The Performance of Traditional contract procurement on Housing projects in Nigeria.

The traditional contract procurement has been widely criticized as an ineffective procurement method because it often involves time and cost overrun on construction projects. Yet the method is still being widely used in Nigeria most especially for the procurement of housing projects. It is suspected that this procurement method may not be ineffective in all cost categories of housing projects. Therefore time and cost performances of the procurement method on 57 housing projects of varying cost categories initiated by the Nigerian government between 1993 and 1999 were studied. The category of one to five million naira (US$1.00 ≈ 92 Nigerian Naira in 1999) showed the least time overrun of 18.98% while the highest time overrun of 99.64 % was shown in the five to ten million naira. The over ten million naira category had the least cost overrun of 9.13% while the highest cost overrun of 34.55 % was shown in the less than one million naira. The one to five million naira cost category exhibited weak correlation between time and cost overruns but the five million naira and above categories showed strong correlation. It was concluded that one to five million naira cost category is quite suitable for traditional contract procurement on housing projects in Nigeria

Manpower Planning and Development in the Nigerian Construction Industry

In view of the present competitiveness and the general brain drain across the nations, manpower planning and development are becoming increasingly important within the industry. This paper therefore discussed the current manpower situation in the Nigerian industry with a special emphasis on the construction industry in Nigeria. It began with a broad review of manpower planning and its development. It was revealed that modem manpower management relies upon formal programmes of development for all kinds and levels of employees through training, education and effective communication. It then concluded by highlighting the strategies for effective manpower development in construction industry and the general industry in Nigeria. They include the establishment of easily achievable goal, the development of a set of objectives to assist in the realization of the goal and the formulation · of implementation strategies for each of the objectives.This paper discusses the current manpower situation in the Nigerian industry with a special emphasis on the construction industry in Nigeria. It begins with a broad review of manpower planning and its development. It was revealed that modem manpower management relies upon formal programmes of development for all kinds and levels of employees through training, education and effective communication. It then concludes by highlighting the strategies for effective manpower development in construction industry and the general industry in Nigeria. They include the establishment of easily achievable goal, the development of a set of objectives to assist in the realisation of the goal and the formulation of implementation strategies for each of the objective

Application of Aboodh Transform Iterative Method for Solving Time – Fractional Partial Differential Equations

In this paper, the Aboodh transform iterative method is used to obtain approximate analytical solution of time-fractional partial differential equations. The fractional derivative are considered in Caputo sense, this method is a combination of the Aboodh transform and the new iterative method. Illustrative examples are considered and the comparison between the exact and approximate solutions are presented for different values of alphas. Also, the surface plots are provided in order to comprehend the effect of the fractional order. The major advantage of this method is the reduced computational effort and complexity without involving the tedious calculations of Adomian polynomials. In general, the method is efficient, precise, easy to implement and yield good results

An Evaluation of Traditional Contract Method on Residential Building Projects

In order of priority of basic human needs, housing is recognized worldwide as second ·to food and comes before clothing. This high priority coupled with United Nations aggressive campaign for adequate shelter for all citizenry has forced governments of nations to embark on direct construction of housing units for their people. In Nigeria, government direct intervention in housing delivery to the masses took the form of traditional contract procurement. This paper reports the result of a survey carried out to know the performance of this procurement method in relation to time and cost overrun. Valid data from fifty-seven residential projects ranging from one million to one hundred million Naira in itiated by government between 1993 and 1999 couple with questionnaires administered on Clients, consultants and contractors were used for the analysis was to establish whether there is significant difference between the mean time overruns and the mean cost overruns of traditional contract on residential projects of different cost categories. The result showed that the traditional contract performs better in terms of time overruns (18.98%) when used to procure residential building projects of five million Naira and below. However the procurement method performs better in terms of cost overrun(9.13%) for projects above ten million Naira. Attempts were also made to know if a relationship exists between time and cost in each category

EFFECTS OF RICE HUSK BIOCHAR ON THE GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS, RHIZOSPHERIC MICROFLORA AND YIELD OF TOMATO PLANTS

Human activities have degenerated nearly 40% of the universe soil through excessive chemical inputs, tilling and industrial activities. Biochar can increase soil fecundity, agricultural producti- vity and protects soil-borne diseases. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of rice husk biochar on the growth and yield of tomato plants. Biochar was produced through feedstock (rice-husk) pyrolysis and used as soil amendments at different concentrations (20 t/ha and 40 t/ha) and an unamend soil served as control. Physicochemical properties of the soil, rice husk, biochar and biochar soil before and after planting were determined using standard methods. Rhizospheric microflora of the plants were isolated and identified based on morphological and biochemical characterizations. Agronomic parameters such as plant height, stem girth, leaf area, number of leaves, flowers, fruits and weight of fruits were determined. Results revealed that rice husk biochar (40 t/ha) had the highest physical and chemical parameters while the unamend soil had the lowest constituents. Predominant bacterium and fungus are Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger. Agronomic parameters: plant heights, stem girths, leaf areas, number of leaves, flowers, fruits and weight of fruits were higher in all the amended soil than the control at the various growth stages. The unamend soil yielded no fruit at 10th week while the amended soil yielded an average fruit weight of 34.95g ± 8.76 and 21.53g ± 5.16 at 20 t/ha and 40 t/ha respectively. This study revealed that biochar produced from rice husk could be used to improve growth and yield of tomato plants.   &nbsp

