17 research outputs found
Abubakar Dauda. — “They love us because we give them Zakāt.” The Distribution of Wealth and the Making of Social Relations in Northern Nigeria
No full textThis book is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D at the Graduate School “Muslim Cultures and Societies” of the Freie Universität of Berlin. It is published as the twenty-third volume of the “Islam in Africa” series inititated by E. J. Brill in 2003. It is a good addition to this series, which had already made a considerable contribution to the understanding of Islam and Muslim societies in Africa. Its author, Dauda Abubakar, analyzes the p..
Rethinking the Jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court in Human Rights Enforcement in Nigeria: Lessons from South Africa
No full textIn 2009, the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009were introduced to improve administration of justice in human rights cases in Nigerian courts. The Rules established that all human rights cases could be filed in any High Court in the State where the violation occurred. Depending on the parties involved and the place of the violation, this gives wide opportunity for victims to file a case either at the Federal, State, or the Federal Capital Territory High Court. However, in 2011, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria was altered and thereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction over human rights cases arising from labor relations in the National Industrial Court (NIC). With exclusive jurisdiction over such matters now vested in the NIC, High Courts have been excluded from exercising jurisdiction in labor-related human rights issues despite the fact the NIC is yet to have judicial divisions in all states of the federation. A critical study of these and other issues relating to the jurisdiction of the NIC in human rights would suggest the need to rethink the human rights jurisdiction of the Court. To correct the identified anomalies, this article advocates for lessons to be drawn from practices in South Africa, where the Labor Court still shares jurisdiction with other courts in labor-related human rights cases despite its exclusive jurisdiction in other labor matters
An appraisal of democratization and rule of law in local government administration in Nigeria
No full textLocal government in Nigeria is bedevilled with a lot of inherent problems which almost completely defeat the essence of its creation and subsequent reformation in the first place. Ironically, its unfortunate position is foisted on it by the very document which birthed it – the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by fating its subsistence on the will of the various states. This makes its naissance a stillbirth. This paper adopts theoretical research methodology to address the problems associated with Nigerian local government system whose functioning is willed by state governments, through withholding of local government funds, indiscriminate removal of democratically elected local government chairmen, systematic delays in the conduct of local government elections, etc. The work suggests that an autonomous local government will be better positioned to realize the aspirations captured under Section 1 of the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)
The Determinants Of Rural Farmers Decision To Obtain Commercial Banks' Credit In Etsako, Edo State
No full textAgriculture in Nigeria continues to be the highest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the major contributor to agricultural growth and development globally is adequate funding. There are however some factors that inform farmers’ decision to obtain agricultural credit from commercial banks in Nigeria. Those factors were the focus of this study with emphasis on rural farmers in Etsako in Edo state of Nigeria. Considerations were given to some perceived factors as influencing farmers’ decision to obtain agricultural credit from commercial banks. Such factors considered include: Information on funding sources ; the farmers’ educational background; collateral security; the level of contact with agric extension agents; policy instability on agricultural credit to farmers; The high level of interest charge on agric loans and farmers’ perception of banks’ loans. Eight farm based communities were selected from the three Local Government Areas of Etsako Central, Etsako East and Etsako West in Edo North which gave a total number of 24 farm communities across 335 farms. The 24 farm communities had 1,096 households. The methodology of the study involves the use of the Yamane model and the Chi Square Statistical tool, for sample determination and data analysis respectively; with the questionnaire serving as the main source of data collection. Data analyzed showed that a strong relationship exists collectively among the listed factors and the decision of rural farmers to obtain agricultural credit from commercial banks given the gap between the Chi Square calculated value of 294.73 and the tabulated value of 27.09. Recommendations were however made to enable farmers’ make inform decisions to access commercial banks’ credit to run their farms. Among such recommendations include: the organization of awareness training for the rural farmers; the need for all commercial banks and financial lending institutions to open a window for agricultural loans, among others
Finite element modelling of hot rolling of Al-3%Mg and the kinetics of static recrystallisation
