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Ugbowo Road in Benin City faces persistent flooding and drainage failure driven by rapid urbanization, poor maintenance, and structural decay. This study assessed the structural integrity and hydraulic efficiency of drainage sections at four key locations: UBTH, Adolor Junction, Uselu Shell, and Ekehuan Link Road. Through visual inspections, non-destructive rebound hammer testing, and hydraulic analysis using Manning’s and Rational Methods, the research aimed to identify specific causes of failure and propose viable technical solutions. The investigation revealed significant structural defects, including cracks, erosion, and honeycombing, with concrete compressive strengths (12.7–19.8 MPa) falling below the required 20–25 MPa standard. While hydraulic analysis confirmed that the original designs possessed sufficient capacity to handle peak discharges, their performance is currently crippled by heavy siltation, waste dumping, and poor slope alignment. Consequently, the study identified functional inefficiency and maintenance neglect, particularly at the critical Adolor Junction rather than design inadequacy as the primary drivers of drainage failure. To restore optimal functionality and mitigate urban flooding, the study recommends the
reconstruction of failing sections using 25 MPa concrete and the implementation of a rigorous maintenance regime involving routine desilting. Technical enhancements, such as the installation of trash screens and inspection chambers, should be paired with the enforcement of environmental sanitation policies. Finally, the establishment of a drainage asset management plan by the Edo State Ministry of Works and Environment is essential for the long-term monitoring and sustainability of the corridor's infrastructure.

Fire exposure destroys concrete structures, and the cooling methods significantly impacts residual strength Rapid cooling, especially with water, may cause additional damage due to thermal shock, yet limited studies compare air- and water- cooling effects. In order to determine which cooling technique best maintains structural integrity, this study will examine how various techniques affect the breaking strength of Grade 30 concrete exposed to temperatures of 200°C, 400°C, and 600°C. This study involves the preparation of Grade 10 concrete specimens, which were cured for 28 days before being subjected to elevated temperatures of 2000C 400C and 600°C in a controlled furnace. After exposure, the specimens were cooled using air and water to compare the effects of each method on compressive strength. The compressive strength of all samples was tested using a compression testing machine, and the results were analyzed through tabular and graphical comparisons to evaluate strength reduction trends. The study revealed that compressive strength decreased with increasing temperature, with watercooled samples experiencing greater strength loss than air-cooled due to rapid thermal shock. At 600°C, Average water-cooled samples record 26.561 N/mm², while air-cooled samples record 28.014 N/mm², confirming that gradual cooling helps to retain more structural integrity. Based on these findings, air cooling is recommended as a safer and more effective method for post- fire concrete recovery. Further research should explore advanced cooling techniques to enhance fire resistance and durability.

This study aimed to empirically examine the impact of training and development on the achievement of organizational goals among managers of Access Bank Plc. To guide the study, three research questions were raised, and three hypotheses were generated. The survey adopted a survey research design approach which sought to understand the impact of training and development on employee performance in Access Bank Plc, Benin City, ,. Edo determine the sample size from the population, and after due computation, a sample of 115 respondents was arrives at. The study utilized a questionnaire as the research instrument to sample the opinions of the managers on the subject matter. A total of 115 questionnaires were distributed, however, only I00 were retrieved. The data collected were analyzed using frequency count, percentages, mean and standard deviation while linear regression was used to determine the impact of training and development on the achievement of organizational goals. Findings obtained from the analysis of the data indicated that staff training and development has a strong and positive impact on the achievement of organizational goals. Also, it was found that there is a significant relationship between staff training and development on the achievement of organizational goals. Based on the findings, the study recommends amongst others that organization should invest comprehensive and tailored programs that align closely with organizational goals. This could involve clear communication of training objectives and expectation to employees and identifying and
addressing barriers and challenges in implementing training programs..

