Ondo State Of Nigeria Research Articles

Perception of Nursing Students in Ondo State of Nigeria Towards Some Selected Courses in Human Anatomy

Perception of Nursing Students in Ondo State of Nigeria Towards Some Selected Courses in Human Anatomy

Skill Improvement Needs of Electrical Installation Teachers for Productive Skill Development in Ondo State Technical Colleges Students

The study carried out an investigation on skill improvement needs of electrical installation teachers for productive skill development in Ondo State technical colleges students. A descriptive research of the survey type was adopted for this study. The population for the study are teachers teaching electrical installation in technical colleges in Ondo State. The sample for the study is the entire population of teachers teaching electrical installation. The instrument used for the data collection was a questionnaire tagged Electrical Installation Skills Questionnaire (EISQ). The instrument was face validated by three lecturers who are experts in Technology and vocational Education in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha Reliability technique which yielded the reliability coefficient of 0.86. This was considered a high reliability. After the data collection, the mean and standard deviation were employed to analyze the data at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that electrical installation trade teachers training background lack quality in terms technical skills required of them that were not sufficiently possessed by them which gives rise to low skills with which they train students of electrical installation trade in Technical colleges in Ondo State of Nigeria. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that Teachers of electrical installation in technical colleges should be given in-service training to enable them continuously updating their teaching skills in planning for effective teaching of skills, instructional implementation and instructional evaluation among others.

Covid-19 pandemic awareness and coping strategies of cocoa farmers in Ondo State of Nigeria

The study investigated COVID-19 pandemic awareness and coping strategies of cocoa farmers in Ondo State of Southwestern Nigeria. Random sampling technique was used to select cocoa farmers in the study area. A total of fifty cocoa farmers (respondents) were purposively selected from Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo local government area of the state. Information was collected from the selected farmers with the aid of well-structured questionnaires and the data retrieved from forty-six cocoa farmers collected were analysed with descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The result of the analysis showed that 76.1% of the farmers are above the age of 41 years, 78.3% are males while 76.1% are married. Similarly, 78.3% of the cocoa farmers have 4-6 children in the household, 26.1% had secondary education, 43.5% have 16 to 20 years farming experience while 73.9% lived in condominiums or housing units where residents are herded together thereby predisposing them to the risk of the contagion. Most of the respondents (95.7%) had low income or sales during covid-19 pandemic, 78.3% ate food three times before covid-19 while 15.2% ate three times during the pandemic. 89.1% did not have enough food at home during the lockdown and 95.6% did not have enough money to buy food during the pandemic. Majority of the respondents (96%) were aware of the occurrence of COVID-19, 69.6% of the respondents coped by relying on less expensive food during the lockdown, 56.5% reduced their food consumption due to income loss, 63% reduced the number of meals eaten daily while 67.4% reduced the portion or size of meal daily during COVID-19. The chi-square test also showed that a significant relationship exists between farmers’ awareness and coping strategies to covid-19 as well as the quality and type of food they consumed.

Environmental Effect of KPO-Fire in Niger Delta and Future Health Implication

Crude oil discovery and exploration in the Niger Delta of Nigeria which includes Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Edo and Ondo States of Nigeria, has led to significant economic growth of the nation especially in the creation of job opportunities also the generation of revenue. Unfortunately, Oil thefts have become the idea that replaced the most crisis and agitations in the Niger Delta communities against the perceived neglect of the areas. This had resulted to widespread operation of illegal oil bunkering activities called Kpofire. Kpofire, as described by the Niger deltans, is a process of burning crude oil by illegal oil operatives or thieves at isolated locations called bunkering sites or dumpsites in order to extract refined petroleum products. The design for the extraction of the petroleum products involves the sections of steaming and collection. These sections are connected by a very long pipe. Heat is applied to the steaming section using wood from the mangroves that is called ‘Ngala’ or ‘Agala’, thereafter, crude oil is used. The products extracted are fuel, kerosene and diesel. One of the major problems of Kpofire is the introduction of soot into the environment. Soot is a product is uncontrolled and incomplete combustion or pyrolisis of materials that contain carbon. The highest constituent of soot is the Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The Niger Delta people are faced with daily environmental challenges such as inadequate housing facilities, contaminated drinking water sources, barren lands for agriculture, dead rivers for fishing activities and poor health conditions, soot, which has become a gradual but huge challenge in many Niger Delta communities, has been shown to play a huge role in respiratory, skin, and reproductive health conditions. However, vulnerability is seen more in babies and children (particularly because their respiratory organs are not matured enough), the elderly, and people with preexisting health conditions, also heart or lung diseases (such as asthma). High exposure to PAH at prenatal stages is linked to a low IQ and lead to increased behavioral problems in the early-age child and childhood asthma. A collective effort is needed to put a stop this menace called kpofire in order to avoid environmental pollution thereby endangering the health of the people of Niger Delta.

