Kwara State University Journals
Not a member yet
291 research outputs found
Sort by
Minority Representation of the Nigeria Civil War: A New Historicist Reading of Elechi Amadi’s Sunset at Biafra and Saro-Wiwa’s Sozaboy
Get PDFThe Nigeria civil war has remained topical within literary scholarship as authors continue to centralize the historical phenomenon in their works in a bid to understand the socio-political dynamics in the country. A significant amount of critical scholarship on the war has also emerged, a natural response to the outpour of creative works. However, critical attention on the creative works on the civil war has been on the accounts of writers who dominated the discourse; writers who belonged to the seceding group, the Biafran section of the divide. The accounts of the war from the perspective of groups of people who were unwilling parts of the seceding Biafran divide has not enjoyed similar attention. The Niger-Delta minority ethnic groups within the larger Igbo ethnic grouping have not received commensurate attention. This has created a gap in the critical response to the depictions of the war experiences of the people from the Eastern region. This study, therefore, aims to investigate, from a New Historicist theoretical standpoint, the civil war experiences of the minority ethnic groups within the Eastern region during the Nigerian civil war. Using Elechi Amadi‘s Sunset in Biafra and Ken Saro-Wiwa‘s Sozaboy, the study revealed that while both the Igbo people and the other minority ethnic groups in the region suffered during the civil war, the sufferings of the minority ethnic group were intensified by lack of information, agency, and confusion regarding what their fate would be
Statelessness; A Reality or Illusion? Finding Answers in International Law
Get PDFThe issue of statelessness is a significant and concerning development within the realm of international law, albeit one that receives less attention. This phenomenon has the potential to be quite alarming and unacceptable, with catastrophic consequences that can only be imagined rather than experienced. Those affected by statelessness finds themselves vulnerable, lacking a secured statehood necessary to access their basic fundamental rights fully. Statelessness typically arises as a result of insecurity, instability, circumstances of birth and in rare cases actions taken by a state, which subsequently lead to lack of proof of nationality for the individual concerned. In this modern era individuals without a recognised nationality face increasing difficulty in functioning within the society. Stateless persons are extremely vulnerable and completely defenceless. The Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons 1954 and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness 1961 both provided comprehensive provisions about the fundamental and inalienable rights of stateless persons within the territory of a contracting party that issignatory to the respective conventions. However,the question remains as to whether these international legal frameworks are adequate to address the issue at hand.
The Deviance and Crime of Defilement of Girl-Child in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Solutions
Get PDFGirl-child, like her male-child counterpart, is a gift from God and deserves to enjoy the basic rights of life like every human being, in particular, the right to life and the right to dignity of human person notwithstanding her immaturity of the mind and body. However, while the girl-child is still going through her formative stages, she suffers sexual attacks from persons who should offer her protections. Such persons could include her father, persons who are as old as her great grandfather, close relation, neighbours or even total strangers. Apart from being the accepted norm of the Nigerian communities that defilement of girl-child is a deviance and the defiler, a deviant, the conduct has also been criminalised by the two principal penal laws in the country namely, the Criminal Code and the Penal Code. However, notwithstanding these formal and informal control of the deviant behaviour, girl-child continues to experience defilement in the hands of sex criminals. It then becomes necessary to interrogate the motivating factors behind the deviance of defilement of girl-child. Being a behavioural pattern, the paper examines the views of criminologists and criminal justice scholars to situate the possible causes of the deviant behaviour and why it continues to find its way into our daily life.The study adopts doctrinal methodology which reveals the general views of scholars that the deviance of defilement of girl-child could be the result of innate tendencies and societal influence and that it is not enough to criminalise the conduct through penal laws as it is presently the case, the legal framework needs to be complemented by the collective efforts of the government, the parents and the society.
