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This paper discussed the application of water quality index for the assessment of selected water quality parameters within the Apo resettlement area of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. The Apo resettlement area, a semi-urban residential settlement has since seen a rapid urbanization following the creation of Abuja as the new administrative capital of Nigeria on 3rd Feb 1976. This is through the promulgated Federal Capital Territory decree No. 6, 1976 resulting from the growing unsuitability of Lagos as Nigeria’s Federal Capital City. Water quality index (WQI) provides a single number that expresses the overall water quality, at a certain location and time, based on several water quality parameters. The water sourced from the Apo resettlement area was rated as a good water type with index of 76.0% by World Health Organization permissible limits, whilst the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv Limit) rates it at 45.6%. The study outlined that the surface water of the area is impaired due to the rapid urbanization and is not suitable for domestic consumption without treatment. However, the water body is suitable to support ecosystem functioning. This can be improved, or level of pollution reduced if proper measures are put in place to discourage the users from polluting the water in order to bring about improved health.

This research explored the precision of diverse time-series models for COVID-19 epidemic detection in all the thirty-six different states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria with the maximum count of daily cumulative of confirmed, recovered and death cases as of 4 November 2020 of COVID-19 and populace of each state. A 14-multi step ahead forecast system for active coronavirus cases was built, analyzed and compared for six (6) different deep learning-stimulated and statistical time-series models using two openly accessible datasets. The results obtained showed that based on RMSE metric, ARIMA model obtained the best values for four of the states (0.002537, 0.001969.12E-058, 5.36E-05 values for Lagos, FCT, Edo and Delta states respectively). While no method is all-encompassing for predicting daily active coronavirus cases for different states in Nigeria, ARIMA model obtains the highest-ranking prediction performance and attained a good position results in other states.

paddy and locally milled rice marketers in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. It specifically examined the marketing efficiencies and factors influencing marketing efficiencies of paddy and locally milled rice marketers in the study area. Primary data were collected using well-structured pre-tested questionnaires while a multistage sampling technique was adopted to obtain responses from respondents. Descriptive (mean, frequency and percentages) and inferential statistics (shepherd’s index and multiple regression analysis) were used to analyze the data. In using shepherd’s index, the results revealed 78% and 77% marketing efficiencies for paddy and locally milled rice respectively while the multiple regression analysis revealed sex, household size, availability of storage facility and contract marketing arrangement were significant to marketing efficiency of paddy rice; while membership of a market association, cost of purchasing rice, selling price of rice, availability of storage facility and contract arrangement were significant to marketing efficiency of locally milled rice. The study concludes that paddy rice marketers are more efficient in the study area and therefore recommends the initiation of more contract arrangements between investors and marketers in the area, while marketers should be encouraged to join marketing associations to take advantage of the endless benefits to be gained. It also recommends the formulation of policies that favour inclusivity of youths and women in the trade.

Background The global polio eradication initiative has made giant stride by achieving a 99% reduction in Wild poliovirus (WPV) cases, with Nigeria on the verge of being declared polio-free following over 36 months without a WPV. The initiative has provided multiple resources, assets and lessons learnt that could be transitioned to other public health challenges, including improving the quality and vaccination coverage of measles campaigns in order to reduce the incidences of measles in Nigeria. We documented the polio legacy and assets used to support the national measles campaign in 2017/2018. Methods We documented the integration of the measles campaign coordination with the Polio Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) at national and state levels for planning and implementing the measles SIA. Specific polio strategies and assets, such as the EOC incident command framework and facilities, human resource surge capacity, polio GIS resource These strategies were adapted and adopted for the MVC implementation overcome challenges and improve vaccination coverage. We evaluated the performance through a set process and outcome indicators. Results All the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory used the structure and resources in Nigeria and provided counterpart financing for the MVC 2017/ 2018. The 11 polio high-risk states deployed the use of GIS for microplanning process, while daily call-in data were tracked in 99.7% of the LGAs and 70,846 reports were submitted real-time by supervisors using Open data kit (ODK). The national coverage achieved was 87.5% by the post-campaign survey with 65% of states reporting higher coverage in 2018 compared to 2015. Conclusion Polio eradication assets and lessons learned can be applied to measles elimination efforts as the eradication and elimination efforts have similar strategies and programme implementation infrastructure needs. Leveraging these strategies and resources to support MVC planning and implementation resulted in more realistic planning, improved accountability and availability of human and fiscal resources. This approach may have resulted in better MVC outcomes and contributed to Nigeria’s efforts in measles control and elimination.

This Investigation was conducted among a small group of IDP population living at the heart of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, which is the capital city of Nigeria. The study was conducted to determine the living conditions of Internally Displaced Persons in the Camp and their access to basic amenities as action research. It was conducted through an unstructured interview of the sampled population in the Camp to source relevant information. Data was collected by taking notes and recording of interview sessions. Results revealed that 2830 individuals live in the camp, mostly in family units. IDPs in the camp come from the Northeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria in the states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, with the majority of them from Borno state. They were all displaced as a result of insurgency. This IDP camp is organized with a leadership structure and defined system for the management of amenities such as the health clinic, water supply, allocation of shelter, and sharing of donated items received from philanthropists, the private sector, and other well-wishers. The camp has running water, a clinic for basic health care provision, a borehole, toilet facilities, a store for foodstuff and a security post within 500 metres to 1 kilometre of the Camp.

