Eleme Local Government Area Research Articles

Spatial Assessment of Corporate Environmental Management Systems of Selected Companies in Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

The present paper is a review to describe the causes of major changes in land use pattern of the coastal zone of Bangladesh and identify the effects on the environmental degradation obviously considered as a man-made disaster in the area. The paper shows that the way of using the lands in the coastal areas are gradually changing, that is, diverse, competitive and alarming. The land use of coastal areas is used in different purposes. This includes: Agriculture, shrimp farming, salt production, forestry, ship-breaking yards, ports, industry, settlements, wetlands etc. The study reveals that land use in this area in1950 had been mainly used for paddy cultivation, but due to human interferences, the natural drainage systems are greatly hampered and gradually salinity intrusion polluted the water, soil etc in the area. Finally, the paper highlights the suggestive measures to address the problems in coastal land management. Key words: Erosion, land use change, man-made disaster, water logging, ecosystem.

Food intake pattern of public primary school children in Eleme local government area, River state, Nigeria

Background: The health of an individual is the bedrock for all of life\'s activities. A balanced diet which includes carbohydrates, proteins (macronutrients); fruits, cereals, and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals (micronutrients), which are indispensable for the good condition of the skin and real beauty treatment from within. Hunger evokes restlessness, which is capable of affecting concentration thereby exerting an adverse effect on academic performance. Aim: To examine the food intake pattern of the public primary school pupils within Eleme Local Government Area. Methods: Seven schools were randomly selected. One hundred pupils from each of the schools were purposively selected as the participants of the study. A total of seven hundred male and female participants were selected for the study. A self-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information on their food intake. The data were analysed using simple statistics of frequency counts and percentages. Results: The study revealed that the nutritional pattern of the respondents centred on carbohydrate meals predominantly which is only one of the macronutrients. Two hundred out of a total of 700 respondents go to school without breakfast. A gross absence of micronutrients in their meals was observed. Conclusion: The study revealed that the nutritional pattern of the respondents was far from balanced or adequate. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations such as the creation of more awareness on the need to select food from the macro and micro nutrients groups to make up a balanced or adequate diet based on individual\'s socio- economic status among the pupils and the parents was made. Port Harcourt Medical Journal Vol. 1 (3) 2007: pp.190-196

Contribution of indigenous health care givers to the herbal managament of febrile illnesses in Rivers state, South-south, Nigeria

This study was carried out in two rural communities: Kaani and Boue, in Khana Local Government Area (LGA) and, in one urban community, Eleme, in Eleme LGA, all in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria. The investigations involved in-depth interviews conducted with 104 health care givers comprising indigenous healers: herbalists, sellers of herbal remedies and community elders. Information was obtained on types of fevers (febrile illnesses) treated, symptoms and methods of establishing illnesses, and traditional herbs used in the prevention and treatment of febrile illnesses. On types of febrile illnesses treated, respondents presented the following: malaria (78.8%), typhoid (23.1%), yellow fever (21.2%), high fever (19.2 %), convulsion (15.4%), and pregnancy fever (2.9%). Other illnesses treated were yellow eyes (4.8%) headache (11.5%), waist pain (14.4%), and joint pains, (8.7%). Respondents determined whether a person had fever by the following: physical examination (85.4 %), listening to patients' complaints (9.4 %), through divination and inspiration (9.4 %), while others (0.2 %) were not quite explicit on their methods of diagnoses. On the treatment of febrile illnesses, respondents used herb teas (88.5%), herb powders (42.3%), incantation (3.3 %), and performance of sacrifice (4.8%) or use of special fluids (27.9%). Majority of the respondents, in describing the best herbal medicines for the treatment of febrile illnesses, 62.5 % said that dogonyaro ( Azadiracta indica ) was the best medicine. Other responses were: lemon grass ( Cymbopogon citratys , 51.9 %), mango ( Mangifera indica ) bark (29.8 %); lime ( Citrus limetta ) juice (30.0 %), paw paw ( Carica papaya ) leaf/fruit (20.2 %); guava ( Psidium guajava ) leaf (18.3 %), akpagbogoro ( Salacia nitida ), 7.7 %, plantain ( Musa sapientum ) sucker (6.7 %), Lipton tea (3.8 %) and scent leaf ( Ocimum gratissimum ), 1.9%. Keywords : Malaria, fever, febrile illness, herbal remedies, Nigeria West African Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Research Vol. 21 (1&2) 2005: pp. 48-54