NIL

Ikpoba Dam serves a singular purpose - the provision of potable water to the populace of Benin City. However, the dam's functionality has been adversely affected by acute sedimentation. In response, comprehensive bathymetric surveys were conducted to assess the volume of sediment accumulated during its operational period. This study delves into a thorough investigation
employing a longitudinal profiling technique for short-term mapping of Ikpoba Dam's bottom topography. The primary objectives encompass determining short-term variations in the longitudinal profile of the dam's bottom, generating short-term Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) of the dam's bottom topography, and calculating the accumulated sediment volume by everaging Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) differencing.

The prevalence of chronic elevation of blood pressure, and the resulting morbidity, are sufficiently high to justify viewing the condition as a serious global public health problem. Sometimes lifestyle changes are not enough to treat high blood pressure, in such cases medication is required. This study performed an Evaluation on Some High Blood Pressure Medications(Amlodipine and Telmisartan) on the hepatic tissues of albino rats. A total of 18 albino rats weighing 165g-195g with high blood pressure were distributed into 3 groups (A,B and C). Group A (Labelled as control group) were administered water and food only, Group B amlodipine was given in a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks (28 days), Group C Telmisartan was given in a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for( 4 weeks). After 4 weeks, Animals were weighed, anesthetize and dissected and the liver harvested placed in 10% Neutral buffered formalin. A stain in hematoxylin for 3-5 minutes was done. Samples of selected sections of the liver was
photographed and presented as plates. A significant increase in body weight was recorded in all groups of Amlodipine and Telmisartan treated animals. Microscopic examination of hepatic tissues from the albino rats demonstrated no obvious pathologic changes, including hypertrophy, and perivascular fibrosis, wall thickening hepatic atrophy and fibrosis, and vascular sclerosis in groups treated with Amlodipine. Histopathological examination showed no pathological glomerular, tubular, or blood vessel changes in groups treated with telmisartan during the weeks of the research. Thrust of public health policies should be primary prevention of hypertension. The long-term treatment with this combination could presents a beneficial effect on the
reduction of BP, BPV, and the protection of end- in-depth study on the effect of these antihypertensive drug

Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem globally. The aim of the study was to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibodies in apparently healthy individuals in Gabia and Chike communities of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Out of the 228 respondents of the questionnaire served, 205 (89.9%) acknowledged that they heard about tuberculosis. Two hundred and twenty eight (228) samples of human serum were examined for Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibodies using a one step TB IgG/IgM flow chromatographic immunoassay. The prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in
the study areas was 19.7%. The prevalence in the inhabitants of Chinke was 10.5% while that of Gabia was 9.2%. The females in the study population had a prevalence of 12.3% while the males had 7.5%. The prevalence was more in individuals in the age brackets of 40 – 49 years (7.9%) and 50 – 59 years (3.5%), while individuals within the age brackets of 70 – 79 years in Chinke and 80 – 89 years in Gabia did not present with Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibodies. Considering active and inactive (Latent) infection, a total of 18 (7.9%) individuals had IgM antibodies, with males constituting 4.7% and females with 3.1%, indicative of recent infection while 27 (11.9%) had IgG antibodies showing previous infection. Considering active and inactive (Latent) infection, a total of 18 (7.9%) individuals had IgM antibodies, with males constituting 4.7% and females with 3.1%, indicative of recent infection while 27 (11.9%) had IgG antibodies showing previous infection. The sputum of IgM positive cases were further examined for acid fast bacilli and the result was statistically significant (p>0.02), showing 2.6% with 2+, 5.2% with a +. The high prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the study areas is worrisome as the positive individuals are not only at risk of having full blown tuberculosis in the future but are also sources of spreading the bacteria to the populace.

Diabetes mellitus represents a major global health challenge, with over 800 million adults affected worldwide and limited therapeutic options, particularly in resource-constrained settings. This study investigated the in vitro antidiabetic properties of crude ethanol extract and solvent fractions of roots of Tetracera alnifolia, a medicinal plant traditionally used for managing diabetes in West Africa particularly Nigeria. The aim was to evaluate the alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the plant extracts and fractions, and to determine their potential as natural antidiabetic agents. The roots of T. alnifolia were cut, dried, pulverized and extracted using ethanol. The crude extract was subsequently fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity (n-hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, n-butanol, and water). Enzyme inhibition assays were performed using standard methods, with acarbose as the control. The IC₅₀ values were calculated to determine inhibitory potency. Results showed that the crude extract exhibited remarkable alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.10 mg/mL), approximately 9-fold more than the IC₅₀ of acarbose (IC₅₀ = 0.93 mg/mL). For alpha-amylase inhibition, the crude extract (IC₅₀ = 0.68 mg/mL) was less than that of acarbose (IC₅₀ = 0.46 mg/mL). All solvent fractions similarly outperformed acarbose in alpha-glucosidase inhibition, with the n-hexane fraction showing the strongest activity (IC₅₀ = 0.19 mg/mL). The superior performance of the crude extract over individual fractions provided compelling evidence for synergistic interactions among multiple phytochemical constituents. The differential selectivity potent alpha-glucosidase inhibition with moderate alpha-amylase inhibition represents an ideal therapeutic profile that may offer a better postprandial glucose control. The study concludes that T. alnifolia possesses antidiabetic potential in vitro and this may be responsible for its hypoglycemic property in treatment of diabetes in traditional medicine. Therefore, further investigation through in vivo studies, phytochemical characterization, and determination of bioactive agent for potential development as a natural antidiabetic therapeutic.