Characterization of hydrocarbon reservoir by pore fluid and lithology using elastic parameters in an x field, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Quantitative rock physics analysis was carried out to determine the lithology and pore fluid of a reservoir in the Niger Delta. Density, compressional wave velocity and shear wave velocity logs were used as input to calculate elastic parameters such as velocity ratio, Poisson’s ratio, and Bulk Modulus, after estimating the hydrocarbon reservoir in the X field. The calculated velocity ratio log was used to differentiate between sand, sandstone and shale. Poisson’s ratio and velocity ratio were used delineate pore fluid content; gas sand, oil sand and sandstone formation from cross plot analysis. The reservoir in the field lies ranges from 9050 - 9426.5ft, (2760.25 – 2874.93m), this confirm what is obtained in the Niger Delta Basin. The Net Pay zones show an economical viable reservoir, it Net pay depth is 39 – 73.5ft. The Porosity and Permeability of the reservoirs suggested a productivity hydrocarbon reservoir. The reservoir lies between Gas sands, Oil sands and Brine sands, reservoir 2 and reservoir 3 are oil sand reservoirs while reservoir 1 lies between an oil sand and a brine sand

Assessment of Work Practices and Health Problems Among Filling Station Attendants in Ile Ife

Background: Filling Station Attendants are exposed to hazards in their workplaces, which could be physical, chemical, ergonomic, biological, mechanical, or psychosocial. The study aimed to assess the work practices and health problems among filling station attendants in Ile-Ife. Methods:  This study was conducted in Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria using a descriptive cross-sectional study design. There are 218 filling stations in Ile Ife. The total sampling method was used for selection and a sample size of 200 was obtained. Data was collected via Interviewer administered questionnaires with sections assessing sociodemographic characteristics, work practices, occupational hazards, and health problems using close-ended questions. An observational Checklist assessing the safety measures put in place by the management was also obtained. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and a p-value of 0.5 was found to be statistically significant. Results: Majority of the filling station attendants (74%) were not aware of workplace safety practices. Of those that were aware, 78% were aware of PPE while the commonest available PPE was working clothes (36%). One hundred and twelve attendants (56%) indicated that the PPEs available for them were not adequate. Concerning training, about 62.5% had prior safety training of which only 66% and 56% of them could use fire extinguishers and spill kits respectively. Regarding occupational hazards,74.5% of the attendants were aware of the various hazards, the commonest being fire outbreak (69.5). The commonest work-related problem was musculoskeletal disorders (60.5%) while the least common was gastro-intestinal tract problems (8%). There was a significant association between age, working durations of the respondents, and skin problems with p-values of 0.021 and 0.035 respectively. There was also a significant association between BMI and respiratory problems with a p-value of 0.029.  Conclusion: This study assessed work practices and health problems among filling station attendants. There was poor availability of PPE, inadequate use of PPE as well as poor work safety practices among filling station attendants. Regarding health problems, neurological and eye problems were found to be the commonest among filling station attendants in Ile Ife. There were also significant associations between some sociodemographic characteristics and some health         &nbsp

Determinants of maternal mortality in south-western Nigeria: Midwives’ perceptions

Background Maternal mortality remains one of Nigeria's most significant public health challenges. In order to address this issue sustainably, it is necessary to consider the perceptions of all stakeholders involved, including midwives. Objectives To examine the determinants of maternal mortality in south-western Nigeria from the midwife's perspective. Design A cross-sectional study was employed using mixed methods with a semi-structured questionnaire and an in-depth interview guide. Participants Quantitative data were obtained from 215 midwives using a convenience sampling technique. Qualitative data were obtained from 25 midwives from five government health centres, selected using a stratified sampling technique. Methods Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS Version 20 using descriptive and inferential statistics with 95 % confidence intervals, while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analyses. Findings The mean age and work experience of the participants were 35.2 ± 9.3 years and 8.4 ± 7.0 years, respectively. The midwives perceived that the main determinants of maternal mortality were postpartum haemorrhage (86.5 %), hypertensive disorder in pregnancy (80.9 %), mismanagement at mission homes/traditional birth attendant centres (MH/TBAs) (79.1 %) and sepsis (70.1 %). Some of the priority target areas to improve the well-being of pregnant women as identified by the midwives, were increased awareness of pregnancy danger signs (97 %), destigmatising caesarean section (CS) (96 %), regulation of MH/TBAs (92 %), and increased accessibility of hospitals (84 %). Findings from the qualitative data also affirmed that regulating MH/TBAs, destigmatising CS and subsidising healthcare expenses were prerequisites to curbing maternal mortality. Inferential analysis revealed that determinants such as unsafe abortion (p < 0.001), ectopic pregnancy (p = 0.001), domestic violence (p = 0.023), malaria (p = 0.029), short interbirth interval (p = 0.03), and patients’ negative perceptions of CS delivery (p = 0.036) were more commonly perceived to be associated with maternal mortality by younger midwives (age 17–34 years) compared with older midwives