Compliance with driver's license laws and illegal licensing among commercial bus drivers in Lagos, Nigeria: policy implications and evidence for action.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of compliance with driver's license laws among commercial bus drivers in Lagos, Nigeria. SUBJECTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two intercity motor parks were selected by simple random sampling and all consenting minibus drivers participated in the study. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were also conducted with selected officials in the driver training and licensing authorities. RESULTS: Compliance with the minimum age for driving was high (93.6%), so also was having driving test prior to driver's license procurement (83.3%). Formal driver training and VA testing were very low, (26.1% and 32.9% respectively) Overall, only 9.3% of them were found to have fulfilled all the pre-license obligations before obtaining their first driver's license. The odds of a driver with a secondary education having formal driver training is 3.33 times higher than those with no education (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.01-11.35). Drivers who were 60 years or older were 3.62 times more likely to be compliant than those who were between 20-29 years (OR 3.62, 95% CI 0.56-29.19). For the 98.3% of them who possessed valid licenses, 52.3% of them obtained them illegally. All the key officials saw RTIs as a serious public health problem but faced several challenges in the course of their work. CONCLUSION: Overall compliance with pre-license regulations was very poor. There is need for a review and strict enforcement of driver's license laws to improve compliance. Also vital are fostering inter-sectoral collaboration and improvement in the operations of all establishments involved in driver training and license procurement in Nigeria.

Utilisation of dried caged-hen manure and cassava peels for intensive sheep production.

Twenty grower ewes with an average weight of 14.3 +/- 3.7 kg were allotted to 5 dietary treatments. The diets contained 0, 13, 25, 35 and 45% dried caged-hen manure which replaced 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%, respectively of the conventional protein supplements. The animals were fed 55.0 g/w0.75 kg/day of the concentrate food during a 104 days growth study. Air dried cassava peels and water were also provided ad libitum. The differences in average total dry matter intake were not statistically significant. The higher the manure content in the diets, the lower the energy content and the higher the cassava peels intake. No statistical differences were found in growth rates. The efficiency of food conversion decreased progressively though insignificantly. It was concluded that sheep can be fed caged-hen manure as the sole protein supplement in cassava peel based diets.

Hydrolysis of linamarin by intestinal bacteria.

Linamarin, a cyanogenic glucoside, was hydrolyzed by Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis but not by Clostridium perfringens when these organisms were grown on a glucose or lactose medium.