PGD Project

The study examined stock market liquidity and performance of Sub-Saharan African Capital Markets for the period 1988 to 2020. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the level of market liquidity in the sub-Saharan Africa capital market using turnover ratio, value traded, volume of trade; and the impact of these variables on the overall market performance. The sample of countries for the SSA countries include Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Ghana Kenya and South Africa. Given that the focus is on liquidity of the markets, a dynamic structure was formulated for the analysis using the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimation for the panel data used for the study. Liquidity was measured both in terms of the market and the economy, while the volume of trade in the markets was also considered in the overall market performance analysis. The performance of the market as well as the basis for market depth was considered in terms of the capitalization of the stock markets. The results from the analysis of data revealed that there is significant level of market liquidity in the Sub-Saharan Capital Markets generated from market turnover, but this liquidity is low for the markets; value traded also generated significant levels of liquidity in the Sub-Saharan Capital Markets, yet it was also found to be low; the level of market liquidity generated by volume of trade in the Sub-Saharan capital markets is significant but low; and market liquidity has significant positive impact on stock market performance in the Sub-Saharan capital markets. The study recommends among others that, there is the need for African stock markets to improve on the level of liquidity. This is because, the study has shown that liquidity generates both long run and short run positive outcomes for overall market performance in these economies. The liquidity can be further enhanced by promoting activities that enhance market participation as well as ease of trading and other forms of transfers. In this case more automated stock market activities can facilitate liquidity.

The need for an alternative to inorganic fertilizer is on the increase owing to the drawbacks associated with inorganic fertilizers. This study was therefore carried out to evaluate the bacteriological profile of digestates from different waste streams and the ability of the isolates to promote the growth of plants. Standard bacteriological methods were used to analyze digestates from different waste streams. Total heterotrophic bacterial count was obtained using pour plate method. The cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics of the bacterial isolates were evaluated using standard differential media along with appropriate reagents. Plant growth promoting capacity of the isolates were evaluated using standard protocols for nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, indole acetic acid and ammonia production. The results obtained from this study revealed that the total heterotrophic bacterial count (Log10 cfu/g) of digestate from different waste streams had values, which ranged from 4.91±0.02 for cattle rumen digestate to 4.41±0.03 for a combination of cattle rumen fruit and food waste digestate. The cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics of bacterial isolates revealed the presence of Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Proteus mirabilis and Bacillus cereus. The distribution of bacterial isolates in the different waste streams revealed that E. coli was present in all digestates obtained from different waste streams. All bacterial isolates were found to possess plant growth promoting properties with 100 % capacity for nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization. While 66.7 % of the isolates had the ability to produce ammonia and indole acetic acid. The phosphate solubilization index of the isolates revealed that E. coli (5.97) and P. aeruginosa (5.76) had the highest solarization index amongst all tested bacteria in the study

Background: Pharmacists play a vital role in medication management, patient counseling, and healthcare coordination and the integration of eHealth technology has the potential to enhance these roles by providing pharmacists with efficient tools for information sharing, communication, and improving patient care. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the attitude and belief of pharmacists towards the adoption of eHealth technology in community pharmacy practice in Benin City. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to select the pharmacists working at community pharmacies in Benin City. Among which 140 questionnaires were disseminated, 125 were duly completed and served as the dataset for subsequent percentage calculations. Key findings: The majority of respondents are male, making up 65.6%, The largest age group among the participants is 30-49 years, representing 51.2%, and Superintendent pharmacists are the largest group, making up 61.6%. On how effective is the use of eHealth technology in improving medication management and safety in community pharmacy practice Excellent: 10 (8%), Good: 29 (23.2%), Average: 45 (36%) Poor: 33 (26.4%) Very poor: 8 (6.4%). The Chi- Square tests show a significant relationship between the variables under examination, with p- values of .002 and .001. Conclusion: The level prevalence of adoption of eHealth technology in community pharmacy practice is low and some factors hinder adoption of eHealth technology in community pharmacy practice, pharmacists have positive opinions and attitudes towards the integration of eHealth technology in community pharmacy practice and there are difficulties and challenges encountered in implementing eHealth technology in community pharmacy practice in Benin City

Zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate fauna are good indicators of the overall water quality of rivers, as changes in water quality affect their general distribution and abundance. This study investigates the community structure of zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate fauna of Siluko River, Edo State, Nigeria. Zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate samples were collected monthly fromJuly2016toMarch 2017 at four designated stations between 09:00 hours and 12:00 hours using plankton net and filtering 100litres of water, respectively and thereafter analyzed in the laboratory using standard methods. A total of 20 zooplankton taxa comprising 386 individuals belonging to the group Cladocera, Cyclopoida, ploimida and Flosculariaceae were encountered. Tropocyclops prasinus had the highest number of abundance. Cladocera accounted for 31.00% while Cyclopoida, Ploimidaandflosculariaceae accounted for 62.00%, 6.00% and 1% respectively. Shannon-Weiner’s diversityindices showed that highest value of 3.583 was obtained in station 4 and lowest value of 2.731was obtained in station 2 for the zooplankton. There were no observed seasonal variation in Cladocera and Copepods composition and abundance except for Rotifers, which were moreabundant in dry season. A total of 52 macrobenthic invertebrate taxa comprising of 2163individuals, three phyla; Annelida, Arthropoda and Mollusca were encountered in this study. Centroptilum sp. had the highest abundance. Diversity and evenness indices showed that therewas no significant difference (p>0.05) in species composition across the study stations. Using Shannon-Weiner’s diversity index, highest value was obtained in station 1 and the lowest was obtained in station 3. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT) index revealed that the water quality at stations 1, 3 and 4 were acceptable, while that of station 2 was categorized as

Background: Doping, or the use of performance-enhancing substances, threatens fairness and athlete health worldwide. Pharmacists, as medication experts, are well-positioned to prevent both intentional and inadvertent doping by guiding athletes on safe drug, supplement, and herbal use. However, in Nigeria, pharmacists’ involvement remains limited, with gaps in knowledge, training, and policy integration. Understanding their awareness and perceptions can inform strategies to strengthen their role in promoting clean and ethical sports. Objective: This study evaluates community pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions of anti-doping practices in Benin City, identifying knowledge gaps and exploring influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 169 registered community pharmacists in Benin City, Nigeria, using convenience sampling. Data were collected via a structured self- administered questionnaire covering demographics, knowledge, perceptions, information sources, and barriers related to anti-doping. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression to explore associations and significance. Results: All 169 community pharmacists invited participated in the study. Most were male (65.7%), aged between 26 and 35 years (66.9%), held a BPharm degree (67.5%), and had 1–5 years of work
experience (53.3%). The majority occupied senior roles (92.3%). Their anti-doping knowledge was generally fair (53.3%) or poor (42.6%), with noticeable gaps related to beta-blockers, CPD content, and legal aspects. Overall perceptions of their anti-doping role were strongly positive (75.1%). Longer professional experience and higher qualifications were linked to greater role awareness, though knowledge had only a weak influence on perceptions (p = 0.028, R² = 0.028). Conclusion: Community pharmacists demonstrated fair to poor knowledge of anti-doping, yet they held strongly positive attitudes toward their role in prevention. Significant gaps remain in training, access to resources, and procedural awareness. While more experienced and highly qualified pharmacists recognized their responsibilities better, knowledge had minimal impact on attitudes. Focused CPD, integration of WADA resources, and clear professional guidelines are crucial to fully equip pharmacists for doping prevention.

Uncontrolled weed reduce crop productivity by interfering with crop growth and yield. The reduction of weed growth by crop interference is a viable alternative to reduce the reliance on herbicide use in weed management. One of the strategies to reduce weed infestation is to grow crops as intercrops. A field trial was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2018 and 2019 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City (06 0 20’ 50’ N, 5 0 37’ 23 “E; 78 m asl) to assess weed suppression in maize-groundnut intercropping systems. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The experiment consisted of six treatments (weed-free intercrop, weed-free sole maize, weed-free sole groundnut, weedy intercrop, weedy sole maize and weedy sole groundnut. The attributes measured for weed were weed density per m2
, weed dry weight per m2 , weed smothering efficiency, and for the crops were days to flowering, plant height, ear and pod maturity, cob and pod yields, seed weight, yield and land equivalent ratio. Results showed that weed-free intercrop suppressed weeds relative to weed-free sole maize cropping system. Maize and groundnut plants grew taller in a weed-free cropping system(175cm and 61.5 cm). Number of cobs, 1000-seed weight and grain yield (maize), and pods and100-seed weight (groundnut), were higher in weed-free intercrop or sole cropping systems. This implies that weeds are major constraints limiting maize and groundnut production in Rain forest environment. For weed suppression, the weed density of broadleaves, narrow ROW leaves and their total (561.4 cm, 246.8 cm and 808.2 cm) were all higher in weed-free cropping systems. However, the dry weight of broadleaves, narrowleaves and their total (78.6cm, 250 cm, and 329.2 cm) were higher in weedy cropping systems. Weed smothering efficiencies for broadleaves, narrowleaves, and their total (72.9 % 626%and 68.0 %) were higher in the weed-free intercrop. Broadleaves were better controlled in both weed-free and weedy intercrops. Land equivalent ratios were generally above one, showing that it was more advantageous growing maize and groundnut together instead of the respective sole crops. Therefore, it may be recommended that farmers in the Rainforest agro-ecology should intercrop groundnut with maize and regularly control weeds

