Owerri Municipal Research Articles

INCULCATING BASIC CATERING TECHNIQUES FOR SUSTAINABLE RETIREMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN OWERRI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF IMO STATE

This paper examined the need to inculcate basic Catering Techniques for Sustainable Retirement among Secondary School Teachers in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. Generally, it has been observed that secondary school teachers retire to become impoverished the most due to lack of prior acquisition of basic skill to move on with life after retirement. However, considering the devastating effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the living standard of the people across the world, retirees especially those with little or no assistance from family members and government usually fall prey to sickness arising from blood pressure or other health challenges due to nothing to fall back on. Catering techniques needed for the retirees after their retirements were listed in the paper. The intention of this study is to prepare them with catering services techniques so as to equip them meaningfully with the basic knowledge and skill to sustain their living after retirement from active working age. Different catering services were highlighted for the benefit of the Retirees. The paper concludes that, increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria, and the lingering nature of irregular payment of salaries and retirement benefits, an effective training in the major areas of Home Science (basic catering techniques) will ensure functional and productive life for individuals towards national development. The paper therefore, recommends that the federal Government through her ministry of education should sensitize the public through mass media, seminars, and workshops on the benefit of acquiring basic catering techniques.

Assessment of the Causes and Consequeses of School Dropouts among Government Secondary School Students in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State

Students are supposed to spend a particular number of years before graduation from school. When a student stops his attendance of the school before the time leading to the completion of the programme, he has dropout. The problem of school dropouts among secondary school students in Nigeria has become a thing of great concern to educationist in the country and the society at large. This study is, therefore, aimed at finding out the Causes and Consequence of School Dropout among Government Secondary Schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo Sate. In this study, descriptive survey was used in carrying out the research. Four research questions were formulated. Questionnaire was used as the instrument to collect information for the study. A sample size of 689 students drawn from 4 selected secondary schools was used as the respondents. The data collected were analysed with descriptive data using mean. The findings revealed that the causes of school dropout are as follows: high cost of education, peer influence, early marriage and pregnancies of unmarried girls and the quest to get rich quick. It also revealed that dropping out of school results to inferiority complex, engagement in antisocial behaviours, low ambition, marital discord and decline in national economic advancement. To stop this problem of school dropout, the researchers therefore recommended that the government should reduce the cost of education, parents should endeavour to carry out their responsibilities on their children, educational system should be well administered and guidance counsellors employed in secondary schools.

Research determined the practice of washing of hand using liquid detergent among pupils in Owerri Municipal. A tool for health promotion and security

Research determined the practice of washing of hand using liquid detergent among pupils in Owerri Municipal. A tool for health promotion and security

Local Government Administration and Grassroots Development in Imo State: A Case Study of Owerri Municipal Council

This study is an assessment of local government administration as an instrument of grassroots development in Nigeria, using Owerri Municipal Council as a case study. With a well-structured questionnaire supported with oral interviews, data were generated from one hundred and seventy municipal council staff stratified into three categories of top management, middle and low cadres. Employing the Spearman‟s Rank Coefficient as the main statistical tool of analysis, the study revealed among others that a significant relationship exists between the state of infrastructure and grassroots development in Nigeria and between the level of ineffective local government administration and the extent of job creation among the local populace. Further findings showed that a significant relationship exists between insufficient skilled manpower and the level of grassroots rural-urban migration as well as between ineffective local government administration and the level of grassroots participation in democratic activities. Following these findings, the study therefore, concluded thus: that the state of infrastructure is poor, resulting in low grassroots development in Nigeria. Similarly, the study inferred that ineffective local government administration led to poor resource management, which in turn impeded grassroots job creation, and that lack of skilled manpower fuelled rural-urban migration in Nigeria, while ineffective local government administration was a significant determinant factor to poor grassroots participation in democratic processes in Nigeria. Therefore, prominent among others, the study advocated for an upward review of the revenue sharing formula in favour of the local governments being a grassroots government closest to the populace, while sanctioning erring personnel who may be tempted to engage in funds misappropriation.

