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Globally, human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights and the psychological and social functioning impacts millions of people in all society including Nigerians. Nigeria is a source and transit nation for human trafficking, with many victims originating from vulnerable neighborhoods like Okogbo in Benin City, Edo State (Adepoju, 2019). Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transit, housing, or reception of persons for the purpose of exploitation using force, deception, or coercion (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2018). These people are taken advantage of in industries like commercial sex, manufacturing, domestic work, fishing, agriculture, and domestic work. 42% of victims are victims within their own nations, despite the fact that the majority of victims are trafficked across international borders (UNODC, 2016). 71% of the victims that have been found are female, and 28% are minors (UNODC, 2016).

This study investigated the persistent challenges associated withlearning Literature in English in Senior Secondary Schools, with a focus on identifying the key factors that hinder students’ interest, comprehension, and overall performance in the subject. Despite the central role of Literature in fostering critical thinking, cultural awareness, and language proficiency, many students continue to demonstrate poor engagement and low achievement. This research therefore examined a range of contributory issues, including students’ attitudes, students’ interest and instructional methods, the availability and suitability of learning materials, and broader environmental and administrative constraints. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from students across selected Senior Secondary Schools. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain reliable insights into the experiences and perceptions of the participants. Data gathered were analyzed using qualitative method to identify dominant themes and patterns. Findings revealed that major obstacles to effective learning of Literature in English include insufficient exposure to literary texts, students’ perception of the subject as difficult or irrelevant, inadequate teacher expertise, and limited use of engaging or interactive teaching strategies. Other notable challenges include overcrowded classrooms, limited time allocated to the subject, and poor access to recommended textbooks. The study also found that socio-cultural factors and a lack of reading culture negatively affect students’ motivation and ability to appreciate literary works. Based on these findings, the study recommended the provision of instructional materials, encourage positive student attitude towards Literature in English, schools should create opportunity such as reading clubs, literary competitions and drama activities to foster motivation and engagement with the subject, enhance the school learning environment and classes should be well structured and conducive for learning. The study concluded that addressing these challenges holistically will significantly enhance the teaching and learning of Literature in English in Senior Secondary Schools.

The purpose of the study was to examine the difficult topics in school biology as perceived by students in Egor local government area, Edo state. The study was motivated from the consistent decline of students performance in biology. The aim of the study is to identify the specific Biology topics students perceive as difficult, examine the factors responsible for their difficulties, and suggest possible solutions to enhance the teaching and learning of Biology. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. The population comprise of about (18,207) Secondary School students across Egor local government area with SS2 students as focus. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 120 students from five secondary schools schools in Egor(three public and two private). A self structured questionnaire with four sections were used as research Instrument to collect data from the sample population. The validity of the instrument was confirmed by the supervisor and the reliability of the instrument was tested using the test-retest method. The questionnaire was administered physically to respondents and a period of one week was used for administration and collection of questionnaires. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics involving frequency counts and percentage. The findings of the study revealed that a higher population of the SS2 students perceived majority of their topics as difficult. Topics such as Adaptation, Ecology and Microorganisms were perceived as difficult by majority of the students. The factors behind these difficulties as stated by the respondents were high technicality of terms, abstract nature of the topics and lack of practical demonstrations. Furthermore various guidelines were outlined such as use of more practical demonstrations and experiments in the teaching process, use of visual aids and simplification of terms and curricula in order to enhance the understanding of these difficult topics and improve the general teaching and learning of biology. The researcher concludes that indeed there is a high level of difficulty in the understanding of major biology and topics by secondary school students which inquires the intervention of both the teachers, school management, Education bodies(FME, NERDC, WAEC, etc) as well as the students themselves who are expected involve themselves in peer/group discussion and learning and also learn to apply intrinsic motivation towards their studies. Everyone has a role to play in order to mitigate this problem of difficulty in understanding biology topics. The roles the aforementioned are expected to play in order to actualise this are mentioned in the subsequent chapters.

