An Assessment of Nigeria-China Economic Relations from 1999-2014

Nigeria and China established diplomatic relations in February 1971, relations between these two countries had blossomed over the years. This was made possible with the high level of visits and the conclusion of a number of bilateral agreements between the two countries. The bilateral relations progressed from political engagements to intense economic penetration of the Nigerian economy. China seemed to be driving the relations because there had been the issue of excessive trade imbalance in favour of China, poor infrastructural development of facilities in Nigeria which have hampered it from competing favourably with China. This paper looked at the historical overview of these relations, assessed the impact of the Chinese penetration of the Nigerian economy and the challenges faced by both countries in the pursuit of these economic relations. Finally, it provided ways of enhancing the relations between the two countries

Ethnic Minorities and the Nigerian State

The ethnic-minority relationship is a universal issue in all multi-ethnic societies. In Nigeria, the issue started with the amalgamation of the colony, that is, southern and northern protectorates by Sir Lord Frederick Lugard in 1914. The out- cry has always been the marginalisation of the minorities by the majorities especially in terms of economic and political opportunities. However, in the course of history, some of these fears were allayed by epochal political developments such as the creation of states and local government areas out of the three (3) regional structure of the country which had hitherto entrenched the lopsided nature of the relationship between the two groups and heightened stiffed competition for power and meagre economic resources. Despite the devolution of power and restructuring of the Nigerian state; the problems of the minorities is yet to be tackled adequately. However, the researchers proffered some recommendations to the problems; and it is hoped that it would in no small measure make Nigeria a peaceful and developed nation in future.Key words: Ethno-minority, Nigerian state, power, marginalisation, developmen

Farmers perceptions of climate change related events in Shendam and Riyom, Nigeria

Although agriculture in Nigeria is the major source of income for about 70% of the active population, the impact of agrarian infrastructure on boosting productivity and supporting livelihoods has increased. Climate change and the increasing trend of climate-related events in Nigeria challenge both the stability of agrarian infrastructure and livelihood systems. Based on case studies of two local communities in Plateau state in Nigeria, this paper utilizes a range of perceptions to examine the impacts of climate-related events on agrarian infrastructures and how agrarian livelihood systems are, in turn, affected. Data are obtained from a questionnaire survey (n = 175 farmers) and semi-structured interviews (n = 14 key informants). The study identifies local indicators of climate change, high risks climate events and the components of agrarian infrastructures that are at risk from climate events. Findings reveal that, changes in rainfall and temperature patterns increase the probability of floods and droughts. They also reveal that, although locational differences account for the high impact of floods on road transport systems and droughts on irrigation infrastructures, both have a chain of negative effects on agricultural activities, economic activities and livelihood systems. A binomial logistic regression model is used to predict the perceived impact levels of floods and droughts, while an in-depth analysis is utilized to corroborate the quantitative results. The paper further stresses the need to strengthen the institutional capacity for risk reduction through the provision of resilient infrastructures, as the poor conditions of agrarian infrastructure were identified as dominant factors on the high impact levels

Assessment of Natural Radioactivity Level and Radiation Hazard from Soils Used as Major Material for Building in Lere Sheet 147, North Central Nigeria

Natural radionuclides (238U, 232Th and 40K) content of soil commonly used as building material in Lere Sheet 147, North Central Nigeria have been determined using RS-230 Gamma Ray Spectrometer. The results show that the mean concentration of 238U, 232Th, and 40K in the soils is 7.53 ppm, 28.93 ppm and 1.94 % respectively, while the mean activity concentration for each of these radionuclides is 92.97, 117.46 and 608.31 Bq kg−1for 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively. The calculated average value for radium equivalent activity for the soils is 307.78 Bq kg−1 which is lower than the permitted value of 370 Bq/Kg, while the average external and internal hazard indices are 0.83 and 1.08 respectively. The annual effective dose equivalent (internal and external), are less than 1 mSvy-1, thus suggesting that radiological hazard parameters of the soils are generally lower than their respective precautionary limits. In terms of radiological safety, the soils from the study area are safe for use as building material. Keywords: Soils. Uranium. Thorium. Potassium. Activity Concentration. Radiation hazards. Lere Sheet 147

CEMENT KILN DUST AS A MATERIAL FOR BUILDING BLOCKS

This paper presents the results of a study on the properties of hollow sandcrete blocks with cement kiln dust (CKD) as an additive and as a replacement for ordinary portland cement (OPC). When CKD was used as a replacement for cement, the compressive strength and density of blocks generally decreased with higher replacement levels of OPC by CKD, while the percentage water absorption of blocks increased with higher replacement levels. On the other hand, when CKD was used as additive, within the investigated levels, an improvement in the compressive strength of up to 54% was observed. The density of blocks also increased with higher CKD content as additive, while the percentage water absorption of blocks showed a reverse trend. Key Words: Kiln Dust, Material, Building, Blocks, Construction [Global Jnl Engineering Res. Vol.1(1) 2002: 73-78

Immobilization of dimethylamine and aniline using soft lignocelluloses material (abelia chinensis sawdust) for controlling striga hermonthica in sorghum field

Chemical modifications of lignocelluloses materials are advance development that are fast and convenient to convert the low value woody residues to create channels for controlling the release of organic manure to proffer solutions to farmers in the increasing soil acidity, rapid weed's growth, soil infertility and food scarcity. The study investigates the physic-chemical parameters, and the effect of immobilized nitrogenous bases on oxidized sawdust for controlling Striga hermonthica in the sorghum field. The results indicate that the moisture content increases with increase particle size as water absorption capacity increases with time and size, thereby, ash content decrease with increase size. The control, oxidized and immobilized sawdusts were analyzed using FT-IR and it was clear that pretreated sawdust of 0.08-0. 10M KIO4 oxidized the exposed hydroxyl groups of the lignocelluloses material to the carbonyl group but were unable in 0.04-0.06M KIO4. Likewise, the absorption bands showed that the nitrogenous bases were incorporated while carbonyl absorptions were still observed. The effect of immobilized Dimethylamine concentrations on gradual release on sorghum grows progressively with the absence of S. hermonthica while aniline grows faster than Dimethylamine at 0.5-1.0M then diminished at 1.5M than Dimethylamine. The application of immobilized amines on the sorghum field showed that this invention would enhance sorghum productivity through striga control.</jats:p