CALL FOR PAPER - Vol 10 - Issue 1

Crude oil contamination of black cotton soil (BCS) alters its physical and index properties, limiting its reuse as a hydraulic barrier material unless it is remediated and stabilized. This study evaluates the index properties and compaction characteristics of vermiremediated crude oil-contaminated black cotton soil treated with 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8% ordinary Portland cement, with a view to assessing its suitability as landfill liner and cover material. Disturbed soil samples were collected from Deba Local Government Area, Gombe State, Nigeria, artificially contaminated, and subjected to vermiremediation using Eisenia fetida prior to cement stabilization. Index property tests (particle size distribution, specific gravity and Atterberg limits) and compaction tests under British Standard Light (BSL), West African Standard (WAS) and British Standard Heavy (BSH) energies were carried out in accordance with BS 1377 (1990) and BS 1924 (1990). The untreated contaminated soil classified as CH (USCS) and A-7-6(13) (AASHTO), with a liquid limit of 59.10%, plasticity index of 20.10%, and a reduced specific gravity of 2.34. Vermiremediation achieved a 40% reduction in total petroleum hydrocarbon content prior to stabilization. Cement addition progressively reduced the percentage of fines passing the 0.075 mm sieve from 91.40% to 70.40%, increased specific gravity to a peak of 2.59 at 6% cement, and produced a general reduction in plastic limit alongside an increase in plasticity index. Maximum dry density increased with cement content up to 6% (1.637-1.670 Mg/m3 across the three compactive efforts) before marginally declining at 8%, while optimum moisture content rose consistently from about 15-20% (0% cement) to 17-22% (8% cement). These trends indicate progressive particle aggregation, flocculation and cementitious bonding. The results confirm that 4-6% cement combined with British Standard Heavy compactive effort produces the most favourable index and compaction behaviour for landfill liner and cover applications.

Crude oil contamination degrades the index properties and compaction behaviour of lateritic soil, limiting its direct reuse as road subgrade material. This study presents the index properties and compaction characteristics of vermi-improved crude oil-contaminated lateritic soil stabilized with 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8% cement kiln dust (CKD). Lateritic soil obtained from Shika, Zaria, was artificially contaminated with Bonny Light crude oil, remediated using Eudrilus eugeniae earthworms, and subsequently stabilized with CKD. Vermi-improvement reduced the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration from 4500 mg/kg to 3300 mg/kg, a removal efficiency of 27.0%. Index property tests (dry sieve analysis, specific gravity and Atterberg limits) and compaction tests under British Standard Light (BSL), West African Standard (WAS) and British Standard Heavy (BSH) energies were conducted in accordance with BS 1377 (1990) and BS 1924 (1990). The untreated vermi-improved soil classified as A-7-6 (AASHTO) and CL (USCS), with a liquid limit of 54%, plasticity index of 21.7%, and specific gravity of 2.48. CKD addition progressively reduced the fines content passing the 0.075 mm sieve, from 3.9% to 1.5% (BSL), 2.9% to 0.8% (WAS), and 1.9% to 0.9% (BSH), while specific gravity increased to a peak of 2.62 at 6% CKD. The liquid limit decreased from 54% to 43% and the plasticity index fell from 21.7% to a minimum of 15.5% at 4% CKD, bringing the soil within Nigerian General Specification limits for subgrade materials. Maximum dry density increased with CKD content, peaking at 1.84 Mg/m3 at 4% CKD under BSH compaction, while optimum moisture content generally peaked around 4% CKD before declining at higher CKD contents. These trends confirm that CKD stabilization, combined with heavier compactive effort, produces the coarser gradation, reduced plasticity, and improved densification required for the reuse of vermi-improved crude oil-contaminated lateritic soil as road subgrade material.

The gap between academic education and industry expectations has become a significant challenge for students and job seekers. While employers often look for candidates with specific technical skills, many individuals are unsure whether their resumes properly represent the competencies required for particular job roles. Most existing resume screening tools mainly depend on keyword matching and do not provide meaningful insights about missing skills or areas that need improvement.This paper proposes a Smart Framework for Skill Gap Analysis and Personalized Career Recommendation that evaluates how well a candidate’s resume matches the requirements of a selected job role. The system extracts technical skills from an uploaded resume and compares them with predefined industry skill requirements. Based on this comparison, it calculates a match percentage and identifies the skills that are missing. In addition, the framework suggests alternative career paths that align with the candidate’s current skill set.The proposed system presents the analysis results in a clear and easy-to-understand format, helping users recognize their strengths and understand which skills need further development. By combining structured data comparison with intelligent processing, this framework aims to improve modern career guidance systems and assist individuals in making more informed career decisions.

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) is a bilateral arrangement between Canada and the United States that determines where asylum seekers may submit refugee claims at the shared land border. This review paper critically examines the STCA in relation to the internationally recognized right to seek asylum. Drawing on legislation, court decisions, policy documents, academic scholarship, and recent human rights reports, the paper reviews the legal foundations of the Agreement, its consistency with international human rights standards, and its practical impact on access to protection. The review finds that while the STCA is legally justified as a border-management tool, serious concerns remain regarding procedural fairness, access to exceptions, and the risk of indirect refoulement. Recent policy expansions and enforcement trends further challenge the balance between state sovereignty and refugee protection. The paper concludes that the STCA continues to restrict meaningful access to asylum and requires sustained legal scrutiny and policy reform to ensure compliance with human rights obligations.

The present era of information explosion and technological advancement moving from the information age, knowledge society and wisdom implementation. Institutions of knowledge have many tasks to face, where the entire system of the library/information Centre is now gradually changing from manual operation to digital, automated knowledge or data bank. The objective of the paper was on features and advantages of free-source library/information Centre automation software, the criteria for selecting the right free-source library/information Centre automation software and limitations of the software. The study adopted literature review research. The use of free-source library/information Centre automation software will be a way forward to limit the cost of academic digital libraries and information Centre operations. Some of the free-source library/information Centre automation software discussed in this paper include: D-Space, Greenstone, E-Prints, OpenBiblio, KOHA, NewGenlib and PhpMyLibrary, thus, are for developing digital library institutional repositories or library/information Centre automation systems. The findings from the study were that open software has transformed the field of libraries and information Centre from manual to automated base and also information professionals need to learn the open software system and rights to avoid damage to the source code or loss of data which will help in facing the problem posed by commercial software. The study recommended the use of open-source software considering it potentially benefits cost reduction, gives customers more control over the system and increases open-source code development with significant advancement for effectiveness in the service delivery.

The aim of this Study is to compare housing affordability among teaching staff of Lead City University, Ibadan and University of Ibadan, Nigeria with a view to enhancing access to housing. This study used a quantitative research approach, deemed most suitable for assessing and contrasting housing affordability among faculty members of public and private universities in Ibadan, Nigeria. Data were obtained through structured questionnaires administered on 496 respondents, comprising 318 teaching staff from UI and 178 from LCU, complemented by field observations. The population of interest was stratified according to the two selected Institutions University of Ibadan and Lead City University. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequencies, percentages and mean scores were employed in data analysis. Findings show significant disparities in housing access and quality between the institutions. While most UI staff resided in rented housing (66.7%), LCU staff predominantly owned their homes (60.1%). A substantial portion of teaching staff in both universities faced significant housing affordability challenges, although the burden was more severe among LCU staff. About 66.0% of UI staff and 79.8% of LCU staff spent above the 30% housing-to-income affordability benchmark. The study concluded that disparities in institutional support, income structures, and access to affordable housing finance substantially affect housing affordability among university lecturers in Ibadan. It recommends the formulation of institutional housing policies.