A body of knowledge (BOK) refers to the core teachings and skills required to work in a particular field of human endeavor or industry. This study is set to ascertain if there is need to develop an acceptable body of knowledge on public procurement practice in Nigeria. It adopted a survey research design as open ended questionnaires were administered and used to elicit response on subject matter. The population consists of procurement staff in some selected MDA’s at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Outcome of the study reveals that there is no one-stop body of knowledge or a comprehensive guide on procurement practice in Nigeria. This may be a pointer to the fact that, there is need to establish one. It is one thing for Nigeria to enact the Public Procurement Act; it is yet another for practitioners as well as the general public to fully understand and imbibe the basic tenets and regulations guiding the procurement practice. It will be necessary to train and retrain practitioners and a veritable tool in this direction is the establishment of a body of knowledge on procurement practice. If this is properly articulated, will provide the procedures, skills and tools needed to practice the trade. This is bound to impact positively on process flow and make for a good procurement practice in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: After the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, a hand full of cases and deaths have been recorded globally, Nigeria inclusive. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the COVID-19 weekly disease update report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) covering February 29, 2020 (Week 9) and March 28, 2021 (Week 12) was adopted for this study. Data were curated from the NCDC database. RESULTS: As of March 28, 2021, Nigeria is the 5(th) most affected African country and the 77(th) most affected country globally with 162,593 COVID-19 cases and 2,048 COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-19 has been reported in all 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory. However, Lagos has remained the epicenter of the pandemic accounting for 35.4% of the pandemic in Nigeria while Kogi State is the least affected State (0.003%). The trend showed male predilection while the age bracket 35-39 years was the most affected. The attack rate was found to be 78.8 per 100,000 of the population while the cumulative death per 100,000 of the population was found to be 1.0. The case fatality rate was found to be 1.30. Approximately 1,778,105 COVID-19 tests have been performed while 923,623 doses of vaccine have been administered. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has been reported in all states in Nigeria as well as the Federal Capital Territory with many of the cases involving males. The case trend showed a bimodal form indicating a second wave occurrence. Nigeria government has initiated some combative measures as well as vaccine initiation.

The politics of land rights and low or high intensity protest in the twenty-first century has produced several land-related protesters with a variety of strategies. This study focuses on the challenges of urbanization as it affects the Kpaduma community in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (fct), Nigeria. Kpaduma, an indigenous group, has a history of protest at various times with the government over its ancestral land. The last protest in 2016 brought massive destruction of settlements and forced displacement. Quite a number of works have been written on the land protests, with particular reference to their causes and consequences. However, the post-protests situation, particularly regarding the tense relationship and urbanization process in the locality, is yet to be sufficiently explored. This study investigates the state of relations between the government and Kpaduma as well as the urbanization processes in the country’s capital after the forced displacement of Kpaduma.

Essentiality of water sustain life, and a satisfactory supply must be readily available to promote health, prolong life expectancy and prevent diseases. This study assesses the sources and quality of drinking water in Piwoyi community of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Thirty-five (35) Boreholes and Two (2) Sachet water were identified sources of drinking water in Piwoyi Community. Six Samples (5 Boreholes and 1Sachet water) were selected at random and analyzed in the laboratory. The Physicochemical parameters examined include electrical conductivity (EC), pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolve oxygen (DO), chloride, total hardness, alkalinity, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, phosphorous, sulphate, sodium, potassium, fluoride, bicarbonate, nitrate-nitrogen, nitrite, copper, iron and zinc; and Microbiological parameters include Coliforms, E-coli and Faecal Strep. The results of analysis shows significant concentration of physicochemical and microbiological parameters in the samples of water analyzed according to Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality thereby makes the water unsafe for drinking. Drinking from these sources of water will pose serious health risk to the people of Piwoyi Community. Therefore, the study helps to identify the contaminated locations as well as assist to follow emerging remedial measures toward controlling the contamination source in the community. It also recommends continuous monitoring and enforcement of environmental violations, aggressive sensitization on water sanitation and hygiene; adequate purification of water at domestic level; and government support on potable water supply and establish reasonable management strategies for sustainable water quality protection toward protecting public health.

Background Implementing an evidence-based hypertension program in primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria is an opportunity to improve hypertension diagnosis, treatment, and control and reduce deaths from cardiovascular diseases. This qualitative research study was conducted in Nigerian PHCs with patients, non-physician health workers, administrators and primary care physicians to inform contextual adaptations of Kaiser Permanente Northern California's hypertension model and the World Health Organization’s HEARTS technical package for the system-level, Hypertension Treatment in Nigeria (HTN) Program. Methods Purposive sampling in 8 PHCs identified patients (n = 8), non-physician health workers (n = 12), administrators (n = 3), and primary care physicians (n = 6) for focus group discussions and interviews. The Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) conceptual framework and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) domains were used to develop semi-structured interviews (Appendix 1, Supplemental Materials) and coding guides. Content analysis identified multilevel factors that would influence program implementation. Results Participants perceived the need to strengthen four major health system inputs across CFIR domains for successful adaptation of the HTN Program components: (1) reliable drug supply and blood pressure measurement equipment, (2) enable and empower community healthcare workers to participate in team-based care through training and education, (3) information systems to track patients and medication supply chain, and (4) a primary healthcare system that could offer a broader package of health services to meet patient needs. Specific features of the PHCPI framework considered important included: accessible and person-centered care, provider availability and competence, coordination of care, and proactive community outreach. Participants also identified patient-level factors, such as knowledge and beliefs about hypertension, and financial and transportation barriers that could be addressed with better communication, home visits, and drug financing. Participants recommended using existing community structures, such as village health committees and popular opinion leaders, to improve knowledge and demand for the HTN Program. Conclusions These results provide information on specific primary care and community contextual factors that can support or hinder implementation and sustainability of an evidence-based, system-level hypertension program in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, with the ultimate aim of scaling it to other parts of the country.

