2025

Law is not confined to the regulation of criminal conduct or the enforcement of contractual obligations. Rather, it plays a broader role in regulating various aspects of society, including economic and financial activities. One such area is the capital market, which operates within the wider field of investment banking and has historically been subject to legal control. The regulation of investment banking has evolved through legislative measures aimed at ensuring market stability and protecting investors. Examples include the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933, enacted following the 1929 stock market crash, the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999, and Nigeria’s Investment and Securities Decree of 1979, now replaced by the Investment and Securities Act, 2007. These laws demonstrate the importance of legal frameworks in governing capital market operations. In Nigeria, investment banking and capital market activities are regulated by statutory bodies established to ensure compliance with industry standards and to safeguard investors’ interests. Key regulatory institutions include the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), responsible for company registration and legal personality; the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which regulates securities transactions and public offers; and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which promotes financial system stability. This study examines the legal framework regulating investment banking in Nigeria, with particular focus on investor protection, the prevention of practices such as insider trading, the enforcement of regulatory sanctions, and the use of dispute resolution mechanisms, including court proceedings and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The study highlights the role of law in promoting transparency, accountability, and confidence in Nigeria’s capital market.

A Battery Management System (BMS) is an electronic control system that monitors and manages rechargeable battery packs. Secondary batteries are commonly used as the storage of energy produced by solar panels. However, the utilization of a battery without proper management can cause damage due to overcharging and over-discharging.
The BMS continuously monitors cell voltages, current, temperature, and state of charge while protecting potentially damaging conditions such as overcharging, over-discharging, excessive current, and temperature extremes. Advanced systems incorporate cell balancing to maintain uniform charge distribution across multiple cells, thermal management to regulate operating temperatures, and sophisticated algorithms to estimate battery state of health and remaining useful life.
This study aims to design a battery management system (BMS) on a Valve Regulated LeadAcid (VRLA) battery. The method used was the battery State of Charge (SOC) estimation using Coulomb Counting (CC) method. The results showed that the BMS was successfully designed and implemented to automatically cut-off the current when the SOC value is 100% (charging limit) and 20% (discharging limit)

Ocimum gratissimum is a widely recognized medicinal plant known for its diverse therapeutic properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects. Its rich content of bioactive compounds has made it a staple in traditional medicine for managing infections, digestive disorders, and general wellness. This study investigates the nutritional composition, amino acid profile, antioxidant potential, enzyme inhibitory activity, and phytochemical constituents of O. gratissimum stem extract, providing scientific insight into its medicinal relevance. The qualitative Proximate analysis showed high carbohydrate (53.69%), crude fiber (12.50%), and crude protein (12.26%) content with notable levels of moisture (7.40%), ash (6.27%) and crude fat content (4.92%). Amino acid profiling revealed abundant essential and non-essential amino acids, notably Isoleucine (29.42 mg/ml) and Alanine (22.55 mg/ml). In vitro Total Antioxidant Capacity assay demonstrated significant antioxidant activity, with ascorbic acid values increasing from 0.31 to 0.52 mg/ml as the concentration rose from 0.1 to 0.3 mg/ml, while the In vitro Nitric Oxide Scavenging Assay showed a progressive increase in the %NO Scavenging from 42.48% to 55.03% for concentrations of 0.1 to 0.3 mg/ml, confirming significant radical scavenging ability. The extract also showed strong alpha amylase (60.43%) and alpha glucosidase (76.91%) inhibition. GCMS identified 35 bioactive compounds, with Erucic acid (with a peak area of 4.59%), D-carvone (5.78%), Oleic Acid (8.90%), Cyclopropane (17.01%) and 9 borabicyclo compounds (28.30%), having the most prominent peak areas. These results suggest the extracts potential in nutritional and therapeutic applications.

