Town In Nigeria Research Articles

Modelling the Solar Intensity of Asaba Town in Nigeria Using Response Surface Methodology and Machine Learning Techniques

Modelling the Solar Intensity of Asaba Town in Nigeria Using Response Surface Methodology and Machine Learning Techniques

British Colonial Enterprise and the Evolution of Cosmopolitan Towns in Nigeria: The Case of Kafanchan, 1926-1960

British Colonial Enterprise and the Evolution of Cosmopolitan Towns in Nigeria: The Case of Kafanchan, 1926-1960

Spatial Distributions of AQI, PM2.5, Relative Humidity, Speed, and Temperature in Twenty-Two Towns in Nigeria

Spatial Distributions of AQI, PM2.5, Relative Humidity, Speed, and Temperature in Twenty-Two Towns in Nigeria

INSECURITY AND TERRORISTS’ THREATS OF ATTACKS ON SELECTED NIGERIAN CITIES: IMPLICATIONS ON LAGOS RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS FOR SAFETY AND THE CITY SECURITY PLANNING

Terrorism is common but limited to certain towns in Nigeria. However, the nomenclature seems to be changing as security intelligence has it that terrorist groups are planning attacks targeting Lagos, and other notable cities. This study therefore examines concerns for safety among residents and implications on individual and city-level security planning in Lagos. The official wards as demarcated by the Independent National Electoral Commission represent clusters from which at least a respondent was randomly selected. The study’s respondents were selected from 49 (one of every five wards {20%}) wards out of 245 wards in Lagos. In the selected wards, at least two respondents were randomly selected. A total of 288 residents participated in the survey, but, only 134 respondents accurately completed the questionnaire used in this analysis, representing a 58.7% response rate. Results show that 78% of the respondents were concerned about their safety while some 90% took precaution by avoiding certain places and activities. Findings show significant relations between awareness of the planned attacks, concerns for safety, and precautionary behaviour among respondents. Besides, results show that respondents’ socio-economic characteristics, neighbourhood environmental design, and past crime victimisation mediate concerns for safety and security behaviour. The study concludes that the emergence of this security intelligence in the public domain has further contributed to the increasing fear and residents’ mobility change. The study recommends among others policing strategies, a new urbanism, where urban planning and design strategies are applied to make attacks more difficult to carry out in soft spaces and places.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pregnant women: a multicentre cross-sectional survey in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

effective COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of severe illness have been available for more than one year now. This study was carried out to ascertain vaccine hesitancy and its associations among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in Port Harcourt, a large cosmopolitan town in Nigeria. we conducted a cross-sectional online survey over 2 months among consenting pregnant women receiving antenatal care in the 3 largest obstetric service centers in Port Harcourt to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its associations. the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 669 (72.2%). Of the respondents, 27 (2.9%) had been infected or had a close family member infected with SARS-CoV-2, and 897 (96.8%) of them had heard of the COVID-19 vaccine; however, only 133 (14.4%) had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The safety of the mother in 260 (32.8%) and the safety of the unborn baby in 114 (14.4%) of the respondents were the reasons for vaccine hesitancy. A small proportion of women 7(0.9%) were hesitant on religious grounds. Tertiary education, use of childhood immunization for previous infants delivered, and availability of COVID-19 vaccine in the antenatal clinic at no cost to the women, were statistically significant predictors of vaccine uptake among the respondents. the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Port Harcourt was 72.2%. Higher academic achievement and availability of the COVID-19 vaccine in the antenatal clinic were predictors of vaccine uptake, while reasons for hesitancy were mostly due to safety concerns for the mother and unborn baby.

Natural radionuclide distribution and analysis of associated radiological concerns in rock samples from a rocky town (Dutsin-Ma) in the North-Western region of Nigeria