BACKGROUND The need for accurate HIV annual program planning data motivated the compressed timeline for the 2018 Nigerian HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS). The survey team used stakeholder cooperation and responsive design, using survey process and paradata to refine survey implementation, to quickly collect high-quality data. We describe processes that led to generation of data for program and funding decisions, ensuring HIV services were funded in 2019. SETTING Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with approximately 195 million people in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Challenges include multiple security threats, poor infrastructure, seasonal rains, and varied health system capacity. METHODS Stakeholders worked together to plan and implement NAIIS. Methods from other population-based HIV impact assessments were modified to meet challenges and the compressed timeline. Data collection was conducted in 6 webs. Responsive design included reviewing survey monitoring paradata and laboratory performance. Costs required to correct data errors, for example, staff time and transportation, were tracked. RESULTS NAIIS data collection was completed in 23 weeks, ahead of the originally scheduled 24 weeks. Responsive design identified and resolved approximately 68,000 interview errors, affecting approximately 62,000 households, saving about US$4.4 million in costs. Biweekly field laboratory test quality control improved from 50% to 100% throughout NAIIS. CONCLUSIONS Cooperation across stakeholders and responsive design ensured timely release of NAIIS results and informed planning for HIV epidemic control in Nigeria. Based on NAIIS results, funds were provided to place an additional 500,000 HIV-positive Nigerians on antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2020, pushing Nigeria toward epidemic control.

Background: A major factor contributing to poor health outcomes in Nigeria is the government's low investment in the health sector. Nigeria’s National Health Act (2014) proposed a radical shift in health financing by establishing Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) scheme. This study assessed clients’ satisfaction with service provision after two years of implementation of the scheme in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.Methods: Health facility-based cross-sectional design and two-stage sampling method were used to select 400 adult clients at Primary Health Care facilities. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 22.0 and the level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of Results: Median age of respondents was 30 years (Interquartile Range = 11), the majority were females; 326 (81.5%) and mostly married; 345 (86.3%). The majority; 357 (89.4%) experienced quick responses to emergencies and most of the enrolled clients; 76 (88.4%) benefitted from free services. The majority; 350 (87.5%) also received prescribed drugs and 369 (92.3%) were satisfied with the services. Factors associated with service satisfaction were being female client [AOR; 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01-0.80], p=0.03, having 3-4 children (AOR; 3.6, 95% CI=1.2-11.4), p=0.03 and Christian faith (AOR; 2.8, 95% CI=1.1-7.0), p=0.03.Conclusion: High client satisfaction was associated with the introduction of the BHCPF scheme at Primary Health Care facilities in the study area. The scheme provides an opportunity to improve the quality of maternal and child healthcare services at these facilities. The gains recorded should be sustained through regular supervision and continuous engagement with clients to address their concerns.

The study examined the challenges of emergency management and response in Nigeria; a case study of FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FCT Nigeria. The study assesses the nature and trend of disasters and emergency situations prevalent in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the effectiveness of FEMA’s response to emergency situations in the FCT, and highlights the challenges of the Federal Environmental Management Agency of FCT. Both primary and secondary methods of data collection were used. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed that road crashes and flooding are the highest emergency situations recorded in the area. The trend shows that in 2014, 40 emergency situations were recorded, 26 in 2016, and 49 the highest in 2019. In terms of the effectiveness of FEMA’s response to emergencies, the study findings revealed that from 2014 to 2019, 215 emergency situations were recorded, 740 lives were saved as a result of FEMA’s response time of 3 to 15 minutes. The study also revealed that FCT FEMA synergies with other emergency stakeholders in emergency management and response. Training of staffs was periodically carried out to improve productivity and level of alertness of the staff. Some of the humanitarian services of FCT FEMA include the distribution of relief materials and school enrolment for internally displaced persons (IDPs). These notwithstanding, the activities of the agency have been constrained by inadequate funding, poor logistics, wrong address from callers, lack of proper maintenance of infrastructure and equipment, improper vulnerability assessment, and inadequate and ineffective legal and regulatory framework. Based on the findings, the study recommends adequate funding, use of other means of transportation, public enlightenment, and increase synergies among emergency management stakeholders.

