Pyrethroid Susceptibility in Culex quinquefasciatus Say. (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Delta State, Niger-Delta Region, Nigeria

The development of insecticide resistance in different species of mosquitoes to Pyrethroids is a major challenge for vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Failure of Pyrethroids in control of mosquitoes would impact negatively on the gains recorded in control of mosquito-borne diseases in previous years. In anticipation of a country-wide deployment of Pyrethroid-treated nets for control of mosquito-borne diseases in Nigeria, this study assessed susceptibility of Culex quinquefasciatus Say. (Diptera: Culicidae) to Pyrethroids in Owhelogbo, Ejeme and Oria-Abraka communities in Delta State, Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Three to five day old Cx. quinquefasciatus were exposed to Deltamethrin (0.05%), Permethrin (0.75%), and Alphacypermethrin (0.05%) using World Health Organization bioassay method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed in characterization of species and knockdown mutation. Results revealed that Cx. quinquefasciatus were generally susceptible (98-100%) to Deltamethrin, Permethrin, and Alphacypermethrin in the three communities with the exception of Owhelogbo where resistance to Deltamethrin (97%) was suspected. Knockdown time to Deltamethrin (11.51, 11.23, and 12.68 min), Permethrin (28.75, 13.26, and 14.49 min), and Alphacypermethrin (15.07, 12.50, and 13.03 min) were considerably low for Owhelogbo, Ejeme, and Oria-Abraka Cx. quinquefasciatus populations, respectively. Species identification result showed that all amplified samples were Cx. quinquefasciatus; however, no kdr allele was found in the three populations. Deployment of pyrethroid-treated nets for control of mosquito-borne diseases in Niger-Delta region of Nigeria is capable of reducing burden of diseases transmitted by Cx. quinquefasciatus as well as addressing nuisance value of the vector; however, caution must be entertained so as not to increase selection pressure thereby aiding resistance development.

Aesthetic Determinants in the Pottery Tradition of the Urhobo People of Nigeria’S Niger Delta

Pottery practice is one of the three-dimensional enterprises of the Urhobo people who inhabit part of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The people are also known for the production of massive sculptures in wood and mud. Many of the pottery products of the people are, as is the case with their sculptures, configurations of volumes. The expressiveness of these pots is, in part, determined by the way in which the constituting volumes meet each other. In most literature that is available on this art practice of the people, this structural feature is diminished in importance or not considered as a contributing element to the general aesthetics of the ware. This paper interrogates the structural elements that constitute the pots. This is done by dissembling the pots into their structural components (volumes) and analyzing the manner of their coming together to constitute the pot. The findings show that two basic transitions are used as aesthetic attributes in the pottery products from the study area. The study also reaffirms that the extent to which an object satisfies the purpose for which it is made is a strong determinant of the aesthetic value ascribed to the object by a people.

Service Failure, Recovery, and Sustainable Development

Extant literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and marketing shows that CSR plays an important role when a service fails; thus, application of recovery strategy becomes crucial for sustainable development. CSR creates greater performance expectations amongst stakeholders as well as helps to legitimise organisational activities when a service fails. This study maintains that CSR is crucially important not only in legitimising organisational actions, but in ensuring that stakeholders' loyalty, trust, and justice are assured. This CSR, service failure, and recovery nexus is more needed in the controversial extractive industry in Nigeria, which has a history of illegitimacy, irresponsible corporate responsibility, lack of accountability, and failure of justice, which have triggered and sustained corporate-stakeholder conflict. This landscape has negative impact on sustainable development, peace, and justice in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where oil is extracted.

When the blessing resource ‘oil’ curses

Oil industry has impacted both economy and ecology of oil-producing states in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. The environmental detriments caused by gas flaring and oil spills develop violent ethnic agitations, through long lasting history area of conflicts, for economic, social, political, and environmental rights. This paper examines the history of oil and gas exploitation, in Niger Delta region, and its role to cause environmental degradations in the region. The study argued that multinational oil corporations’ activities were the first intriguing violence in local communities based on environmental approach. Also, the paper indicates that the conflict had many drivers related to different components of indigenous people. The tendency of violence escalated over time, in strength of acts from demonstrations and grievances to militant operations, and demands from self determination to justice, revenues equity and environmental rights, in order to reshape oil-bearing communities’ old motivations about self-governance.

Rising Oil Pollution in Nigerian’s Niger-Delta Region What About Its Framing in the Print Media?

Cases of oil pollution have become a consistent decimal over the last twenty decades in most countries. The disagreement over who is liable for the massive oil pollution seen in some oil-producing countries worldwide has magnified tensions between significant stakeholders in those countries. This paper examines the rise in oil pollution in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria and its framing by the print media through a quantitative content analysis method using news framing types developed by Semetko and Valkenburg (2000) among three Nigerian newspapers; The Daily Sun, The Guardian, and The Punch from 2014-2018. Specifically, the study findings show that The Daily Sun used more of the frames of responsibility (57.7%), economic consequences (63.3%), conflict (50.2%), and human interest (55.6%) in their oil pollution reports in the Niger-Delta. In contrast, The Guardian and The Punch used less of these frames, probably due to their laissez-faire attitude towards holding the oil companies accountable despite glaring evidence of environmental degradation.