Natural radionuclides in rock samples, especially 226Ra (Radon), 232Th (thorium), and 40K (potassium), are the primary source of exposure to radiation for employees and the public, and their detection is critical for radiation safety. The gamma (γ) radiation from natural radionuclides was quantified using the γ-ray spectrometry method in twenty rock samples obtained from Dutsin-Ma, a rocky town in Nigeria's north-western region. The data obtained were used to estimate the radiological parameters and the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR). The results obtained show that the minimum activity concentrations of 40K, 232Th, and 226Ra are respectively 36.7 Bq/kg, 25.99 Bq/kg, and 11.59 Bq/kg, with their maximum values being 73.23 Bq/kg, 92.81 Bq/kg and 100.93 Bq/kg respectively. The average activity of 40K, 232Th, and 226Ra in the rock samples were found to be 73.5781±3.38 Bq/kg, 40.7848±3.32 Bq/kg, and 33.6616±3.58 Bq/kg respectively, which were all below the World average values of (33, 45 and 420) Bq/kg respectively. The ELCR was found to be 0.185±0.01, while the average absorbed dose rate, as well as the mean annual effective dose rate, were calculated to be 43.13±2.7 nGy/h and 0.015±0.003 mSv/y respectively. The outcomes for internal hazard, external hazard, annual absorbed and effective dose equivalent (ABEDE), alpha and gamma index values were below the maximum values allowed limits of 1 mSv/y for ABEDE and 1 for representative alpha & gamma index values, internal and external hazards as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). This study shows that the radiation contamination of rock particles in Dutsin-Ma LGA does not pose much significant risk.

Re-emergence of Lassa fever in Nigeria: A new challenge for public health authorities.

The Lassa virus is an RNA virus belonging to the Arenaviridae family. It is responsible for Lassa fever, an acute viral zoonosis of the severe hemorrhagic fever type with manifestations of fever, muscle pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and chest and abdominal pain. Lassa fever is endemic in West Africa, where the first case was reported in 1969 in Lassa, a town in Nigeria, more than 50 years ago, and it is estimated that nearly 5000 deaths occur in West Africa each year. Nigeria is one of the endemic hotspots and has experienced numerous recurrent outbreaks of Lassa fever due to the increased multiplication of the host reservoir, Mastomys natalensis. For the Lassa epidemics in 2022 and January 2023 alone, Nigeria accounts for a quarter of the annual deaths from this disease. Poor lifestyle and hygiene, difficulty in diagnosis due to nonspecific symptomatology, lack of effective treatment based on clinical evidence, an ineffective human immunization program combined with a health system that is not adapted or equipped to control and prevent recurrent deadly epidemics, and an outdated regional disease surveillance system in West Africa are some of the challenges that must be overcome to rapidly and effectively eradicate this disease, whose area of spread is constantly expanding as a result of the movement of populations in the context of economic and socio-cultural activities.

INVESTIGATION INTO THE PESTICIDES RESIDUES IN SESAME, MILLET, RICE, AND GUINEA CORN GROWN AROUND THE HADEJIA-KOMADUGU-YOBE RIVER AREA IN YOBE STATE, NIGERIA.

Application of pesticides during crop production often results in pesticide residue, a significant source of heavy metals in the harvested crops. This raises concern for consumers' health due to the potentially deleterious effects of pesticides on animals, particularly humans. This study examined the levels of pesticide residues using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system and heavy metal elements concentration using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) in four food crops (Sesame, Millet, Rice, and Guinea corn) cultivated in (Gwio-Kura) Gashua and Hadejia towns in Nigeria. The results disclosed that Sesame was the only crop with Dichlorvos from both Gashua and Hadejia, surpassing the WHO's limit for pesticide residue concentrations, and that the Hadejia samples had higher levels than the Gashua samples. The study also detected traces of Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), and Manganese (Mn) in the crops, but they were below the permissible intake levels established by FAO/WHO. However, Arsenic (As) and Chromium (Cr) exceeded the FAO/WHO limits and may entail serious health problems such as kidney damage and cancer. Mercury (Hg) was not detected in any of the crops. Our findings suggest health authorities monitor and regulate heavy elements intake in food crops, especially those with high toxic contamination, to prevent adverse health effects such as the kidney disease on humans and animals, currently prevalent in the area.