Causes of Traffic Congestion; A Study of Owerri Municipal Area of Imo State

This research is concerned with the causes of road traffic congestion, a study of Owerri municipal. To achieve this, data was from primary and secondary sources. Primary data was from questionnaire while the secondary data was from journals and previous academic works of other researchers. The survey method of research was adopted for this study. Taro Yemane method of calculating sample size was used to arrive at the sample size used which were 400 respondents. The questionnaire was distributed in parts of Owerri municipal which include Imsu junction axis= 100, Wetheral =50, Ikenebu =50, Control post =50, Douglas =50 and Alvan axis =50. From the field survey and questionnaire, it was deduced that 66% of traffic in Owerri municipal are caused by drivers’ impatient behaviour, wrong parking, disobedience to traffic rules (human factor) while 34% are caused by bad roads (physical factor). Traffic congestion cannot be analyzed without time of occurrence which was analyzed using Simple percentage analysis. It was discovered that 31.75% of traffic jam occurs during morning hours, from 7am – 9am while 33.75% of traffic occurs from 5pm – 7pm. Inflow and outflow of traffic was also analysed to observe the vehicular activity of the city and it made us to understand the reasons for traffic congestion within Owerri municipal. This study recommended that an active traffic law enforcement agency be enacted to monitor reckless drivers and prosecute them accordingly and effective and efficient road maintenance culture.

Causes of Traffic Congestion; a Study of Owerri Municipal Area of IMO State

Causes of Traffic Congestion; a Study of Owerri Municipal Area of IMO State

Geospatial mapping of public electricity distribution network systems in Owerri Municipal Local Government Area, Imo State Nigeria

The Owerri Municipal Local Government Area is plagued by problems such as inability to meet the target set for power generation, insufficient equipment, substandard methods of transmission, poor zoning of distribution, low voltage supply, unauthorized connection and disconnection, corruption in its management, equipment vandalization and inefficient distribution. This study is therefore aimed at Geospatial mapping of public electricity distribution network systems in this Local Government Area. The methodology employed in this research started from the planning, primary data acquisition from the field using handheld GPS and questionnaire, secondary data acquisition from Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Enugu and Imo State, database design and creation, query and analysis, visualization and presentation of result using ArcGIS 10.5. From the result of the spatial analyses carried out, the study area has 26,350 public electricity distribution network systems. These public electricity distribution network systems comprise of 2507 High Tension lines, 8536 Low Tension lines, 11502 Low Tension poles, 3238 High Tension poles, 505 Transformers (DSS), 59 Solar Energy systems and 3 distribution feeders as at the period of study. The spatial search carried out showed that Umueche community has the highest number of occupants and also the highest number of transformers spread across. The spatial distribution result showed that Arugo layout and Onitsha Road layout are where industrial activities are concentrated and they have a total number of 20 and 21 transformers spread across each area respectively. Ikenegbu layout was revealed to have 25 transformers (DSS) spread across it. It is recommended that this study should serve as a decision support system for siting of power generation facilities within the study area.

Geospatial mapping of public electricity distribution network systems in Owerri Municipal Local Government Area, Imo State Nigeria

Geospatial mapping of public electricity distribution network systems in Owerri Municipal Local Government Area, Imo State Nigeria

Physicochemical and Bacteriological Properties of Packaged Water Sold in Imo State, Nigeria: A Case Study of Owerri Municipal Council

Background: The inadequacy of pipe borne water supplies in urban centres is a growing problem. As a result, communities resort to buying water from vendors. Presently, sachet and bottled water are the major source of drinking water in many households and at work. Aim/Objective: This study is aimed at assessing the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of packaged water (sachet and bottled) sold in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State, Nigeria. Method: A total number of 24 samples of packaged water (11 sachet and 13 bottled) from several commercial brands sold in the city were selected randomly. These were of two categories: those that are packaged and sealed in bottles by larger factories (13 brands) and those that are sealed in nylon sachets (11 brands) by small scale industries. The samples were subjected to physical, chemical and bacteriological analysis. AAS and analytical quality chemical reagents were used for chemical analyses. Mac Conkey Broth (MB) was used for bacteriological analysis. Results: The results showed that while the physicochemical and bacteriological parameters were within standard limits for drinking water quality guidelines values and bacteriological analysis showed that there were no coliform counts in the bottled water samples but 5% of the 11 samples of the sachet water showed coliform growth. Conclusion: Thus the bottled waters were more satisfactory compared with the sachet ones. Recommendation: The enforcement agencies in the country (e.g. NAFDAC, Ministry of Health) need to get the producers of “packaged water” to comply with the National Drinking Water Guidelines and the communities on their part should be educated and enlightened on the ill effects of patronizing fake vendors of packaged drinking water.

