2019

In a dynamic and highly competitive business environment of the 21 st century, Organizations have continuously made ef orts to search and adopt strategies, techniquesand tools to increase productivity while reducing cost, and boost ef iciencyandef ectiveness. This informs the reason behind organizations increased adoption of ICTinrecent times. Federal Government Colleges is one of many government establishmentstokey into the adoption of technology as a driver of productivity, and by so doing, serves asarole model for several other private establishments. This has created a need to evaluatetheef ect of ICT, on organizational performance and productivity, using Federal Government Girls College Edo State as a case study. To do this, the researcher adopted the surveymethod of research, using members of staf and students as its population of study, 250respondents from the Federal Girls College of Edo State, were selected based on thenon-probability sampling technique. Their opinion was gathered with the use of awell-structured questionnaire and analyzed using the simple percentage technique of dataanalysis. This research therefore concluded that FGGC, Benin City, is e-compliant, haswitnessed several positive changes through its adoption of ICT. However, the studyalsorevealed that computer illiteracy on the part of students and the public was also revealedtobe another factor hampering the ef ective adoption of ICT amongst others. Basedontheabove, it was a recommended that government, while investing in ICT, should make ef ortsto educate the populace on the need for ICT acceptance, and create an enablingenvironment for educating the public on the use of ICT. Government should alsomakeef orts to increase collaboration and partnership with the private sector to ensure widerreach, local penetration and general acceptance of ICT in the country.

Contamination of soils due to spent engine oil is an important environmental issue affecting soil characteristics and plant growth. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of spent engine oil on growth parameters of Saccharum spontaneum L. for potential use in phytoremediation of oil polluted environments. Spent engine oil from a motor service garage was prepared in five concentrations of 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64ml/Kg. Tillers of S. spontaneum were planted in top garden soil and allowed to stabilize for four weeks before treatments were added. A control experiment in four replicates was also set up. The control had a significantly higher number of tillers compared to the different concentration treatment groups. The higher concentrations of 16, 32 and 64ml/Kg of spent engine oil contaminated soil did not produce any tillers at all. Total aliphatic hydrocarbon content was lowest in the control and highest in the 64ml/Kg treatment. Total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon was highest in the 32ml/Kg treatment. Soil chemical parameters did not show a dose dependent response to increase in treatment with spent engine oil. This report demonstrated that lower concentrations of spent engine oil enhanced the number of leaves, plant height and leaf area of S. spontaneum. Results showed that S. spontaneum was tolerant to, and thrived at low concentrations of contamination with spent engine oil but declined in growth and development at high concentrations and for extended periods

The act of mentoring is an age long practice that dates back to ancient Greek mythology when Odysseus entrusted the care of his son Telemachus to the charge of an old man named Mentor who guided Telemachus to adulthood and saved his life several times (Cartwright, 2012). Inzer and Crawford (2005) state that mentoring is a one to one relationship that exists between the mentor and the protégé with the aim of the expert (mentor) voluntarily giving time to teach, support and encourage a younger, less experienced person (Protégé). Many organizations have
come to recognize the importance of mentoring and coaching programmes and have formalized systems of doing both. The world of work is rapidly changing in Nigeria with the influx of younger persons, women and other minorities into the workforce and the exit of older workers either voluntarily or involuntarily (Agbonifoh & Idubor, 2016). It is therefore expedient that the experience and knowledge of the older workforce be passed on seamlessly to the younger generation through the act of mentoring and knowledge management (Maxwell, 1998). The importance of mentoring and its benefits not only to the organization, the mentor and protégé, have been severally demonstrated especially in Western countries (Kram, 1985; Noe, 1988; Zachary, 2000; Leidenfrost, Strassnig, Schutz, Carbon & Schabmann, 2014). The situation
may be slightly different in Nigerian organizations as noted by Okurame (2008) because the negative connotations of mentors as godfathers. The notion of godfatherism is that an employee is under the protection and influence of a more powerful person with the aim of the junior employee getting benefits he may not ordinarily be entitled to, and for him to avoid punishment 2 for infractions. Mentoring however is to ensure that the protégé acquires the requisite knowledge, experience and guidance to enable him perform exceptionally on the job in particular and in life generally. It is about getting the protégé to learn from the mentor what he may not ordinarily learn or for him to learn it faster and in greater depth.

This study was designed to examine the Factors Militating against Effective Teaching and Learning in Adult Literacy Centres in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. In order to achieve the objective of this study, four research questions were raised. What is the level of participation of adult learners at the literacy centres in Oredo Local Government Area. What are the teaching methods usedbythe facilitators for learning at the literacy centres in Oredo Local Government Area. What are the available resources for promoting effective teaching and learning at the literacy centre in Oredo Local Government Area. What arethe challenges confronting the adult learners at the literacy centres in Oredo Local Government Area. The study therefore concludes that the adult learners in Oredo local government area of Edo State do not participate actively in literacy classes. This low level of participation is seen to be as a result of their family commitment and not been sensitized to the essence of the programme.

