFunding: The study received grant support from The Gates Institute, John Hopkins University Baltimore, USA through The Centre for Population and Reproductive Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

A Study of Valuation Clients Perception on Mortgage Valuation Reliability

The effect of overvaluation and undervaluation cannot be over emphasized in any economy. Valuation opinions are very crucial to the operations and business dealings of the clients that seek valuer’s advice in decision making. Wrong opinion of value has caused strain in many business dealings. This paper studies the perception of clients on reliability of mortgage valuation in Nigeria. A sample size of 50 lending institutions was randomly chosen representing 57.5% of the target population in Lagos State, the study area. The study used descriptive statistic to analyse the data. The study reveals that clients are of the opinion that valuations produced by valuers were not reliable. This is as a result of the experiences they were having with large disparity between the final opinion of values of those properties on default mortgage that were foreclosed and the final sales price. The study therefore concludes that the estate surveyors and valuers in the country owe their clients a duty of care by presenting accurate and reliable valuation reports since other stakeholders of the real property investors depend on these reports for their investment decision

An Evaluation of Property Portfolio Diversification Strategies in Nigeria.

This paper identifies diversification strategies adopted in the Nigerian property market and evaluates the effectiveness of the strategies with a view to determining the benefits of each strategy to investors and also moves the profession in Nigeria forward towards meeting the global trends. This is against the background of greater unpredictability and volatility in the Nigeria property market and the increasing need for investors to diversify risk of their portfolios. Questionnaires backed up with interviews, were administered on 28 institutional property investors in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt metropolitan areas. Pooled data on rental transactions and capital values for the period of 1998 – 2003 involving 76 properties were also collected from the investors. Data were analysed with the use of frequency distribution, relative importance index, Sharpe’s Index and mean/standard deviation ratio. The study’s results showed that “property type” and “geographic naïve diversification” were the preferred strategies in the Nigerian property market and that these strategies did not give the best protection to investors’ portfolios against the risk situation in the market. The results of the evaluation revealed that the best strategy would be to adopt efficient portfolio strategy and invest better proportions of a real estate portfolio in residential properties located in Lagos metropolitan area

Capital allowances and Foreign Direct Investment in Listed Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria

Tax incentives have become a global phenomenon as more and more governments try to attract multinational companies and enhance the associated technology spillovers. Capital allowances are allowable as deductions in lieu of depreciation, which are treated as inadmissible for tax purpose. The objective of this study was to establish the effect of Capital Allowance on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Listed Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research design and the target population of the study was the 74 Listed Manufacturing Companies with approximately more than 56,000 employees. A sample size of 352 respondents from thirty two (32) manufacturing companies was selected using stratified purposive sampling and respondents were grouped into three strata; that of top, middle and lower management levels. This study used primary data which was obtained from administration of the questionnaires. Data analysis was done using frequencies, mean and standard deviation, while inferential statistics consisted of correlation and regression analysis. The findings show a strong positive linear relationship between capital allowance and foreign direct investment. The paper recommends that tax authority should introduce a policy of carrying over investment allowance that is not utilised to the subsequent year as an advantage to the investors to reduce their tax liability. Keywords: Capital Allowances, Manufacturing Companies, Investment Allowance, Foreign Direct   Investment

A patient-initiated DMARD selfmonitoring service for people with rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis on methotrexate: a randomised controlled trial

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a patient-initiated DMARD self-monitoring service for people with rheumatoid (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on methotrexate. Methods: A two-arm, single centre, randomised controlled trial assessing superiority in relation to healthcare utilisation, clinical and psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 100 adults with either RA or PsA on a stable dose of methotrexate, randomly assigned to usual care or the patient-initiated service. Intervention participants were trained how to understand and interpret their blood tests and use this information to initiate care from their clinical nurse specialist (CNS). The primary outcome was the number of outpatient visits to the CNS during the trial period. Differences between groups were analysed using Poisson regression models. Secondary outcomes were collected at baseline and after the 3rd and 6th blood tests. Disease activity was measured using either the DAS28 or PsARC, pain and fatigue using a visual numeric scale and the HAQII, HADS and SF12 were completed to assess disability, mood and quality of life, respectively. Differences between groups over time on secondary outcomes were analysed using multi-level models. Results: The patient-initiated DMARD self-monitoring service was associated with 54.55% fewer visits to the CNS (p<0.0001), 6.80% fewer visits to the rheumatologist (p=0.23) and 38.80% fewer visits to the GP (p=0.07), compared with control participants. There was no association between trial arm and any of the clinical or psychosocial outcomes. Conclusions: The results suggest that a patient-initiated service that incorporates patients self-monitoring DMARD therapy can lead to significant reductions in healthcare utilisation, whilst maintaining clinical and psychosocial well-being