Evaluation of the socio-economic impact of landcover / landuse changes in Owerri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria using remote sensing and geographic information systems

The study aimed at evaluating the socio-economic impact of landcover / landuse changes in Owerri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria using remote sensing and GIS with a view to improving the quality of life and social development through its objectives; to identify the changes of the landcover and landuse pattern of the study area for a period of 30 years i.e. 1987 to 2002 to 2017, to evaluate the socio-economic and environmental impact of these changes and to predict future impact of landcover / landuse changes in the study area. The methodology adopted in this study involved sourcing of satellite data from United States Geological Survey (USGS) for the period of years under study, social survey in Owerri Municipal Area for socio-economic impact monitoring. ArcGIS 10.5 and QGIS 2.9 software were used for data processing, analysis and presentation. The study observed a significant increase in built-up area from 1987 (34%) to 2017 (65%), on the contrary, there was a noticeable decrease in the class of bare land (26% to 12%) and vegetation. (37% to 15%) followed by water body which kept fluctuating as result of rainfall. Rapid population growth triggered by rural urban migration coupled with hasty socio-economic development were the main drivers of these changes. Results showed that remote sensing and GIS approach are recommended for further studies as the tools are efficient for landcover/landuse mapping.

Evaluation of the socio-economic impact of landcover / landuse changes in Owerri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria using remote sensing and geographic information systems

Evaluation of the socio-economic impact of landcover / landuse changes in Owerri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria using remote sensing and geographic information systems

Factors affecting the selection of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of basic science in secondary schools, Imo State Nigeria

This study was conducted to assess the factors affecting the selection of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of basic science in secondary schools, Imo State Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey design to find out how factors affecting the selection of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of basic science in public secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council, Imo State. Two hundred (200) respondents comprising teachers and students from seven (7) public secondary schools in the council were interviewed using a modified five-point Likert instrument (questionnaire). The data collected were coded into SPSS and analyzed with descriptive statistics. The results showed that 103 persons strongly reported they don’t have availability instructional materials, 68 persons agreed that unfavourable time allocation affects instructional materials used by teachers to develop lesson plan, 69 persons strongly agreed that lack of skills is one of the factors affect instructional materials used in the teaching and learning of basic science in secondary schools. Also, 148 persons strongly agreed that instructional materials should be made available in schools and teachers should be encouraged in using materials during teaching. Then, lack of instructional materials/facilities and non-utilization were among the major causes of poor performance of students in basic science in Owerri Municipal Council. In conclusion, it was understood that non availability of instructional materials, unfavourable time allocation, lack of skills, lack of facilities like basic science laboratory were major factors affect teachers, school administrators and government in teaching and learning of the basic science. Therefore, Government or public school authorities should help to provide instructional materials such as modern textbooks, charts, posters, computers, flip chart, and audio recordings, because basic science in secondary schools cannot be adequate learned without instructional materials.

Effectiveness and Utilization of Field Trip as a Method of Teaching and Learning Chemistry in Senior Secondary Schools in a Council Area of Imo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the effectiveness and utilization of field trip as a method of teaching and learning chemistry at senior secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The population of the study was all the 4664 chemistry students in the government-owned secondary schools in the Council. Simple random sampling technique was used to select five schools and 20% of the numbers of chemistry students in each of the sampled schools were used to obtain the sample size of 288 chemistry students. Four research questions were posed for the study. The research was descriptive survey design and questionnaires were used to elicit relevant data while mean rating was used for the analyses of the data obtained for the study. The results gave grand means of 3.14, 1.70, 3.51 and 3.21 for research questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. These findings showed that field trip is interactive, motivating and provides opportunity for chemistry students to widen their practical knowledge of industrial application of chemistry; chemistry teachers do not utilize field trip in teaching and learning of chemistry; lack of chemistry and chemical process-based industries, time constraint, transportation cost/risk, and the organizing process are the factors that influence effective utilization of field trip. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school field trips should reinforce the curriculum and they should be arranged at every level of the Department at various times, criterion based set of guidelines for planning and conducting successful field trips should be developed; workshops and seminars should be organized for teachers on the importance of field trip and its utilization in the teaching and learning of chemistry. Again, when considering a field trip, teachers are advised to first consult with their administrator regarding existing school board policies and follow that recommended procedure. School authorities should assist in the provision of funds or transportation for field trips.