The Predictors for Non-Adherence to Colposcopy among Women in an Underserved Community in Rural Southern Western Nigeria.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. It is a major public health problem in developing countries. Effective cervical cancer screening requires that women adhere to the screening program. The factors that influence adherence to colposcopy in rural areas of Nigeria are unknown. The objective of the study was to determine the factors that 0determine adherence and the sexual and reproductive factors that are associated with non-adherence of women to colposcopy. This is a cross-sectional study of a project undertaken to determine the age- specific incidence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Irun Akoko, a rural town in Ondo state of Nigeria. A total of 492 women with abnormal results from 1420 women that were screened were recalled for colposcopy examination. The non-adherence rate for colposcopy in this study was 25.8%. Women younger than 40years (p=0.0011) and those with number of living children ≤2 (p=0.04) are more likely to be non-adherent to colposcopy. The non-adherence rate to colposcopy was high. Younger women and those with fewer children were more likely not to adhere to colposcopy.

ANALYSIS OF FARMERS’ BUSINESS SCHOOL PARTICIPATION ON COCOA PRODUCTIVITY IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Various models and approaches are being implemented to provide technical assistance and support to improve cocoa productivity in Ondo State of Nigeria. This study compared Farmers’ Business School (FBS) participation and non- participation on cocoa farmer’s productivity. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, examined factors determining participation in (FBS) among cocoa farmers, estimated cost and returns of the two categories and determined the technical efficiency of cocoa production for both participants and non-participants. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain data from 90 cocoa farmers that were selected from three Local Government Areas in Ondo State based on their participation and non-participation in (FBS). Descriptive Analysis, Gross Margin, Logit model and stochastic frontier production function were used to analyse the data. Result from descriptive analysis revealed that the mean age of the respondent was 54.2 years. Majority of the respondent (48.9%) attained secondary education and above. It also showed that 38.9% had above 6 members to make up the household in the study area. Findings also revealed that 33.3% had an average annual income above ₦1.000,000. The result further showed that majority of the respondent produced on a medium scale with average cocoa farm size of 3.5 hectares and the farmers were well experienced. The result on gross margin analysis shows that the total revenue, gross margin and profit for participants in (FBS) were ₦678,601.3, ₦402447.2 and ₦324458.3 respectively. On the other hand, the total revenue, gross margin and profit for the non- participants of (FBS) were ₦345,217.8, ₦231,084.5 and ₦193,795.6 respectively. This figure implies that participants in (FBS) were far better than non- participants in terms of gross margin, total revenue and profit. Result of the logit regression showed that gender, age, educational level, and membership of co operative society were found to be statistically significant. This implies that these variables greatly influenced the decision of the cocoa farmers in the study area to either participate in (FBS) or not. Result from the stochastic frontier production function revealed that family labour, hired labour, pesticides, area of land and amount of fertilizer were statistically significant meaning those variables determined the technical efficiency of the cocoa farmers in the study area while age, frequency of extension contact, household size and member of cooperative greatly influenced the technical inefficiency in the study area.

Compensatory Health Beliefs, Locus of Control, Social Support and Quality of Life in Oil Spills-Prone Environment

Abstract The role of compensatory health beliefs, locus of control and social support on quality of life in oil-spills prone environment in developing countries, especially Nigeria has not been explicated. This study examined the role of compensatory health beliefs, locus of control and social support on quality of life among 453 (age 21-50 years; M= 36.02; SD = 12.04) residents in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Area (LGA’s) in Ondo State of Nigeria. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting participants. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire that measured socio-demographics, compensatory health beliefs, locus of control, social support and quality of life. Results revealed that compensatory health beliefs predict quality of life in the study area. Also, social support contributes to quality of life. We suggest that a comprehensive psychosocial intervention program should be carried out to improve quality of life in oil spill-prone communities.