Entomophagy — An evaluation of quality and acceptability of Raphia palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) as influenced by thermal processing methods

In this study, the quality and acceptability factor of Raphia palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) as influenced by different thermal processing methods were investigated. Raphia palm weevil larvae (n=1000) were randomly distributed into four groups of 250 larvae per group according to a treatment, namely: T1 = boiling (100 °C), T2 = roasting (120 °C) T3 = frying (160 °C) and T4 = oven-drying (180 °C). All treatments lasted 20 minutes. Analyses were carried out to determine the physical, chemical, vitamin and mineral composition, and microbial load. In addition, sensory characteristics were evaluated. Weevil larvae processed by the boiling method had the highest cooking yield (97.59%), water holding capacity (21.78%) and the lowest cooking loss (2.41%). The protein and fat content was higher in weevil larvae processed by frying (37.63% and 17.70%, respectively), while moisture was lowest (18.68%) in oven-dried larvae. The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content was higher in oven-dried larvae, while there were no significant differences in iron, manganese, zinc and vitamins in the processed larvae irrespective of the methods. Boiled larvae had a higher microbial load, while fried and oven-dried larvae had the lowest microbial load. Fried larvae elicited highest sensory characteristics except tenderness, which was higher in boiled larvae, but fried larvae had higher overall acceptability than those processed by other methods. Therefore, it has been shown that the frying method is an appropriate method of processing Raphia palm weevil larvae for enhanced quality and acceptability.In this study, the quality and acceptability factor of Raphia palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) as influenced by different thermal processing methods were investigated. Raphia palm weevil larvae (n=1000) were randomly distributed into four groups of 250 larvae per group according to a treatment, namely: T1 = boiling (100 °C), T2 = roasting (120 °C) T3 = frying (160 °C) and T4 = oven-drying (180 °C). All treatments lasted 20 minutes. Analyses were carried out to determine the physical, chemical, vitamin and mineral composition, and microbial load. In addition, sensory characteristics were evaluated. Weevil larvae processed by the boiling method had the highest cooking yield (97.59%), water holding capacity (21.78%) and the lowest cooking loss (2.41%). The protein and fat content was higher in weevil larvae processed by frying (37.63% and 17.70%, respectively), while moisture was lowest (18.68%) in oven-dried larvae. The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content was higher in oven-dried larvae, while there were no significant differences in iron, manganese, zinc and vitamins in the processed larvae irrespective of the methods. Boiled larvae had a higher microbial load, while fried and oven-dried larvae had the lowest microbial load. Fried larvae elicited highest sensory characteristics except tenderness, which was higher in boiled larvae, but fried larvae had higher overall acceptability than those processed by other methods. Therefore, it has been shown that the frying method is an appropriate method of processing Raphia palm weevil larvae for enhanced quality and acceptability

Retrospective Study on Puppy Bites Reported to Veterinary Clinic, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, Plateau State from 2004 to 2010

In a retrospective study of puppy bite cases, a total of 130 cases of bites were analyzed using seven years records of puppy bites obtained at the Veterinary Clinic of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, Plateau State. Of these, 53.1% (69/130) and 46.9 (61/130) were bites from male and female puppies respectively. This wasstatistically insignificant (p&gt;0.05). Based on age groups, cases of bites were highest 39.2% (51/130) and lowest, 19.2% (25/130), for age groups &gt;2-4 and 0-2 respectively. The highest cases of bites 22.3% (29/130) were recorded in 2004, while 2006 had the lowest with 11.5% ( 15/130) whi ch was s tat i s t i cal ly insignificant (p&gt;0.05). Also 60.0% (78/130) of the bite cases were as a result of provocation while the remaining 40.0%(52/130) were unprovoked bites. The outcome of fluorescent antibody testshowed that 33.1% (43/130) of the puppies were positive for rabies. Also of this 33.1% positive samples, 22.3% (29/130) and 10.8% (14/130) were males and females respectively. This was statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). The highest apparent prevalence was obtained in Jos South 12.3% (16/130), while the lowest was in Shendam 0.8% (1/130). None of the cases from Pankshin was positive for rabies. Also Jos South recorded highest number of cases 55 (42.3%), while the least were in Langtang and Shendam with 3 (2.3%), each. The results showed that puppies below the age of three months can come down with rabies. It is recommended thatthe age for rabies vaccination in Plateau State and Nigeria at large where the disease is endemic be reconsidered especially where bitch  immunization is uncertain.Key words: Puppy bites, rabies, retrospective study, fluorescent antibodytest, Plateau State