Nigeria is the most densely populated country in Africa and one of the most advanced economically in terms of both industry and soil and landscape utilization. This country is projected to have one of the largest urban growth rates by 2050. Thus, the demands of the rapidly increasing human population and its material consumption represent a severe threat to biodiversity. Nigeria has the highest deforestation rate of natural forest in the world, its original vegetation has largely been replaced by farming activities, urban development and other products of human activities. The principal causes of the decline and loss of biodiversity in Nigeria include human exploitation of natural resources, fragmentation of habitats and populations, conversion of wild areas to agriculture and other intensive human use and alterations in the structure and function of ecosystems. Amphibians are the vertebrate group with the highest number of species threatened with extinction and habitat loss and fragmentation are considered to be among the leading causes of their declines and extinctions. It has been recognized that one of the most severe problems in conservation biology is the scarcity of baseline data. Such lack prevents evaluation of the effect of the expanding anthropogenic impact and determination of potential population declines. The mountains of eastern Nigeria, within Taraba State, are regionally important in terms of biodiversity and endemism, however, its herpetofaunal diversity has received little attention. Moreover, no studies have investigated how habitat loss and fragmentation may affect dispersal and gene flow among small and isolated amphibian populations, and in the absence of such studies attempts at amphibian conservation are compromised. The aims of this project were threefold. Firstly, a comprehensive inventory of the amphibians and reptiles of Ngel Nyaki and Kurmin Danko Reserve on the Mambilla Plateau was compiled. The outcome, an annotated list of 21 amphibians and 11 reptiles, represent the most thorough inventory to date of the herpetofauna on the Mambilla Plateau. Based on this inventory four key anuran species were selected to conduct a population genetics study. Secondly, molecular tools specifically AFLP markers were developed and used to analyze the genetic population structures of the four frog species Cardioglossa schioetzi, Leptodactylodon bicolor, Astylosternus sp. 1 and Astylosternus sp. 2. differing in geographic distribution and life history traits within the study area. Thirdly, these species were assessed to understand dispersal and connectivity among fragmented and continuous populations on the Ngel Nyaki and Kurmin Danko Reserve. Genetic differentiation among the forest and the riparian fragment populations was observed for three of the target species, however, no significant genetic differentiation was detected among the populations located in continuous forest for any of the four frog species. In addition, geographic and genetic distances were not correlated significantly for any of the four target species, suggesting no isolation by distance at this fine geographic scale. Results from both the inventory and the genetic population structure study revealed that the riparian forest fragments are of utmost importance for the persistence and migration of Cardioglossa schioetzi, and potentially for many other amphibian species. The new scientific findings are now part of the valuable baseline data on the diversity and genetic population structure of amphibian species in Ngel Nyaki and Kurmin Danko Forest Reserve. These results will better inform conservation managers who need to make decisions around management of montane habitat for amphibian species.

This thesis examined the Nigerian Domestic Gas Supply Obligation (DGSO), a policy formulated to enhance domestic natural gas supply for the improvement of electric power generation and supply in Nigeria. Using the theories of property and energy security, the thesis established legal justification for the formulation of the DGSO. Also, comparisons were drawn from countries, such as Indonesia, Western Australia and Egypt, which implemented policies similar to the DGSO. Challenges found to confront the successful implementation of the DGSO ranged from gas producers’ contractual commitments to non-existent comprehensive and pragmatic legal framework for the DGSO. The thesis concluded that with cost-reflective natural gas and electricity pricing, investment incentives and stability, adequate and secured infrastructure, effective implementation and monitoring institutions, backed up by a clear-cut regulatory framework and a strong-willed government, the DGSO could still realize its objectives of contributing immensely to the improvement of power generation and supply in Nigeria. / October 2015

The general aim in conducting this research is to investigate the teaching and learning of Social Studies in Nigeria and to understand how it is taught and its role in fostering tolerance and appreciation for cultural differences. However, teachers of Social Studies often adopt different methods. Hence, it is important to understand how their teaching impacts upon the day to day lives of Nigerians. This study is made up three discrete studies, each building upon the one before, but all three studies tell a story. Several types of data collection methods were used to obtain the findings. These included interviews, questionnaires and a class-based study. The first study explored qualitatively how ex-students have used the knowledge they gained in Social Studies in their daily lives. The second study was conducted to examine the challenges that teachers’ faced in the delivery of the Social Studies curriculum while the third study focused on the effectiveness of a scaffolded approach in the teaching and learning of Social Studies. The findings revealed that there is a tension in the curriculum between how participants perceived Social Studies and the purpose of Social Studies as defined by the Government in Nigeria. The aims and objectives of the current Social Studies curriculum jar with the issues that some participants identified as being relevant to their daily lives. It also revealed that not all the teachers are Social Studies specialists, there are some non-specialist teachers teaching Social Studies. This may have accounted for diversity of teaching methods and opportunities. It was also reported that the curriculum content in Social Studies is not adequate for addressing the social issues and problems that face Nigeria today. The findings also show that using a scaffolded approach seems to have promoted students’ learning around issues relevant to their lives in Nigeria. The findings from this study revealed that there is a tension in the curriculum; it is my contention that it can be improved by using a scaffolded approach and by ensuring that Social Studies specialists deliver the content.