Kola as an Indispensable Article of Trade in West Africa

This study examines the origin of kola-nuts trade and the indispensability of kola-nut trade in West Africa. Desk research was carried out using past published literature. The study established the fact that kola nut production was indigenous to the West Africa Forest and pinpointed the actual origin of kola-nut especially Cola nitida to be along the western coast of Africa from Sierra Leone to the republic of Benin. On the other hand, the areas of Ijare and Idanre in Ondo State of Nigeria are currently believed to be the places where Cola acumunata originated. The dominant variety of kola-nut grown in Western and Eastern parts of Nigeria was cola acumunata and Cola verticillata. However, in terms of production, before the 19th century the production of cola nitida was limited to the forests west of the Volta River in Ghana. Both linguistic and ethnographic data were used to trace the origin of kola-nut and developed a chronology with regard to the origins and trade routes for kola-nuts. The research work however established the importance of kola-nut production and trade to the economies of West Africa countries where they are produced and traded. It was however recommended that considering the indispensability of kola-nut trade to West Africa particularly Nigeria, the government should take proactive steps to increase the scope of production and trade of this crop in order to improve the livelihoods of kola-nuts farmers and traders as well as increase it contributions to the national economy.

Speculative Carcinogenicity Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Found in Some Anti-Diarrheal Herbal Drugs Sold in Ondo State of Nigeria

The conviction that herbal drugs have enormous health benefits has led to increase the rate of their consumption by Nigerians. The aim of this study was to assess the carcinogenic property of some popularly consumed anti-diarrheal herbal drugs via polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) quantification. Three prevalent anti-diarrhea herbal drugs , Odunmo herbal drug (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Bacopamonnieri), Orogun herbal mixture (Hibiscus sabdariffaI and Hedera helix), and Alora herbal syrup (Aloe vera and Hibiscus sabdariffaI) were bought for the purpose of this study and they were coded as samples A, B, and C, respectively. The ultrasonic extraction of the herbal drugs was carried out using standard procedures. The crude extracts obtained were purified using a chromatographic method. The concentrations of PAHs were quantified using gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GCFID). The diagnostic indices, group distribution, toxicity equivalence and exposure dosage were estimated. The cancer risk values were theoretically speculated based on concentrations of PAHs in the tested herbal drugs, associated with the published estimates of each concentration to cause cancer and the calculated exposure doses of the anti-diarrhea herbal drug samples were within three age groups (children, Preteen and adult). The highest concentration of total PAHs was observed in sample A (58.2815mg/kg) and the lowest concentration in sample B (44.1898mg/kg), but the concentration of total PAHs in sample C was 47.4169 mg/kg. The highest percentage of carcinogenic PAHs in the anti-diarrheal herbal drugs was found in sample C (48.66%) and the lowest in sample B (38.17%). The diagnostic indices confirmed a pyrogenic source of PAHs. Group distribution of PAHs showed that the herbal drugs are weakly carcinogenic due to high concentrations of low and moderate molecular weight PAHs. The cancer risk estimated for all the age groups where below the limit established by the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for cancer (1 x 10-6). This ascertained that the use of these herbal drugs cannot cause cancer. However, consumers of these herbal drugs should take necessary precautions as excessive intake can lead to dangerous health implications.

A Study of The Quality of Cement Sand Mix in Sandcrete Block Moulding in Ondo State Nigeria

This study determined the quality of the mix ratio of sand and cement in sandcrete block in Ondo State of Nigeria. This involved the determination of number of headpans of sand that are mixed with one headpan of cement and the ratio of cement sand mix in sandcrete blocks produced in Ondo State. This study was carried out through interview of labourers at the 90 spots of block moulding in Ondo State. Thirty spots were taken each of the three senatorial districts in Ondo State. The study showed the cement sand mix ratio to be 1:11. This implies that there is 83% increase of sand in the mix above the standard. Very weak sandcrete blocks have arisen from this mix ratio over the years and must have contributed to the incessant building collapses. The followings are the recommendations: Sandcrete blocks should be made on the site in an approved machine to be provided by the contractor or an approved supplier and should have a minimum crushing strength of 273.4 tonner per square of gross area at 28 days in case of hollow blockwork. The blocks should be composed of 1:6 cement and sand measured by volume unless otherwise specified or directed on the site, turned three times until an even colour and consistency occur throughout. Water should be added gently from a watering can through a rose, the quantity of water added being just sufficient to secure cohesion. After wetting, the mixture shall be turned over three times and well rammed into moulds and smoothed from the machine on pellets, the blocks should be made to mature under shade in different rows, one block high, with a space between each block and for at least 24 hours. Then they should not be stacked up or removed from shade for at least a further 7 days then stacked up not more than 5 blocks high in shade for a minimum of 14 days. No block should be built into any part of the building until they have been cured for at least 14 days. The faces of blocks except where otherwise described should be left rough for plastering. The concrete blocks generally shall be 450 mm long, 225mm or 150mm deep and of the required thickness.Keywords: Cement, Sand, Cement Sand Mix, Sandcrete Block, Ondo State Nigeria.