The importance of tree plant species as biological components in the ecosystem is significant. These plants are used as shade, beautification, and even food. Urban locations are also bound to face numerous human activities that cause the introduction of many pollutants, including trace (heavy) metals into the environment. This research work is designed to determine the level of airborne trace metals (Cr, Fe, Ni, and Pb) present in the environment using Psidium guajava and Mangifera indica. The bark and leaf samples of these trees were collected, digested and analyzed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). The bark samples of Mangifera indica gave a mean concentration of Cr – 0.24mg/kg, Fe – 15.85mg/kg, Ni – 0.11mg/kg, and Pb – 0.04mg/kg while the leaf samples gave a mean concentration of Cr – 0.28mg/kg, Fe – 15.70mg/kg, Ni – 0.09mg/kg, and Pb - 0.03mg/kg. Also, the data obtained from Psidium guajava bark samples gave a mean concentration of Cr – 0.19mg/kg, Fe – 2.25mg/kg, Ni – 0.03mg/kg, and Pb – 0.02mg/kg while the leaf samples resulted in a mean concentration of Cr – 0.15mg/kg, Fe – 2.70mg/kg, Ni – 0.06mg/kg, and Pb – 0.04mg/kg. The leaf and bark samples of Mangifera indica accumulated the highest level of trace metals, indicating that they are good biomonitors of airborne trace metals in Ugbowo Campus. The level of chromium (Cr) is above the permissible limit in all the plant species suggesting the contamination of the study area. The levels of other trace metals reported in this study are below the permissible limit. The findings of this work therefore shows that the study area is unsafe in Cr levels but safe and clean in the levels of other airborne heavy metals (Fe, Ni, and Pb).

The question of the existence of a right to die by euthanasia also referred to as mercy killing and assisted suicide is one that goes beyond national boundaries and diverse legal systems. The dominant legal regime around the world is that euthanasia and assisted suicide is unlawful and criminalized. However, with advancements in medical technology leading to remarkably greater ability to sustain and prolong human life far beyond what was previously thought possible, coupled with corresponding growth in human right law, many countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, etc. have legalized the acts of euthanasia and assisted suicide. There is no doubt that there is global acceptance of a right to life. The question that is the bedrock of the euthanasia controversy is whether or not there is also conversely a right to die. This paper explores whether a right to die could be inferred from constitutional guarantees of dignity and autonomy, particularly in cases of terminal illness or unbearable suffering. It evaluates global perspectives, contrasting Nigeria’s stance with jurisdictions where euthanasia is legalized under strict conditions, such as the Netherlands and Belgium. Ethical dilemmas, including patient autonomy, medical ethics, and societal implications, are critically assessed alongside potential legal reforms. The analysis highlights the absence of explicit euthanasia legislation in Nigeria and the judiciary’s limited engagement with the issue. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a balanced approach, proposing a national dialogue to address legal ambiguities while respecting Nigeria’s socio-cultural context, ensuring that any reform aligns with constitutional protections and human rights principles.

This research investigated the stress management techniques, sports performance of student athletes among soccer players in Benin Metroplis. A correlation survey research design was employed in the study, five research questions were made in the study and four hypothesis were formulated. A sample of 135 soccer players were selected by multistage sampling procedure. The Instrument was validated by three experts, two from Department of Human Kinetics and sports science and one expert from the Department of Educational Evaluation and Counseling Psychology, all from the University of Benin. The Split-half method of reliability was used and a reliability index of 0.78 was obtained.
Data was analyzed using Descriptive statistics of Frequency units and Percentages while Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to analyzed the hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between stress relaxation technique and student- athlete sports performance, stress cognitive restructuring technique and student- athlete sports performance, stress exercise technique and student- athlete sports performance, stress goal setting technique and student- athlete sports performance. It was concluded that there is a significant relationship between stress management techniques and student- athlete sports performance. It was therefore recommended that sports psychologist should be attached to student- athlete to help manage their stress.

The problem of electricity in Nigeria has become some sort of a nationwide pandemic that has plagued the country for years and continues to do so. With seemingly no end in sight to the electricity crisis, food storage has become very expensive as individuals as well as producers need to pay a lot of money to run generators to power refrigerators. An alternative means to this would be a more than welcomed development. This project aims to reduce the cost encountered in refrigeration by using vapor absorption refrigeration which is powered by solar energy.

