2020

Kidnapping has gained ascendancy in Nigeria over the last decade. Despite the government’s effort to nip this daunting societal menace in the bud, it has graduated and developed more terrifying modus operandi. One thing is certain; kidnapping has become a terrorist act in the country, spanning from the Niger Delta militants in Southern Nigeria to that of the Boko Haram insurgents in the Northern part of the country. The Chibok and Dapchi girls’ incident which brought the Nigerian State to the global arena cannot be easily forgotten. A malady previously unknown to the people has rapidly become domesticated. Kidnapping is undeniably, a crime of ancient origin. As persistent and resurgent as this crime is however, governments of nations of the world have continually devised means of curbing the crime or at least reducing its occurrence to the barest minimum through the instrumentality of the law. The business of securing lives and properties in the State is a paramount one to any government hence, structures must be put in place and efforts made in perpetuity to ensure this is guaranteed the citizens. Nigeria as a country has witnessed a colossal increase in kidnapping in recent years. Despite the various laws enacted and implemented against such offence. The law acting as an instrument of social control and as the last hope of the common man has stepped up to address this anomaly. The law institutions confronted with the saddening reality that the penalty for kidnapping was disproportionate and inadequate, had to toughen the anti- kidnapping laws, in some cases as a capital offence to act as a possible deterrent. However, the recurring increment in the spate of kidnapping (even of law officers) in the face of the current legal regime leave one in doubt if the current laws are well designed to tackle this daunting menace.

Crime generally is a violation of societal rules of behavior as interpreted and expressed by a criminal legal code created by people holding social and political power. At common law, rape is defined as an unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman against her will, with the essential elements of sexual penetration, force and lack of consent. The provisions of the Criminal and the Penal cover the offence of rape generally in the Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria respectively. These codes make provisions for the offence of rape and its establishment (proof) but their provisions only cover the establishment of rape as it concerns the girl child and women basically. This work takes a close look at the offence of rape, particularly as provided for in the Criminal and Penal codes and Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 (VAPP Act). It beams a torchlight on their provisions as to the establishment of the offence of rape .The aim of this is to critically examine the challenges inherent with the establishment of the offence of rape as it pertains to corroborating the evidence of the prosecutrix and to profer solutions to the challenges identified. This research work utilizes the analytical method of research. It finds that corroboration is a major challenge in establishing the offence of rape in Nigeria. It recommends that the VAPP Act be given a wider coverage in Nigeria; that is states should domesticate the VAPP or make laws similar to the provisions of the VAPP Act as it relates to the crime of rape. Furthermore, this work states that uncorroborated evidence of the Prosecutrix should be allowed by the courts of Nigeria to stand as proper evidence needed for an offender to be brought to book.

This study examined the role of social media platforms in enhancing peace in Nigerian higher institutions using the University of Benin as case study. The research objectives were to find out ways social media platforms can help enhance peace in Nigerian tertiary institutions; establish the extent to which social media platforms are enhancing peace in Nigerian tertiary institutions; examine the significance of social media’s peace enhancement to Nigerian tertiary institutions; and x-ray the hindrances of social media in promoting peace in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Furthermore, the study was anchored on the Media Framing theory and the research methodology was the survey using questionnaire as the research instrument. 270 copies of questionnaire were distributed to the research respondents, and while 251 were returned, 19 copies were unreturned. Findings from the study showed that there was a high usage of social media by Nigerianhigher institution students; social media is effective in enhancing peace in Nigerianhigher institutions but is under-utilized by students in conflict resolution andpeacekeeping; and that the ways social media platforms can help enhance peace in Nigeriantertiary institutions include publishing unbiased stories and pictures of the conflicts, making objective judgments and recommendations to the conflicts, and by supporting peace keeping bodies in resolving the conflicts. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Social media users, especially higher institution students should report and help enhance peace among Nigerian higher institutions through conflict resolution and peace-keeping strategies and that social media users should be mindful of their actions and inactions towards conflicts in Nigerian higher institution as such actions and inactions could escalate or de-escalate conflicts.