Yield performance of commercialized upland fish farms in Ondo state of Nigeria

The study examined the socio-demographic characteristics of fish farmers, evaluated the profitability of upland fish farms in the study area and determined the key variables to which profitability is responsive. Empirical results showed the majority of the fish farms came into business less than ten years ago while 62.0% of the managers of the fish farm had formal education. The total farm size of the twenty-two fish farms surveyed was 229,112m2 and the average size of a fish pond unit was 1.863m2. Table fish production was preponderant over fingerlings production. About 70.0% of the fish farms practised monoculture, 23.33%used polycultural method and 6.67% employed both. The major fish species commonly cultivated were Tilapia, Alextes, Heterotis and Catfish. The fixed cost per hectare of fish farm for the period studied was ₦517,591.48 while variable cost stood a 2,053906.68. The most important components of fixed costs were labor (41.02%), bore-hole and water pumps (22.10%.) and land and pond construction (14.5%). For variable cost the most expensive items were fish feeds (51.44%). fish seeds (17.30%) and transportation and fuel (13.16%). The average profit per hectare of fish farm was ₦960,037.57 per year. Various profitability ratios revealed that investment in uppland fish farms is a worthwhile business but investor's need to do something about the fluctuating trends of some of the indices since the desirable trend is either a consistent increase or decrease. A sensitivity analysis carried out showed that profitability is more responsive to the unit price of fish compared with cost of inputs. The NPV, B/C and IRR were ₦1,571,710.15, 1.53 and 52.4% respectively. The three indicators attest to the fact that fish culture is very profitable in the study area. It is recommended that the various governments make access to Iand and investible funds at affordable rates a priority in the study area. There is also the need for the establishment of a modern hatchery which will supply fingerlings to fish farmers at subsidized rates.

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in the Riverine Southwestern Ondo State of Nigeria: An Eight Year Review

Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is a notable advancement in the diagnosis of diseases in the digestive tract. It offers the advantage of biopsy and a range of cost-effective therapeutic options. The aim of this research was to study the range of GI endoscopy procedures, indications, spectrum of findings and outcome of GI endoscopy in a typical private specialist gastroenterology institution in a developing country. This was a cross sectional observational study of patients referred for GI endoscopy to a referral health facility in southern Ondo, Ondo state, Nigeria from February 2012 to February 2020. The variables studied were demographics of the patients, indication, the type of endoscopic procedure carried out and outcome. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Four hundred and ninety-six cases of endoscopy were performed during the study period comprising 313(63.1%) males and 183(36.1) females. The age range was 15 months - 86years (mean age of 48.9 ± 16.2 years). Upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding were the commonest indications for endoscopy referral - 181 (36.5%). The range of procedures performed included oesophagogastroduodenoscopy 266 (52.8%) and colonoscopy 177 (35.9%); the therapeutic procedures carried out ranged from sclerotherapy 35(7.0%), polypectomy 24(5.0%), band ligation 6(1.0%), foreign body retrieval 6(1.0%) to a case of endoscopic mucosal resection EMR In our experience, the practice is safe with a high diagnostic yield and therapeutic achievement.

Assessing microscopic and rapid diagnostic tests for malaria among pregnant women with fever in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria