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is an illness caused by a virus. This virus is a new coronavirus that has spread throughout the world. It is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person to person. This study was carried out to access the incidence andprevalence of COVID-19 among the students in the University of Benin, Nigeria. A cross- sectional survey of eligible study participants was carried out with a view to collecting both outcome variables and covariates at one point in time in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Science. However, only participants who test negative to SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgG and IgM) by rapid diagnostic test will be eligible for the prospective cohort study, which will involve data collection at baseline (day of registration into the study) and at follow-up (between 14 and 21 days after recruitment into the study). A total of 77 students from the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Science participated in the study and 54(70.1%) were positive to anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG. The incidence and prevalence of COVID-19 among the students in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Science, University of Benin shows that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a cause for concern among students

The discovery of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and its extensiveuseover the past two decades has dramatically influenced the diagnosis and monitoringof prostate cancer before and after treatment, respectively (Dada et al, 2018). Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a 28 400Da glycoprotein (Milford et al, 2001)comprising 237 amino acid residues (Lundwall, et al 1991) with five inter-chaindisulphide bonds and approximately 8% carbohydrate in the formof a N-linkedoligosaccharide side chain. In seminal plasma, PSA can be shown toexist infive isoforms, two biologically active and differing in the degreeofglycosylation, and three biologically inactive or `nicked’ forms (Zhanget al, 1999).

One of the foundations and fundamentals of every democratic society today is the entrenchment of fundamental human rights in its constitution and the protection of those rights. In fact, without such provision and protection, a state cannot be said to be truly democratic. Human rights in Nigeria are protected under the current constitution of 1999 Though it is frequently not given appropriate attention in its defense and application. Countless ordinary Nigerians attempting to make ends meet as taxi drivers, market traders, and shopkeepers are accosted on a daily basis by armed police officers who demand bribes and commit human rights abuses against them as a means of extorting money.1 Those who fail to pay are frequently threatened with arrest and physical harm. Far too often, these threats are carried out. Meanwhile, victims of crime are obliged to pay the police from the moment they enter a police station to file a complaint until the day their case is brought before a court. In the shadows, high-level police officials embezzle staggering sums of public funds meant to address some basic police operations. Senior police officers also enforce a perverse system of “returns” in which rank-and-file Officers are compelled to pay up the chain of command a share of the money they extort from the public.

In an economy, some interest groups such as households, firms, public and private sectors often collaborate and participate in the process of economic development. However, the government sector plays a predominant role in achieving the desired changes in the structure of any economy. Indeed, the uniqueness of public sector arises from the fact that, apart from being part of the economy the government sector plays a decisive role in attaining
macroeconomic objectives of stability, growth and development, through a package of economic policy measures and regulatory framework (Sackey & Ejah, 2014). For the Nigerian government to effectively carry out its primary function and other subsidiary functions, she requires adequate funding (Abomaye-Nimenibo, Williams &Friday, 2018). Tax is therefore a major source of government revenue all over the world. It is an opportunity for the government to collect revenue needed to discharge its pressing obligations. It has a bearing on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the standard indicator for measuring the economic well-being of a nation. (Okafor, 2012) and Sanni (2007), advocated the use of tax as an instrument of social engineering, to stimulate general and/or sectoral economic growth. A tax system offers itself as one of the most effective means of mobilizing a nation’s internal resources and tends itself toward creating an environment conducive to the promotion of economic growth (Azubike, 2009)

This study examines the persistent and systemic violation of human rights by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), a critical issue that continues to undermine the rule of law and democratic stability in Nigeria. Despite constitutional guarantees and international treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory, the NPF has been frequently implicated in grave misconduct, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, and widespread torture. The research adopts a multidisciplinary approach to analyze the socio-political and legal frameworks that allow these infractions to persist. Key findings suggest that a culture of impunity, inadequate oversight mechanisms, and the remnants of colonial-era policing structures are primary drivers of police brutality. Furthermore, the study evaluates the impact of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, highlighting the disconnect between government promises of reform and the lived realities of citizens. The paper concludes that while legislative frameworks like the Police Act of 2020 exist, they remain largely ineffective without a fundamental shift in institutional accountability and a robust independent investigative body. Recommendations are provided for comprehensive police reform, focusing on enhanced training in human rights standards, improved welfare for officers to curb corruption, and the empowerment of judicial and civil society oversight to ensure justice for victims of police abuse.

Elections are integral in any democratic process. It is the process by which leaders are chosen to superintend the affairs of a particular geographic location politically for a defined period of time. In Nigeria however. This all important democratic culture is being threatened by a persistent culture of violence and wide ranging irregularities orchestrated to mastermind a less than whole some. The Nigerian electoral system has been rigged in favour of the rich, the powerful, the ruling party and those with access to state resources. The culture of violence and irregularities is affecting public confidence in the system with many announcing publicly, their aversion to politics and anything that has to do with governance. The people's apathy to politics and anything that has to do with governance. The people's apathy to politics and governance is the reason there are too many mediocre in politics with the attendant lack of vision and productivity. This study took a holistic study of the menace of electoral violence and how it affect voter's turnout. Issues plaguing voter participation in the country were trashed out and examined. Possible remedies were look into with a view to improving