PGD Project

This study designed is to investigate the factors affecting teaching and learning of economics in public secondary schools in Ikpoba Okha local governments Area Edo
state.to carry out this study, four research questions were raised. The study was descriptive study the population of the study was three hundred teachers. The sample
for the study was 20% of the total population which were selected using the stratified sampling method which gave a sample of 60%. The instrument used for the collection of data was questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was ascertained using test-retest method. Thereafter, the Person Product Moment Coefficient (Pearson r) was determined in its level of reliability. A correlation coefficient of 0.70 was obtained and it showed that the instrument was reliable. The major findings stated that there is a significant difference in the method of teaching that influence the teaching and learning of economics in between low and high qualified teachers in public secondary schools in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area. The teachers with higher academic qualification’s method of teaching seems to influence the teaching and learning of economics in public secondary schools in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area than those with lower qualifications.

The mastery of foreign languages, particularly French, is becoming increasingly essential in a globalized world where effective communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries is paramount. However, the quality of language instruction and its impact on students’ academic performance vary depending on the pedagogical approaches employed. Despite the importance of translation in language learning, there is a notable gap in the pedagogical practices used for teaching French-English translation in Nigérian universities, especially in the South-South region. Current methods often rely on traditional, teacher-centered models that have become outdated and are poorly adapted to the sociocultural dynamics of learners or to the modern demands of translation practice. This disconnect between traditional
pedagogical approaches and the evolving needs of students in a multilingual environment highlights a major issue: the absence of a contextually relevant, learner-centered translation pedagogy that integrates modern technologies and enhances both learning outcomes and students’ professional readiness. This study, therefore, critically examines the pedagogy of French-English translation and its effect on students’ performance in selected universities in the South-South region of Nigéria. It is grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, which together provide a multidimensional framework for analyzing educational, institutional, and sociocultural factors influencing learning outcomes. The main objective of the study is to explore the relationship between translation pedagogy and undergraduate students’ academic performance in French translation courses. Specifically, the study aims to: analyze the existing pedagogical approaches used in teaching French-English translation; examine the correlation between instructional strategies and students’ academic performance; and identify the institutional, cultural, and socio-economic factors that either support or hinder effective translation pedagogy in the South-South region of Nigéria. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to gain comprehensive insight into the subject. The quantitative phase involved administering structured questionnaires to 270 undergraduate students majoring in French or enrolled in translation courses. Data collected focused on their perceptions of teaching methods, instructional materials, and assessment strategies. Their academic records were analyzed to evaluate correlations between pedagogical variables and academic performance. The qualitative phase included semi-structured interviews with 17 French language lecturers to gather perspectives on teaching strategies, resource availability, encountered challenges, and innovative practices. Findings reveal that student-centered approaches, continuous assessment, and the integration of modern educational technologies positively influence academic performance. However, several challenges persist, including lack of instructional materials, inadequate infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and insufficient teacher training. The study proposes an integrated pedagogical framework suitable for enhancing translation teaching in South-South Nigéria and informing educational reforms in similar contexts.

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.

The main objective of this machine is to remove the coconut shell and to eliminate the skilled labour involved in de-husking. The coconut outer shell is a fibrous husk one to two inches thick. This paper deals with the design and fabrication of Electric motor operated coconut de-husking machine. This project is aimed at producing an efficient and more economical machine for coconut industry. The coconut is known for its great versatility as seen in many domestic, commercial, and industrial uses of its different parts. Coconuts are different from any other fruits because they contain large quantity of tender and when immature they are known as tender-nuts or jelly-nuts and may be harvested for drinking. When they mature they still contain some water and can be used as seed nuts or processed to give oil from the kernel, charcoal from hard shell and coir from fibrous husk.
One traditional method used for coconut de-husking is using a machete. This is done by using human energy. This method is risky and tedious and yet requires skills. Hence an alternative is suggested in our project which reduces time involved in coconut de-husking and human effort. Depending upon the survey different sizes of coconut are determined. The machine is designed to accommodate different sizes of the coconut that are cultivated anywhere in the world.