This study explores the influence of school climate on the academic performance of secondary school students in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria, with the primary aim of understanding how environmental and relational factors within schools impact student achievement. The research seeks to identify specific elements of school climate that contribute positively or negatively to students' academic success and to determine the differences in school climate between private and public schools, as well as their respective effects on performance. Ultimately, the purpose is to inform educational policies and interventions aimed at enhancing school environments to foster better academic outcomes for students. Employing a descriptive survey design, the study gathered data from a sample of 100 students selected through simple random sampling from five public and five private secondary schools. The primary instrument used was a structured questionnaire based on a modified Likert scale, which was validated through expert review and tested for reliability via a test-retest method. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, including mean scores, with a predetermined criterion mean of 2.50 to determine the significance of responses. This approach allowed for an objective evaluation of students’ perceptions regarding various aspects of school climate and their impact on academic performance. The findings reveal that school climate has a significant effect on students' academic success, with positive climates fostering engagement, motivation, and higher achievement, whereas negative environments correlate with poor performance. Notably, private schools tend to have more conducive climates characterized by better safety, infrastructure, and motivated teachers, which translate into higher student performance compared to public schools. Based on these insights, the study recommends that educational authorities prioritize improving infrastructural facilities, safety measures, and teacher motivation within public schools, as well as promoting policies that cultivate supportive and psychologically safe learning environments. Such targeted interventions are essential to bridge performance gaps and enhance overall educational quality.

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of various diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic syndromes. 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH) is a known carcinogen that induces oxidative stress via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cellular damage and biochemical alterations. Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) is widely recognized for its medicinal properties, particularly its antioxidant potential. This study evaluated oxidative status in the plasma of DMH-exposed Wistar rats administered ethanol extract of Vernonia amygdalina leaves. Male Wistar rats (n = 30) were divided into six groups: control, DMH, silymarin, extract, pretreatment and post-treatment groups.After the experimental period, plasma samples were analyzed for oxidative stress biomarkers, including total protein (TP), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), nitric oxide (NO), and vitamins A, C, and E. Results showed that DMH exposure significantly increased lipid peroxidation (MDA) levels, while reducing enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant levels (p < 0.05). Treatment with ethanol extract of V. amygdalina significantly restored antioxidant enzyme activities, increased GSH and vitamin concentrations, and reduced oxidative damage. Overall, ernonia amygdalina demonstrated potent antioxidant activity, effectively mitigating DMHinduced oxidative stress. These findings provide scientific validation for its traditional use as a medicinal plant and highlight its potential as a natural alternative for managing oxidative stressrelated diseases.

This study examines the impact of cyber fraud on the academic performance and study habits of undergraduate students at the University of Benin. Using a snowball sampling technique, data were collected from 380 students through surveys and interviews. The findings reveal that students engaged in cyber fraud often struggle with time management and academic performance due to distractions and misplaced priorities. The study concludes that cyber fraud negatively affects students' academic success. It recommends stricter institutional policies, awareness campaigns, and financial support programs to curb student involvement. Further research should explore this issue in other universities for a broader perspective.

This study explored how peer group influence affects students’ decisions to choose History as a course at the University of Benin, Nigeria. It examined peer interest, pressure, discussions, and approval or disapproval as key social factors influencing academic choices. Using a descriptive survey design, the study targeted 100 final-year History Education students from the Department of Educational Foundations. A census method was adopted, and data were collected through a validated, reliable questionnaire (Cronbach Alpha = 0.83) distributed via Google Forms on departmental WhatsApp groups. Findings showed that peer interest and discussions strongly shaped students' positive perceptions of History, often making the course more appealing. Peer discussions also helped reinforce the relevance of the discipline, indicating that academic choices are socially constructed. While peer encouragement and approval had moderate effects, peer disapproval appeared to have little influence, suggesting students maintained a degree of autonomy. The study recommends fostering structured peer interactions in academic settings to support informed course selection. It also emphasizes the need for educators and policymakers to value intrinsic motivation while recognizing the important role of peer networks in shaping academic decisions, particularly in less vocationally driven disciplines like History

