Resources In Nigeria Research Articles

Abundant Catalyst Resources for Applications in the Nigerian Energy Sector: A Research Perspective

Efficient energy supply represents one of the important indicators of a country’s readiness to provide fundamental amenities for its citizens. It similarly indicates the possibility of industrial growth associated with a nation of interest. In Nigeria today, energy supply is greatly insufficient and the government’s approach for handling the situation remained inefficient. Therefore, both scientific and policy based researches with focus on enhanced energy production are desirable for national interest. This specific manuscript targeted a discussion on how the abundant natural resources in Nigeria could be transformed into industry based catalysts and successfully applied for both biomass and fossil fuels valorization. It was successfully demonstrated herein that fly ash from coal processing, waste materials from cement manufacture, rock-based natural zeolites and many other industrial wastes could be converted into affordable catalysts for utilization in energy production via catalysis. Emphasis was also placed on the need for research intensification on catalyst development, characterization with advanced methods and evaluation at laboratory and industrial scales. This way, the challenges of energy production in Nigeria would be reduced effectively.

Ethnic politics and National Integration in Nigeria's Fourth Republic

One of the contentious issues affecting national integration in Nigeria is ethnic politics. An ethnicity is a potent tool for mobilizing access to power and resources in Nigeria. It has not only affected nation-building but has also constituted security and governance challenges threatening national integration. Despite different measures adopted to foster national unity among different ethnic groups, primordial sentiments pervade the political system, festering like a malignant tumour with associated prognosis. The paper explored the implications of ethnic politics on national integration in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. Data elicited from secondary sources were utilized for the study. The findings showed that the dominant ethnic groups determine party formation, voting patterns and allocation of public goods. Ethnic politics is deployed by the political class to access and maintain their grip of power while other sub-ethnic groups are sidelined. Undue ethnicization of Nigeria's politics has not only encouraged prebendalised politics but affected democratic development. Electoral malpractices, political instability and crises experienced in Nigeria have their roots in ethnic politics. The study recommended, among other things, that there is a need for reorientation of Nigerian citizens on the danger ethnicized politics portends to nation-building and national integration. Furthermore, there is the need to redefine citizenship, indigene-settler syndrome and son of the soil conundrum that has been spurring ethnic politics in Nigeria.

Legal Framework for Sustainable Conservation of Fishery Resources in the Marine Environment of Nigeria

It is impossible to overstate the value of effective fisheries sector management in a society like Nigeria. This will guarantee enough food at affordable prices and a source of social and economic advancement for the populace. Living ocean resources are in danger of becoming extinct due to the high harvesting rates. Over time, the legal measures enacted to safeguard the maritime environment and actions taken by the institutions tasked with upholding them have been shown to be insufficient and ineffectual. In this study, the management of fisheries and marine life resources and the difficulties it faces was evaluated using both primary and secondary sources of information. This was geared toward creating a framework that guarantees the sustainable conservation of marine living resources in Nigeria, particularly fisheries. According to the study, fisheries must be conserved if they are to remain productive for a very long time. It describes the opportunities and difficulties facing the Nigerian fishing regime and suggests ways to achieve long-term preservation of the fishery resources in the Nigerian marine environment.

Energy Landscape and Renewable Energy Resources in Nigeria: A Review

Renewable energy resource utilisation is becoming more prevalent in society and can be a sustainable method to meet rising energy demand and consumption. The International Renewable Energy Agency reports that presently, approximately 33% of total electricity output around the world is from renewable energy sources. However, in Nigeria, the World Bank reported this figure as 18.2% in 2015. It is important to understand how Nigeria can raise this average as the world moves towards less use of fossil fuels. Therefore, the aim of this work was to provide a review of the established literature, which can then be used to support the development of renewable energy systems in Nigeria. The methodology employed for the study of the literature involved a systematic review method, including identification, screening, eligibility and inclusion criterium steps. Understanding the national energy landscape is essential to support potential projects, and consequently, energy supply, demand and consumption in Nigeria are observed. The review examined renewable energy sources in Nigeria with a focus on solar and biomass/bioenergy. The levelised cost of electricity from renewable technologies was analysed, and the paper identified and evaluated past projects centered on solar and biomass, presenting three main case studies. The results indicate that solar and biomass have the most potential for energy generation in Nigeria, with 4–6.5 kWh/m2 of solar irradiation available per day and approximately 2.3 × 109 GJ bioenergy potential per year. However, solar PV is currently of most interest in Nigeria due to the lower cost of on-grid solar PV electricity, which can comfortably compete with fossil fuels. Nevertheless, costs still need to be lowered to compete fully. Finally, the findings also indicate that there is an omission in the literature surrounding the existing renewable projects and technologies in Nigeria.

