University of Ibadan

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has intensified cyber threats, leaving individuals, organizations, and critical infrastructures increasingly vulnerable. Traditional, isolated cybersecurity approaches are no longer sufficient. Consequently, collaborative cybersecurity and co-creation have emerged as vital strategies that unite the strengths of diverse stakeholders. Yet, efforts remain fragmented due to low trust, poor coordination, and unequal capacities, especially in regions with weak regulatory systems and scarce resources. This chapter examines the roles of governments, private-sectors, academia, civil society, and end users in advancing collaborative cybersecurity. Drawing from literature, policies, and case studies, it shows how co-creation fosters innovation and resilience through shared expertise and resources. Effective collaboration relies on trust, information sharing, and clear governance. However, inconsistent regulations and weak institutional ties persist. Sustainable cybersecurity demands inclusive, transparent, trust-based cooperation among all actors.

Water pollution has become a serious environmental challenge, threatening aquatic environment and human health as a result of continuous pollutants discharged from untreated wastewater, particularly from textile industries which often contains cationic and anionic dyes. To solve the problem, there is a need to develop a sustainable and effective adsorbent material which has the capability to remove these dyes from wastewater before being discharge into water bodies. In this study, we employed a waste biomass material, Albizia lebbeck pod (ALP) to construct X-ZnO@ALP composites (where x = 0.05 and 0.1 M, loading concentration of ZnO) via in-situ co-precipitation method for effective methylene blue (MB) and congo red (CR) adsorption from aqueous environments in a single batch adsorption system. The composite’s structure was examined using FTIR, SEM/EDS, BET, and XRD techniques. The successful incorporation of ZnO enhanced the surface potential of ALP, providing additional adsorption sites for MB and CR and increasing the BET surface areas to 40.56 and 32.71 m²/g. The maximum adsorption capacities were 82.2 mg/g (MB) and 75.6 mg/g (CR) for 0.05 M-ZnO@ALP, and 61.8 mg/g (MB) and 56.2 mg/g (CR) for 0.1 M-ZnO@ALP, respectively. The performance of 0.05 M-ZnO@ALP surpass that of 0.1 M-ZnO@ALP because increasing the ZnO content led to larger particle sizes, which could limit the available adsorption active sites responsible for MB and CR adsorption due surface blockage or aggregation. The MB and CR adsorption process of UMALP, 0.05 M-ZnO@ALP, and for 0.1 M-ZnO@ALP conform to the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic models. Thermodynamic measurement confirmed that the MB and CR adsorption reaction is spontaneous, feasible and exothermic in character. The recycling experiments revealed that the MB and CR adsorption by 0.05 M-ZnO@ALP, and for 0.1 M-ZnO@ALP still maintained > 90% efficiency after three cycles, making them a suitable adsorbent materials for practical applications. Overall, ZnO-loaded Albizia lebbeck pod biomass showed a good potential for dye treatment from wastewater, • A novel nanocomposite material of x-ZnO@ALP was synthesized via an in-situ co-precipitation method. • XRD, SEM/EDX, and FTIR confirmed the successful synthesis of x-ZnO@ALP. • The constructed composite materials exhibit good adsorption performance toward MB and CR. • The MB and CR adsorption follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. • x-ZnO@ALP, effective, sustainable, and still maintain more than > 90 efficiency for MB and CR removal after 3 cycles.

Experiences of extreme confinement, identity loss and fear characterize the lived realities of many Beninese women migrant domestic workers in Osogbo, Nigeria. This study employs a descriptive qualitative design to explore persistent violations of their fundamental rights and the broader structural conditions that sustain these abuses. Data were drawn from 32 interviews with migrant workers, police officers and a human rights advocate, providing both victim and institutional perspectives. Findings reveal multiple, overlapping forms of victimization, including physical abuse, unpaid labour, food deprivation, medical neglect and forced renaming that erases cultural identity and personal autonomy. Employers exploit the women’s undocumented status to enforce excessive workloads, surveillance and isolation, while sexual harassment and threats of deportation sustain a climate of silence and dependency. Most participants were unaware of their rights, which deepens their vulnerability and discourages reporting. Despite Nigeria’s Labour Migration Policy and its commitment to international conventions, weak enforcement and public indifference perpetuate systemic neglect. The study demonstrates how economic desperation, gendered subordination and institutional failure intersect to normalize exploitation within private households. It concludes by advocating for stronger monitoring mechanisms, gender-sensitive human-rights-based migration governance and community sensitization programmes to ensure dignity, protection and lasting justice for women migrant domestic workers in Nigeria.

Despite treatment, many hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) have blood pressure (BP) that remains above guideline targets. However, less is known about patients in whom on-treatment BP is below target and major European guidelines differ substantially in their recommendations for such patients. Specifically, 2023 European Society of Hypertension (ESH) guidelines provide a Class 3 recommendation to proactively avoid BP below target whereas 2024 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines do not. Between 2020 and 2023, adults hospitalised in the previous 6-24 months with incident or recurrent CHD were sampled in 14 countries from all six WHO regions and invited for a standardised interview and examination as part of the International Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (INTERASPIRE) study. We measured seated BP twice using an automated oscillometric device after 5 min of rest. We defined participants as having BP above target (BP ≥130/80 mm Hg), at target (BP 120-129/70-79 mm Hg) or below target (<120/70 mm Hg); according to both 2023 ESH and 2024 ESC guidelines. Among 4548 participants (21.1% female), the mean age (±SD) was 60.0 (±10.3) years. At a median (IQR) of 1.05 (0.76-1.45) years after index CHD hospitalisation, 10.3% of patients had BP readings within the target range of 120-129/70-79 mm Hg, with 53.9% above target and 35.7% below target. Patients with below-target BP were more likely to have heart failure (13.6% vs 10.0%, p=0.041) and estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m² (18.9% vs 10.7%, p<0.001), when compared with those at target. They were also statistically more likely to be severely frail (p=0.030). The median number of BP-lowering medications did not differ significantly between the 3 BP target groups. Cumulative dosing of BP-lowering medications in the below-target group was also not more intensive than that in the at-target group. More than one-third of INTERASPIRE patients with CHD presented with BP <120/70 mm Hg, which is below target per current European hypertension guidelines. Further research is needed in this population to resolve discordant guideline recommendations and determine whether de-escalation of BP-lowering therapies is beneficial or even harmful in this setting.

