URBAN

Urban insecurity has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges facing Nigerian cities, significantly affecting the quality of life and the efficiency of public administration. This study investigates the impact of urban insecurity on public administration effectiveness in Benin City, Edo State. The rising incidences of criminal activities such as armed robbery, kidnapping, cult-related violence, and street crimes have heightened fear among residents and placed increased pressure on public institutions responsible for maintaining order and ensuring public safety. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, the study collected data through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews with residents, civil servants, and security officials in Benin City. The analysis reveals that a majority of respondents perceive public administrative responses to urban insecurity as inadequate, citing issues such as corruption, underfunding, poor inter-agency coordination, lack of intelligence sharing, and minimal community engagement as key constraints. The research further identifies that while policy frameworks may exist on paper, there is a significant gap in practical implementation, often due to limited political will and resource constraints. Despite the presence of multiple security agencies and policies, the level of insecurity in Benin City remains alarming, undermining citizen trust in government institutions. The study recommends the adoption of a multi-stakeholder approach to urban security, including community policing, better funding and training for security personnel, transparency in administrative processes, and proactive policy implementation. Strengthening institutional capacity and enhancing public participation are also seen as vital steps toward restoring order and improving the effectiveness of public administration in dealing with urban insecurity

Major contributions to the pollution in the atmosphere are Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) from cement factories as well as other industrial activities in Urban and Rural areas. The study area covers Ibese, Paplanto, Abeokuta, Ewekoro and
other rural areas as they play host to either cement factories or congested urban. This
research compared the amount of NO2 and SO2 released into the atmosphere at Ibese, Papalanto and Abeokuta. Sentinel 5P data for the study area was used to monitor these pollutants. Google earth engine editor was used to extract the pollutants over the study area. The duration considered was a 4-month interval within year 2019 to 2021 which was used to present 3 spatial maps per year resulting in a total of 9 maps for both pollutants. SO2 concentration ranged between -0.000161 to 0.0000782; -0.000206 to
0.000162; 0.000194 to 0.000228, for 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. NO2 concentration ranged between 0.0000459 to 0.0000846, 0.0000491 to 0.0000947, 0.0000565 to 0.000122 mol/m2 for 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. The spatial distribution for both pollutants were regrouped into 4 classes namely low, moderate, high and very high. Ibese fell once within the low class, seven times within the moderate class, five times each within the high and very high class respectively considering both the NO2 and SO2 maps. Papalanto fell twice within the low class, once within the moderate class, six times within the high class and eight times within the
very high class. Abeokuta fell six times within the moderate class and twelve times within the high class. The most dominant zone is the moderate zone followed by the high zone for SO2 and NO2 between 2019 and 2021. The frequency of occurrence of Papalanto and Ibese within the peak zone of SO2 and NO2 was very high when
compared to the frequency of occurrence of Abeokuta which never fell beyond the high
zone of either pollutant. This was attributed to the cement factory working nonstop located within Papalanto and Ibese.