This article discussed the challenges facing planning of education in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. The article made used of secondary data which was sorted from print material and online publication. The article identified; inadequate planning funds, inadequate Educational Planners, lack of data/information to plan, lack of planning materials, political influence, political instability, institutional corruption, poor implementation of planed actions and poor capacity development of educational Planners as the challenges facing planning of education in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. To solve these problems facing educational planning in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the following was suggested: generation of creditable data/information for planning, adequate funding of educational planning, provision of planning materials, employment of more professional educational planner, ensure independent of educational Planners, fight institutional corruption, ensure policy continuity in Federal Capital Territory, and ensure constant training and retraining programme for Educational planners in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.

The paper examines the relevance of geospatial maps and technics in execution of livelihood support projects among rural poor. Previous attempts towards driving the poor along prosperity pathways in Nigeria have failed because of incorrect deployment of interventions in time and space. Global positioning systems and Geographical information systems were employed in this study to provide insight to the challenges faced by previous livelihood support projects in the country while also providing a robust spatial decision support system for geographical targeting of interventions to vulnerable households. The study selected 1,459 households from the 42,000 households adopted for the Feed the Future Project in 3 northern States namely; Sokoto, Kebbi States and the Federal Capital Territory. Acquired survey data were converted into GIS maps so as to expose hidden trends in the characteristics of target population and to suggest the best options for interventions. The data were subjected to spatial analysis such as simple distance analysis. The outcomes revealed 86% of sampled households to be largely below the poverty line. This is mainly due to poor access to facilities like health care, markets, good roads, agricultural inputs, agricultural information and advisory services. 10 % of children’s absolute score of Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) revealed acute malnutrition. 42 % of the household however now have stronger safety nets as a result of the interventions. The study found Spatial Information technology highly useful in social intervention project as the one by the Feed the Future project

Objective: The study assessed the knowledge, attitude and management practices of diabetes patients attending medical outpatient department in Federal Capital Territory Abuja. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 randomly selected respondents between 18 - 65 years were assessed using standard methods in a cross-sectional survey involving the use of validated semi-structured questionnaires. Results: The findings revealed that 60% of patients were without health insurance despite the fact that they are educated; 53% have been diagnosed and began their treatment between 2 and 5 years. For the knowledge indicators, 50% of the patients know two types of diabetes, 35% were able to list two types of diabetes while 56.70% could not list any type of diabetes. Attitude assessment among the diabetic patients revealed that 79.17%, 62.50%, 68.33% and 51.67% visit a physician; do monitor their blood glucose, have altered their eating habit and agreed that sedentary lifestyle is not good respectively; 41.67% of the respondents read health materials. In the area of lifestyle, changes made by the diabetic patients include check-up (3.33%), diet (18.33%) and exercise (20.00); 40.00% and 14.17% made a combination of two and three lifestyle changes respectively. Majority of the respondents do have their blood glucose level checked monthly. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, the diabetic patients’ knowledge, attitude and dietary practices are contributing factors to their high fasting blood glucose and poor nutrition status.

This research paper focuses on modelling and simulation of 330 KV, 600 MW Shiroro Substation in the DIgSILENT Environment for the integration of Hybrid Solar PV – Hydro System to improve power supply in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja, Nigeria. A hybrid energy system is a system that combines multiple types of energy generations to satisfy the demand of the users effectively and efficiently. The Solar Photovoltaic (PV)/Hydro hybrid system consists of electrical energy generated from solar PV and hydro energy. Effect of environmental issues, reduction of fossil fuels in addition to its high cost have actively encouraged interest in great integration of renewable energy sources in power systems. This work capitalized on the possibilities of harnessing commercial solar energy and feeding it to the National grid through a nearby 330 KV substation at Shiroro Dam. The simulation is carried out in DIgSILENT (Power factory) environment. The Shiroro 16 kV, 330 kV, 600 MW Transmission Lines are modelled, and results of simulations of the five bus bars (Jebba, Shiroro, Gwagwalada, Katampe and Kaduna) voltages directly connected to Shiroro Network are: 331.8kV, 331.7 kV, 329.3 kV, 325.6 kV and 332.2 kV, respectively. All the values are within the Operational and Statutory Limits of the National Grid Code.

Despite the wide coverage of study on vulnerability in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria over the years, it was observed that no emphasis has been placed on assessment of vulnerability of croplands to climate variability using the integrated vulnerability assessment and Geo-Informatics technique. This was achieved by determining the climate variability pattern in FCT from 1981 to 2017, determining the exposure index and the degree of sensitivity of croplands to climate variability, assessing the adaptive capacity of farmers to climate variability, evaluating the vulnerability of croplands to climate variability and developing vulnerability maps of croplands using the information produced. Yam, beans and maize were used as referenced crops in this study. Indicators were generated and analyzed on the three components of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The study used the mixed research design. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to assign weight to the indicators. The weights were used to generate the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity indices which were used to generate the vulnerability index map. Aggregate vulnerability index (AVI) was finally determined from the weighted sum of all indicators and used to produce the vulnerability map of the six Area Councils. The study shows that Gwagwalada Area Council has the highest vulnerability (0.2323) and Abaji Area Council has the lowest (0.005). Kwali and AMAC Area Councils were highly vulnerable to climate variability (Kwali 0.1562, AMAC 0.1565). Kuje Area Council has low vulnerability (0.0273) to climate variability. Bwari Area Council showed moderate vulnerability (0.0982). The implication of the results is that the three crops (maize, beans and yam) will produce moderately at moderate vulnerability while their production will be marginal and optimal at very high and very low vulnerabilities respectively. Crop production will be optimum in Abaji, marginal in Gwagwalada and moderate in Bwari. The study also revealed that vulnerability assessment is essential in determining the varying degrees of vulnerability in different localities. It also provides information that can help researchers, policy makers, private and public institutions in planning location-based adaptation strategies and prioritizing allocating limited resources in FCT. Agriculture should be heavily subsidized in terms of providing irrigation infrastructure to farmers to reduce over-reliance on rain fed agriculture. Installation of early weather warning system manned with expertise should be made available in all the Area Councils to provide timely and accurate climatic information to farmers.