Mechanical behaviour and empirical modelling of maize stalk nanoparticle reinforced epoxy composites
Get PDFAgricultural wastes are currently being explored as reinforcement for polymer composites due to environmental and health hazards associated with indiscriminate disposal of these wastes as well as the toxic and non-biodegradable attributes of synthetic reinforcements. This study seeks to develop and characterise maize stalk nanoparticle reinforced epoxy composites for interior panel automobile applications. Chopped Maize stalks were pulverised and ball milled for 70 hours to produce nanoparticles and characterised for microstructural and chemical properties using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Elemental Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The composites were produced using stir-cast method and varying reinforcement between 2 to 12 wt. % additions to the matrix. The developed composites were characterised for mechanical and microstructural properties. Empirical models were developed using MATLAB software for the accurate prediction of the mechanical behavior of the composites. TEM results confirm that the reinforcement was in the nanoparticle range of 32.83 – 208.09 nm. SEM/EDS analysis show fine spherical nanoparticles as well as the elemental composition of the reinforcement and enhanced interfacial adhesion of the composite, resulting in improved mechanical properties. Experimental values correlated strongly with the model with a coefficient of 0.999. Thus, the study has established the suitability of processed maize stalk nanoparticle reinforcement as a suitable engineering material for the production of polymer composites for automobile applications
Evaluation of weaning food blends from modified millet and groundnut cake flour
Get PDFMillet grains are used in the production of traditional weaning foods, but they lack adequate nutrients. In order to solve malnutrition among the infants in developing countries, there is need to fortify commonly consumed low protein staple foods with inexpensive plant protein sources. Flour samples were produced from germinated and steeped millet as well as groundnut cake using standard processing techniques. The germinated flour and steeped flour were complemented with groundnut cake flour in ratio of 1:1 in order to improve the nutrients quality of the blends. Samples obtained were analysed for proximate composition (moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrate and energy) and functional properties (viscosity and water hydration capacity) using standard methods. Data derived from this study were analysed for ANOVA using SPSS. The moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrate, energy, viscosity and water hydration capacity ranged from 2.60-740%, 9.70-27.05%, 4.25-13.00%, 1.90-2.35%, 1.31-2.65%, 52.63-74.25%, 381.25-435.72 Kcal, 201.25 - 3360.00 cps and 0.415 -1.305 ml/g respectively. The inclusion of groundnut cake flour in blends significantly influenced all the dependent variables at 95% confidence level. Conclusively, germination and supplementation significantly increased the nutrient quality of the blends and improved their functional properties
Profitability of indigenous banana/plantain snack (dodo-ikire) among processors in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria
Get PDFThe study assessed the profitability of indigenous banana/plantain snack (dodo-ikire) among processors in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. It described the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, examined the forms of processing and packaging of banana/plantain, determined its profitability, and identified its constraints. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select 100 respondents for the study. Data collected through questionnaire was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Gross margin analysis was used to determine the profitability of the enterprise. The mean of the age the respondents was 51.2 years with a majority being married (90%) and who solely processed over ripe banana into local snacks (70%). The results of gross margin analysis also revealed that total revenue, total variable cost, and gross margin were N487,650, N331,694 and N155,956, respectively. The main constraints to banana processing were inadequate storage facilities and lack of credit facilities. Ordinary least square estimation showed that educational background contributed positively to gross marginal profit while transportation and labour costs contributed negatively to gross profit of indigenous banana/plantain snack. The study concluded that the enterprise was profitable and recommended that relevant stakeholders should address the various constraints limiting its development and processors should constitute themselves into viable cooperatives to overcome some of the constraints