Artisanal refining of crude oil in the Niger Delta: A challenge to clean-up and remediation in Ogoniland

While the activities of multinational oil corporations contribute significantly to oil pollution and environmental degradation in most oil-producing countries, the extent to which illegal artisanal refineries contribute to the environmental problems in Niger Delta remains unclear. Extant literature attributes this to the expanding activities of the artisans as well as the use of crude technology in illegal oil refining. Given the widespread nature of the artisanal oil-refining economy in the Niger Delta region, we assess its contribution to the growing environmental pollution in the region. By artisanal oil refining, we mean small-scale crude oil processing or subsistent distillation of petroleum that is often outside the boundaries of the state law. This study links the continual failure of the clean-up programme in the Niger Delta to the booming artisanal crude oil-refining economy in the region. Using predominantly qualitative methods of data collection and content analysis, we adopted the enterprise value chain analysis to underscore the underlying local economic interests and external economic opportunities that sustain oil bunkering, oil theft and petro-piracy. We conclude that these illegal refining processes significantly undermine the Ogoniland clean-up project and make the remediation programme unsustainable in Nigeria.

Morphological, phytochemical and molecular characterization of five common Jatropha species in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

The economic and medicinal important genus Jatropha contains many distinctly different species. To elucidate the genetic relationship of five common occurring Jatropha species namely J. multifida, J. podagrica, J.tanjorernsis, J. curcas, and J. gossypifolia, thirty-nine morphological, six phytochemical features and one arbitrary marker was used to screen and explore their similarity. Morphological data was obtained from the measurement of vegetative and reproductive parts while the presence of five phytochemicals was determined using differentphytochemical tests. The DNA of all five Jatropha species were amplified and sequenced using Ribolose 1, 5- biphosphate carboxylase molecular marker. The DNA sequences were then aligned using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for nucleotide 2.8.0 version of the National Center for Biotechnology Information database and phylogenetic trees were constructed using Paleontological Statistical software and Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 7.0.26 software. From the results of the classical and phylogenetic cluster analysis, the five Jatropha species was separated into two major clusters. The highly distinctive J. gossypifolia was the only species that clustered separately from the other Jatropha species. Although, J. tanjorensis has been reported to be a hybrid from J. curcas and J. gossypifolia, the species did not segregate and cluster with these species, but segregated with J. multifida, and J.podagrica, indicating that this species is more closely related to J. multifida, and J. podagrica than J. curcas and J.gossypifolia. The result therefore provide information that would be useful in the plant improvement programs for the genus Jatropha.

Oil Exploration and Exploitation in Ugbo (Ilaje) Communities of Coastal Yorubaland

Coastal Yorubaland is one of the richest parts of Nigeria in terms of natural resource endowment. The area is blessed with extensive forests, good agricultural land and abundant water resources such as fish. It is also blessed with reserves of crude oil. This natural resource has attracted the attention of oil companies, whose activities often result in economic and social problems such as environmental pollution, occupational dislocation, cultural extinction and rural urban drift. However, the attitude of the people in this region, especially the militant youths, has also contributed to environmental degradation: oil pipe vandalization has become a constant occurrence, and it has a debilitating effect on the environment. Environmental devastation, economic poverty and constant conflict constitute a lived reality. Oil exploitation activities have also left much of the area desolate, poor and uninhabitable. This article argues that the effects of oil exploitation on Ilaje Ugbo communities are comparable to what occurs in other oil communities of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

By Canoe and Speedboat: The Recent Expansion of the Ìlàjẹ Fishing Trade

Competition has remained a significant feature of trade, particularly in regions with diverse social groups like the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. This article examines the expansion of trade among the Ìlàjẹ communities of Ondo State in the coastal area of Yorùbáland, which to the best of our knowledge has not been documented. Historical method of data collection and analysis were employed in the study. These include primary and secondary sources. The primary sources are mainly comprised of interviews of key informants and participants’ observations. The secondary sources consist of journal articles and texts. The results were analyzed qualitatively. The growth in coastal trade in the Ìlàjẹ area from 2010 onwards was largely due to the construction of new roads along the coast, which linked Ìlàjẹ to the wider road network. Between 2009 and 2013, new trading routes emerged along the road from Igbokoda to Araromi via Atijere on the western side to Ògun and Lagos state, passing through towns like Ipárè, Oko-Ńlá, Obinehin, Etíkàn, Erékè, and Àbòtó. Another route linked Igbokoda with Òde-Ùgbò and Ùgbò-Ńlá coastal market in the east. As traders and goods came into Ìlàjẹ from various parts of Nigeria, new markets sprang up to facilitate the exchange of upland goods for fish products. The construction of new roads also encouraged social and economic development by bringing into the area goods and commodities hitherto not transportable on water, such as ‘modern’ building materials. However, far from reducing water-based activity, the overall increase in trade has also contributed to an increase of water-based traffic, especially for fishing.