Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in some tissues of croaker fish from oil spilled rivers of Niger Delta region,Nigeria

Objective:To investigate the level of heavy metals(Cu,Zn,Fe Mn Ni,Pb and Cd) in muscles,gills and liver tissue of Croaker fish from oil spilled rivers of Bonny and Finima,Niger Delta region,Nigeria.Methods:Twenty four Croacker fishes(Genyonemus lineatus) weighing between 250 and 260 g and 24–26 cm length were collected from each sampling sites(Bonny and finima rivers).The frozen fishes were thawed and dried at 105C until they reach a constant weight.The dried samples were homogenized and digested with 10 ml tri-acid mixture(HNO3:HCl O4:H2SO4),and then the digested samples were diluted to 100 ml with deionized water.Heavy metals(Cu,Ni,Zn,Pb,Mn,Iron Fe,and Cd) concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer.Results:Our results revealed that concentrations and distribution patterns of all heavy metals studied varied significantly(P < 0.05) amongst the fish tissues analyzed and sampling sites.Moreover,liver tissue of fish caught from Finima creek accumulated the highest concentrations of Cu(52.64 ± 3.01 mg/g dry wt),Zn(166.50 ± 6.45 mg/g dry wt)and Fe(801.50 ± 14.15 mg/g dry wt) in comparison to the liver of fish caught from Bonny river in which the levels of Cu,Zn and Fe were(45.00 ± 2.79),(49.90 ± 2.91) and(216 ± 6.11 mg/g dry wt),respectively.In addition,Mn,Ni,Pb and Cd exhibited their highest concentrations in gills from both locations.As expected,muscle tissue contained the least concentrations of all metals investigated from both sampling sites.Furthermore,all the metals investigated exhibited highest concentration in fish collected from Finima creek.These abnormal high level heavy metals accumulation observed in this location could be linked to the frequent crude oil spills as well as industrial activity around the area which might get discharged into Finima creek.In general,the mean concentrations of some toxic heavy metals investigated exceed the recommended maximum permissible limits set by the Joint FAO/WHO committee.However,some metals are within the acceptable limits.Conclusions:In conclusion,our data showed the abnormal higher concentration of these metals and this might be toxic to the fish and other aquatic organisms directly or by extension to humans that frequently consumed such contaminated fishes.

Corporate Social Responsibility Projects by Transnational Oil Corporations in Nigerian Niger Delta Region： The Experiences of Selected Oil Producing Communities

A well-known fact about the Nigerian Niger Delta region is incessant conflicts between the oil transnational corporations （Oil TNCs） and the oil producing communities. This could be attributed to the fact that the activities of Oil TNCs have continued to unleash untold devastation on the environment of the oil producing communities and its consequences on the local economy and by extension the total obliteration of the livelihood of the inhabitants of the area. Therefore, the Oil TNCs are increasingly becoming conscious of their devastating impact on the ecology of the area and their blatant disregard for the socio-economic development of the host communities. Consequently, the Oil TNCs have come to embrace the idea of executing Corporate Social Responsibility （CSR） projects as a vehicle to intervene meaningfully in order to mitigate the adverse effect of their operations in host communities. This paper attempts a review and analysis of CSR practices of the two major Oil TNCs in Bayelsa State： Shell and Agip in six host communities： Olugboboro, Olugbobiri, Ikebiri 1, Oporoma, Angiama, and Peremabiri in Southern ljaw local government area. The key question explored in this study is： Has the practice of CSR in the Nigerian Niger Delta region by Oil TNCs brought about socio-economic development and drastic reduction in conflict between the host communities and the Oil TNCs？ The paper argues that CSR projects of transnational oil corporations in Nigeria are driven by short-term expediency rather than the long term development needs of host communities through the provision of poor quality social amenities to these communities in order to secure social license to operate. For transnational oil corporations to make positive impact in the Nigerian Niger Delta Region, their CSR projects should be long tern in nature, taking into consideration the sustainable development needs of the local communities. The CSR projects should be in the form of high quality social amenities and environmental rehabilitation and protection, which could serve the needs of the present and future generations.