An analysis of the trend in cost of building materials on property development in Owerri urban, Imo state, Nigeria

Building materials cost is crucial to the success of real property development in several emerging economies. It affects the developed property size, completion period, quality and quantity of finishing to meet the needs and demand of the populace. This study assessed the trend in cost of building materials on property development in Owerri Urban, Imo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and questionnaires was the main tool for data collection, which was administered on respondents of three (3) local government areas that made up Owerri Urban: Owerri Municipal, Owerri West and Owerri North. The simple random sampling method was adopted in the selection of the sample size of 360 respondents representing 90% response rate. The data collected was analysed using the simple statistical tools presented on tables, frequency, percentages and chart. The findings showed that the factors responsible for the high cost of building materials includes; general state of inflation in the economy, increase in import duties, increase in taxes, unavailability of raw materials, transportation cost and pump price of petroleum products and lack or unavailability of raw materials for the production and processing of building materials. Further the study revealed that the trend cost of building materials over the period of ten years (10yrs) has an increment of 9.72% below 40% increase, 16.67% between 41-59% increase, 18.1% between 60-79% increase and 55.56% above 80% increase. Therefore, the study concluded that high cost of building materials increases the cost of property development indicating that they are direct correlation. The study recommended that government should reduce exchange rate of foreign currencies at par with naira and reduction in import tax as curb the high cost of building materials increasing yearly.

An Assessment Of The Availability Of Extensive Reading Resources In Public Primary Schools In Owerri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria

Research findings have consistently pointed to the fact that there is a correlation between extensive reading and proficiency in the target language, especially in a second language situation. Since reading is a process of habit formation, some linguistic scholars have argued that the primary school level is the most suitable for laying a strong foundation for the formation of extensive reading habits. Against this background, this study assessed the availability of extensive reading resources in public primary schools in Owerrri Municipal, Imo State, Nigeria. The objective was to assess the availability of extensive reading resources in the public primary schools to determine whether the school environment is conducive enough to enhance extensive reading culture. The Behaviourist Theory of language learning guided the research and the research design was a survey method. Out of a total of twenty-seven primary schools in the Municipal, fifteen were randomly selected and investigated. With the instrument of a questionnaire, data were collected from heads of the schools. The data were analysed, using frequency count and simple percentages. From the analyses, it was revealed that virtually all the schools investigated lacked adequate extensive reading resources. Consequently, it is concluded that the non-availability of the extensive reading resources in the schools investigated may be partly responsible for the seeming poor extensive reading culture which is noticed among some contemporary students. It is, therefore, recommended that efforts should be made by the Imo State Government and, by extension, other state governments to ensure that primary schools in their states are equipped with the necessary extensive reading resources in order to encourage the pupils to cultivate an extensive reading culture in the target language.

Photostress Recovery Time Among Welders in Owerri Municipal Council, Southeast, Nigeria

Purpose: The photostress recovery time (PSRT) scores of welders were measured based on age, workexperience and welding-method.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 50 purposively sampled welders, who had clear ocular media, healthy fundi and visual acuities of 6/6 or better in the tested eyes. The pre-bleach distant visual acuity of the right eye was determined with the Snellen’s visual acuity chart, while direct ophthalmoscopy was done to rule out media opacities, retinopathies and maculopathies. The right eye was dazzled for 10 seconds with the light of a direct ophthalmoscope held at 2cm from the eye. The time required in seconds to read at least, three optotypes on the line directly above the baseline acuity was recorded as the PSRT.Results: The 22-31 years age group recorded the least mean PSRT (16±8.8seconds), followed by the 32-41 age group (19.9±6.8 seconds), while the 42-51 years category had the highest mean PSRT (31.4±10.5seconds). Age associated significantly (p˂0.05) with mean PSRT. Welders within the 1-12 years’ work experience had the least mean PSRT (15.9±8.1seconds) while those within the 25-36 years recorded the highest mean PSRT (33.4±9.3seconds). The observed difference in mean PSRT with years of work experience was statistically significant (p˂0.05). Gas welders had significantly (p˂0.05) higher mean PSRT (26.6±9.9secs) than electric arc welders (16.6±9.2secs).Conclusion: Gas welding, increasing age and work-experience were found to be predictive markers of elevated photostress recovery time (PSRT) among welders. This underscores the need for eye-care practitioners to routinize PSRT tests in the ocular assessment of welders.
 Keywords: Photostress recovery time (PSRT); electric-arc; gas welding; welders; age.