Political Environment and the Use of Energy Resources in Nigeria

This study examines the dynamic relationship between political environment and the use of energy resources in Nigeria covering the period from 1978-2017 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach. The results reveal that democracy has a significant long run and short run positive influence on energy consumption in Nigeria. However, the positive effect decreases significantly with an increase in the level of oil dependence in the short run. The results of this study in general support the view that high dependence of political democratic structures on oil wealth influences the positive effects of democracy in making public goods available in developing net oil-exporting economies. Economic diversification in Nigeria may therefore require formulating policies that will enhance access to clean energy sources in the economy.

Gear analysis of freshwater Macrobrachium species catch at Igbedi Creek for regulation recommendation in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Gears are tools for fishing without which the fisher cannot gain access to the fisheries resource in Nigeria. The gears at riparian communities of Ogoubiri, Toru-Ebeni, Amassoma and Otuan along Igbedi Creek, Bayelsa, Nigeria were analyzed to evaluate the effect on the shrimp catch at the Creek, for regulation recommendation, by measuring the gears utilized and the length of the shrimps caught from each gear. This research revealed that there were three species of Palaemonidae: Macrobrachium vollenhovenii, M. macrobrachion and M. felicinum which were harvested with Hand-push nets, Non-return valve traps and Non-return net traps. The traps were generally small in size and few. A total of 156 gears, with catch ranging from 0 to 1309. The mean length and width for each gear range from 36.75±4.16cm and 25.64±2.88 cm to 38.73±3.73 cm and 26.99±2.67 cm for G1, 131.58±6.73 cm and 19.17±2.15 cm to 127.54±4.06 cm and 18.39±1.55 cm for G2, 107.58±1.70 cm and 20.27±0.58 cm to 108.01±1.65 cm and 20.35±0.03 cm for G3 and 91.44±0.00 cm and 60.96±0.00 cm to 91.64±0.52 cm and 61.21±0.98 cm for G4. The entrance hole ranging from 2.49±0.38 cm to 61.40±0.78 cm in all four locations and species catch ranging from 2.2 cm to 9.8 cm for M. macrobrachion, 2.0 cm to 12.8 cm for M. vollenhovenii and 2,5 cm to 8.4 cm for M. felicinum at the stations. The gears allow the escape of shrimps less than 1.9 cm. This implies that growth overfishing can be averted but recruitment overfishing is inevitable if the fishers continue in the free access conditions and increase catch capacity therefore, this study recommend gear size and seasonal catch regulation.

Appraisal of lead (Pb) contamination and potential exposure risk associated with agricultural soils and some cultivated plants in gold mines

BackgroundArtisanal gold mining has been one of the major contributors to soil pollution. These types of soil have potential environmental implications and varying degrees of health risk due to agricultural product cultivation. The contamination level of Pb in soils under cultivation by maize and spinach from gold mines in Abare, Dareta and Bagega mines of Anka local government Zamfara state was examined. Three levels of soil depths (0–21, 21–40 and 41–60 cm) from study sites were considered for vertical distributions of the Pb. The samples were digested and analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Varian model-AA240FS).ResultsThe total Pb concentration ranges from 326.2 to 383.43 (Abare), 67.74–76.44 (Bagega) and 17.88–42.00 mg/kg (Dareta), which are all within the environmental protection agency (EPA) 400 mg/kg permissible limits, while only those analyzed from Abare were above the 85 mg/kg department of petroleum resources of Nigeria (DPR) threshold. From the result, the spinach grown in those areas exceeded the FAO/WHO 0.3 mg/kg threshold.ConclusionAdditionally, all study sites from all areas revealed the highest Pb concentrations at a 0–20 cm soil depth. This study further indicates all the soils from these areas are within safety limits based on the single pollution index (SPI) and Nemerow composite pollution index (NCPI). This information will significantly help provide greater insight into developing more effective remediation strategies for the affected localities. More research is needed into the speciation, chemical forms, bioavailability, and biogeochemical mechanisms that influence Pb mobility in those areas.