Background: Malaria as a health burden in sub-Saharan Africa is well-known. Information about access to programs by pregnant women during early antenatal care (ANC) visits and the impact on the burden of malaria is limited. Objective: To evaluate the utilization of malaria control services among pregnant women with fever between 2014 and 2018 in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. Materials and methods: Between 2014 and 2018, malaria-related indicators including the proportion of pregnant women with fever who were investigated with microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) were tracked in Ondo State, Nigeria. Data were captured using the District Health Information Management version 2.0 (DHISv2.0) and analyzed using Stata 13 statistical software. Results: Throughout the study period, the mean (±sd) percentage of pregnant women with fever tested for malaria parasites with microscopy in all the LGAs was 2.71 (4.87) with the lowest and highest means (±sd) occurring in 2016 as 1.20 (1.71) and in 2018 as 5.47 (7.93) respectively with no significant difference (F-statistics=2.25; P-value=0.07).A statistically significant variation (F-statistics=34.90; P-value=0.0000001) was observed in the overall mean (±sd) proportion of pregnant women with fever who were tested for malaria with RDT over the study period with the lowest as 57.0 (15.2) in 2014 and the highest as 96.2 (4.1) in 2017.This level of significance was reflected mostly in the coastal (F-statistics=15.05; P-value=0.0000001) and in the rainforest (F-statistics=12.86; P-value=0.0000001) ecological zones of the state but much less in the Savannah ecological zone (F-statistics=3.23; P-value=0.04).There was no significant correlation (Pearson’s r=0.160, P-value=0.141) between fever cases that tested positive using microscopy and fever cases that tested positive with RDT. A noteworthy variation (F-statistics=3.96, P-value=0.005) was observed in the proportion of fever cases that tested positive with RDT but not with microscopy. Overall mean (±sd) proportion of pregnant women with confirmed fever cases was 76.66 (15.06), mostly in the Savannah ecological system (81.84±21.18) throughout the study period. Conclusion: Data from this study suggests that RDT gradually replaced microscopy in testing for malaria among pregnant women in Ondo State of Nigeria. It also suggests that some ecological zones may be more underserved than others in assessing malaria in pregnancy. More technical and financial assistance are needed for the State Malaria Elimination Program to improve ANC service utilization.

Fuzzy Logic Interference for Characterization of Surface Water Potability in Ikare Rural Community, Nigeria

The availability of potable surface water in Nigeria, a typical developing nation, is low, and this information is not readily available to local residents in the country. Therefore, we carried out a low-cost Fuzzy Logic Inference characterization on the quality of surface water in a rural community (with 12 catchment areas) of Ikare, Ondo State of Nigeria. From the numerous water samples taken from the river that runs across the catchment areas, twenty (20) representative water samples were chosen and subjected to physical (temperature, pH), chemical (such as TDS, DO, BOD, metal ion concentrations), and biological (fecal and total coliform) characterizations. Further, five fuzzy sets and Mamdani fuzzy inference system method were used to normalize the parameters for pollution susceptibility analysis. We adopted GIS environment to provide a synoptic and high temporal information about the distribution of the surface water quality, indicating the areas susceptible to pollution. When compared with World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigeria Industrial Standards, we found the waters were generally unsuitable for drinking. Only 8.3% of the studied water samples were moderate for drinking while in linguistic terms for pollutant levels, 16.7%, 50%, and 25% fell in the categories of high, very high, and extremely high, respectively. Through statistical correlation (p < 0.05), we identified the notable water pollutants as fecal coliform, heavy metal, K+, and total dissolved solids. Therefore, we infer that direct excretion into the water channels, dumping of spent oil from mechanic workshop, and effluents from domestic and agricultural wastes are the major sources of the pollutants. Consequently, fuzzy logic analysis proved to be a readily available and reliable method for water potability assessment, especially in rural areas of developing nations.

Prevalence of Malaria Infection among HIV Infected Pregnant Women Receiving Care at Public Health Facilities in Ondo State of Nigeria

Prevalence of Malaria Infection among HIV Infected Pregnant Women Receiving Care at Public Health Facilities in Ondo State of Nigeria

The Impact of Educational Trust Fund on Nigeria Tertiary Institutions: Ondo State as a Case Study

The study examines impact of Education Trust Fund on Nigeria tertiary institutions by using Ondo State of Nigeria as a case study. Four tertiary institutions were sampled in Ondo state namely (Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo and Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo. A total sample of 200 were used for the study. Questionnaires were distributed among the students, teaching and non teaching staff in the same proportions, to gather data for the study Frequency counts and simple percentages were used to analyse the data. The result shows that Tertiary institutions in Ondo state have benefited greatly from the activities of the Educational Trust Fund (ETF) programmes in terms of training of staff, sponsorship attendance of conferences and infrastructural development programmes. Therefore, it is clear that the impact of Educational Trust Fund (ETF) has on Nigeria tertiary institutions particularly in Ondo state is paramount towards the achievements of better teaching and learning process. It is therefore recommended that Educational Trust Fund should make sure that they assign their projects to only contractors who are certified to be honest and competent. The monitoring team should be at work always to make sure that they evaluate the project at close interval Keywords : Educational Trust fund, Tertiary Institutions, Projects, Impact, Evaluate the project DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-6-04

Assessment of Agricultural Credit Sources for Food Crop Marketing in Ondo State of Nigeria

Assessment of Agricultural Credit Sources for Food Crop Marketing in Ondo State of Nigeria

