GENDER

Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is fundamental to public health, gender equity, and sustainable development and is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 and SDG 5. Despite sustained investments in Nigeria, persistent gender and social inclusion gaps continue to disproportionately affect women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and other vulnerable groups. This study assessed gender and social inclusion in WASH service delivery in selected communities in Edo State, Nigeria, by evaluating access levels and determinants of equitable access. A descriptive cross-sectional mixed-methods design was employed. Data were collected from 371 household respondents across 12 communities using structured questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions, and Key Informant Interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression, while qualitative data were analysed thematically, with WASH access assessed using a composite scoring system based on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme standards. Results showed universal access to basic water sources, but weak sanitation and hygiene: over 85% of facilities were basic or limited, and only 30% of households had functional handwashing facilities with water and soap. Fewer than 10% of communities had PWD- accessible facilities, and women’s participation was similarly low. Disability status, education level, and residence were significant determinants of equitable access (OR = 6.07; p = 0.025). The study concludes that strengthening gender-responsive planning, disability- sensitive infrastructure, and community participation is essential for equitable and sustainable WASH outcomes.

Sexual violence is an extensive and deeply distressing crime that poses significant challenges to the criminal justice systems globally, particularly in Nigeria, and this is often committed in private, without witnesses, and under conditions where victims face social stigmatization and psychological trauma which could range from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other traumatic related issues, such crimes are infamously difficult to investigate and prosecute, It remains a pervasive and deeply rooted issue in Nigeria, cutting across social, economic and cultural boundaries, This study explores the prevalence , causes and consequences of sexual violence crimes in the country, examining both the systemic failures and cultural attitudes that enables it's persistence, it examines the application of forensic evidence as an essential tool in detecting and prosecuting sexual violence crimes, focusing on how scientific methods can improve the effectiveness and credibility of investigations and legal proceedings worldwide, with particular focus on Nigeria, with the primary aim to explore how forensic techniques such as DNA analysis, toxicology, fingerprint, forensic pathology,crime scene reconstruction, and expert testimony and other forensic techniques can assist law enforcement agencies and the judiciary in obtaining objective and more accurate evidence in sexual offence cases. Furthermore, this study seeks to identify the forensic methods most relevant to such crimes, assess the challenges inhibiting their effective application in Nigeria, and propose legal and institutional reforms to enhance their uses.

This study examines the impact of war on the family as reflected in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun and Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come. It explores how war and political instability destroy family ties, distort affection, and transform domestic life into a site of suffering and endurance. Both writers reveal that conflict extends beyond the battlefield, invading personal spaces and reshaping identity and human relationships. Through the Postcolonial Theory, the study interprets how historical oppression, power struggle, and the search for belonging continue to influence the African social order. It analyses the themes, characterisation, and dialogue of the two novels to show how war breeds trauma, silence, and loss within homes. The findings show that both Adichie and Atta represent the family as a mirror of the nation. In Half of a Yellow Sun, the Biafran War dismembers homes and leaves emotional ruins that reflect the nation’s tragedy. In Everything Good Will Come, dictatorship, social inequality, and moral repression recreate a form of domestic war that stifles growth and love. The research concludes that African women writers use the family setting as a platform for recording the psychological aftermath of national crises. It contributes to scholarship by revealing that the true cost of war is not only in the number of the dead but in the brokenness that lingers within the living.

This study statistically examined the impact of choice of study programme, gender, age at admission, and ethnic affiliation on students’ academic performance in the University of Benin. The main objective was to determine the extent to which these variables influence students’ academic outcomes. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected from undergraduate students across various faculties using structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) through descriptive statistics, chi-square test of independence and multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that the first choice of study programme had a significant influence on students’ academic performance, indicating that students who were given their first choice performed better than those who were placed in programmes by external influence. However, the demographic variables—gender, age at admission, and ethnic affiliation—did not show
statistically significant effects on academic performance. This implies that while demographic characteristics may influence students’ experiences, they do not independently determine academic achievement in the University of Benin based on this study. The study concludes that academic performance is more strongly influenced by students’ motivation and programme alignment as encapsulated in their first choice course of study than by demographic differences.

The Right to freedom from discrimination is a Fundamental Human Right world over, of which Nigeria is subscribed to observe in her laws as a democratic and civilized state. This freedom from any form of deprivation or stigmatization based on sex, religion, ethnicity, circumstances of birth, political opinion and other such related bases is protected in Nigeria’s Constitution, various state provisions and policy documents and International pacts. However, the reality in practice in the try today portrays a wide drift from the provisions of the law in such aspects as political appointments, trade and business ease, work modalities, Farmer- Herder relations and attendant crisis, state of origin, Indigene-Settler question, Quota system practice, and such other manifestations of different levels of discrimination. Also in issue is the contradiction of some state practices and federal policies against the constitution and perhaps, the constitution against itself