Abstract Climate change drives internal displacement in Nigeria, severely impacting children’s rights. This article examines the legal and human rights challenges faced by displaced children, critically evaluating Nigeria’s response through international, regional and domestic legal frameworks. It analyses key instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), and Nigerian laws such as the Child Rights Act (CRA) and Climate Change Act 2021 (CCA). The study identifies substantial enforcement and accountability gaps that undermine protections for these vulnerable children. Grounded in intergenerational equity, the best interests of the child, and a domestic (intra-Nigerian) conception of climate justice, the analysis advocates a rights-based, child-centered approach. The article concludes with specific policy and legal recommendations to strengthen safeguards for children affected by climate-induced displacement, emphasising the urgent need to protect future generations.

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgical procedures performed globally. Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) is recognized globally to be effective and safe, with advantages over open surgery, but its implementation across the African continent has been slow, with only 12 countries reporting implementation, and only 3.3% of inguinal hernia repairs in sub-Saharan Africa performed using laparoscopic techniques. Robotic surgery, although still emerging within the continent, with around 20 robots primarily used in urology across South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Angola, and Tunisia, no reports of robotic inguinal hernia repair currently exist. Progress, however, is being observed with the growing interest from surgical societies, private-sector robotic expansion, and humanitarian missions introducing mesh-based and limited laparoscopic procedures. Limitations include the low global utilization of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for hernia repair despite guideline recommendations. This has been attributed to training challenges, steep learning curve, and limited evidence of benefit for bilateral and recurrent hernias. African-specific challenges include costs, inadequate training opportunities, surgeon preference, ongoing debates regarding its necessity in low-resource settings, lack of institutional support, and resource prioritization for other MIS procedures such as cholecystectomy and prostatectomy. Despite ongoing challenges, investments in research, training and cost-effective equipment, increased availability of mesh, and integration of humanitarian hernia missions into national training systems, can enhance adoption and contribute to better surgical outcomes for patients. This narrative review presents the present state of robotic and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in Africa, as well as the current challenges, and recommendations to improve adoption.

Identification of disease-associated spectral alterations of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) is critical to improving patient outcomes. Protein structural changes in serum can be investigated using a minimally invasive, potential adjunctive analytical method. This preliminary, exploratory study aimed to explore the ability of attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to characterize disease-associated serum protein structural alterations in OSCC and OPMDs relative to healthy controls (HCs). A laboratory-based analytical study was conducted using 110 serum samples from clinically and histopathologically confirmed cases: OSCC (n = 22), oral leukoplakia (OLK) (n = 22), oral lichen planus (OLP) (n = 22), oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) (n = 22), and HCs (n = 22). Spectral data were obtained with a FTIR over the 400–4000 cm⁻¹ range. Protein secondary structure alterations were analyzed using spectral deconvolution and Gaussian curve fitting. The relevance of specific wavenumbers was evaluated, and sensitivity and specificity were calculated to describe their ability to differentiate diseased groups from HCs in an exploratory manner. Alterations in the Amide I region were evident in serum samples from OSCC and OLK compared with controls, although no direct statistical comparison between disease groups was performed. Ten wavenumbers (1372, 1381, 1390, 1398, 1412, 1421, 1609, 1635, 1665, and 1683 cm⁻¹) showed statistically significant disease-associated differences between diseased groups and healthy controls. Among the evaluated spectral features, the wavenumber 1390 cm⁻¹ showed the highest sensitivity and specificity values for distinguishing OSCC from HCs (77.3% sensitivity, 86.4% specificity) and OLK from HCs (86.4% sensitivity, 77.3% specificity). ATR-FTIR spectroscopy revealed distinct protein structural alterations in serum samples from patients with OSCC and OPMD when compared with healthy individuals. Specific spectral features, particularly at 1381 cm⁻¹ and 1683 cm⁻¹, demonstrated consistent disease-associated alterations compared with HCs, indicating their potential utility as minimally invasive serum-based spectral markers in exploratory studies of oral cancer and OPMD.

Achieving food security is challenging because of complex factors, including postharvest losses (PHL). This study used data from the third wave of the Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) on agricultural households in Nigeria to examine the dynamics of PHL, its drivers, and its implications for national food security. Per capita food expenditure (PCFE) and the household dietary diversity score (HDDS) were the household food-security outcomes. Binary probit regression was used to estimate the determinants of PHL, and endogenous switching regression was used to assess the impact of PHL on household food security. The findings revealed that PHL for grains, including sorghum, maize, millet, and cowpea, was higher than that for root crops such as yam and cassava. About 40% of households were food-insecure. The age of the household head, zonation, educational level, and increases in temperature and rainfall were associated with a higher probability of PHL. Treatment effect estimates indicate that households experiencing PHL are more likely to incur higher food expenditure and experience lower dietary diversity. Consequently, higher asset value, integrated management of PHL in grains, and improved access to extension services will enhance and accelerate the attainment of national food security in Nigeria. Policy interventions, such as the proliferation of grain aggregation centres at the subnational level, value addition, localized crop processing and preservation, are imperative to sustaining efforts to reduce PHL and food insecurity.