Revisiting the profitability and technical efficiency of cocoa production amidst economic diversification program of the Nigerian Government

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess how profitable and technically efficient is cocoa enterprise in Ondo State of Nigeria especially amidst the ongoing diversification program of the current administration in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe study made use of primary data collected with the aid of structured questionnaires. The multistage random sampling technique was used to select the sample for the study. Data collected during the survey were analyzed by both descriptive and inferential techniques. A total of 140 respondents who were majorly cocoa farmers were selected for this study with data on their socioeconomic characteristics and input utilization taken and subsequently analyzed.FindingsThis study found that the cocoa enterprise in the study area was efficient and profitable with rooms for improvement, especially in the areas of labor and input used as identified by the outcome of the study. The average yield, total revenue, gross margin and efficiency ratio were 1.2 ton/ha, ₦1,344,000.00/ha, ₦1,071,717.00/ha and 0.36, respectively. The highest, average and least technical efficiencies among farmers in the study area were 98.86, 88.81 and 75.12 percent, respectively. It was also discovered that none of the farmers investigated operated at 100 percent, confirming that there are still rooms for improvement in the production processes in the study area by adopting modern methods of production and replacement of the old breeds with resistant and high yielding breeds.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this study was that the study sample is quite smaller and could as well not be used to make a strong policy case for the topic under consideration. However, as it is found among the majority of cocoa farmers in Nigeria, they mostly operate under the same conditions of production which suggests that the outcome of this research is not meaningless, considering the similarities in the production environment and other factors of production among cocoa farmers in Nigeria. It is therefore strongly recommended that future studies take into consideration this limitation and address it appropriately by widening the scope and sample for the study as this will go a long way in giving true representation as regarding the topic under consideration.Social implicationsThe social implication of this study has to do with the employment opportunities that will be created for the teaming youths if the cocoa enterprise is made to attract them by creating enabling environment as recommended by the study. When quantity of production is improved, it will create additional income for the farmers and also provide foreign earnings to government.Originality/valueThis study is strictly original, considering its content and the contribution it is making to the body of knowledge. The study will be contributing to the knowledge by pointing out the potentials inherent in cocoa production as especially coming at a time when the price of crude oil that provides over 80 percent of Nigerian foreign earnings is down and the cocoa price is not only high but also stable at the international market.

Comparative effect of organic fertilizers on growth and yield of long cayenne pepper in two agro-ecological zones of Nigeria

The objective of this study was to improve the growth and yield of long cayenne pepper using 10 organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers including tithonia compost (TC), poultry manure from a battery cage (PMB), poultry manure from dip-litter (PMD), pacesetter organic fertilizer (POF), sunshine organic fertilizer (SOF), ayeye organic fertilizer (AOF), brewery waste (BW), cow dung (CD), oil palm bunch ash (OPBA), cocoa pod husk (CPH) were collected at some specific locations in Oyo, Osun and Ondo States of Nigeria. The experiment was a 2?11 factorial experiment fitted into a randomized complete block design consisting of 10 organic fertilizers and the control at two locations (Ibadan and Ogbomoso) in 2008. The dosage of 130 kg N ha-1 of each of organic fertilizer was applied one week before transplanting. Six-week-old pepper seedlings were transplanted into a plot of 3m?2m (6m2) with one seedling per hill. Growth and yield data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the least significant difference (LSD) at p&lt;0.05 was used to compare the means. The results of the experiment reveal that the overall macronutrient content of the ten evaluated organic fertilizer sources was presented in the following order: SOF&gt;OPBA=CPH&gt;AOF&gt;TC&gt;POF&gt;PMB=CD&gt;BW&gt;PMD. All the organic fertilizers more significantly enhanced the growth and yield of pepper than the control. The best three organic fertilizers at both locations in terms of fruit length were TC=SOF=PM. Fruit size at Ogbomoso was relatively bigger than that of Ibadan. The total fruit yield was highest under TC, SOF, PM and PMD at both locations. In conclusion, variations existed in the nutrient composition of the organic fertilizer. Meanwhile, TC, PMB, PMD and SOF were significantly similar in their ability to improve pepper yield. Moreover, PMB, TC and SOF significantly enhanced the vegetative growth of pepper.

Practical Realization of Simultaneous Equations Solutions with Elimination Method and Its Effects on Students Performance in Some Selected Schools in Ekiti and Ondo States of Nigeria

Practical Realization of Simultaneous Equations Solutions with Elimination Method and Its Effects on Students Performance in Some Selected Schools in Ekiti and Ondo States of Nigeria