No full textThe principal objectives of this work were (i) to investigate the effect of geometry on the through-thickness gradient in microstructure evolved during post-deformation annealing treatment of rolled AI-3%Mg slabs and (ii) to employ the finite element method and empirical equations characterising the rate of static recrystallisation to predict the gradient in the volume fraction recrystallised through the slab thickness. Geometry was characterised by the aspect ratio of the deformation zone. The finite element method was used principally to simulate the evolution and spatial distribution of process parameters namely the strain, strain rate and temperature of deformation through the rolled slab thickness. Standard metallographic techniques and quantitative metallography combined with optical microscopy under polarised light were employed to measure the volume fraction recrystallised. The geometric orientation of microbands developed due to hot deformation was also characterised. Rate-dependent, thermomechanical material constitutive data based on the hyperbolic sine and Voce type of flow stress/strain relationships were used as input in the two-dimensional finite element model together with a friction model based on the penalty method. Published empirical equations linking the rate of static recrystallisation and the process parameters were then employed to predict the measured volume recrystallised. Results indicated that gradients in microstructure occurred through the rolled slab thickness for all the slab/geometry and rolling conditions considered and that the orientation of microbands developed independent of the rolling reduction. The main conclusions drawn were that (i) geometry had a profound effect on the evolution of microstructure through the rolled slab thickness; (ii) the finite element method can be used as an effective tool in the prediction of through-thickness gradient in microstructure evolved in the post-deformation annealing treatment; and (iii) microband development was an important microstructural feature during hot rolling of AI-3%Mg, acting as potential nucleation sites for subsequent static microstructural transformation processes. (author)Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN045785 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo
FACTS Devices as a Solution to Power Industries Problems: A Review
No full textWith an ever-increasing demand for power and establishment of new industries with high load demand, the need to for constant upgrade of powers system network is high. Such transmission networks are prone to external disturbances from loads, environment and other sources which leads to low power quality. Sudden application or removal of large loads. Large loads are known to draw more reactive power than the generated reactive power which lead to reactive power imbalance which can lead to total system collapse. In this paper, a critical review of how Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS) devices are used to mitigate such issues to ensure power quality is done. Previous work on the integration of different FACTS devices were review to establish the advantage of FACTS devices over conventional solutions to power transmission problems. 
Insights on Phytomonas: A Bibliometric Analysis on Global Research Outputs Highlighting Research Gaps and Future Directions
No full textThe study aims to access the research output on Phytomonas from inception to 2023 using bibliometric science mapping and visualization tools. We analyzed the distribution of publications retrieved from the Scopus database, categorized topics, and tracked progress over time. Additionally, we examined country contributions and author collaboration (co-authorship), with particular emphasis on research topics and emerging research areas. We also highlighted the paucity of research from Australia, Africa, and Asia, where Phytomonas could be a major parasite affecting important crops
Evaluation of Drinking Water Quality and Bacterial Antibiotic Sensitivity in Wells and Standpipes at Household Water Points in Freetown, Sierra Leone
No full textWater quality surveillance can help to reduce waterborne diseases. Despite better access to safe drinking water in Sierra Leone, about a third of the population (3 million people) drink water from unimproved sources. In this cross-sectional study, we collected water samples from 15 standpipes and 5 wells and measured the physicochemical and bacteriological water quality, and the antimicrobial sensitivity of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in two communities in Freetown, Sierra Leone in the dry and wet seasons in 2021. All water sources were contaminated with E. coli, and all five wells and 25% of standpipes had at least an intermediate risk level of E. coli. There was no antimicrobial resistance detected in the E. coli tested. The nitrate level exceeded the WHO's recommended standard (>10 parts per million) in 60% of the wells and in less than 20% of the standpipes. The proportion of samples from standpipes with high levels of total dissolved solids (>10 Nephelometric Turbidity Units) was much higher in the rainy season (73% vs. 7%). The level of water contamination is concerning. We suggest options to reduce E. coli contamination. Further research is required to identify where contamination of the water in standpipes is occurring
Activity and Selectivity in the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 at CuSnx Electrocatalysts Using a Zero-Gap Membrane Electrode Assembly
No full textThis article was originally published in Journal of The Electrochemical Society. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ad6fd7.
© 2024 The Author(s). Published on behalf of The Electrochemical Society by IOP Publishing Limited. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. [DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/ad6fd7]In this study Cu, Sn, and bimetallic CuSnx nanoparticles were synthesized and evaluated as electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction using zero gap membrane electrode assemblies. Results show bimetallic electrocatalysts with Sn contents above 10% yield formate as a primary product with Faradaic Efficiencies near 70% at 350 mA cm−2. Cu-Snx electrocatalysts with less than 10% Sn yield CO at current densities below 350 mA cm−2 and relatively lower cell potentials. When the low-Sn content bimetallic electrocatalysts were evaluated in alkaline anolytes at 350 mA cm−2, ethanol was recorded as the primary product (FE = 48.5% at Ecell ≥ 3.0 V). We propose enhanced C2 activity and selectivity originate from Cu dimers adjacent to Sn atoms for bimetallic electrocatalyst with low-Sn content. The C2 active sites are lost when the surface Sn content exceeds 25%–38%.This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award Number 2119435. A.L.O. acknowledges funding by the National Science Foundation under Award Number 1954611. Portions of this research were conducted with high performance computing resources provided by Louisiana State University (http://www.hpc.lsu.edu)