The study assessed the influence of social intervention programmes of the Federal Government on reducing unemployment in Edo State, Nigeria. Four research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study was 156 masters degree students from University of Benin and Ambrose Alli University in Edo State in 2018/2019 academic session. There was no sampling as the entire population was used for the study. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts. Chronbach alpha statistics was used to compute the reliability of the instrument which yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.78. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. The t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that N-power, conditional cash transfer, homegrown school feeding and micro-credit scheme reduced unemployment in Edo State. It also revealed that male and female graduates did not differ significantly in their ratings on the extent social intervention programmes reduced unemployment in Edo State; same goes for young and old graduates hence the null hypotheses acceptance. From the results of the analysis, it was concluded that the extent of social intervention programmes such as N-power, conditional cash transfer, homegrown school feeding and micro-credit scheme (market/tradermoni) on reducing unemployment in Edo State was high. Consequently, it was recommended that a systematic approach should be developed for the transfer of N-power beneficiaries into the core public service at the end of their internship for programme employment sustainability. Furthermore, funding towards school feeding programme should be consistent and regular across the local governments so as impact on everyone on thevalue chain towards employment generation. Finally, recommendations were made for further studies such as determinants influencing the implementation of social intervention programmes in Nigeria.

Particulate matter (PM) are basically released into the environment through anthropogenic activities such as combustion processes which includes vehicular emissions, combustion of fossil fuel, metal smelting, which significantly pollutes the environment, thereby having negative effects on man and its environment. Particulate matter comprises of different particles size, ranging from ultrafine particles to total suspended particulates and various composition, the major components are the organic and the inorganic (metals) and these are the once that have cause for health concern. Metals have divers of adverse effects on the environment and on the human body In this study, PM2.5 and TSP were collected during the dry and wet season using APEX2IS Casella standard pump coupled with conical inhalable sampler (CIS) head at a flow rate 3.5L/min for a sampling period of 8 hours per day. The weight of the sample collected were determined gravimetrically and analyzed for heavy metal concentration in PM2.5 and TSP using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) method. The results obtained were subjected to Statistical analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) for source identification, cluster analysis and correlation matrix.

This study examined the Remote Sensing Assessment of Urban Blight in Lagos Mainland Metropolis. The objectives of the study were to; identify the causes of urban blight in Lagos mainland metropolis; examine the factors influencing blight and its rapid spread in the study area; identify the effect of blight on other elements of the urban environment; identify the most susceptible areas to blight impact in the study area and assess the measures and structures being put in place to curb urban blight in the study area. Remote Sensing and Satellite Imagery was used in assessing the level of urban blight in Lagos mainland. A comprehensive analysis of the remote sensing imagery obtained from these areas and direct physical observation, revealed that blight which is the primarily examined focal point of this research has been the first, variable that is responsible for the general deterioration of these places. Also discovered is that urban sprawling has led to a struggle for survival and accommodation facilities, thereby causing a corresponding increase in the fees and rents of the housing facilities in these areas. Blighted areas were also found to be breeding grounds of crimes. To combat the environmental and societal issues of urban blight, the study recommends urban regeneration as a curative measure for the urban blight in Lagos Mainland Metropolis. Careful planning of development in potentially flood prone areas with resettlement strategies and emergency preparedness plans developed by the involved the government in order to easily evacuate citizens in the occurrence of flood disasters. Policies that setup City codes, need to set a minimum standard for building and property maintenance and these codes need to be effectively and efficiently enforced. Also recommended is that a framework for a political, regulatory and administrative approach should be put in place to effectively combat urban blight in Lagos Mainland Metropolis.

On 4th October, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificialsatellite, Sputnik 1.The United States of America followed by successfully launching its own satellite in 1958. Since then, satellites providing services in different fields ranging from scientific and research, earth observation, global communication services, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) services, banking services e.t.c. At the early stage of the development of space activities, there was a consensus amongst States that the outer space should be for the use and benefit of all States, to to avoid issue of a possible arms race in space in the future. This general understanding culminated in United Nations (U.N.) Outer Space Treaty, 1967, which provides that the exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind. The Treaty further provides that States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space. While satellites have become very useful for many civilian services, the fact that they can also serve military purposes, has led to the issue of possible militarization of the outer space. The recent development of Anti-Satellites (ASAT) and other weapons by states, is posing a threat to the security of space assets. There is now the view that an arms race may soon be underway, since existing treaties did not impose a ban on use of other conventional weapons in space. The United States has in the past opposed the development of a new legal regime, since that may place some kind of restrictions on its activites in space. However, because of the vulnerability of of space assets, United States and France are taking steps to contemplating establish Space Command Force to protect their national interests. These devepment has led the United Nations General Assembly to express concern that there had been insufficient progress in recommending ways to prevent militarization in outer space. This thesis discusses the concept of the militarization of outer space from the perspective of the Outer Space Treaty 1967, issues arising therefrom and legal implication for the security of satellite systems and other space assets, and concludes that the current international space treaties provides insufficient safeguards against the militarization and weaponisation of outer space and made useful suggestions in this regard

