Journal of Research and Development

Why wash-related SDGS will fail: A review of public attitudes and perceptions toward water and sanitation practices in riverine and non-riverine communities

U. J. Jimmy — 2025-09-30

The study attempts to understand public attitude towards water and sanitation in riverine and non-riverine parts of Akwa Ibom State. The coastal region of the state is besetted by a network of some sets of attitudes and socio-cultural influences which translate into the behavior of occupant on matters related to Water and Sanitation, while the non-riverine areas are also finding it difficult to comply with water, sanitation and hygiene practices, residents in major urban centres, public institutions, shop owners, street hawkers and road side vendors. In order to explore the reason WASH related SDGS is driving towards its graveyard, perceptions of people were analysed at riverine and non-riverine areas. Four research objectives were outlined in line with scientific approach using interview, questionnaires and personal observation. 400 copies of questionnaires were administered to the concerned communities using the youth, elderly people, chiefs and migrants as targeted population. Chi-square using SPSS statistical package was used to assessed the impact of public attitude on water and sanitation services. The results revealed a calculated value of 268.508a, degree of freedom (df) of 14 and a P-value (2-sided) of 0.000, indicating that there is significant impact of public attitude and perception on water and sanitation in Akwa Ibom State using SPSS. It was also noted that fewer people and organisations had sanitary facilities such as toilet, water point and bathroom in their residents which affect the progress of WASH policies. At the places visited, the level of utilization of WASH infrastructures was poor owing to the different attitude people holds on water and hygiene at community setting. It was realized that public perception plays a significant role when considering handling complex issues bordering societal norms and traditions. Some of the identified views were long standing belief on open defecation, constructing standard toilets and bathroom is a misplaced priority etc. Hence, it was recommended that government, NGO and local authority should strengthen WASH services’ investment in the region. In addition, WASH ambassadors should extend their sensitization projects to workplaces including schools, market, fishing settlements and others for an optimal performance.

Impact of cervical cancer vaccinations campaigns and acceptance among female students in Al-Hikmah university

Rufai Bako Mohammed — 2026-05-12

This research investigates the impact of cervical cancer vaccination campaigns and the level of acceptance among female students in Al-Hikmah University. Cervical cancer remains a significant health threat globally, particularly in developing countries, where vaccination programs play a crucial role in prevention. This study evaluates the effectiveness of campaigns aimed at raising awareness and promoting vaccination among young women, a demographic at high risk for the disease.Quantitative research approach was adopted with the use of survey method for the purpose of this study. The population of the study is the Students of Al-Hikmah University with a total number of 5,779 for 7 faculties in 2024. The findings reveal that the acceptance level of cervical cancer and the vaccine is relatively high, there remains a gap in actual vaccine acceptance. Factors such as misconceptions, fear of side effects, and cultural or religious beliefs were identified as key barriers to vaccine uptake. Fairly, these challenges, the majority of respondents expressed willingness to receive the vaccine if given adequate information and reassurance regarding its safety. This research underscores the importance of targeted health campaigns and education initiatives to dispel myths, increase vaccine acceptance, and ultimately contribute to the reduction of cervical cancer incidence. The study recommends enhancing the content of acceptance campaigns, incorporating culturally sensitive messaging, and improving access to vaccination services within the university setting.

Adaptive Camouflage Networks (ACN): A Real-Time AI-Driven Framework for Dynamic Visual Concealment in Complex Environments

Mohammad Taleghani — 2026-05-12

Adaptive Camouflage Networks (ACN) introduce a cyber-physical framework that couples real-time adversarial texture generation with large-area electrochromic textiles to render ground vehicles virtually invisible to CNN-based VIS-LWIR seekers. Fusing on-edge multimodal sensing (RGB, LWIR, depth) within a 256-D latent vector, a quantized StyleGAN2-LC network updates 64×64-pixel drive commands every 198 MS while consuming 2.35 W on average. Across 2.7 million software-in-the-loop frames spanning urban, rural and snowy theatres, ACN suppressed YOLOv5x detection probability from 0.82 (NATO static) to 0.19 (η² = 0.71, p < 0.001), extended median concealment horizon from 1.2 s to 5.9 s, and met < 200 MS latency in 96.7 % of trials. Event-driven refresh saved 62 % energy versus full-frame updates, enabling 4-h mission profiles without alternator upgrade. Manufacturable via roll-to-roll coating (< 50 USD m⁻²), ACN offers a near-term, retrofit-ready survivability multiplier against pervasive drone surveillance.

Population growth and fertility decisions nexus in Nigeria

Evelyn Nwamaka Ogbeide-Osaretin — 2026-05-12

The study of the relationships between population growth and fertility has gained attention, given the prominent role of population transition (changes in mortality, fertility, and population structure) is playing. The study investigated the relationship between population growth rate and total fertility rate. Specifically, the study examined the impact of female education, infant mortality rate, and health expenditure on total fertility rate, as well as determining if there exists a feedback impact between population growth and fertility rate in Nigeria. The study employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag and SVAR estimation approach over the period 2000 to 2023. The findings revealed that Nigeria's overall fertility rate was positively impacted by population increase, female education, and unemployment rate. On the other hand, health spending was found to negatively impact on fertility rate. Also, while population growth was found to have a significantly positive impact on fertility rate, having the highest magnitude, fertility rate was found to have a positive and insignificant impact on population growth rate. The study therefore advocated for an effective policy of family planning, an increase in female education, as well as an increase in public awareness to reduce the population growth rate and hence the fertility rate.

Effect of climate change on agricultural product in Nigeria

Lukman Lawali — 2026-05-12

This study uses the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to empirically investigate the impact of climate change on agricultural production in Nigeria between 1986 and 2024. The inflation rate, food production, annual rainfall, and carbon emissions are the model's primary explanatory variables. Long-term findings show that food production, rainfall, and carbon emissions all have a significant positive impact on agricultural output, while inflation has a negligible negative impact. In the short term, carbon emissions remain a significant determinant, while rainfall and food production have mixed and largely insignificant effects. The findings support the existence of a long-run relationship between the variables, emphasising the importance of climate change dynamics in shaping agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Although climate variability poses a threat to agricultural stability, the study concludes that targeted adaptation strategies can mitigate negative consequences while also promoting food security. It promotes climate-friendly agricultural practices, emission-reduction policies, farmer assistance programs, and a comprehensive climate-agriculture policy framework.