The vapor absorption refrigerator uses water as its refrigerant, and zeolite is used as the absorbent. The compression system is a network of systems consisting of an absorber and a generator; aimed at compressing liquid refrigerant-absorbent mixture which requires less work to compress than vapor. The temperature of the evaporator, generator and condenser were measured and recorded periodically. The performance of the system is evaluated as the ratio of heat removed from the refrigerated space to the heat added to the system at the generator.
The refrigerator proved quite functional, achieving a COP of 0.66. This validates the functionality of the system but it was observed that it took 3 hours of heating to produce a 9°c drop (from 34.2°c to 25.2°c) in evaporator temperature. After 5 hours of heating, there was a 15°c drop (from 34.2°c to 19.2°c) in evaporator temperature. However, the atmospheric temperature was 27°c which means the cooling achieved was not appreciable. The system used in this project suffered from a lot of leakages and heat loss which directly affected the performance of the system. We recommend that further studies on techniques which would prevent heat loss and meticulous fabrication process to prevent leakages allow. Significant reduction in heat loss would greatly improve the performance of the waste solar powered VARS thereby making it more viable and suitable for domestic and commercial usage

This research focused on the adsorption of manganese ions (Mn²⁺) from MnSO₄ salt solution using kaolinite clay obtained from Aseni, Kogi State, Nigeria. This study aimed to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of kaolinite clay and to investigate the influence of process parameters, including contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial manganese concentration, on the removal efficiency. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted under controlled conditions, and residual manganese concentrations were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The results revealed that adsorption efficiency increased with pH, contact time, and adsorbent dosage but decreased slightly with higher initial concentrations. Maximum removal was recorded at 78% at an initial concentration of 10Mn/l, 55.00% (1.0 g dosage), 22.0g (120 minutes), and 63.13% (pH 9). Equilibrium data fitted better to the Freundlich isotherm model, indicating multilayer adsorption on a heterogeneous surface, while the pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best correlation, suggesting a chemisorption-controlled mechanism.

The study concludes that kaolinite clay is an effective, locally available, and eco-friendly adsorbent for manganese removal from aqueous solutions, highlighting its potential for use in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.

Clay soils at many construction sites often exhibit low strength and high plasticity, making them unsuitable for supporting heavy structural loads without proper stabilization. This study aimed to investigate the potential of bamboo ash (BA) as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective soil stabilizer to improve the engineering performance of clay soils. The research specifically
examined how varying BA contents (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by dry weight) affect the geotechnical properties and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) characteristics of clay soils, with the goal of addressing the problem of weak subgrade performance in road and foundation construction.

The materials used were locally sourced clay soil and bamboo ash produced from the controlled burning of bamboo plants. Laboratory testing was carried out on both untreated and BA-treated soils. The experimental program included soil classification tests—specific gravity, particle size distribution, and Atterberg Limits—compaction tests to determine Maximum Dry Density (MDD) and Optimum Moisture Content (OMC), and CBR tests to evaluate load-bearing capacity. The natural clay was classified as A-4 and A-5 according to the AASHTO system, while BA was used as the stabilizing additive in different proportions. Results indicated that untreated clay soils exhibited low CBR values. The addition of BA improved both MDD and CBR, with the highest performance observed at 15% BA content.

Beyond this level (20%), both MDD and CBR values declined, and Atterberg Limit results showed an overall increase in plasticity with higher BA content. The findings demonstrate that BA has significant potential as a sustainable soil stabilizer, particularly at the 15% level, for improving clay soil strength and bearing capacity. However, the reduction in performance at higher contents and the rise in plasticity highlight the need for further microstructural analysis and field trials to develop practical guidelines for its use in construction projects.

This study investigates the presence and abundance of microplastic contamination in a commercially important fish species, Mormyrus rume from Ikpoba River Benin City. A total of sixteen samples of Mormyrus rume (n=16) were collected from three designated stations along the river with the help of artisanal fishermen. The fish samples were then dissected for Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) removal. The Gastrointestinal Tract was digested for microplastic extraction and density gradient techniques were used to isolate microplastic. The polymer composition of microplastic was confirmed using Attenuated Total Reflectance- Fourier Transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The result showed that samples from station 3 had the highest microplastic contamination, with an abundance of 40.53% while samples from station 1 had the least with an abundance of 26.63%. A total of eight plastic polymers were identified, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), polyurethane (PU), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The polymer count was recorded in an increasing order of PET>PP>PA>PE>PS>PU>PC>PVC across all the stations. This study confirms the presence and abundance of microplastics in fish samples and indicate that fish from the river may pose human health risks to consumers due to bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The findings emphasize the need for better waste management practices, public awareness and improved urban drainage systems.