The alarming rate of road traffic accident in the country (Nigeria) is among the most worrisome problems currently facing the nation. Sadly, Nigeria has earned the unenviable distinction of consistently leading all the nations of the world in high road traffic accident and high fatality rate. One of the best ways to understand the occurrence of road accident is to develop accident prediction models which are also standard practices in assessing and improving the safety of our roads. The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of selected expert systems such as multiple linear regression and artificial neural
network for the modelling and prediction of road accident. The study area is Ugbowo-Lagos Road. A reconnaissance survey was done first to ascertain the geometric characteristic of the road which include; the chainage, the vertical and horizontal curve and the super elevation. Thereafter, secondary data which include road accident data was collected from Federal Road Safety Office at lucky way Benin City. To investigate the qualities of the secondary data, basic preliminary analysis techniques, namely;
outlier detection, homogeneity test, test of normality and autocorrelation test were done. While modelling and prediction of road accident was done with the aid of multiple linear regression and artificial neural networks. From the geometric characteristic of the road under study, it was observed that for a chainage of 11.5 to 13km, the vertical curve was 12.4% while the super elevation was 4.3%. Calculated Cronbach alpha value of 0.900 as observed in the reliability test revealed that the data are reliable and the computed goodness of fit statistics of reliability gave a maximum Guttman coefficient of 88.10% which further confirm the reliability of the data used. With a computed p-value greater than 0.05 for all the independent variables, the null hypothesis of the Dixon test was accepted and it was concluded that the accident data obtained from FRSC is devoid of outliers. In addition, with a centered VIF(Vehicle influence factor) < 10, it was concluded that there is the absence of multicollinearity between the dependent (NAC) and independent variables (NPIV, NPIJ, NPK, NVI). With a computed coefficient of determination (R 2) value of 0.9265, artificial neural network (ANN) was acclaimed better road accident prediction model compare to multiple linear regression model (MLRM) with a computed R2 value of 0.0617. The implication of this findings states that if the R2 value is
lesser than 0.0617 it is will not to work .

This study was carried out to comparatively study different snail production systems using crops as cover. The systems evaluated were open and screened paddocks in comparison with the conventional paddock. In the open and screened paddocks, four different crops (Pueraria phaseoloides, Centrosema mole, Calapogonium mucunoides and Manihot esculenta) were cultivatedtosimulate the natural environment of the snails. The snails were allowed to live on the crops as applicable in the wild for the first 6 weeks, after which concentrate was introduced for another six weeks, while conventional feeding materials like pawpaw leaves, fruits and water leaf were utilized in the conventional paddock. A total number of three hundred and twenty (320)apparently healthy Archachatina marginata with a liveweight between 50 to 60 g were used in the study, which was laid out in a 2 X 4 factorial in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replicates. Data collected on growth, reproduction, environmental temperature and relative humidity were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using GenStat version 12.0 statistical software. Significant level was taken at P < 0.05. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the weight of the snails among the four cover treatments when compared based on the production systems. The snails in the Mucuna, Centro, Puero, and Cassava screened paddock recorded 10.75, 5.90, 5.63, and 4.43 g weight gain, respectively, while the snails reared under the open paddock in Mucuna, Puero, Centro and Cassava had weight gain of 4.28, 3.7, 2.9 and-2.8grespectively. The snails in the conventional paddock had an average weight gain of 6.5g. The snails reared under Cassava in the screened paddock laid the highest average number xxiii of eggs (10). Snails from the Mucuna pen in the screened paddock had a bigger averagesize of eggs (20 mm) while the Snails from the Centro pens in the screened paddock had the highest average egg weight (1.30 g). The incubation period ranged between 26.5 and 32 days. Eggs laid by snails in the Centrosema pen in the screened paddock recorded 100%hatching. The average temperature recorded at 0, 6 and 12 weeks for Open paddockwere39.43, 37.98 and 45.05 oC; for screened paddock were 36.19, 36,67 and 42.76oC and conventional paddock were 39.75, 39.10 and 45.05 oC respectively. The relative humidity recorded in the open paddock at 0, 6 and 12 weeks were 77.31, 63 and 65.11%; the screened paddock were 77.31, 66.63 and 71.56 % and the conventional paddock were 78.75, 68.75 and 67.50 %, respectively. It was concluded that rearing snails under a screened paddock did not only help to regulate the temperature and relative humidity of the snailsimmediate environment but also protects the snails from intruders, predators, and escape, which are the major factors responsible for successful snail farming.