Prevalence and Pattern of Mobile Gaming among Senior Secondary School Students in a Semi-Urban Town in Nigeria

Background: Excessive mobile gaming among young people has become a global public health issue. This paper aimed to determine the prevalence and pattern of mobile phone gaming among secondary school students.
 Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 401 secondary school students in Orlu, selected using multistage sampling technique. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to acquire information on the socio-demographic characteristics and pattern of gaming. The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) was used to assess problems related to gaming in the last 12 months. Data was entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 21. Pearson's Chi-square test was used for categorical variables while Students ttest was used for continuous variables. p 0.05 was regarded as significant.
 Results: Two (0.6%) of the respondents met the criteria for Internet gaming disorder. Three hundred and fifty-seven (89%) respondents had played mobile games at least once in their lifetime while three hundred and thirteen (78.1%) had played mobile games at least once in the past 12 months. One hundred and ten respondents (35.1%) had played mobile games nearly every day in the past 12 months. Most respondents, 132 (42.2%) played games offline. Two hundred and twentynine respondents (73.2%) have betted with others on the outcome of games played.
 Conclusion: Mobile gaming was common among secondary school students in Orlu, but the rate of gaming disorder was low. Measures targeted at adolescents should be developed to educate them on the potential dangers of mobile gaming.

Assessment of Microbial Contamination of Solid Herbal Medicine sold in Makurdi Metropolis

The consumption of herbal medicines is a common practice in many parts of the world, including Nigeria. However, the safety and quality of these products have been a concern due to the potential contamination with pathogenic microorganisms. This study aimed to isolate and identify microorganisms from powdered herbal medicines sold in Makurdi and Adikpo towns in Nigeria. A total of 30 samples were collected from various herbal medicine vendors and subjected to microbiological analysis. The samples were processed using standard microbiological techniques, including culture, microscopy, mycological identification and biochemical identification. The results showed that samples from both towns were contaminated with microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. Bacteria species isolated include Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. the most occurring bacterium was Escherichia coli with the occurrence of 19 representing 25 %, while the most common fungal species include Aspergillus niger which had the occurrence of 143(29.61 %) respectively. This was followed by Trichosporon mucoides 116(24.02 %), Aspergillus ochraceus 92(19.05 %), Aspergillus flavus 70(14.49 %) and Rhizopus stolonifer 16(12.84 %) which had the least occurrence. The study also revealed that the contamination levels were higher in samples from Adikpo town compared to Makurdi town. These findings suggest that there is a need for improved quality control measures in the production and sale of herbal medicines to minimize the risk of microbial contamination and ensure consumer safety.

Cultural heritage tourism as a catalyst for sustainable development; the case of old Oyo town in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Over the last century, cultural heritage in Nigeria has experienced advanced neglect and continual degradation. This debacle created a trend whereby heritage resources have been wholly or partially replaced by new structures. The few heritage remnants in the locale will disappear if schemes to ameliorate, conserve and adaptive reuse are lacking. This research seeks a paradigm shift that balances the debacle and creates a sustainable physical development and cultural identity. This study is an empirical analysis of Old Oyo town in Nigeria and how it might be transformed into a living heritage rather than a deteriorating locale. This paper utilises the case study approach by presenting examples of the regeneration of the historic city in Fez, Morocco and the Kano ancient area in Nigeria. The findings show culture-led urban regeneration as a viable strategy for place making and sustainable development. It has the potential to drive the needed heritage development in Old Oyo while contributing to its environmental, economic and social sustainability. In addition, the project’s archeo-tourism potential is essential for socio-cultural sustainability and the revival of indigenous urban solutions and practices. Recommendations for the Old Oyo are crucial to developing the other heritage sites in Nigeria.

Methanol leaf extract of Abelmoschus caillei increased the serum levels of some hormones involved in follicule maturation in female Wister rats

There are ethnobotanical claims that the plant Abelmoschus caillei A.Chev. (Malvaceae) is beneficial for child bearing and in child labour. In fact, the inhabitants of Igboora town, South-West Nigeria claim the consumption of the leaf plays a role in the high incidences of multiple births experienced in the area. The study evaluated the effects of the methanol leaf extract of Abelmoschus caillei (MLAC) on some reproductive hormones involved in the maturation of graffian follicles of female wistar rats. The young leaves of authenticated Abelmoschus caillei plant were collected, air-dried, powdered and extracted with methanol. The extract (25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) was evaluated for its effects on the serum concentrations of oestradiol, lutenising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Clomiphene citrate was administered as standard drug. The analysis of the result showed that serum concentrations of the three hormones were significantly (P < 0.05) higher at the administered doses compared with the negative control (distilled water) except at 25 mg/kg. The study concluded that Abelmoschus caillei A.Chev. (Malvaceae) significantly increased the serum conceentrations of LH, FSH and Oestradiol in female wistar rats and probably plays a role in the high incidences of multiple births observed in Igboora town in Nigeria.

