Recent Rainfall Trends and Variability in Sudano- Sahelian Region of Nigeria (1986- 2015)

It was speculated that the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s that ravaged the Sahelian region of West Africa had ended following the occurrence of floods of different magnitudes in the last fifteen years or so which necessitated the need to re-examine the rainfall conditions in the region. Monthly rainfall data of five meteorological stations in the region were collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) over the period 1986-2015 and analyzed for trends and variability using linear regression model and coefficient of variation (C.V.%). A significant upward trend was found in annual regional rainfall composite of the region with similar patterns in annual rainfall series at all selected stations except Sokoto. The patterns of annual rainfall trend at individual stations did not reflect the patterns in their individual months. Further result showed that, annual rainfall was less variable in 1996-2005 decade at both Sokoto and Nguru stations while it was highly variable at Kano and Nguru in 1985-1995 decade. The observed rainfall patterns could be linked to dynamics of rain-producing systems in the region. The study has contributed to a deeper understanding of the recent changing rainfall patterns in the Sudano-Sahelian region of Nigeria. The implication of this study is that the climate change adaptation and mitigation policies designed based on apparent decline in rainfall from the late 1960s through 1980s need to be revisited and possibly replaced with new ones reflecting the current reality of increased rainfall in the region

Assessment of Soil Moisture Storage In Nigeria Using Climatic Water Budgeting Approach

The estimation of soil moisture storage is fundamental to crop production, hydrological and biological processes. This study assessed soil moisture storage in Nigeria using the Climatic Water Budgeting Approach. Mean monthly air temperature and monthly rainfall data were collected from the archives of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency from 27 weather stations in Nigeria. The data were subjected to Climatic Water Budgeting Approach to compute the monthly soil moisture storage at different locations in Nigeria over two years with contrasting moisture conditions (1983 and 2003). The mean monthly air temperature data were used to estimate the monthly potential evapotranspiration (PE) while the PE in conjunction with the mean monthly rainfall and the soil water holding capacity of 250mm were used to calculate the monthly soil moisture storage. The results showed that most locations north of latitude 9°N recorded low soil moisture storage below 10 mm from April to July especially in 1983. The soil moisture storage was high in all the places in January and February due to low potential evapotranspiration and accumulated potential water loss (APWL). Most Places South of latitude 9°N recorded higher soil moisture storage between 20 mm and 100 mm from January to May compared to their counterparts north of latitude 9°N in both 1983 and 2003. The soil moisture storage attained 250 mm (100%) from July-October across Nigeria. This study concluded that the soil moisture varies spatially and temporally in Nigeria decreasing from South to North. A paired sample test revealed a significant difference between the soil moisture storage of 2003 and 1983 in Nigeria (p=.000)

Comparison of Micro-Census Results for Magarya Ward, Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Nigeria, with Other Sources of Denominator Data

Routine immunization coverage in Nigeria is suboptimal. In the northwestern state of Sokoto, an independent population-based survey for 2016 found immunization coverage with the third dose of Pentavalent vaccine to be 3%, whereas administrative coverage in 2016 was reported to be 69%. One possibility driving this large discrepancy is that administrative coverage is calculated using an under-estimated target population. Official population projections from the 2006 Census are based on state-specific standard population growth rates. Immunization target population estimates from other sources have not been independently validated. We conducted a micro-census in Magarya ward, Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto state to obtain an accurate count of the total population living in the ward, and to compare these results with other sources of denominator data. We developed a precise micro-plan using satellite imagery, and used the navigation tool EpiSample v1 in the field to guide teams to each building, without duplications or omissions. The particular characteristics of the selected ward underscore the importance of using standardized shape files to draw precise boundaries for enumeration micro-plans. While the use of this methodology did not resolve the discrepancy between independent and administrative vaccination coverage rates, a simplified application can better define the target population for routine immunization services and estimate the number of children still unprotected from vaccine-preventable diseases