D.A TONWE

This study assessed the impact of the EdoJobs Programme on youth employment and economic empowerment in Benin City, Edo State. Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 120 beneficiaries of the programme and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings show that the programme has moderately reduced youth unemployment in Benin City, with evidence of a drop in unemployment rates over recent years. About 62.5 % of respondents reported improved income levels after participation, while 37.5 % saw no change, suggesting uneven income benefits. Skill acquisition was a major success, as 87.5 % gained useful vocational, ICT, entrepreneurship skills, and 50 % started their own businesses. Training quality was rated high, with 91.7 % agreeing that content was relevant and 88.3 % affirming the competence of facilitators. However, only 41.7 % confirmed receiving adequate post-training support, indicating weak follow-up mechanisms. The main challenges identified were lack of start-up capital (41.7 %), short training duration (25 %), limited job placement (20.8 %), and low programme awareness (12.5 %). The study concludes that EdoJobs has improved youth employability and self-reliance but remains constrained by funding gaps and inadequate post-training support. It recommends stronger government–private sector collaboration, improved access to finance, and continuous mentoring to achieve sustainable youth empowerment in Edo State.

This study investigated the influence of grinding fineness on heavy metal leaching across seven common food matrices—melon, tomatoes, pepper, white and yellow corn, beans, groundnut, and crayfish—using both household and industrial tools. Samples were processed at two fineness levels (coarse and smooth), and analyzed for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). Results showed that smooth grinding consistently produced higher Fe and Zn concentrations than coarse grinding, indicating that finer particle exposure and increased friction enhance metal transfer from processing tools. Iron levels were highest in beans (10.97 mg/kg), followed by crayfish (6.47 mg/kg) and white corn (4.64 mg/kg), while zinc peaked in crayfish (1.15 mg/kg) and groundnut (0.82 mg/kg). Manganese levels were moderate, with the highest concentrations in pepper (0.71 mg/kg) and melon (0.58 mg/kg). Nickel appeared only in isolated smooth-ground samples, while cadmium and lead were largely undetected, except for trace levels in melon (0.015 mg/kg) and tomatoes (0.00008 mg/kg). Blenders, hand crank grinders, and aged milling machines contributed most to metal leaching, whereas traditional tools such as mortars and grinding stones showed comparatively lower contamination. Although detected metal levels generally fell within international food safety limits, cumulative exposure may pose long-term health risks. The study concludes that grinding fineness, tool type, and equipment age are key factors influencing heavy metal migration during food processing, and recommends routine equipment maintenance, use of food-grade materials, and increased public awareness to minimize contamination and ensure safer household and industrial food processing practices.

For many Nigerian employees, salary and wages is a critical issue. They are decisive because without them in sufficient quantities, life becomes extremely precarious for the worker and members of his/her family. As direct financial rewards, wages and salaries is the most emphasized by the employee that it sort of takes a center stage in the scheme of things as far as reward for work is concerned. In the study methodology, the study adopts the survey research design, the population of study of this research is made up of the total number of Edo Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) staff which stands at an estimated population of 1358 workers made up of both junior and senior staff which includes both office staff and field workers. The sampling technique used for this study is the simple and probability sampling technique. Also, questionnaire was used as an instrument of data collection, while the techniques of data analysis was the simple percentage and chi square analytical method. The study found amongst others there are strong links between effective salary/wages administration and workers performance in EIRS. Furthermore, policy recommendations were adopted which include amongst others that, a well-structured reward system should be put in place in EIRS in order to enable employees to feel more valued and cherished in the organisation.

This study investigated the influence of grinding fineness on heavy metal leaching across seven common food matrices-melon, tomatoes, pepper, white and yellow corn, beans, groundnut, and crayfish-using both household and industrial tools. Samples were processed at two fineness levels (coarse and smooth), and analyzed for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). Results showed that smooth grinding consistently produced higher Fe and Zn concentrations than coarse grinding, indicating that finer particle exposure and increased friction enhance metal transfer from processing tools. Iron levels were highest in beans (10.97 mg/kg), followed by crayfish (6.47 mg/kg) and white corn (4.64 mg/kg), while zinc peaked in crayfish (1.15 mg/kg) and groundnut (0.82 mg/kg). Manganese were moderate, with the highest levels in pepper (0.71 mg/kg) and melon (0.58 mg/kg). Nickel appeared only in isolated smooth-ground samples, while cadmium and lead were largely undetected, except for trace levels in melon (0.015 mg/kg) and tomatoes (0.00008 mg/kg). Blenders, hand crank grinders, and aged milling machines contributed most to metal leaching, whereas traditional tools such as mortars and grinding stones showed comparatively lower contamination. Although detected metal levels generally fell within international food safety limits, cumulative exposure may pose long-term health risks. The study concludes that grinding fineness, tool type, and age are key factors influencing heavy metal migration during food processing. Routine equipment maintenance, use of food-grade materials, and greater public awareness are recommended to minimize contamination and ensure safer household and industrial food processing practices.