Niger Delta University

Addressing the continued destructive effects of floods on buildings and the built environment has been a more than a decade-old problem for the people of Bayelsa State, one of the geographical States in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Past empirical investigations in Bayelsa State have conducted independent studies to investigate the effectiveness of structural flood control measures and building-level adaptation measures. Although these studies were partially successful when used independently, they failed to answer the question of how the two strategies can be integrated to form a cohesive flood management framework that is distinct to Baylsa State. Regardless of these different efforts, buildings and built environment continue to experience high inundation depths, long flood duration, building damages and constant devastation by major floods in the State. The paper takes a model development framework, synthesis of previous empirical research on structural flood mitigation and building adaptation measures in Bayelsa State, to formulate an integrated flood mitigation and adaptation model (F-MAM-AB22). The proposed model was formed using the effective mitigation and adaptation practices, and the nature-based solutions reported in the literature were relevant. The F-MAM-AB22 model presents an effective decision-support model capable of increasing resilience to building damage, as well as minimizing the level of damage in comparison with the implementation of isolated strategies. The model provides a viable decision support tool to the policy makers, designers and other stakeholders who would like to realize flood resilient built environments in flood-prone areas in Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta generally. Received: 16 January 2026 / Accepted: 28 February 2026 / Published: March 2026

Cockroach infestation poses significant public health risks due to their role in pathogen transmission. This study evaluated the bio-insecticidal activity of Laurus nobilis (bay leaf) ethanolic extract against 240 adults Periplaneta americana under laboratory conditions. Sixty adult cockroaches each were exposed to three extract concentrations (T1: 1.5 g/m², T2: 1.0 g/m², T3: 0.5 g/m²) and a control for 8 hours. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, saponins, glycosides, steroids, terpenoids, coumarins and abundant essential oils, all of which are bioactive metabolites known to contribute to insect toxicity. Mortality, knockdown time (KT₅₀, KT₉₀) and lethal dose (LD₅₀, LD₉₀) were assessed. By 8 hours, all treatments achieved 100% mortality, whereas the control showed 0% mortality. Treatment T1 exhibited the fastest toxic action, with cumulative mortality increasing to 25% by 4 hours, KT₅₀ = 2.80 hours and KT₉₀ = 5.60 hours. Treatment T2 produced moderate effects, recording 20% mortality at 4 hours, KT₅₀ = 4.10 hours and KT₉₀ = 7.90 hours. Treatment T3 showed slower initial activity (0–15% deaths at 1–4 hours) but reached complete mortality by 8 hours, with KT₅₀ = 5.50 hours and KT₉₀ = 10.20 hours. LD₅₀ values were lowest for T1 (11.20 mg/cm²), followed by T2 (17.00 mg/cm²) and T3 (23.80 mg/cm²), while LD₉₀ followed the same trend (T1: 25.30, T2: 33.50, T3: 40.70 mg/cm²). ANOVA indicated significant differences among treatments (F = 16.42, p = 0.001), with Tukey HSD confirming T1 as significantly more effective than T2 and T3. The strong insecticidal performance is attributed to the synergistic action of terpenoids together with phenolic compounds and flavonoids that induced oxidative stress, neurotoxicity and metabolic disruption in cockroaches. These findings demonstrate dose-dependent and time-dependent bio-pesticidal effects of L. nobilis extract, supporting its potential as a natural, eco-friendly alternative to synthetic insecticides for sustainable cockroach management.

Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding defined as putting the neonate to the breast within the first hour of life, is a critical intervention for ensuring long-term breastfeeding success. However, early breastfeeding initiation rates are low in common practice, especially following Caesarean delivery. It is important that post-operative management protocols with duration of hospital stay are examined as they impact on the initiation of breastfeeding after uncomplicated Caesarean delivery. The study aims to determine and compare the time of initiation of breastfeeding in the ultra-short versus the traditional post-operative management protocol after uncomplicated Caesarean delivery. Methods: A randomized controlled trial done in three centres in Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. The Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, and the Diete-Koki Memorial Hospital, Opolo. A total of 179 women who just had uncomplicated Caesarean delivery were randomized into the ultra-short stay (90) and traditional groups (89), and were recruited in the recovery room immediately after the uncomplicated Caesarean delivery. The women in the ultra-short stay group were given minty chewing gums (menthos) to chew for two hours, within the first six hours after surgery; started ambulating and commenced oral intake with catheter discontinued 6-12 hours post-operative. The traditional group was ambulant, oral intake initiated and urethral catheter discontinued 12-24 hours post-operative. The neonates were put to the mother’s breast by the healthcare provider (the Nurse on duty or occasionally the attending Doctor) as soon as she was disposed to breastfeed. In the ultra-short stay group, the wounds were inspected, exposed and the patient discharged at 36-48 hours post-operative. In the traditional group, the wounds were inspected and exposed and patient discharged on day 3-5. Results:. The mean time of initiation of breastfeeding was 1.3 and 2.4 days in the ultra-short and traditional hospital-stay groups respectively. The ultra-short stay group had significantly earlier initiation of breastfeeding (t=2.92, p<0.001, CI=1.35-1.84, RR=1.58). Conclusion: There is earlier initiation of breastfeeding in the ultra-short stay than the traditional hospital-stay protocol, after uncomplicated Caesarean delivery. Trial was retrospectively registered by the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry(PACTR), number PACTR202509662932971, 11 September, 2025.