The contraceptive prevalence rate for any family planning method among currently married women in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is 23.9%; use of any modern method (20.3%) among currently married women, use of any traditional method (3.6%), not currently using any method (76.1%), and total fertility rate is 4.3 per woman (NDHS 2018). The study aimed at assessing the determinants and clues-to-action influencing the uptake of contraceptives among women of childbearing age (15-49) years. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted from February 20-March 15, 2019 in FCT, Abuja. A multi-stage sampling method was used to recruit 360 women, out of which 348 were successfully interviewed by trained interviewers yielding a response rate of 96.7%. SPSS version 20.0 was used for analysis. Findings revealed that 94.4% of women were aware of family planning services, 24.4% reported of ever used any family planning methods, 20.6% used any modern method, and 3.8% using any traditional method. Major reasons for discontinuation of modern contraceptives indicated were: became pregnant while using contraceptives (33.8%), desire to become pregnant (31.8%), delay in conception (30.9%), health concerns (24.3%), fear of having disable babies (22.1%) and side effects (13.8%). Applying Health Beliefs model the clues-to-action for uptake of contraceptives were: quality-of-care, women’s satisfaction of products, beliefs/attitude, side effects and health concerns. Review demand creation strategies to include community health - and religious leaders as change agents, invest more in education. pharmaceutical companies to review products side effects, aggressive marketing, harmonization of stakeholders’ effort to reduce duplication, and entrench central database.

Background: Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease caused by the plasmodium parasite and women and under-five children are more prone to its adverse consequences. The use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) is recommended to reduce malaria burden in endemic communities. The study aimed to determine knowledge of malaria and utilization of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) amongst mothers of under-five children in rural communities of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, and the predictors.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional design was used. Multi-stage sampling method was used to select 160 mothers of under-five children in two rural communities. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using SPSS statistical software version 22.0 and level of statistical significance was determined by a p value of < 0.05.Results: Mean age of respondents was 29.0±5.4 years, and majority 144 (90%) of the women were married. Lower proportion of respondents had good knowledge of malaria 33 (20.6%). Ninety-four (58.8%) of respondents owned ITNs, but less than half 45 (47.9%) utilized the nets. Predictors of good knowledge of malaria were having attained tertiary education [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR); 2.7, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.1–8.1], p=0.042, and being self-employed, (AOR; 3.4, 95% CI: 1.1-13.1), p=0.043). Predictor of utilization of ITNs was being aged 30 years and above (AOR; 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-6.1, p=0.031).Conclusion: Lower proportions of respondents had good knowledge of malaria and utilization of ITNs. Health education of mothers on malaria and benefits of ITNs use should be intensified in the study area.

Engineering structures are constantly subject to damage caused by biological activities such as the action of insects, penetration of roots and fluids. Because of this, we conducted a critical study on how these activities contribute to the collapse of these structures in Nigeria. The damage caused by biological activities was evaluated in fifteen buildings in Cross River State, of these buildings six showed damage caused by termites, two of the failed engineering structures were linked to development of roots of plants, and the remaining seven were linked to poor quality building materials, poor compaction, lack of supervision, poor engineering design. Others ten structurally failed buildings were examined in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria, of these four were linked to biological activities of termites, with subsurface porosity showing evidence of surface water discharge zones, two of the failed structures were linked to the growth activities of roots of trees, and four to poor construction design. The road that links Cross River State to Abuja had more than 80 points of failure, the majority of which were linked to poor compaction of road foundation, root of plants and fluid interference. Such damage could be prevented through: thorough investigation of biological activities existing and likely to exist around the environment before the establishment of the engineering structure and over the years; use of bio-resistant materials, such as nano materials incorporated coatings with novel functionalities should be used in the construction of structures; protection of engineering structures from fluid penetration into foundations; and engineering structures must follow the global best practices guide lines, provided by ‘Society of Structural Engineers’.