The Student Grievance Application is a web-based system developed to simplify and modernize the process of lodging, managing, and resolving student complaints in educational institutions. The traditional manual grievance-handling methods are often time-consuming, prone to data loss, and lack transparency. This project aims to overcome these limitations by providing an automated, efficient, and transparent platform where students can submit grievances, track their status, and receive timely feedback. The system is designed with a user-friendly interface that allows students to categorize their complaints such as academic issues, staff behavior, infrastructure, or administrative concerns and submit them securely. Administrators and grievance officers can then review, respond, and update complaint statuses through an integrated management panel. The application also maintains a centralized database for recordkeeping, monitoring trends, and generating analytical reports for institutional decision-making. The system was implemented using modern web technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript for the front end, PHP or Python for the back end, and MySQL for data storage. Security features such as authentication, authorization, and data validation were incorporated to protect user information. Overall, the Student Grievance Application enhances communication between students and the institution’s management, promotes accountability, and ensures a more transparent and efficient grievance redressal process

Aseni clay was obtained from Kogi State, Nigeria. Adsorption studies of Iron (III) ions (Fe3+) was carried out on the clay and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was employed in analysis of equilibrium concentration of Fe3+ions in aqueous solution. Batch experiment involving varied initial concentration adsorbent dosage, contact time and pH were conducted. quilibrium data showed that as initial Fe3+ concentration increased from 10 to 50 mg·L-¹ the adsorption capacity increased from 0.96 to 3.62 mg·g-¹ while percentage removal decreased from 95.7% to 72.4%, indicating progressive site saturation at higher loadings. Increasing the adsorbent mass from 0.2 to 1.0 g (per 100 mL) improved removal efficiency from 57.67% to 83.23%, demonstrating the positive effect of greater available surface sites. Contact time produced rapid initial uptake, with the amount adsorbed rising from 22.97 mg·L -¹ at 5 min to 26.03 mg·L-¹ at 120 min and percentage removal from 76.57% to 86.77%, indicating approach to equilibrium within the experimental timeframe. pH trials (4–9, initial concentration 100 mg·L-¹) returned very high removal (>99%); however, experimental notes indicated Fe hydrolysis/precipitation during base addition which likely affected measured concentrations and must be considered when interpreting pH-dependent results. Equilibrium modelling revealed strong fits to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, with a marginally better fit to the Freundlich model (R² = 0.9815 versus Langmuir R² = 0.979), consistent with adsorption on a heterogeneous surface. Kinetic analysis showed that the pseudo-second-order model provided an excellent description of the adsorption behaviour (linear t/qt versus t relationship; very high R²), suggesting that chemisorption and surface complexation are dominant rate-controlling steps. The findings indicate that Aseni clay is a viable, low-cost adsorbent for Fe +³ removal under the tested laboratory conditions, especially at low to moderate contaminant concentrations, while highlighting the need for care in pH control to avoid precipitation artefacts and for further work on regeneration and real-waste testing.

Taxation is the nucleus and the path to modern development. Thus, the study was to assess the impact of poor taxation on the development of Local Government Areas. This is because local government as the third tier of government and the closest to the people especially in the rural areas needed revenue to provide basic social amenities to the people. But it is unfortunate to note that the local government management have not lived up to expectation especially to provide basic social amenities to the rural people. Thus, the objective of the research was to analyze the extent to which poor taxation had affected the development of those areas. The researcher used primary and secondary methods of data collection to generate the needed data. The data obtained through questionnaire was presented in tables and expressed in simple percentages. The following were some of the findings which included poor development of the areas, lack of basic social amenities to the rural people and lack of effective tax collection mechanisms. The study also revealed that poor taxation by local government in Nigeria has affected the spread of development to all the nooks and crannies of the country. Thus local government councils and their management should strategically plan on proper measures to generate revenue as to meet with their functions as provided by the constitution of the country

This study determined the precision of X-ray reporting in detecting lung abnormalities in children at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State. Lung diseases such as pneumonia remain major causes of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries, making accurate and prompt diagnosis essential. A retrospective quantitative study design was used to analyze chest X-ray findings of children aged 0–18 years examined between May and December 2024. Data were collected using a structured checklist including age, gender, clinical indication, radiological findings, and confirmed diagnosis, and analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS software. The results showed that pneumonia was the most common lung abnormality, followed by bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and tuberculosis. Most X-ray reports were accurately interpreted, though some errors were linked to poor image quality and varying levels of radiologist experience. Overall, X-ray reporting at UBTH was effective in detecting pediatric lung abnormalities. The study concludes that regular training, standardized reporting formats, and continuous quality assurance would further improve diagnostic accuracy and pediatric patient care.