This study examined the effect of workplace diversity on employee performance in selected universities in Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to assess the impact of ethnic diversity, gender diversity, age diversity, educational diversity, and religious diversity on different dimensions of employee performance, including work quality, teamwork quality, productivity level, innovation, and engagement. A survey research design was employed, and data were collected from three hundred and seventy one (371) employees across selected universities in Edo State. Regression analysis revealed that while ethnic diversity, gender diversity, and age diversity do not have a significant impact on employee performance dimensions, educational and religious diversity had a strong and significant positive influence on employee performance, suggesting that an inclusive and accommodating work environment enhances overall institutional outcomes. The study concluded that while certain diversity dimensions, such as ethnicity, gender, and age, may not directly impact employee performance, educational and religious diversity play crucial roles in fostering productivity, innovation, and engagement. The study recommended that institutions should invest in diversity management strategies, particularly in promoting educational diversity and religious inclusivity, to optimise employee performance and institutional effectiveness.

This study was carried out to comparatively study different snail production systems using crops as cover. The systems evaluated were open and screened paddocks in comparison with the conventional paddock. In the open and screened paddocks, four different crops (Pueraria phaseoloides, Centrosema mole, Calapogonium mucunoides and Manihot esculenta) were cultivated to simulate the natural environment of the snails. The snails were allowed to live on the crops as applicable in the wild for the first 6 weeks after which concentrate was introduced for another six weeks while conventional feeding materials like pawpaw leaves, fruits and water leaf were utilized in the conventional paddock. A total number of three hundred and twenty (320) apparently healthy Archachatina marginata with liveweight between 50 to 60 g were used in the study which was laid out in a 2 X 4 factorial in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replicates. Data collected on growth, reproduction, environmental temperature and relative humidity were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using GenStat version 12.0 statistical software. Significant level was taken at P < 0.05. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the weight of the snails among the four cover treatments when compared on the basis of the production systems. The snails in the Mucuna, Centro, Puero and Cassava screened paddock recorded 10.75, 5.90, 5.63 and 4.43 g weight gain respectively while the snails reared under the open paddock in Mucuna, Puero, Centro and Cassava had weight gain of 4.28, 3.7, 2.9 and -2.8 g respectively. The snails in the conventional paddock had an average weight gain of 6.5 g. The snails reared under Cassava in the screened paddock laid the highest average number of eggs (10). Snails from the Mucuna pen in the screened paddock had bigger average size of eggs (20 mm) while the Snails from the Centro pens in the screened paddock had the highest average egg weight (1.30 g). The incubation period ranged between 26.5 to 32 days. Eggs laid by snail in the Centrosema pen in the screened paddock recorded 100 % hatching. The average temperature recorded at 0, 6 and 12 weeks for Open paddock were 39.43, 37.98 and 45.05 oC; for screened paddock were 36.19, 36,67 and 42.76 oC and conventional paddock were; 39.75, 39.10 and 45.05 oC respectively. The relative humidity recorded in the open paddock at 0, 6 and 12 weeks were 77.31, 63 and 65.11 %; screened paddock were 77.31, 66.63 and 71.56 % and Conventional paddock were 78.75, 68.75 and 67.50 % respectively. It was concluded that rearing snails under a screened paddock did not only help to regulate the temperature and relative humidity of the snails immediate environment but also protected the snails from intruders, predators and escape which are the major factors responsible for successful snail farming