Precision agriculture has emerged as a vital approach for improving agricultural efficiency and sustainability by leveraging advanced technologies. This project focuses on developing a machine learning model that utilizes historical data for precision agriculture applications. The system aims to assist farmers in making data-driven decisions by predicting suitable crops, forecasting crop yields, and detecting potential crop diseases. The proposed solution integrates wireless sensor networks to collect environmental parameters such as rainfall, temperature, humidity, Potassium, Nitrogen and soil pH, which are combined with historical agricultural data. Machine learning models, including Voting Classifier (Support Vector Machines, Gaussian Naïve Bayes, Random Forest) and Linear regression model, are trained and deployed to analyze the data for actionable insights. The Voting classifier model achieved a 99.3% accuracy in predicting suitable crops, while the Linear regression model provided yield forecasts with an R² score of 0.91. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) detected crop diseases with an accuracy of 93.8%. The system’s implementation demonstrates the effectiveness of combining historical data with machine learning techniques to enhance precision agriculture practices. By providing accurate and timely information, this solution helps optimize crop selection, improve resource allocation, and mitigate the risk of crop diseases. Recommendations for integration with mobile applications, weather data integration and farmer education and training are proposed to further enhance the system’s usability and impact. This project offers a promising step toward sustainable and smart farming practices, contributing to food security and agricultural productivity.

Stimulants are a major constituent of psychoactive substances. They cause several untoward effects; including academic difficulty which can lead to untoward consequences for students. The understanding of the knowledge and pattern of use of stimulant will help in its prevention and control. Thus, this study intended to investigate theknowledge and practice and current prevalence rates of stimulant use, using the undergraduate students in the university of Benin as case study, age and gender of students as well monthly income and how they got to know about stimulants, specific type of stimulant used and reason for using stimulants. The instrument consisted of sociodemographic variables and the stimulant knowledge section, benefits, health effects and effects section of questionnaire for Student Drug Use Survey. It was administered on 100 undergraduate students of University of Benin selected by random technique. The current prevalence rates of stimulant use were 61%, 54% and 50% respectively for the use caffeine, alcohol and cannabis. The majority (77%) of our respondents were in the age range of 21-25. Only 2% of our respondents were married. Therefore, efforts at curtailing the use of stimulants must start early; incorporating such strategy into primary school curriculum will be worthwhile. There is need to focus more on common stimulants like coffee, Kola nut, caffeinated energy drinks. Students need to study without using stimulants.

This study was on the availability and utilization of information and communication technology resources for teaching business education courses in colleges of education Nigeria. Four research questions guided the study and three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The population of this study comprised 133 business educators in colleges of education in Delta and River States. As a result of the manageable size, the entire population was used as sample, hence, census. The research instruments used for data collection was a checklist and a well-structured questionnaire titled "Availability and Utilisation of ICT Resources in Business Education Programme Questionnaire" (AUICTRBEPQ). The instrument for data collection was subjected to face validity by the researcher's supervisor and two other experts from the Department of Vocational and Technical Education, University of Benin, Benin City. To determine the reliability of the instruments for the study, the internal consistency of the items were measured using Cronbach alpha statistic. The instrument yielded a coefficient of 0.88. Data collected were analysed using simple percentage (%) mean ( ), standard deviation (SD) and two sample independent t-test. The findings revealed that schools did not meet up to the standard set by the National Commission of Colleges of Education with regards to the required ICT facilities needed for teaching business education courses in colleges of education. There was a low utilisation of ICT resources in teaching business education courses in colleges of 14 education in Delta and River States. There was no significant difference between the utilisation of ICT resources for teaching business education courses by male and female business educators in colleges of education in Delta and River States; there was a significant difference between business educators in federal and state colleges of education in Delta and River States on the utilisation of ICT resources in teaching business education courses and there was a significant difference between office technology management option and accounting option on educators' utilisation of ICT resources in teaching business education courses. It was concluded that the availability and utilization of ICT resources in teaching business education courses in colleges of education in Delta and Rivers States was low and the low availability of ICT facilities contributed negatively to effective utilization of ICT resources in colleges of education in Delta and Rivers States. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that there should be collaboration between Government, management of the colleges of education and non-governmental agencies for the purchase of various ICT facilities in order to foster effective utilisation of these resources.