This study examines the determinants of tax compliance among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. The research investigated the influence of six key factors—tax knowledge and awareness, taxpayer attitude and perception, multiple tax rates, government transparency and accountability, enforcement and penalties, and complexity of the tax accounting system—on tax compliance behavior. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data collected from 142 SMEs were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression techniques through E-Views 14.0. The regression results revealed that taxpayer attitude and perception had a negative and significant effect on compliance, implying that negative perceptions about the tax system reduce taxpayers’ willingness to comply. Conversely, multiple tax rates and government transparency showed positive and significant effects, indicating that simplified rate structures and transparent governance enhance compliance. Tax knowledge, enforcement, and system complexity were not statistically significant, suggesting that knowledge and penalties alone may not guarantee compliance without trust and institutional integrity. The model was statistically significant (F-statistic = 5.45, p < 0.01) with an adjusted R² of 0.16, confirming a moderate explanatory power. Diagnostic tests showed no autocorrelation or heteroskedasticity, ensuring model reliability. The study concludes that tax compliance among SMEs in Nigeria is primarily driven by institutional and perceptual factors rather than enforcement. It recommends improving government transparency, simplifying tax structures, and promoting positive taxpayer attitudes to enhance voluntary compliance.

This study was carried out to examine the influence of Christian religious studies on the morals of public junior secondary school students in Oredo local government area of Edo state. Five research questions were raised for this study: How do CRS programs influence the development of moral values among public junior secondary students? What are the perceptions of public junior secondary school students regarding the effectiveness CRS initiatives in fostering ethical behavior?
How do different types of CRS initiatives affect the moral development of public junior secondary school students? What roles do school administrators and teachers play in integrating CRS initiatives into the moral education of junior public secondary school students? What challenges do schools face in implementing CRS initiatives that aim to enhance the moral education of junior public secondary school students?
Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. A sample of the study consist of 100 students drawn from 5 secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. 20 students were drawn from each school with the use of purposive random sampling technique.
The major findings of the study revealed how the influence of Christian religious studies influence the morals of public junior secondary school students. It was revealed that Christian Religious studies should be made a compulsory subject in the curriculum due to its positive effects in their school, it was revealed that quality CRS taught influence public junior secondary school students’ academic performance positively. religious beliefs affect students’ academic performance, it was revealed Christian Religious studies influence students’ academics, social and other behavioural characteristics. It was revealed that positive teacher student interaction contributes to students’ sense of belonging and engagement in the classroom. It was seen that effective morals thought through CRS studies made students develop good and gracious qualities. It was seen that the roles of Christian religious studies positively affect the growth i.e. cognitive, behavioral and otherwise of overall performance of public junior secondary school students.

The aim of this study was to establish the effect and relationship between dividend policy and firm performance among selected quoted firms in Nigeria. In achieving the objective of the study, the study covered companies drawn across manufacturing sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange Market from the period 2016-2024, evaluating the companies Leverage, Liquidity, Firm Size, and Firm age with two general methods of empirical analysis of data. The preliminary analysis (which comprises of descriptive and correlation analysis) of the data is first conducted to provide background analysis on the data that will generate the initial characterization of the data used in the study. Thereafter, the multiple regressions were conducted using the ordinary least square (OLS) method. The data were analyzed using E-view 0.8 econometric software. The finding was that Leverage (LEV) exerts a negative and strong relationship with Return on Asset (ROA) and the Firm’s Age was negative too but significant. This implies that age of a firm has a long way to impact on the returns of Asset of the firms. This implies that returns on shares may be favourable in the short run but in the long run may affect the investment opportunities of the firm. We now recommend that firm’s total assets (fixed and current) should be maximized to help facilitate appropriate earnings so as to increase shareholders wealth without any deception of increased income

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.

The study investigated the impact of teachers’ qualification on students’ academic performance in Economics in public senior secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. To achieve the purpose of the study, four research questions were raised and examined. The sample size for the study was made up of one hundred (100) respondents randomly selected from20 public secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. An analysis of data was done using frequency count and simple percentage. The findings from the study include that there is significant impact of teachers’ qualification on students’ academic performance in Economics in public senior secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. It was concluded that there is a significant impact of teachers’ qualification on students’ participation in classroom activities in Economics in public senior secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.

Information and Communication Technology (or Technologies) is the acquisition, processing, storage, and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual, and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications (Karl, 1961). According to UNESCO “ICT is a scientific, technological and engineering discipline and management technique used in handling information, its application and association with social, economic, and cultural matters”. ICT is a branch of Information Technology (IT) that emphasizes the communication technologies that affect our society and how we communicate or share data or information. Four main types of communication devices help with the ease of sharing information across the globe, these are the internet, television, radio, and telephone. ICT has been defined by many scholars and authors over the years and the definitions are central to the sharing of information for easier communication