The purpose of this study was to access the utilization of computer technology for record keeping by secretaries in Delta state civil service. Five research question was raised to guide the study. Adopted descriptive survey design with population of 96 secretaries in Detal state civil service. There search instrument use for data collection was a structured questionnaire. Mean and standard deviation were the statistal tools for data analysis.
The study reveal that there is low availability of computer technology for record management by secretaries in Government offices, there is low extent to the utilization of computer technology for management by secretaries in Detal state civil service, several problems are associated with the use of computer technology by secretaries. Base on these findings, the following recommendations were made: that government should continually be involved in the full deployment and maintenance of computer technology especially in ministries and parastatals for effective record management. The management should expose office secretaries and personal to constant training on the use of latest technological gadget and adequate infrastructures / resources should continually be made available in order to combat problems associated with the use of computer technology by secretaries in Delta state civil service.

Welding is the process to join two or more similar or dissimilar metal with the applicationofheat and sometime pressure. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is commonly knownasTungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG Welding). Corrosion of metal is an ubiquitous phenomenonthat occurs in various forms. Atmospheric or uniform, galvanic, crevice, pitting, and microbial corrosion are most familiar forms of corrosion. The service life of engineering structuresisaffected by the quality and strength of the welded joints. The effects of corrosion affects thequality of the welded joints and the general structure. The offshore structures are exposedtothevarious environments, and it is well known that the corrosion rate and the corrosion mechanismunder each environment, marine atmosphere, splash zone, tidal zone, underwater zoneandbottom zone, are different. The aim of this study is to model the environmental effectsofcorrosion on tungsten inert gas weld joints of a mild steel pipe using response surfacemethodology. Mild steel pipe was cut into dimension 40mm in length, 12mm diameter and 3mmthickwithapower hacksaw, grinded and cleaned before the welding process. The experimental matrixwasmade of twenty (20) runs, generated by the design expert software adopting the central composite design. The response was measured, which is the rate of corrosion and then modelledusing the response surface methodology. The result obtained in this study shows that the current has a very strong influence on the rateofcorrosion. Based on the findings, it is summarized that the corrosion rate is minimumwhenawelding voltage of V = 18V, current = 120A and gas flow rate = 13lit/min. The response surfacemethodology employs certain statistical tools which are Anova, goodness of fit, coefficient ofdetermination and noise to signal ratio which determines the adequacy and significance of themodel developed. The result from this study shows that the model has a very good varianceinflation factor and p-value < 0.05. The model posseses favourable coefficient of correlation(R)value for the rate of corrosion

This study investigated the relationship between ownership structure and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures (CSRD) with focus on the impact of managerial ownership, institutional ownership, foreign ownership and ownership concentration on CSRD. The study also used the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) index as a framework for measuring the disclosing of CSR information. The study adopted a longitudinal research design and a sample of one hundred and eighteen (118) companies was selected from a population of one hundred and sixty eight (168) companies listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) as at 31 st December 2018. This was studied from year 2009 to 2018. The data collected from these companies was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and panel regression analysis. Also, the panel regression analysis used fixed effect
model for data estimation. The results derived from the data analyses indicated that CSRD in Nigeria is low with an firms listed on the NSE, managerial ownership and foreign ownership have a significant negative effect on CSRD, while institutional ownership and ownership concentration have a significant positive effect on CSRD. The study therefore recommended that the luntary
nature of CSRD in Nigeria should be enhanced through compulsory disclosure requirements
as voluntary CSRD in Nigeria is low. Management should not be allowed to own large
amounts of equity shares as management ownership of equity shares has a negative
relationship with CSRD indicating that the more equity shares are owned by management, the
less CSRD are made. Institutional shareholders should be allowed to own large amounts of
equity shares as institutional share ownership is significant and positively related to CSRD, thus, indicating that as institutional share ownership increases, CSRD also increases. Foreign
ownership of equity shares should be reduced either through corporate regulations or
otherwise due to CSRD decreasing as foreign ownership of equity shares increases, and there
is a significant negative effect of foreign equity share owners on CSRD. Ownership
concentration should be encouraged in Nigeria especially when such concentration is in the
hands of institutional shareholders because ownership concentration among NSE listed firms
has a significant positive relationship with CSRD. This indicates that as ownership
concentration increases CSRD also increases. Institutional shareholders should be allowed
and encouraged to have representatives on the board of directors which represents corporate
management, in order to strengthen the relationship between management and institutional
shareholders, as the presence of institutional shareholders in NSE listed companies leads to
increase in the extent of CSRD