The knowledge of exposure of croplands to climate variability is of paramount importance in adaptive capacity planning to boost food production for the world’s growing population. The study assessed the exposure of croplands to climate variability in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria using Geo-informatics. This was achieved by examining the distribution pattern of climate indices in FCT from 1981-2017, determining the exposure index of croplands in FCT Area Councils and production of exposure map of FCT Area Councils, The spatial scope of this study is the entire arable land in FCT which is made up of six Area Councils. The research is contextually restricted to exposure of croplands to climate variables while other variables remain constant. The selected climatic variables are rainfall, temperature, relative humidity and potential evapotranspiration (exposure indicators). The arable crops in focus are yam, beans and maize while the soil variables selected for the study are: soil erosion, organic carbon content of the soil, clay content of the soil and percentage of arable land available for crop production. The temporal scope of the examined exposure indicators (climate variables) was limited to a period of thirty (37) years from 1981- 2017. The result indicates that Bwari has the highest exposure (0.1671) to climate variables while Abaji has the least (0.0868) exposure. AMAC is high (0.1371), Kuje (0.1304) is moderate while Gwagwalada (0.1132) and Kwali (0.1154) have low exposures to climate variability. The implication of this on the referenced crops is that crop yield will be highly reduced in Bwari and optimum in Abaji Area Councils due to their climatic requirement. The power of Geo-Spatial Technology in combining different indices of exposure to produce exposure map was demonstrated in the study.

Increasing consumer demand for natural products have renewed food industry attention in bio preservation. Lactic acid bacteria are of particular interest as effective alternative to chemical preservation because of their food grade status. This work explores the effect of antifungal compounds produced by isolates of Lactobacillus sp on some selected pathogenic fungi growth. Samples of diary and fermented products were purchased from commercial vendors within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and screened for the presence of Lactobacillus sp. The Lactobacillus sp isolated were screened for antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum using a dual culture assay. Strains with antifungal activity were identified and the fungal inhibitory activity was further evaluated. The effect of abiotic factors on the antifungal activity was evaluated by overlay assay under different temperature and pH. Majority of the identified isolates belonged to the genus Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus sp. produced antifungal compounds under different temperatures (25ºC, 30ºC and 37ºC). The antifungal compounds produced by Lactobacillus strains showed greater inhibitory activity on Aspergillus fumigatus. At 30ºC the percentage zones of inhibition range were 44.4%- 60.4%. All isolates showed stronger antifungal activity when grown at pH 4.0 and 5.0. At a pH 2.0 there was a total inhibition of fungal growth however, there was no inhibition of fungal growth at the pH 7.0. Lactic acid bacteria can be employed as effective alternative to chemical preservatives in food. Temperature and pH of the culture medium could influence the production of antifungal compounds by lactic acid bacteria.

Clinically, antimicrobial susceptibility testing results provide guidance in the choice of antimicrobial agents in patient care. The accuracy of results from antimicrobial susceptibility testing can be affected by multiple factors including the media, antimicrobial discs or preparations, inoculum’s size, plate reading and incubation conditions. Misleading results from antimicrobial susceptibility test leads to the indiscriminate and irrational use of antibiotics and have impacted grossly to the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. The objectives of this study were to compare the efficacy of different brands of locally and foreign manufactured multi-antibiotic discs on bacteria and assess any significant variation. Two brands each of locally and foreign manufactured multi-antibiotic discs were purchased from retail stores within the FCT. The antibacterial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Salmonella typhi ATCC 9150, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Streptococcus pyogenes were carried out using agar diffusion method. There were differences between the diameter zones of inhibition produced by the local brands and the foreign brands of antibiotic discs. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (30 µg) disc produced the highest variation within the four brands with zones of inhibition range 12.0 – 20.0 mm against the test organisms. There is need for regulatory bodies like NAFDAC and SON to routinely validate and assess the qualities of these products in the market.

Background Persistence of cholera outbreaks in developing countries calls for concern and more targeted intervention measures for long-term control. This research undertook spatial analysis of cholera incidence in Nigeria over a seventeen-year period to determine the existence of regional hotspots and predictors. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used for the research. Cholera data for each of the thirty-six states and the federal capital territory (FCT) were obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria. Socioeconomic data including proportion of households using solid waste disposal (unapproved dumpsite, refuse burying, refuse burning, public dumpsite, and refuse collectors), water sources (pipe borne water, well, borehole, rain water, surface waters and water vendors), sewage disposal (water closet, pit latrines, bucket/pan, public toilet and nearby bush/stream), living in a single room and earning less than minimum wage (18,000 naira) were obtained from National Population Commission. On the other hand, proportion of illiterate adults (15 years and above) and poor people; and population density were obtained from National Bureau of Statistics. Each socioeconomic data was obtained at state level. Cholera patterns were analysed at state level using Global Moran’s I while specific locations of cholera clusters were determined using Local Moran’s I. Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine socioeconomic predictors of cholera incidence. Results Local Moran’s I revealed significant cluster patterns in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010 in Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, and Kano states. Households using surface water was the significant predictor (23%) of the observed spatial variations in cholera incidence. Conclusions Persistence of cholera outbreaks in some north east and north western states calls for more targeted, long-term and effective intervention measures especially on provision of safe sources of water supply by government and other stakeholders.

Background: COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that has ravaged the health systems of developed and developing countries. At the time of writing this article, Nigeria had recorded about 254 thousand cases and 3,141 mortalities. The Federal Capital Territory Abuja accounts for 12.4% of the total cases in Nigeria with a mortality rate of 0.9%. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge, risk perception, and level of uptake of the vaccine among the adult population in Abuja. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 180 consenting adults from November to December 2021 in a selected community in Abuja. It was operational research conducted by the Advocacy and Social Mobilization Unit of the Primary Health Care Board. Results: The majority; 131(72.8%) of participants were aware of COVID-19 and 145 (80.6%) thought the disease was very dangerous. Over half, 91 (50.6%) felt they were at risk of contracting the disease. The most reported preventive measures taken were hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and social distancing. Three out of every ten persons, 57 (31.7%) had been fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19. Over a third, 26 (38.8%), of those who were unwilling to get vaccinated reported safety concerns. We, therefore, recommend to the Advocacy and Social Mobilization Unit of the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board to develop clear messages that address vaccine safety issues.