This study explored the development, sensory qualities, and nutritional composition of indigenous smoked beef sausages made with Iru (fermented locust beans) and Evbharie (fermented melon) as natural flavoring agents. The research aimed to evaluate the effect of these local condiments on the sensory characteristics and proximate composition of beef sausage, serving as substitutes for common synthetic additives such as sugar and nitrite. Fresh beef (2.3 kg) was procured from New Benin Market, Benin City, Nigeria, and processed in the Food Science and Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin. The meat was washed, minced, and divided into ten treatments with varying levels of Iru and Evbharie: T1 (1% Iru), T2 (2% Iru), T3 (3% Iru), T4 (1% Iru + 0.5% Evbharie), T5 (0.5% Iru + 1% Evbharie), T6 (1%Iru + 1% Evbharie), T7 (1% Evbharie), T8 (2% Evbharie), T9 (3% Evbharie), and T10 (control with sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, ginger, and thyme). Goat intestines served as casings, preserved in saline solution, and the sausages were smoked for about one hour to produce intermediate-moisture meat. A sensory evaluation was conducted with thirty semi-trained panelists using a five-point hedonic scale (5 = Excellent, 1 = Poor). Attributes assessed were appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, juiciness, and overall acceptability. Proximate composition was analyzed according to AOAC (2019) methods to determine moisture, protein, fat, ash, and crude fiber contents. Results showed that the inclusion of Iru and Evbharie affected the sensory properties of the smoked beef sausage. Samples containing both condiments were generally preferred, with Treatment 6 (1% Iru + 1% Evbharie) achieving the highest appearance (22 votes) and aroma (15 votes). The control (T10) scored best in flavor (26 votes), texture (25 votes), juiciness (27 votes), and overall acceptability (29 votes). Although traditional condiments produced unique flavor 11 and aroma profiles, consumers still showed familiarity-based preference for the conventional seasoning. Proximate analysis indicated that sausages containing Iru had slightly higher protein values due to its leguminous origin, while Evbharie contributed to higher fat and fiber content. Moisture levels were moderate, confirming the sausages as intermediate-moisture meat products with good storage potential. The exclusion of nitrite eliminated cured color formation but improved the natural safety profile of the sausage. In conclusion, the study established that Iru and Evbharie can be successfully used as indigenous seasonings in sausage production without significantly compromising nutritional or sensory quality. Among all treatments, T6 (1% Iru +1% Evbharie) offered the most balanced attributes. This research provides insight into the potential of local condiments as natural, health-conscious alternatives to chemical additives, supporting the development of culturally acceptable and nutritionally rich meat products. It further emphasizes the value of integrating indigenous food resources into Nigeria’s modern meat processing industry for
sustainable product innovation.

Background: Ophthalmic self-medication, the practice of using drugs without the advice or prescription of a qualified eye care professional. Assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of students regarding ophthalmic self-medication is important in understanding their health-seeking behavior and identifying areas that may require educational or public health attention. Purpose: This study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of ophthalmic self-medication among students of the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study will be conducted among undergraduate students of the University of Benin using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire will consist of four sections: socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of ophthalmic self-medication, attitudes towards the practice, and reported self-medication behaviors. Data Analysis: Data collected will be coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25.0 by IBM. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize the data, while inferential statistics such as Chi-square tests will be employed to determine associations between variables such as gender, faculty, and level of study with knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication. Contribution to Optometry: The findings from this research will provide valuable insights into the extent and determinants of ophthalmic self-medication among university students. It will help guide public health interventions, enhance eye health education, and support evidence-based advocacy to reduce harmful self-medication practices. Furthermore, the study will contribute to improving the role of optometrists in preventive eye care and health promotion among young adults. Keywords: Ophthalmic self-medication, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, University of Benin, Public Health, Eye Care

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of cultism on the academic performance of students in the University of Benin. The researcher gathered the primary data through the distribution of questionnaire. A total of 100 respondents were analyzed. The scope of the study for this work was based on the University of Benin. The result of the findings shows that students academic are highly affected by cultism. It was strongly recommended that students engagement in positive activities should be promoted as many students join cults because of peer pressure, boredom, or the search for belonging. Stronger Orientation and Awareness Programs should be introduced. Parental and Community should take an active role in monitoring and guiding their children’s academic and social lives. Strict Disciplinary Measures should be enforced and The government should introduce policies that provide continuous support for the fight against cultism