Assessment of Air Quality Using the Plume Air Quality Index Indicator (PAQI): Reference to Five Towns in Nigeria

Air quality is an important issue worldwide due to the health implications on man and livestock. For this reason, different countries constructed the air quality index (AQI) which depicts pollution levels and the impact on health. PAQI is an example of an air quality index built by Plume Labs, Paris, France. It has seven levels (Low, Moderate, High, Very High, Excessive, Extreme, and Airpocalypse) of pollution which are linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) limits. This study aimed to assess the AQI of five different towns in Nigeria using the satellite model data released by Plumes Labs. Daily data of the towns were recorded between 9 am and 7 pm for 60 days and statistically analyzed. The air quality index was determined by whatever pollutant was measuring the highest. It was observed that PM2.5 and 03 (30 and 40 respectively) had the highest concentration levels most times. The results were compared with the PAQI indicator. The air quality of the towns has reached high levels of pollution above the maximum limit for 24 hours established by WHO.

THE PROSPECTS OF INTERMODAL RAIL FREIGHT TRANSPORT OF CARGOES FROM APAPA LAGOS SEAPORT TO HINTERLAND TOWNS IN NIGERIA

Efficient and effective movement of goods is very crucial in today’s competitive environment especially for developing countries like Nigeria, suffering from the growing challenges of inland freight transportation and crippling logistics costs which limit her competitive ability in the global economy. The development of ‘combined transport’, intermodal transport’ and ‘multimodal transport’ could provide new opportunities for the transport industry in Nigeria as a viable alternative to tackle the challenges associated with lengthy delays in cargo movement, increased cost of transport logistics and the negative environmental impacts of carbon emissions. This paper aims at evaluating the prospects of rail freight transport of cargoes from Apapa Lagos seaport to hinterland towns in Nigeria. Both primary data and Secondary data were retrieved from National Bureau of Statistics, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Nigeria Shipper’s Council, Lagos state Transport statistics and Nigerian Ports Authority and some other selected materials on the subject matter. The findings of this paper reveal a huge differential cost from Apapa seaport to the 7 different hinterland towns in Nigeria that could save importers and exporters when rail transport is used as an alternative mode of transport instead of road transport mode. This study shows that an increase in the usage of rail to haul goods in and out of the Lagos seaport hub would bring relief to the Apapa metropolis if adequate attention is given to it by the government.

Assessment of Heavy Metals in Mine Soil and Tailings from Jos, Nigeria

Jos is a mining town in Nigeria; mining activities has been going on in the area for more than a 100 years. Although, the mining and other related activities have brought about economic, social growth and infrastructural development in the area. Unfortunately, mining activities has been linked to the enhance in the level of heavy metals in the soil and other geological formations in the environment. To ascertain the heavy metals (HM) burden in the soil due to tin mining activities at Rayfield-Du area of Jos, HM concentrations were evaluated in soil samples collected from the mine site. The HM concentrations in the soils were evaluated using the Energy Dispersive X-ray Florescence (EDXRF) spectrometer system. The analysis of eight HM (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) concentrations showed that they are above the Nigerian reference level except for Co and Ni. The pollution and ecological risk indices of the HM concentrations were classified as low for the mine soils.

Community Water Demand and Sustainable Water Supply Planning in Nigeria: A Review

The purpose of this study is to review past works in water demands and sustainable water supply planning in Nigeria as reported by many researchers and to determine how to improve the water supply infrastructure sustainably. Nigeria is endowed with abundant surface water and ground water resources. The mean annual rainfall along the coast in the south east is 4 800 mm while it is less than 500 mm in the north east. These water sources are not tapped to the fullest and most of them are polluted and unsafe for use, resulting to scarcity of potable water in most communities. Water crisis is prevalent in most cities and this is further exacerbated by deteriorating infrastructure, political instability, and poorly regulated water laws. The result of the water crisis has led to detrimental consequences for its citizens as child mortality and water-borne disease-related deaths have grown exponentially. Unsuitability of water distribution facilities, quantity of water transported, too much walking distance, long lines at water points, poor maintenance and inadequate bulk water development brought about inefficiency of the facility. The water demand and supply in some countries in the world and many towns in Nigeria were reported. The method adopted in the study involved the use of journals, books and other related literature. The result showed that water supply systems in most places in the country are in poor state, unorganized and incomplete. All countries highlighted showed many problems at various degrees in provision of the facility. Attempt was made to fill some gaps in the literature. Public enlightenment, financing, monitoring, maintenance and juicy annual remuneration packages for best water users are recommended as powerful tools towards sustenance of the water supply infrastructure.