Information concerning occupational accidents are far less accessible in developing nations, and where data do present, they are mostly undependable. The serious problem is under-reporting. Various types of occupational injuries information are sometimes not reported to the appropriate authorities by the construction organizations. Also, the regulatory authorities with the statutory obligation to ensure all occupational accidents are reported, perform below standard. The aim of the study therefore is to explore the method of improving the reporting of occupational accidents in the Nigerian construction industry. Literature review of under-reporting of occupational accidents was conducted, thereafter, a field survey with 300 structured questionnaires were distributed, to solicit information from the construction professionals in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria. 235 questionnaires were returned, therefore considered for the analysis of the study. The relative importance index was used in the analysis of the data with SPSS software. The study found that an increase in health and safety awareness will enhance employees and organizations in the recording and reporting of occupational accidents. The study suggests that organizations and employees should keep with internal accidents recording systems whether or not legal obligations to report them are in place, the reasons being for humanitarian, economic, management and industrial relations.

Background: The governments of many countries have taken steps to avert the spread of COVID 19. The gradual relaxation of the lockdown in Nigeria might be counter-productive if not properly managed. The best means to reduce and stop transmission is for the public to be adequately informed about the disease and its preventive measures. This research assessed the knowledge of COVID-19 and practice of preventive measures along with its predictors among Nigerian residents during the ease of the lockdown. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1421 adult residents of Nigeria. Data were collected between 6th and 20th September, 2020, using a semi-structured online questionnaire adapted from previous studies. IBM SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis. Pearson's Chi-square and logistic regression were used to determine the predictors of preventive practices. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 27.5 ± 9.1 years. A very large proportion (98.8%) of the respondents had a good knowledge of the disease (score of ≥4 out of 6 variables) and the internet (70.1%) was the major source of their information. However, only 57.6% of them had good practice of preventive measures of the disease (score of ≥3 out of 4). Predictor of good practice of preventive measure included female sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.626; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.078–3.319), being married (AOR = 2.177; 95% CI = 1.568–3.023), and possessing tertiary and postgraduate level of education (AOR = 1.813; 95% CI = 1.082–3.036 and AOR = 2.102; 95% CI = 1.206–3.664, respectively). However, residents in local government headquarters and other villages as well as towns (AOR = 0.541; 95% CI = 0.388–0.756 and AOR = 0.587; 95% CI = 0.350–0.983, respectively) have less likelihood of engaging in good practice of preventive measures. Conclusion: Majority of the research participants had good knowledge of the disease, while about half take part in good preventive practices measures. Predictors of the practice measures included sex, level of education, place of residence, as well as marital status. Therefore, targeted interventions should be directed to the males, those who reside outside the Federal Capital Territory and state capitals, and other high-risk groups as found by this study to reduce the risk of disease contraction during this period.

Background: Presbyacusis is a major cause of hearing loss among seniors. The condition attracts attention following the prediction of World Health Organization that elderly population is expected to hit 1.2 billion by 2025 out of which more than 500 million of them will suffer from sensorineural hearing loss(SHL) worldwide. The studies have shown that this begins to reflect on audiograms as from the third decade, mainly in the high frequencies. Aim/objective: This study evaluated the early on-set presbyacusis at Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal capital territory-Abuja. Method: It was a multi-stage sampling, prospective, cross-sectional study done in FCT, Abuja. Participants from age 20 years and above were recruited into the study after signing informed consent. The presumed risk factors as highlighted in the questionnaire were screened out. Results: Two hundred and two participants were recruited into the study, out of which twelve were excluded from the analysis on account of various exclusion criteria. The age range of the participants was 20 to 79 years, with an average age of 54.8 ± 5.6 years. One hundred and fourteen (60.0%) males and seventy-six (40.0%) females participated in the study. The commonly reported associated symptom was tinnitus. About 32.0% of the participants had moderate sensorineural hearing loss. However, the prevalence of presbyacusis was 28.2% for age below 65 years and 78.8% for 65 years and above. The cumulative prevalence was 54.2%. Conclusion: The study has shown that presbyacusis occur as early as the third decade of life, possibly subclinical before age 65 years. The prevalence was 28.2% before age 65 years and 78.8% from age 65 years, there was a steady increase in percentage of participants with SNHL from age 20 years, and a significant sudden increase from 65 years was observed with a sloping tracing at high frequency.

This study examined the relationship between personality factors and marital conflict resolution strategies among spouses in (AMAC) Federal Capital Territory Abuja. Two research questions and corresponding hypotheses were raised to guide this study. The personality factors such as educational qualification and length of marriage were the focus of this study. Samples of a hundred respondents consisting of 50 young and aged married couples, selected using the purposive sampling technique. The research questions were analysed using Pearson Product Moment correlation while the hypotheses were tested using the significance of Pearson (r) at 0.05 level of significance using t-test. The findings revealed that there is a significant relationship; between educational qualification and conflict resolution strategies of married people, also; between the length of marriage and conflict resolution strategies of married people. The study recommended that couples to be should get to understand each other in the area of likes and dislikes, ideologies and personality make-ups. Keywords: Personality factors, marital conflict resolution strategies and spouses.