Utilisation and Registration Assessment Status of Chicken Genetic Resources in Nigeria

Utilisation and Registration Assessment Status of Chicken Genetic Resources in Nigeria

Effects of Oilfield Chemicals, Herbicides, Pesticides and other Pollutants on Fisheries Resources in Nigeria

Crude oil exploration and exploitation is the major source of income or revenue generation for the Federal Government of Nigeria. Agriculture also forms a substantial part of the economic stability of the country. However, oil field chemicals used in crude oil exploration, herbicides and pesticides used for agricultural purposes, and other anthropogenic pollutants that are eventually released into the aquatic environment constitute serious sources of threat to the growth, survival, and productivity of fisheries resources. This review paper identified the impacts of these substances on fish, including growth inhibition, increased chromosome aberrations in cell roots, increased fungal biomass, and mortality. Recommendations arising from this review include proper disposal of oilfield chemical wastes, enhanced use of biological and mechanical pesticides/herbicides control methods as against the use of the chemicals, which helps to reduce the amount of these substances released into the aquatic environment, and direct remediation of the impacted environment. When implemented, these recommendations are expected to ultimately improve fish growth, survival, and productivity.

CHALLENGES OF E-WASTE RECYCLING IN NIGERIA

In many developing countries like India, Ghana, Pakistan, China, Malaysia and Nigeria, the growing rise of e-waste as a result of advancement in technology, users behaviour and the lack of enforced high environmental standards and regulations to control e-waste disposal or recycling, calls for urgent concern because of the high volumes generated. For the e-wastes that are recycled, there are standards for the recycling processes with slight variance due to national economical diversities. This variance in Nigeria is accompanied with fewer requirements to protect workers and the environment. Thus, as these e-wastes undergo disassembling, treatment, burning and disposal in very loose environmental frameworks with underdeveloped facilities, it has negatively impacted on the industrial safety of employees in their specific operations and increased environment health hazard. Consequently some major challenges involve how to reduce the growing number of e-waste that is coming into the country, landfill usage, the growing number of e-waste generated, environmental pollution, the irregularities accompanying existing recycling methodologies and the exploitation of resources in Nigeria. To effectively address these aforementioned challenges, this paper proposed appropriate policies and technologies which involves three main sequential stages: collection, pre-processing (involving sorting, dismantling and mechanical treatment) and end-processing (involving refining and disposal).

Prediction of global solar radiation potential for sustainable and cleaner energy generation using improved Angstrom-Prescott and Gumbel probabilistic models

Predicting and improving global solar radiation models is important in Nigeria because, most government meteorological stations are unable to continuously set-up or measure this radiometric parameter in most metropolitan cities and remote villages where there is a severe need for electricity. This is because most locations are not connected to the national grid due to high cost implications. Global solar radiation (H) prediction has a great deal of benefits in adapting and implementing clean and sustainable energy infrastructure, and much more in detecting and adapting climate mitigation measures in locations affected by climate change externalities. The new Gumbel (GP) probabilistic model applied in this paper is renowned for its high prediction power and low input requirements on the coefficients of the Angstrom-Prescott (AP) model used by researchers to predict global solar radiation since 1940. This study's foremost intention was to investigate ways of generating sustainable and cleaner energy by using coefficients of the AP model in order to accelerate the greener economy in Nigeria. As such, the accuracy and suitability of 36 existing and developed empirical AP models, as well as 11 fitted GP models, were evaluated to estimate H in different climatic regions of Nigeria. The results revealed that AP models fitted with generalized datasets outperformed the 10 location-based models considered in this work and the 7 models selected from literature, however, the GP model outperformed all empirically fitted models. The model established by GP (M13) was used to optimize AP models with poor performance and those selected from literature. This study suggests that it is more realistic to apply the generalized and GP model to predict global solar radiation and generate AP estimation coefficients across Nigeria than using empirical modeling and AP estimation coefficient. This is illustrated by the high prediction accuracy, little or no instrumentation network, and the computational effort for a GP model over an instrumentation network required to generate sunshine hour datasets required to implement AP model predictions. The proposed GP model is sufficient as a valid predictive model that will promote a holistic understanding of the available solar resources in Nigeria and disseminate the application of solar photovoltaic technologies within the country.

