Sustainable Housing Supply in Nigeria Through the Use of Indigenous and Composite Building Materials

Housing is one of the basic necessities of life after food. The need and importance of housing to cater for the ever increasing urban population in Nigeria is causing serious challenges to urban dwellers and the government. The high cost of conventional building materials in Nigeria is making the government and the private sector to look for alternative sources of building materials locally, in order to, meet the housing needs of the ever-increasing population. The paper highlights the combination of the use of stabilized earth blocks as an indigenous material for construction and composite building materials in Nigeria, and further stressed that the sustainability of these materials will drastically ameliorate the shortage of housing in Nigeria. Recommendations were made as to how these indigenous and composite building materials can be used to meet the housing needs of majority of the both rural and urban dwellers in Nigeria. Keywords: Building, Composite, Indigenous, Materials, Sustainabilit

Sustainable Housing Supply in Nigeria Through the Use of Indigenous and Composite Building Materials

Housing is one of the basic necessities of life after food. The need and importance of housing to cater for the ever increasing urban population in Nigeria is causing serious challenges to urban dwellers and the government. The high cost of conventional building materials in Nigeria is making the government and the private sector to look for alternative sources of building materials locally, in order to, meet the housing needs of the ever-increasing population. The paper highlights the combination of the use of stabilized earth blocks as an indigenous material for construction and composite building materials in Nigeria, and further stressed that the sustainability of these materials will drastically ameliorate the shortage of housing in Nigeria. Recommendations were made as to how these indigenous and composite building materials can be used to meet the housing needs of majority of the both rural and urban dwellers in Nigeria

Curriculum Issues on Sustainable Development: Dynamics for Nigeria’s Education Policy

The concerns for education sustainability have prompted debates, brainstorming, dialogues and legislations world over. The outcome of these endeavors has, in a way, favored the reduction of ‘unemployment and unemployables’ syndromes and engendered sustainability in the face of economic development forces. These syndromes have been linked to curriculum issues and educational pedagogic processes. The Nigerian education policy (NPE) stakeholders need to consider the upsurge of some other policy statements and intentions by other interest groups; which include the education strategic Plan for tertiary institution in Nigeria (ESP), ‘education for all’ (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Vision 20:2020, and Decades on Education for Sustainable Development (DESD2005-2014). This study performed critical evaluation and appraisal of development issues as highlighted in the policy statements. The analysis showed that the status quo of education curriculum is yet to have an ideology of its own when compared to the index of educational sustainability globally. Further to this, some hindrances impinging on the policy-curriculum’s realization were identified.These were identified and discussed along with suggestions and legal proposals which may aid the Vocational and Technical Education (VTE)-Dieted Policy-curriculum implementation and developmen

Business and Entrepreneurship Education: An Antidote for Graduates Unemployment Problem in Nigeria

The paper focused on Business and Entrepreneurship education as an antidote for graduate unemployment problem in Nigeria. It explained graduate unemployment, Business Education and entrepreneurship development, Entrepreneurship Education and the roles these play in self-reliance and unemployment reduction among Nigerian graduates and the nation. The paper argued that Business Education has the potentials to develop, teach and inculcate entrepreneurial principles and skills in the graduates who would then be equipped, and become employable and self-employed, if given due attention. Self-employment/entrepreneurial opportunities available for Business Education graduates were outlined. Establishment of a model entrepreneurship incubation center for students’ practice, inclusion of entrepreneurship in Business Education curriculum, more time for practical subjects are among the suggested ways the challenges could be overcome

AGE OF RESIDENTS AND SATISFACTION WITH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD IN IBADAN CORE AREA: A CASE STUDY OF OKE FOKO

This study focuses on the comparison of satisfaction level within different age groups in the core area of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Based on the assumption that age of residents influences neighbourhood satisfaction and that this satisfaction is in varying degrees between different age groups, non-parametric test was used to examine the differences. Result showed that age of residents was significantly related to neighbourhood satisfaction. An analysis that focused on the differing age group satisfaction with the neighbourhood showed significant differences. However, the differences were more significant below 20 years age bracket and 61-70 years. KEYWORDS: Neighbouhood satisfaction, housing satisfaction, core area housing, age of residents