Practising Counsellors' Extent of Utilization of Referral Service in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State

Practising Counsellors' Extent of Utilization of Referral Service in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State

Mapping and Analysis of the Temporal Changes of Road Traffic Accident Hotspots Using GIS and Remote Sensing in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

The accident rates per vehicle in Nigeria are alarmingly high. The traffic condition in the city of Owerri is no different. The traffic accidents are predictable and can be avoided by improving preventions. These pose a lot of concern in Owerri Municipal Council and its environs of Imo State, Nigeria because road traffic accident has done more harm than good in the city, it has led to loss of lives and properties, severe injuries and pains and above all it has deteriorated the socio-economic growth and development of the city. This paper is aimed at mapping and analysis of the temporal changes of road traffic accident hotspots using GIS and Remote Sensing in Owerri Municipal Council and its environs in Imo State, Nigeria. The methodology adopted was the GIS method of Digitization/Data conversion, Creation of relational database table of road traffic accident hotspots records and performance of GIS analysis such as spatial queries, buffering operation and spatial overlay using Arc GIS 10.3 and Infoterra satellite imagery of 0.5 resolution. Test of hypothesis using Chi-Square was also used to analyze the data obtained from social survey (questionnaires) . Result showed that there was an increase in road traffic accidents (RTAs), RTDs, RTIs and Car damages in 2017 than in 2016. Depression and Careless Driving, Over-speeding, night driving and impatience and were the major Human factors that contributed to the cause of the road accidents in 2017. Vehicle with bad tyres and no speed limits contributed to road accidents. Tarred and pothole roads and Driving during Rainy Season were observed to be the highest Road factor that contributed to the cause of accidents. Hotspot cluster was along Owerri-OkigweRaodat IMSU junction. It was recommended that there should be good quality roads and the bad ones should be frequently maintained; people should be made to know the importance of Safe Landing when driving; Speed limit control/gadgets should be made compulsory, every vehicle found without speed limit gadgets should be penalized; there should be strict adherence and enforcement of road safety measures and rules on road users and drivers, defaulters should be heavily penalized and punished. The Digital map, the results obtained in both queries and SPSS were shown in digital thematic maps, tabular data and charts respectively.

Prevalence of visual symptoms among visual display unit users in Owerri Imo State

The increasing number of cases of ocular and non-ocular symptoms generally termed, the "Computer Vision Syndrome" (CVS) as a result of the ubiquitous use of computers and mobile computing devices. Computer-related asthenopia might take an epidemic form if it is not put on check. This study was undertaken to find out the prevalence of the visual complaints among computer and related users in Owerri, Imo State aimed at determining if the symptoms are prevalent in equal proportion among VDU and Non-VDU users. A total of 332 selected persons (male and female) between the ages of 16 - 45yrs from schools, banks, offices and other establishments who use VDUs and 1hr/day within Owerri Municipal Area were administered with structured questionnaire. Study revealed VDU users presentation with Headache (17.72%), Ocular Pain (16, 52%), Eyestrain (15.40), Lacrimation (14, 60%), Double Vision (11.75%), Burning &Irritation (10.09%), Itching (7.83%), Dryness (3.58%) and Redness (2.52%). All the Symptoms (dryness, eyestrain, headache, itching, lacrimation, ocular pain and redness) except double vision are statistically significant (P<0.05). Furthermore, these symptoms are neither age nor gender related. Also, individuals as well as work-related factors were found to be predictive of these visual complaints. Headache, ocular pain, eyestrain, lacrimation, double vision, burning & irritation, itching, dryness and redness of the eye are the prevalent symptoms among VDU users in Owerri. The use of antiglare screen, filters or "radiation absorbing devices' to reduce and control light and reflections as well as adjustment shades, curtains or blinds in order to effectively control light levels throughout the day are however recommended.

Statistical Analysis of the effect of Changes in Pump Price on Consumption of Petrol in Owerri Municipal, Imo State Nigeria 1973-2016

Transportation fare increases when motorists pay more for petrol and this occurs even when the case is marginal. In cases where the cost of petrol doubled, reports have shown that the increase in transportation was astronomical. This in turn affected everything else, including school fees and house rent. The present study considered statistical analysis of the effect of changes in pump price on consumption of petrol in Owerri municipal, Imo State Nigeria 1973-2016. The study statistically checked whether the number of individuals who buy petrol will decrease irrespective of need, if the price of petrol increases. The population of the study was made up of residents of Owerri municipal who buy and use fuel. A sample of 100 individuals were taken in which 67 were males and 33 were females. A pretest was conducted and the outcome yielded r = 0.78 indicating degree of consistency and reliability. Primary and secondary data were collected and used for the study. Regression model was used to confirm formulated hypothesis. Findings revealed that pump price determines consumption rate of petrol. The study recommends that government should deregulate the price of petrol to favour economy of consumers and facilitate the construction of domestic refineries.