Foreign Direct Investment and External Debt Impacts Assessment on Environmental Resources Depletion in Nigeria

The public interest in justness, equity and fairness in the use of environmental resources between the present and future generations have raised concern about the current depletion rate of environmental resources in Nigeria. Several socioeconomic factors are involved. Worrisome however is the inflow of foreign direct investment and external debt escalation in recent years in the economy. Importantly, we asked, do they contribute to the depletion of environmental resources in Nigeria? In that, we modelled the implications of growth in FDI and external debt on four cases of environmental resources depletion (forestry, solid minerals, fisheries, and crude oil resources productions). The estimated results suggested that though the depletion rate of environmental resources like crude oil depends largely, over the long run and short run, on the movement in FDI inflow, critical to the level of depletion of the forest is the short run effect of external debt. Furthermore, the depletion level of fisheries responds positively only to a change in FDI with a lag in the short run. In terms of solid minerals, we found a long run impact of external debt. Therefore, provided the impact of a rise in FDI and external debt on the depletion of environmental resources is subject to the particular resource and time in Nigeria, selective policies based on the FDI and external debt management is appropriately adequate to control the level of depletion of environmental resources in Nigeria for the benefit of the future generation.

Equality, equity and justice in resource distribution in Nigeria


 
 
 In ethics and political philosophy, the concepts of equity, equality, need satisfaction, and justice are significant for the fulfilment of underlying requirements of human rights, and the attainment of peace in societies. Studies show these as potential frames for defining processes, distributing resources, sharing responsibilities, allocating rewards, demonstrating respect and dispensing with unequal treatments. Justice, as the ideal that impels us to impartially adjudicate between competent claims, is linked to equality. But as the moral force that propels actions for needs’ satisfaction, it is linked to equity. Hence, equality and equity are two elements of the theory of justice: both are grounded on the principles of distributive justice. This ‘common grounding’ apparently obfuscates their distinctive features, and over time, has elicited their equiparation. This essay highlights the archetypal frames of the notions of equity and equality as indispensable principles of social justice. It identifies the skewed distribution of resources in Nigeria as arising from a legal framework that removes the power of personal/group autonomy from the people. The essay notes the misleading tendency in the insulated use of equality for justice, and accepts the primacy of distributive justice amongst rival pathways to national cohesive living.
 
 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS OVER NATURAL RESOURCES: AN ANALYSIS OF HOST COMMUNITIES RIGHTS IN NIGERIA

Many States are engulfed in crises over natural resources in the form of claims and counterclaims over who should exercise legal authority over the resources located within the state territory. In Nigeria, the agitation over control of natural resources has led to militancy and rebellion against the federal government and multinational oil companies. The debate on who should control and manage natural oil resources in Nigeria exists at the local community level, the federating states level, and the federal government level. This paper x-rayed the varying contentions of these agitations from an international law perspective. It adopted the doctrinal method to explore international human rights instruments and other legal and non-legal sources to realize the result and arrive at persuasive conclusions. The paper concluded that although international law guarantees states’ exercise of sovereign rights over their natural resources, it safeguards the right of indigenous peoples and communities to manage the natural resources found within their ancestral lands to deepen their economic and social development. It also concluded that the Niger Delta indigenous peoples and oil-producing communities are entitled to exercise some measure of control and management of the processes of exploitation of the natural resources found within their lands. The paper calls on the Nigerian government to fast-track legal and policy reforms to resource rights to indigenous host communities of natural resources in Nigeria.