The Outgrowing Nature of Insecurity Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: Issues, Challanges and Way Forward

The paper examines the proliferations of insecurity in Nigeria amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It also study the dimensions of the various security challenges and the pattern of variance from what is obtainable prior to the menace of SARS-19. The perplexing question is that the issue of Boko haram, banditry, kidnaping, rape, and other social problems are more evident during this pandemic to the extent that the relative peace that is been enjoyed prior to the novel coronavirus is now absence in majority of villages and towns in Nigeria. The Nigeria security outfits has not been able to find lasting solutions to this problems rather it getting worse, quick and lasting solutions is needed to avert and revert the country into normal state of peace if not the Nigeria state will turn into quagmire before the end of the COVID-19 novel virus. This paper made use of available secondary materials of events and cases. The paper suggests the need to re-orientate the government, security personnel’s societies and the general populace towards it effects on security and Nigeria economy in whole.

Microbial quality and antimicrobial evaluation of some herbal concoctions in a Rural Town in Nigeria

The use of local herbal concoctions has been on the increase for the cure of various illnesses in Iwo community and Nigeria generally. Experiment aimed at isolating major microorganisms and carrying out antibiotic resistant test on the bacterial isolates was carried out. Bacteria isolated were identified through biochemical tests and molecular characterization. Susceptibility levels of these isolates was evaluated using antibiotic rapid test multidisc containing eight different antibiotics and resistance genes were amplified from some of the isolates. Five fungal species were isolated from the samples and these included Aspergillus niger and Mucor sp which occurred the most (33.3%), while Rhizopus stolonifera and Aspergillus nidulans had the lowest occurrence (6.7%). Twenty- four bacterial species belonging to fifteen (15) genera were identified. These includes Providencia sp 17(19%) recorded the highest occurrence, followed by Pantoea sp 13(14.4%) and Citrobacter sp 10(11.1%) while Salmonella sp, Cedecea sp, Pseudomonas sp and Yersinia sp had the lowest occurrence (2.2%) each. All the isolates showed resistance to three or more antibiotics used, especially the cephalosporins. The genes found to be responsible for the cephalosporin resistance in some of the isolates were TEM-972 and CTX-M-200. Presence of the multi-antibiotic resistant microorganisms in herbal concoctions poses a serious public health threat.

Microbial quality and antimicrobial evaluation of some herbal concoctions in a Rural Town in Nigeria

Microbial quality and antimicrobial evaluation of some herbal concoctions in a Rural Town in Nigeria

Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Surface Soils of Gemstones and Lead Mining Communities: Differential Mineral Phases and Exposure Risks

Proper human health risk assessments are rarely conducted for mining communities, consequently when there is need for remediation to be conducted and compensation to be paid to impacted population they are typically done, assuming equal exposure risks from varying mining activities. This study was conducted to compare the distribution of potentially toxic elements in surfaces soils of gemstone and lead mining towns in Nigeria, and their anticipated exposure risks. To achieve this thirty-two surface soil samples were collected from Eggon, a gemstone mining town in Nasarawa State and Enyigba, a lead mining town in Ebonyi State. The samples were air dried, disaggregated and sieved through a 2000 μm mesh with the <2000 fraction retained for aqua regia digestion. Potentially toxic elements bound in the samples were quantified with Agilent Technologies 4210 (MP-AES). Mineral phases were identified and quantified using using a inXitu’s portable transmission XRD/XRF instrument (Terra) with a miniature X-ray tube and a CCD detector for collection both XRD signatures. The PTEs, As, Cd, Mn, Pb and Zn were higher in surface soils of lead mining town. At the gemstone mining town most the PTEs indicated similar concentrations at both mine site and residential areas, while at the lead mining town of the PTEs indicated higher concentrations at mine sites and mine road. At the lead mining town the estimated daily exposure doses for Pb were above threshold values irrespective of the exposure scenario. Mineralogy data indicated most of the PTEs in mineralized phases.