While studies have explored how health sector corruption, weak healthcare system, large-scale immune compromised population, misinformation and prevalence of highly congested slums contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, they have glossed over the impact of political distrust on the spread of the virus. This study explores the impact of political distrust on the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The study utilised qualitative dominant mixed methods approach comprising telephone interviews and a survey of 120 educated Nigerians purposively selected from four COVID-19 most affected states including Lagos, Oyo, Kano and Rivers as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The study also relied on secondary data on the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria sourced from Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control from 27 February to 31st August 2020. The study found that political corruption motivates large-scale political distrust. This undermines public compliance to government protocols, limits the outcomes of government responses to COVID-19 and facilitates the spread of the virus in Nigeria. The paper concludes that improving government accountability in the public sector management is relevant for building public trust, promoting citizens' compliance to COVID-19 safety measure and mitigating the spread of the pandemic in Nigeria and beyond.

This study assesses the impact of traffic sign deficit on road traffic accidents in Nigeria. The participants were 720 commercial vehicle drivers. While simple random sampling was used to select 6 out of 137 federal highways, stratified random sampling was used to select six categories of commercial vehicle drivers. The study used qual-dominant mixed methods approach comprising key informant interviews; group interviews; field observation; policy appraisal and secondary literature on traffic signs. Result shows that the failure of government to provide and maintain traffic signs in order to guide road users through the numerous accident black spots on the highways is the major cause of road accidents in Nigeria. The study argues that provision and maintenance of traffic signs present opportunity to promoting safety on the highways and achieving the sustainable development goals.

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This research was designed to isolate and test the lytic action of a bacteriophage specific to Escherichia coli. Both Escherichia coli and bacteriophages were isolated from farmlands and residential wastewaters. The isolated Escherichia coli were confirmed through phenotypic and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility test to nine antibiotics was determined. Multi-antibiotic resistance index (MARI) was assessed. Spot assay was done to determine lytic action of the bacteriophage on the lawns of the Escherichia coli. The phenotypic and biochemical tests confirmed Escherichia coli isolates. There was metallic green sheen on EMB agar. The isolates were citrate negative and indole positive. The isolates were found to be resistant to amoxicillin (100 %), meropenem (100 %), and ceftriaxone (100 %). The Multi Antibiotic resistance index (MARI) of the isolates was calculated to be 0.33. The formation of plaques (clear zones of inhibition) on the lawn of the plates of Escherichia coli was confirmed. The isolation of Escherichia coli phages from residential and farm wastewaters is a promising molecular tool for E. coli tracking in the environment.

This present study was undertaken for detection of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLS) enzyme genes among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using phenotypic and molecular techniques. Thirty-four P. aeruginosa isolates from different hospitals in Nsukka and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu were screened for the presence of ESBL-encoding genes. Phenotypic screening for ESBL producers was carried out using double disk synergy test and combined disk test. Genomic DNA was extracted from the isolates by modified boiling method. Extracted DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using ESBL specific primers namely Bla GES, PER, OXA-50, SHV, CTX-M and TEM. The results revealed that a total of 15 isolates of P. aeruginosa were identified as ESBL producer by phenotypic approaches which exhibited varying degrees of resistance to an array of antibiotics tested. While, the PCR screening revealed that 53.33% (n=8) of the isolates that were phenotypically ESBL positive harboured bla OXA-50 gene. However, the genes that encode PER, GES, SHV, TEM and CTX-M were not found in any of the P. aeruginosa isolates. This study highlights the need to establish antimicrobial resistance surveillance network to determine the appropriate empirical treatment regimen for Pseudomonas infections.