English

The distribution and utilization of agrogeological resources in Nigeria are discussed. These are rocks and minerals applied in agriculture. They occur in a wide variety of environments that range in age from Pre-Cambrian to Recent. The resources may be utilized to solve problems of pH, texture and structure of rocks. Limestone, dolomite and any base-rich materials like carbonatites, as well as basic and ultra basic silicate rocks could be used to correct acidity in soils. The adverse effects of soil alkalinity may be tackled by the application of suphides, for example pyrite and marcasite. Texture can be modified by adding geological materials to the soil that have contrasting grain size. Solid structure may be improved upon by providing a good nutrient base and by encouraging a buildup of organic matter. The resources could also provide essential plant nutrients which include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, molybdenum, sulphur and boron. Key words: Agriculture, geology, agrominerals, nutrients

Cultural heritage management and the effect of corruption in Nigeria: hampering sustainable development via cultural heritage destruction

PurposeThe aim of this research is to discuss the effect of corruption on conventional management of cultural heritage (CH) resources in Nigeria. It identifies the means by which the effect can be curtailed to bring about proper management system in the CH sector and pave the way for economic/sustainable development through cultural tourism in the country.Design/methodology/approachThe research draws from both exploratory and comparative approaches. It took a study of selected locations and museums in the six geopolitical zones of the country, with a review of literatures on cultural heritage management (CHM). It also gives summarized information on the present overall effect of corruption in the CH sector of Nigeria.FindingsThe research reveals that there are some levels of mismanagement and destruction of CH resources in the country. This is manifested in acts of museum theft, illicit trafficking, unlawful possession and general mishandling of CH, as well as the deterioration of facilities in the sector. The research gathered that the problem came as a result of wrongful appointment of none heritage experts as heads of heritage-related institutions and agencies. It also results from lack of required attention by the government and other relevant stakeholders (such as community leaders/members, academics and law enforcement agencies, inter alia) toward CH preservation, protection, management and promotion for sustainable development. The research recommends that the government and other CH stakeholders (mentioned above) should make efforts to address the issues discussed, so as to improve the management of CH in the country for sustainable development.Originality/valuePrior to this research, there has been no publication addressing the effect of corruption on CHM in this context and location. The article makes recommendations that call for action and also set grounds for future discourse.

HYDROPONICS SYSTEM AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOIL FARMING OF WATERMELON IN NIGERIA

Watermelon is an important vegetable consumed worldwide. It is mostly grown in a sandy loam soil with a pH value ranging from 6.5 to 7.5. However, due to the constraints in land accessibility coupled to the farmers-herders clashes for limited land resources in Nigeria, it is important to shift the focus from land extensification to intensification farming. This study therefore compares the potential of hydroponics system of cultivating watermelon relative to conventional soil farming system. Three varieties of water melon (Diamond black, Crimson sweet and Travelers watermelon varieties) were planted in 2 substrate conditions (soil and cocopeat) 4 kg each. It was a 3x2 factorial experiment arranged in a completely randomized design with 3 replicates. Data were collected on the agronomic and yield parameters, and analysed using ANOVA, and means were separated using LSD at 5% level of significance. Results obtained showed varied agronomic performances among the genotypes, while the Crimson sweet watermelon produced significantly heavier fruit size (5.38±0.34) compared to the rest genotype. However, the highest number of fruits (2.33±0.22) was obtained in the soil, but the substrate type was insignificant in the average fruit weight. Hence, the hydroponics system is recommended as a complementary alternative to soil farming.

