I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all who supported this journey. First and foremost, I thank God Almighty for the strength, wisdom, and opportunity to complete this work. My heartfelt appreciation goes to my rock, my mother, Mrs. Uzzi-Akode, for her unwavering love and support. Thank you also to my dear sister, Mrs. Esele Fatima, her husband Mr. Odino Esele, and their children, Ainose Esele and Omo jade Esele, for their constant encouragement. I am profoundly grateful to my project supervisor, Prof. Alex, for his invaluable guidance and dedicated mentorship. I also thank Dr. Charles, Dr. Nosa, Dr. Frank, and Dr. Jeff for their academic influence and support. A special thank you to my project partners for their collaboration, and to my friends, especially Patricia and Mark, for their motivation and unwavering belief in me. Finally, I acknowledge myself for the perseverance andhard work invested in bringing this project to a successful conclusion.

Supervisor(s)

A. A. ENUNEKU Date

co-supervisor

NIL