This study analyzed the effect of insurgency on cowpea production in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State, Nigeria. This study is quantitative research where 120 cowpea farmers were randomly interviewed using structured response questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that 35% of the respondents fell within the age bracket of 28-33 years; males constituted 55% and 42% had primary education. The findings further reveaed that 77.50% perceived the effect of insurgency on their livelihood. Majority up to 70.80% of the respondents perceived increase in poverty and job loses respectively. Almost 52.5% of the respondents were affected by the conflicts, then children 21.7%, women 13.3% and adult men 8.3%. 32.50% of the respondents lost their houses, 29.20% lost their livestock, and 16.70% and 13.30% lost their crops and sustained body injuries respectively. Majority up to 67.50% of the respondents suggested that all the methods, 16.70% suggested military action, 6.70% negotiation, 5.0% and 4.20% of the respondents suggested state of emergency and amnesty respectively. Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed that 74% variation in output was accounted by the independent variables in the model. However, educational level, sex and income were significant at p< 0.001, while household size, farm size and distance from farm to homestead were significant at p< 0.05. Chi-square analysis revealed that the variables included in the model such as sex, educational level, age, income and distance from farmlands to homestead were significant at p< 0.05, with the exception of farm size, marital status and farming experience. The study concluded that insurgency exists in the study area and the effects include loss of lives, crops, and destruction of infrastructures, such as schools, telecommunication mast, mosques, churches, markets and houses. The study recommended that education and employment opportunities be provided to the youths in the study area.

Although the true burden and the factors responsible for Buruli ulcer (BU) occurrence in Nigeria is not yet known, the disease has become an issue of great concern in some parts of the country, especially in Anambra State. It is against this background that this study analyzed the prevalence of BU in Anambra North with the objectives of determining the hotspots, trends and factors influencing the occurrence of the disease in the study area. Three LGAs and fifteen communities were selected based on purposive sampling in which 400 copies of questionnaire were randomly distributed. Field survey, topographic map of the study area, administrative map of the study area, Global Position System (GPS) and Google earth satellite images were the materials and methods used for the study. The analysis was done using ArcGIS 10.1 and Excel software packages. The results show a variation in the temporal distribution of the disease. The trend analysis revealed that the months of February and May recorded the highest number of cases of BU (17.2%) and (15.6%), respectively while the months of September and October recorded no case of the disease. The study also discovered five significant hotspots of BU at 95% confidence level using the Getis-Ord G * tool. The hotspots of BU in the study area include Omor (p-value: 0.0119), Umumbo (0.0119), Igbakwu (p-value: 0.0119), Anaku (p-value: 0.0197) and Umuerum (p-value: 0.0197). On the factors influencing BU occurrence in the study area, cultural practices, farming/fishing on swampy lands, swimming in rivers and living close to stagnant bodies of water were identified as risk factors of BU occurrence in the study area. The bivariate analysis of BU factors revealed that cultural practices pose the highest risk of BU occurrence with a percentage increase in risk of 846% while wearing of protective gadgets reduces the risk of the disease with a percentage decrease in risk of 20%. More so, the study showed that the disease has negative effects on the feeding habit and employment of majority (76.6%) and (78.1%) respectively of the affected persons. The study therefore concludes by recommending that people should be discouraged from activities around the ox-bow lakes such as swimming and dipping legs in pond waters.