Due to high levels of exploitation, habitat loss and habitat degradation, Pan troglodytes has experienced such a significant population reduction over the past 20 to 30 years that it is now on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Red List of Endangered Species. The Nigerian chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes ellioti (Gray 1862), is the most endangered of the four subspecies of chimpanzee. It has the smallest distribution and smallest population size, estimated in 2011 to be between 3,500 – 9,000 individuals. P. t. ellioti was first recognized as a distinct subspecies in 1997, and in 2008 an Action Plan Study Group was set up with the goal to determine the priority sites for its conservation and the actions that should be taken to ensure its long-term survival. The Action Plan was published in 2011 and this thesis is timely as it begins to answer some of the questions deemed important in the action plan. The overall aim of this study was to explore the ecology and behaviour of a small, isolated montane population of P. t. ellioti with the aim of making a useful contribution to future recommendations for the management and conservation of this subspecies. Specifically, I estimated the density of chimpanzees in Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, Taraba State, Nigeria and investigated their nesting ecology, elementary technology, diet, seed dispersal and the viability of seeds dispersed by the chimpanzees. I estimated chimpanzee density by using a combination of direct (direct observation) and indirect methods using nest counts. My investigation of nesting ecology concentrated on identifying habitat variables that influenced choice of nesting site. I assessed elementary technology by locating and describing both manufactured artefacts and unmanufactured objects, and I then located evidence from the surrounding environment to establish details about their presence or absence. Chimpanzee diet was assessed using evidence from faecal samples and artefacts. In order to identify preferences and agents involved in removal of various seed species ingested and dispersed by chimpanzees I set-up a series of experiments using plots into which seed piles were added. Lastly, I compared the rate of germination of conspecific seeds which had been passed through a chimpanzee gut with those that had not been dispersed.

This thesis defines and presents discipline-based art education curricula as defined by Greer 1983 for Nigerian Art Education Students. Current requirements in art education programs both in Nigeria and the United States are compared in order to more fully understand and develop this course of study. Attention is paid to the national goals and the inherent culture of Nigeria. An analysis of the curriculum of five colleges with discipline-based and education programs has been studied in order to determine a suitable outline of curricula for college teachers in Nigeria. It is concluded that Nigerian teachers, through this proposed program, will be exposed to the contemporary discipline-based approach to art education, and that Nigerian children taught by means of this approach will be able to gain a better understanding and appreciation of their artistically rich culture.

This dissertation has two objectives. The first is to modify the existing Present Value Model of the Current Account (PVMCA) to reflect the major features of the Nigerian economy and to determine if this resulting theoretical framework is valid for the analysis of the Nigerian current account for the period 1960--97. The second objective is to examine the excessiveness and sustainability of the Nigerian current account deficits during this period. / To achieve these objectives, the thesis presents a model of current account determination that is based upon the permanent-income hypothesis of private consumption behavior. We derive a present value relationship among the current account, expected changes in net output and a consumption-based real interest rate. This thesis then extends this framework to incorporate changes in the terms of trade and possible asymmetric access to the international financial markets. It also conducts an empirical estimation of the several variants of the PVMCA. The econometric results show that an intertemporal model of current account determination that includes changes in the interest rate, exchange rate and terms of trade outperforms one that excludes them. / This thesis represents the first attempt to use an intertemporal model of the current account and selected macroeconomic and structural indicators to assess the external position of the Nigerian economy. The empirical results support the hypothesis that current account deficits accompanied by macroeconomic instability and structural weaknesses can generate an external crisis.

While a lot of ink has been spilled and numerous papers devoted to the variegated causes of the Niger Delta conflict, what has been conspicuously moot in the literature is their integration into a sufficient explanatory system to facilitate the intelligibility of empirical data and support effective policy intervention. Also, while writers have investigated the internal dimensions of the conflict, little systematic attention has been paid to its international dimensions. The study proposes to fill these gaps in existing literature through a two-level analysis of the Niger Delta Conflict: (1) internal (2) international. The internal level is anchored on a four-dimensional explanation which argues that political and economic factors are the root causes of the Niger Delta conflict, with environmental and social-security factors as the proximate causes. At the international level, the study probes the role of the international community in the moderation of the Niger Delta conflict and concludes with an appraisal of the extent to which the internationalisation of the conflict engendered both attitudinal and policy shifts on the parts of key players. Problematising the usefulness of majoritarian democracy for resource starved plural societies, the study canvasses, inter alia, the implementation of consociational mechanisms in the Nigerian political process as a more effective way of mitigating the seething cauldron of conflicts in the Niger Delta, and promoting inter-ethnic equity and amity in Nigeria as a whole. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

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