Problems Accentuating Effective Sports Development among Youths in the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria

This study assessed some problems affecting sports development among youths in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Survey design was utilized for this study： The population comprised of youths in the Niger-Delta region. Samples of 200 youths were studied. Four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Data were collated using a structured validated and reliability certified questionnaire. Data generated revealed that poor funding, mode of organization, poor incentives and parental approach have significant influence with sports development among youths in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Some recommendations made include： the need for the government to increase the budgetary allocations for sports in the region, provision of adequate sports facilities and equipment and of course making physical education and sports as a compulsory subject in the school curriculum for primary and secondary schools in the region.

Regional Air Quality of the Nigeria’s Niger Delta

There is no systematic attempt to evaluate the air quality of any settlement in the Niger Delta region over a long period. Records of air quality data for this study were generated through secondary sources from impact assessment of facilities aimed at implementing air quality regulations on the environment. Suspended particulate matter in the region’s atmosphere ranged from 40 mg/m3 in Brass to 98 mg/m3 in Port Harcourt. Carbon monoxide concentrations were highest in Mbiama (191 mg/m3). Nitrogen dioxide concentration was highest in Bonny (187 mg/m3), and sulphur dioxide concentrations ranged from 19 mg/m3 in Ukwugba to 90 mg/m3 in Port Harcourt. Total hydrocarbon ranged from 78 mg/m3 in Odukpani to 192 mg/m3 in Nchia. Carbon dioxide ranged from 400 ppm in Buguma to 450 ppm in Port Harcourt. The most abundant of the VOCs is benzene and toluene. Ethylene was detected only in one station at concentration of 0.1 mg/m3 which was negligible. The most abundant of the metals was zinc, which was present at above 2 mg/m3 in most of the study settlements. In remote settlements like Buguma and Emuoha, some of the metals were not detected at all. In some instances, short-term limits for the pollutants exceeded WHO standards. The need for stakeholders in the region to articulate initiatives that support quality environmental practices was emphasized as laws pertaining to air quality regulations which are weak and less enforceable.

The effect of zinc supplementation on diarrheal diseases in children in the Niger Delta Sub-Region of Nigeria

This study evaluated the trend of diarrheal diseases managed with zinc supplementation by comparing it with diarrheal diseases managed without zinc supplementation at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital (UPTH), Nigeria. The study was a descriptive retrospective study done at the Diarrhea Training Unit (DTU) of UPTH to determine the effect of zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhea in children under 5 years. Out of the 134 case records studied, of children aged 0 to 59 months who presented with diarrhea at the DTU, 57 children did not receive zinc supplementation between October and December, 2007 and 77 children received zinc supplementation between October and December 2009. The results showed that (74) 96.1% of patients who received zinc supplementation, and (48) 84.2% of those who did not, had no repeat diarrheal episodes when seen at the follow up clinic. On the other hand, 1.3% of those who received zinc supplementation and 1.8% of those who did not, had increased episodes of diarrhea when seen at the follow up clinic. Of those who received, and those who did not receive zinc supplementation, 2.6% and 14% respectively, had reduced episodes of diarrhea. These findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of zinc supplementation in halting the course of diarrheal diseases in children aged 0 to 59 months. We therefore advocate for the use of zinc supplementation in the management of diarrhea in

伪声波曲线构建方法在尼日尔三角洲地区的应用研究

岩性油气藏勘探开发的关键是地震储层预测,声波测井曲线又是地震储层预测不可缺少的基础资料,但由于种种原因很多地区得不到较好的声波测井曲线,这就需要构建伪声波曲线。构建伪声波曲线是根据能够反映储层特征的非声波储层地球物理测井信息构建的具有声波量纲的新曲线。声波曲线在本质上是一条速度曲线,它包含两个分量:①高频分量,反映井旁不同岩层的层速度;②低频分量,反映地层速度随深度加深而增大。在构建伪声波曲线时,则选用与声波具有良好相关性的测井曲线拟合高频速度分量,利用VSP速度拟合低频速度分量,最后将二者有机结合,就可得到所需的伪声波曲线。