Process parameters have been known to determine the quality of weldments in welding operations. Therefore the process parameters have to be manipulated to determine the desirable quality of the weldment. In doing this, the Taguchi method was applied to optimize these process parameters. The response obtained from the welding operation was the Impact strength of the weldments. From using the Taguchi method, it was derived that the optimum process parameters is A3,B1,C3. The analysis of variance was computed to determine the level of contribution of each of the process parameter to the quality level of the weldment.
It was investigated that voltage contributed most having a total of 14.42% of the quality level of the weldment, followed by the welding current, with a value of 7.94% and gas flow rate being the least with a contribution of 2.04%. A confirmation test was carried out to validate the inference that A3,B1,C3 is the optimum process parameters. The signal to noise ratio of the existing process parameters of A2 B3, C1 was determined to be 40.3997dB, whereas, the optimum welding process has a signal to noise ratio of 42.8796 dB. This shows that there is an improvement of 2.4799 dB of the optimum process parameters over the existing one. The Impact Energy of the weldment produced by the welding operation made by using the optimum process parameters has 12 J more than the Impact Energy obtained from the weldment made by using the existing process parameters.
In this study, the Taguchi method was useful in improving the quality of weldment made by applying the optimum process parameters obtained.

An appraisal of the management practices of snail farming in Benin Metropolis of Edo State, Nigeria was done. The socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, the snail management practices according to management systems and culture practices, the level of snails output, cost, returns and profitability from the management practices, and the constraints to snail production in the study area were the specific objectives of the study. Snow balling sampling technique was adopted to identify a total of 30 snail farmers in the study area and this formed the sample size for the study. Data collection was done through the use of structured questionnaire, direct observation, and personal interview. The work was analysed using descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis and likert scale. The results showed that majority of the respondents were males (83.4%) between the age bracket of 41 and 50 (40%), married (33.4%), had farming experience of 0-4 years (53.3%) and had tertiary education (56.7%). The results also showed that majority of the snail farmers adopted management practices that are in line with best standard practices and had average stock size and average output of 4317.8 snails each. The cost and return analysis revealed that for snail farms that are 2 to 3 years old, TC incurred during the production period was N1,157,631.00(100%), while TR of N2,225,861.20 was realized with a NFI of N1,068,230.00(92.2%) and NROI was N0.92. For snail farms that are 4 years and above, average TC incurred was N6,404,840.70 (100%) while TR was N16,138,530.00 and NFI was N9,733,689.30 (152.70%). NROI was N1.52. Results about constraints facing the snail farmers in the study area showed that only 3 of the 12 constraints presented were rated as serious, which are low capital (2.68), epileptic power supply (2.75) and inaccessibility to land (3.0). It was concluded that the management practices adopted by majority of the snail farmers were in accordance to best standard practices and that snail farming is a very profitable venture as justified by a NROI of N1.52. It was recommended that low income earners and women be sensitized to venture into snail farming, snail farmers be encouraged to restock foundation stock every 2 months to guarantee regular income, the need by government to establish snail research and breeding institutes, make funds readily available to farmers, encourage programs that provides farms inputs free of charge to farmers and mop up the produce, and finally, policy formulation drive of government be channeled towards achieving large scale snail production in Nigeria. Key: TC= Total cost, TR= Total Revenue, NFI= Net Farm Income, NROI= Net Return on Investment.

This study examined the effect of exchange rate volatility, and the blue economy on the financial
performance of Nigeria’s shipping industry from 1990 to 2024. A longitudinal research design was adopted, allowing for the analysis of cause-and-effect relationships across time. Secondary data were sourced from the World Bank Development Indicators, and the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin, while exchange rate volatility was derived using the GARCH (1,1) model. The study employed an econometric framework grounded in the Traditional Flow Theory and the Balance of Payments (BoP) Theory to investigate how volatility in exchange rates and blue economy activities affect shipping sector financial performance. Financial performance was measured using container throughput revenue, shipping costs, and port revenue, while blue economy proxies include fisheries, aquaculture, and desalination, controlled by macroeconomic variables such as inflation, labour force, and trade freedom. The analysis adopted the autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) framework to capture both short-run and long-run among the variables. Empirical findings showed that exchange rate volatility reduced container throughput revenue and port revenues while increasing shipping costs. Fisheries had a short-term positive impact, while, aquaculture significantly boosted long-run performance by lowering costs and raising revenues. Desalination has limited influence, showing short-term benefits but long-term drawbacks. The study recommended that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other statutory Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) connected with blue economy, and, the shipping and maritime sector of the economy; formulate policies and embark on activities that will help stabilize the naira, promote risk hedging instruments, and encourage investments in fisheries terminals, aquaculture integration, and desalination facilities