Abstract This study evaluates the Se concentration and examines the geologic controls on Se concentration in Upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene mudrocks in parts of Southern Nigeria. Geochemical analysis [(major and trace elements, total organic and inorganic carbon (TOC and TIC)] and pH measurements were conducted on seventy-three mudrock outcrop samples from the estuarine Late Campanian to Mid-Maastrichtian Mamu Formation and ditch cuttings from water wells that penetrated the marine Palaeogene Imo Formation from the Anambra basin and Niger Delta basin in the Southern Benue Trough. Selenium concentration in the Palaeogene calcareous marine mudrock samples reaches up to 21 ppm, significantly exceeding data observed in the Upper Cretaceous estuarine mudrock samples. Covariation charts suggest that Se adsorption onto clay, Fe-minerals, and limited sorption by organic matter in the estuarine mudrock samples are compared to adsorption onto clays, calcite, and very limited sequestration by Fe-minerals observed in the calcareous marine mudrocks. Principal component analysis and redundancy analysis reveal a dominant influence of carbonate minerals on selenium sequestration. Additionally, the Palaeogene calcareous marine mudrock samples are less acidic (mean pH 5.92) than the Upper Cretaceous estuarine mudrocks with a mean pH of 5.02. Therefore, it is hypothesized that higher pH may slightly promote the bioavailability of Se, resulting in higher Se intake by plants in areas underlain by the Palaeogene calcareous mudrocks.

Large-scale infrastructure disruptions increasingly shape human behaviour, livelihoods, and institutional trust, yet post-impact assessment remains dominated by technocratic and ex ante evaluation frameworks. Here we argue that conventional environmental and engineering assessments systematically under-capture lived experience, behavioural adaptation, and governance accountability, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where infrastructure dependence is high, and margins for error are narrow. Based on a post-impact assessment of a canal blockade affecting the Imiringi and Anyu communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, we propose a human-centred Post Impact Assessment (PIA) framework organized around three interdependent pillars: lived impacts, behavioural adaptation, and institutional response. We show how integrating these pillars reframes post-impact assessment from a procedural exercise into a mechanism for social learning, ethical accountability, and policy recalibration, offering a scalable approach for governing contested infrastructure disruptions in an era of climate stress, infrastructural aging, and institutional fragility. Policymakers should mandate the integration of this PIA framework into national infrastructure governance policies, requiring participatory data collection on the three pillars and linking findings to recovery funding and reforms, while agencies establish cross-functional units to initiate assessments within 30 days of disruptions for timely social repair.

The service life of a weld fabricated engineering product is dependent on the surface finish of the product. Research has revealed that most of the failures observed in fabricated metal structures is linked to excessive heat input and large heat affect zone. This work is utilizing response surface method to optimizing and predicting the machined zone affected by heat of mild steel welds. The software was utilized to bring out a design matrix utilizing the group and level of the input parameters. The central composite design (CCD) was used. 30 sets of experiment were performed according to the design of experiment, the input parameters are cutting speed, feed rate, nose roughness and chip thickness. From the results obtained, the ANOVA showed that the second order polynomial was suggested as the best fit to predict the large response. The metals developed have high strength and adequately.

This paper undertakes an ethno-philosophical analysis of the soul (‘teme’) as conceived within the Kalabari Ijaw worldview of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Despite the richness of Kalabari metaphysical thought, it remains largely absent from mainstream comparative philosophy. This study addresses that gap by positioning the Kalabari conception of the soul alongside the Western philosophical tradition, with particular attention to Plato's account in the Phaedo. Within the Kalabari framework, the body