Developing marine and coastal resources in Nigeria: Prospects and challenges

Nigeria, with a coastline of about 853 km bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the area of the Gulf of Guinea, has a maritime area of about 46,000 km2, with significant and diverse natural marine resources. The country has numerous economic activities, in which the highest percentage depends on or is derived from the ocean resources, but it is explicitly clear that her blue economy potentials are far from being fully harnessed. The Nigerian maritime domain is rich with a variety of resources that support livelihoods and economic development. These include established activities like fisheries, shipping, offshore oil and gas, maritime and coastal tourism, marine manufacturing and construction, dredging, etc., and emerging activities such as marine aquaculture, deep and ultra-deepwater oil and gas, offshore wind energy, ocean renewable energy, marine and seabed mining, etc. The main purpose of this paper was to qualitatively investigate the prospects and challenges in developing marine resources in Nigeria and to suggest necessary recommendations. Existing literatures and documents from secondary sources were reviewed. The paper revealed that the challenges in harnessing marine resources in Nigeria are an inadequate scientific data bank, inconsistent government policy, climate change, and inadequate manpower. This paper recommends that the government need to enhance targeted capacity building, particularly at the policy, institutional, legal, and technical levels, for developing coastal states. This may result in effective exploration and mining, which may lead to sustainable marine resources.

Nigeria experience on the use of polio assets for the 2017/18 measles vaccination campaign follow-up

BackgroundThe global polio eradication initiative has made giant stride by achieving a 99% reduction in Wild poliovirus (WPV) cases, with Nigeria on the verge of being declared polio-free following over 36 months without a WPV. The initiative has provided multiple resources, assets and lessons learnt that could be transitioned to other public health challenges, including improving the quality and vaccination coverage of measles campaigns in order to reduce the incidences of measles in Nigeria. We documented the polio legacy and assets used to support the national measles campaign in 2017/2018. MethodsWe documented the integration of the measles campaign coordination with the Polio Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) at national and state levels for planning and implementing the measles SIA. Specific polio strategies and assets, such as the EOC incident command framework and facilities, human resource surge capacity, polio GIS resource These strategies were adapted and adopted for the MVC implementation overcome challenges and improve vaccination coverage. We evaluated the performance through a set process and outcome indicators. ResultsAll the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory used the structure and resources in Nigeria and provided counterpart financing for the MVC 2017/ 2018. The 11 polio high-risk states deployed the use of GIS for microplanning process, while daily call-in data were tracked in 99.7% of the LGAs and 70,846 reports were submitted real-time by supervisors using Open data kit (ODK). The national coverage achieved was 87.5% by the post-campaign survey with 65% of states reporting higher coverage in 2018 compared to 2015. ConclusionPolio eradication assets and lessons learned can be applied to measles elimination efforts as the eradication and elimination efforts have similar strategies and programme implementation infrastructure needs. Leveraging these strategies and resources to support MVC planning and implementation resulted in more realistic planning, improved accountability and availability of human and fiscal resources.This approach may have resulted in better MVC outcomes and contributed to Nigeria’s efforts in measles control and elimination.

Approaches and challenges of traditional institutions in conservation of biodiversity: Implications for sustainable management of natural resources in Nigeria

The study assessed indigenous practices and beliefs on the conservation of natural resources in Oju Local Government Area of Benue State. Purposeful and simple random sampling was applied to determine the study sample and thus a sample size of 118 was used for the study. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents were male (75.4%) while 24.6% were female. The indigenous and traditional beliefs in the protection of natural resources in the area is reflected in a variety of their practices which included sacred groves and sacred landscapes, construction of masquerades and other traditional artifacts, reflecting greatly the population of the forest resources. The most conserved fauna and flora species identified were; Smutsia gigantea, Elgaria coerulea, Ceyx erithaca, Milvus aegyptius, Centropus steerii and Ophiophagus hannah; Vitellaria paradoxa, Khaya grandifoliola and Abies balsamea. Major challenges identified were; lack of inclusion by governance institution with (98.7%), followed by adoption of other religious beliefs with (97.5%), poaching/illegal logging and population growth/urbanization (91.5%), perception of idolatry (88.9%), Bush fires (89.8%) while frequent use of herbs for traditional medicine (83.1%) had the least percentage. On the ways of improvement was awareness creation had the highest proportion (33.9%), followed by attitudinal change (30.5%), while resource allocation to traditional leaders and integration of traditional conservation in formal resource conservation had the least proportion of 17.8%. It was concluded that traditional practices and beliefs if well managed will enhanced proper conservation and management of natural resources. The study thus recommended that, institutions responsible for conservation of natural resources should be positioned for effective performance and service delivery. Government should have monitoring agents that will help in ensuring natural resource conservation.