The river Nun at Amassoma community in Bayelsa, Nigeria is a major source of domestic water and sink. Riverside communities in this part of the world believe that rivers have the assimilative capacity to purify themselves inexorably from human wastes hence bathing and defecation takes place on the town side of rivers while domestic water is collected mid-stream and at the opposite banks of rivers. Based on the premise that the community perception in!uences usage of environmental resources, this study aims to examine the veracity of this perception and the impact of this attitude on the quality of the Nun River by examining the presence of selected biological contaminants in the river and the potential health hazards posed by these biological communities in water. Nine water samples were selected from three zones along the river (upstream, town and downstream) and subjected to microbial analysis for Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, Coliform and Salmonella species and compared with WHO-FEPA standards. This study found concentration of biological communities above standards and a higher concentration of contaminants in the mid-stream and town side of the river bank. Basic water treatment and sanitation; environmental education and an alternative waste management system is recommended to safeguard the lives of the growing population in riverside communities.

This study aimed at carrying out a qualitative phytochemical screening, GC-MS studies and in-vitro antioxidant properties of aqueous leaf extract of Gnetum africanum. The qualitative phytochemical screening of the aqueous leaf extract of Gnetum africanum was done using standard procedures and revealed the presence of terpenoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, cardiac glucosides and phenols. The GC-MS screening revealed the presence of 14 compounds, 6 out of the 14 compounds were most prominent. The compound with the highest percentage peak area was caffeine with peak area of 96.9%, followed by n-Hexadacanotic acid with peak area of 60.9%, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol with peak area of 55.9%, tetradacanoic acid with peak area of 50.3%, cyclopentaneundecanoic acid with peak area of 47.8% and 2-cyclo-penten-1-2-hydroxy with peak area of 43.6% respectively. In-vitro determination of antioxidant property of leaf extract of Gnetum africanum was done photometrically using 2,2-dyhenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The DPPH scavenging ability of the leaf extract (43.2, 60.5, 68.8, and 75.7) was statistically significant at p<0.05 when compared with the standard drug ascorbic acid (81.1, 82.6, 85.1, and 90.4) % at 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/l. In conclusion, the leaf extract of Gnetum africanum is loaded with a host of important phytochemicals and has antioxidant properties which increase in potency with increase dose. Keywords: Phytochemical Screening, GCMS Studies, Anti-Oxidant, Gnetum africanum

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1.Introduction Vegetables are those herbaceous plants whose part or parts are eaten as supporting food or main dishes. They may be aromatic, bitter or tasteless [4, 2]. The role of green leafy vegetable to health and nutrition cannot be overemphasized [6]. The utilization of leafy vegetables is part of Africa's cultural heritage and thus, plays important roles in the customs, traditions and food culture of the African household [4]. Nigeria is endowed with a variety of traditional vegetables and different types are consumed by the various ethnic groups for different reasons [4]. Although vegetables contain a wide array of nutrients, they are not considered the major sources of carbohydrate, and thus cannot take the place of conventional carbohydrate sources in the traditional food system. The increased awareness of the health benefits associated with phytochemicals and nutrients found in vegetables has directed immense attention to vegetables as a vital component of daily diets [6]. This is evident by the fact that several studies have proven their efficacious abilities in promoting good health both as food and medication [7, 5]. Ipomoea obscura is an underutilized traditional vegetable belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It is a small climbing vine, with small cordate leaves and acuminate apex, with corolla which is composed of five fully fused petals. This plant is actively used as an antioxidant [9]. The leaves are mucilaginous, with a pleasant smell and are cooked and eaten as a vegetable or added to soup.