The epidemiological studies and clinical features of Schistosoma hermatobium were carried out on 100 pupils of Local Education Authority (L.E.A) Primary School in Giri Village, Abuja. The result of this study showed a total prevalence rate of 33%. The prevalence of Schistosoma hermatobium in relation to gender showed that the male pupils 33.9% were more infected than the female pupils 31.8% But there was no significant relationship between prevalence and gender (p> 0.05). However, the prevalence rate in relation to age group showed that age group 14-16 had the highest rate of prevalence (43.5%). Statistical analysis also showed that there is positive correlation between prevalence and the various age groups (p0.05). This study reveals that Schistosoma hermatobium parasite is a concern in Giri area, Abuja, FCT. Therefore, this study recommends that the government should create awareness on the impact of this disease and to enlighten the children through health education programs on the mode of transmission of this parasite and how to control Schistosomiasis.

The aim of this study is to investigate the challenges facing the planning of mathematics programme in Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research survey design. The population of the study comprised ninety (90) respondents. Stratified and systematic sampling technique was used to select the sample population. The study employed the used of questionnaire as instrument for data collection. Two lecturers from Educational Administration and planning from University of Abuja was consulted to validate the questionnaire. Three research questions and two hypotheses were developed for the study. Test-retest reliability was employed for the study. Percentage and Chi-square test was used to test the hypotheses and data collected from the study. The result revealed that there are challenges facing the planning of mathematics programme of senior secondary education and the challenges includes; inadequate data/information to plan, inadequate funding of planning of mathematics programme, poor capacity development of few mathematics planners, inadequate professional mathematics planners ,political instability, corruption and lack of political will to support planning of mathematics education. The study concluded that the implication of the challenges on the implementation mathematics education is poor implementation of the mathematics programme in the senior secondary schools. The study recommends that the government should increase the funding of educational planning in the country especially mathematics education.

Enrolment without attendance is a common problem among nomadic populations in Africa. This study examines the curricula, cultural diversity and learning environments of children enrolled in nomadic primary schools in Nigeria. The study sample comprised 200 (169 female, 31 male) teachers and 50 grade 5 and 6 students (23 female, 27 male) of 25 nomadic primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Motivated by the need to solve the persistent problem of low attendance and retention among the children of nomadic families, the authors initiated a survey. They developed a questionnaire to investigate the influence of curriculum, cultural diversity and the learning environment on the enrolment of nomadic children and complemented their survey with semi-structured interviews. They analysed their collected data using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), which revealed that a relevant curriculum, a suitable learning environment and diverse learning practices have significant positive implications on enrolment of nomadic children in primary schools. At the end of this article, the authors provide a number of recommendations towards making school attendance more attractive for nomadic children, with the potential effect of providing them with a more satisfying learning experience.

This paper examines defendants’ argumentative discourse in the 2008 Nigerian investigative public hearings on the Federal Capital Territory administration. The data, which consist of nine defendants’ presentations, are analyzed qualitatively, using a combination of the pragma-dialectical and extended pragma-dialectical theories of argumentation. The findings show that the hearing panel initially starts of as the institutional protagonist and defendants as the antagonists, and but later serve as the institutional antagonist and protagonists, respectively. The defendants tend to use analogy and causal argumentation schemes while employing subordinative and complementary coordinative argumentation structures. The defendants also employ different strategic maneuvers at different argumentative stages of the critical discussion. Due to the politico-forensic communicative domain and information-seeking genre of the investigative public hearing discourse, the concluding stage is suspended. Thus, the study shows the influence of communicative activity type on the argumentative activities in a critical discussion.

The quality of water sources should be tested regularly for various parameters of interest to ensure it meet the standard qualities required for intended use(s). Thus, the suitability of Usuma dam water for domestic use in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory Abuja was assessed. The objectives were to assess the properties of Usuma dam water and ascertain its suitability for domestic purpose. A total of thirty (30) water samples were fetched directly. Ten (10) samples each from upstream, downstream and middle were collected. Precautions were taken to prevent sample contamination. Data collected were analyzed as follows: The water properties was analyzed using range and mean, suitability of water properties for domestic purpose was analyzed by comparing range and mean values with Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for domestic uses. Result showed that water sample were slight acidic (6.83), EC was low (122-180 µs/cm3), TDS (120-144 Mg/l), TSS (1.2-1.7 Mg/l, turbidity (0.29-5.37 Mg/l,) total hardness (7.18-40.46 Mg/l) DO (3.8-4.7 Mg/l), BOD (2.2-4.21 Mg/l), and (25.6-55.4 Mg/l). Minerals nutrients (Ca, Mg, Cl-,Na, K, NO-3 and PO-4. ) in water samples were lower than regulatory standard while heavy metals (Fe, Si, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Mn, F and B) were relatively higher than regulatory standard. It was concluded that water from Usuma dam are not safe for domestic purpose especially drinking.