Tamarindus indica, or the Tamarind tree, known for its numerous health benefits, is a large evergreen tree native to tropical Africa and now found in Asia. Its alcoholic extract has been found to possess hypotensive effects, and this study seeks to evaluate the ethanolic extract of the stem bark of Tamarindus indica for vascular smooth muscle relaxation effects, as a possible mechanism of blood pressure reduction. Isolated rat thoracic aortic rings were suspended in an isolated organ bath with a pair of tungsten wires. A 50 mg/mL stock solution of the extract was prepared, from which serial dilutions were done to obtain the concentrations used (25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.125, 1.56 and 0.78 mg/mL), and volumes of 25, 62.5, 125, 250 and 500 uL were administered cumulatively. The experiment was done using rat thoracic aorta with intact and denuded endothelium, and rat thoracic aorta with intact endothelium, pre-contracted with 80 mM potassium chloride (KCl). The extract caused concentration-dependent relaxation of the rat thoracic aorta with intact and denuded endothelium, though this effect was slightly reduced with denuded endothelium. The extract also caused concentration-dependent relaxation of rat thoracic aorta pre-contracted with 80 mM KCl. From the results obtained from the study, it can be concluded that the extract possesses vascular smooth muscle relaxation effects, which might be both endothelium-dependent and independent, and is possibly mediated through blockade of the L-type Ca 2+ channels. This could be responsible for its blood pressure reduction effects

The focus of this study was on advertising messages on mobile phones by surveying users’ response and attitude in Lagos. Thus, a 10-tem questionnaire was distributed to 500 mobile phone users’ systematically selected from 10 Local Government Areas. The 10 L.G.As were selected randomly by balloting from the 20 L.G.As in Lagos State. The study was anchored on the tenets of attitude change and technology acceptance model (TAM) theories. Data collected and collated were analyzed and presented, using Pearson correlation co-efficient formula, simple percentages, frequency Tables and mean scores for testing of the hypothesis and answering the research questions. Findings revealed that users level of response to advertising messages on their mobile phones is very low. However, a few types of advertising messages that had high level of response from mobile phone users, like advertising messages or Internet data plan subscription, callers tuned messages, etc , were indicated. It was also found that users respond to
advertising messages as well as deleting them after reading them. Also found was that users had a negative attitude towards advertising messages seat to their mobile phones which include SMS, calls, caller tune advertising messages, hit musical, Internet data plan subscription etc. The factors responsible for the low level response and negative attitude towards advertising messages among users according to this study, were the frequency of receiving advertising messages, irrelevant advertising, etc. With no significant relationship found between users’ level of response as well a their attitude; and advertising messages on mobile phones, the study concluded that users do not respond to advertising messages in line with the expectations of the senders. Therefore, the study recommended that permission based advertising must be employed in Nigeria to boost and enhance mobile phone users and service providers relationships in the areas of sending and receiving of advertising messages, among other things.

The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of five model-fitting estimation techniques; Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT), Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) and Cross- Validation Log-Likelihood (CVLL) techniques that effectively selected an IRT dichotomous model which fitted NABTCE 2018 May/June Mathematics multiple choice test. This was carried out by comparing the performances of the five techniques used based on relative fit. Four research questions guided the study. No hypothesis was formulated and tested, due to the fact that the techniques used in this study were non-significant statistics. The research design employed was the descriptive survey of the ex-post facto method. The population of the study consisted of 49,581 candidates who sat for the National Business and Technical Certificate Examinations in 2018 in the six Geo-Political Zones in Nigeria. The sample size comprised 4,948 candidates and a statistical sample of 50 items. The Multistage simple random sampling technique was employed for randomly selecting the sample for the study. The instrument used to collect data was 50-item Mathematics multiple choice test from NBTCE May/June 2018. The instrument was a standardized instrument and as such it was valid and reliable. Item parameters were estimated from the examinees’ responses to the items using the computer programme BILOG-MG3. For the five estimation techniques BILOG-MG3 was used for LR, AIC and BIC. WinBUGS 1.4 was used for DIC, while MATLAB was used for CVLL which answered the research questions