Effects of combined application of inorganic fertilizer and poultry manure on growth and yield of sweet maize (Zea mays linn. var. saccharata) in Southern Guinea Savannah, Nigeria
Get PDFA field trial was carried out in 2014 cropping season at the nursery unit of the Kwara State Agricultural Development Project, Ilorin, in the Southern Guinea Savanna agro ecological zone of Nigeria. The aim of the study was to investigate the growth and yield responses of sweet maize to combined application of organic poultry manure and inorganic fertilizer. The treatments were: NPK 120 kgN/ha, Poultry manure (Pm) alone at 10 t/ha, 7.5 t/ha Pm + 90 kgN/ha, 5.0 t/ha Pm + 60 kgN/ha and 2.5 t/ha Pm + 25 kgN/ha. The control was without soil amendment. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. Among the treated plots, 5.0 t/ha Pm + 60 kgN/ha and 2.5 t/ha Pm + 25 kgN/ha were significantly lower in the grain weight and grain yield. The highest number of grains per cob (553.40) and thickest cob (14.18cm) were obtained at the treated plot where, 7.5t/ha Pm was combined with 90kgN/ha. There was no significant different in the grain yield between application of NPK at 120 kgN/ha and 7.5 t/ha Pm mixed with 90 kgN/ha. The study showed that combinations of poultry manure and inorganic fertilizer enhanced the growth and yield of sweet maize. Mixing inorganic fertilizer at 90kgN/ha and 7.5 t/ha, is recommended for adoption in sweet maize in the southern guinea savanna of Nigeria
Identification and characterization of the percentage chemical compositions present in oil extracts from two pumpkin cultivars using GCMSD
Get PDFGas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Detector (GCMSD) is a method used for the identification and characterization of the chemical constituents/ composition of the oil seeds so as to know the benefit of the oil seeds usage in the area of human consumption and production of soaps, lubricant and paint. This study focused on the identification and characterization of the chemical compositions (using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer Detector) present in oil extracts from two pumpkin cultivars- Ugba (Telfairiapedata) and Ugwu (Telfairia occidentalis) using two methods, soaking and soxhlet apparatus. The solvent used for the soxhlet extraction was petroleum ether. The identification and characterization of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profile was determined by using GCMS. The transesterification process was done using 10g of methanol with 1g of KOH with the two cultivars. The results revealed higher percentage of Methylpalmitate (Palmitic Acid) and 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z) (Linoleic Acid) and Methyl Ester (Stearic Acid) are present in all samples. These compounds are useful in ceramic, cosmetics, paint and health sector
Effect of guinea corn husk ash as partial cement replacement in cement-admixed clay
Get PDFSoil stabilization involves the incorporation of cement into the soil component of a road pavement to increase its strength. However, the production of cement emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere leading to greenhouse effect, a major health hazard. A way out is the replacement of some portion of cement with agro-based pozzolanic materials. This study was carried out to find the consequence of using Guinea Corn Husk Ash (GCHA) as a cement replacement in cement admixed clay. The design mix was done with replacement of cement from 10 % - 30 % by weight and GCHA was varied from 5% - 35 % by weight of the cement replacement. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) was used in obtaining the oxide components of GCHA while a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) was used in determining the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of the clay. The XRF results reveal that the sum of the oxides of silicon, Aluminium and Iron in the GCHA is 76.92 %. This is greater than the specification by ASTM C-618. The UCS test results indicate that 5 % by weight of GCHA, 20 % by weight of cement incorporation with 200 % by volume of water content had the optimal strength of 7.56 MPa for GCHA incorporation in the admixed clay samples. This strength is higher than the limits specified in IRC: SP 72-2015 for sub-base and base courses for pavement construction. Therefore, GCHA can be incorporated into admixed clay for road construction
The Lexical Units and Contextual Meaning in Contemporary Nigerian Arabic
Get PDFتتغيّا هذه الدراسة البحث في الإشكالات التي تواجه بعض النيجريين المستعملين للعربية المعاصرة بشأن الدلالات السياقية للوحدات المعجمية؛ نتيجة إفراطهم في التمسك بالتعريفات المعجمية لهذه الوحدات، متناسين أن المعاجم اللغوية غير قادرة على استيعاب الدلالات السياقية المختلفة لمداخلها المعجمية. وسيتم الاعتماد على بعض الأعمال القصصية والروائية والمسرحية النيجيرية المكتوبة باللغة العربية للوقوف على هذه الإشكالات