THE DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE IN BENIN, A GOOD PLACE FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE

The domestic architecture in Benin has undergone an elastic process evolution from the pre-colonial period to the post-independence period. This is so because the people of Benin developed a social system which resulted in a transition process of traditional values that are firmly rooted in the past that will not endanger the future. The paper identified key concepts of resilience/vulnerability in the context of community vulnerable to the built environment, using a case study of Benin domestic architecture as methodology. The case study focuses on the resilience of core area houses to the influence of modern building styles while considering climate change on the city in the last few years as it affect resilience to core area planning and core area building materials within city. The result of the findings showed the core area buildings are vulnerable to change due to urbanization and climate change issues but at the time the building quite resilient and adaptive to transformation issues due to some factors which are outside the scope of this study. KEYWORDS: Domestic Architecture, Building Resilience, Vulnerability, Climate Change, Urbanizatio

Septic arthritis of the hip with intraperitoneal dislocation of the femoral head

Septic arthritis is a potentially crippling infection of the joint cavity. Malnutrition in the setting of poor socioeconomic background is a known predisposing and propagating factor of septic arthritis. Prolonged untreated septic arthritis of the hip joint can be a rare cause of acute abdomen, this is due to the proximity of the hip joint to the pelvis causing the spread of the causative organisms into the peritoneal cavity. We present a case of septic arthritis of the hip joint presenting as acute abdomen with intra-peritoneal dislocation of the head of the femur, and reviewed relevant literature. Keywords: acute abdomen; septic arthritis; peritonitis; fracture dislocation

User’s Preference of Activity in Akure Public Spaces

Users' preferences of activities in public spaces are influenced by a variety of factors, such as personal interest, social types, available facilities, and the surrounding environment. This paper examines users' preferences for activity in Akure public spaces to explore and understand the activities that users prefer engaging in within shared spaces. Information on respondents’ socio-economic characteristics, the availability of public space, and their activities was obtained from a structured questionnaire conducted with 334 respondents from the core, transitional, and peripheral zones in Akure. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The result shows that public spaces in the study area are used for social and religious activities, as they ranked 1st and 2nd, respectively. The result of the hypothesis testing shows that there is a significant relationship between the availability of public spaces in the study area and the activities that take place. This study recommends enforcement of the proper use of public spaces for their primary purpose of curbing indiscriminate and inappropriate use. Urban planners, architects, and policymakers should engage in designing and managing public spaces to meet the diverse needs and interests of the users

MODELLING THE IMPACTS OF SELECTED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON SEDIMENT REDUCTION UPSTREAM OF SHIRORO DAM, NIGERIA

This research utilized a regulated hydrological model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) interfaced with Geographical Information System (GIS), in studying the effectiveness of the chosen watershed management strategies on sediment reduction upstream of Shiroro dam, Nigeria. Selected management approaches were modelled while calibration and validation of the model were achieved using observed streamflow data. Findings indicated a good correlation during calibration and validation period. Application of reforestation, vegetative filter strips and stone bunds in the watershed reduces sediment production by 27 %, 39 %, and 15 % respectively. Thus, the sediment management scenarios depicted within this research are considerably sustainable and effective

MODELLING THE IMPACTS OF SELECTED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON SEDIMENT REDUCTION UPSTREAM OF SHIRORO DAM, NIGERIA

This research utilized a regulated hydrological model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) interfaced with Geographical Information System (GIS), in studying the effectiveness of the chosen watershed management strategies on sediment reduction upstream of Shiroro dam, Nigeria. Selected management approaches were modelled while calibration and validation of the model were achieved using observed streamflow data. Findings indicated a good correlation during calibration and validation period. Application of reforestation, vegetative filter strips and stone bunds in the watershed reduces sediment production by 27 %, 39 %, and 15 % respectively. Thus, the sediment management scenarios depicted within this research are considerably sustainable and effective