An evaluation of the three measurable cardinal objectives of the National Youth Service Corps programme: a survey dataset.

Background: The National Youth Service Corps programme is, among other targets, aimed at promoting national inclusiveness and tolerance in a culturally heterogeneous society. Despite the importance of this programme, little has been done to evaluate its degree of success. Where evaluations are done, they are never made public. There is a need for the NYSC programme, just like all other public programmes, to be evaluated for transparency, accountability and decision-making. From an evaluation of the three measurable objectives of the NYSC programme, this dataset bridges this gap . Methods: This dataset was collected from Nigerian graduates that completed their national service between 2012 and 2021. The data was collected through an electronic survey posted to various online platforms hosting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members of the various sets and batches. The data collection aimed to evaluate the three cardinal objectives of the programme. After three years of data collection (from 2019 to 2021), responses were obtained from 19,278 participants that met the eligibility criteria. The data is an Excel (.xlsx) document with 19,278 cases and 95 variables. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and simple percentages were used to summarise the data. However, charts are further used to illustrate the demographic attributes of the respondents. The dataset is broad and covers all the 36 states in Nigeria plus the Federal Capital Territory. Results: The data set has many reuse potentials because it contains information on camp activities (such as parades, military drills, redeployment, quality of food, and facilities, among others), primary assignments and community service engagements of corps members. Conclusions: The data can offer a complete evaluation of how the (NYSC) has attained three of its four cardinal objectives. A series of relationships can further be determined and tested using inferential statistics among the variables included in the dataset.

Protein Quality Evaluation of Some Commonly Consumed Bird Egg Varieties Using Amino Acid Scores.

Objective: Food proteins provide amino acids (AAs) and serve as building blocks of all vital organs, muscles, hormones, and biological fluids such as blood. Eggs are known as a good source of protein. This study compared the protein quality of bird eggs (raw and boiled), using their AA scores since some individuals consume raw eggs for various reasons. Research Methods. Eggs studied were exotic chicken, local chicken, turkey, quail, and guinea fowl eggs. The eggs were shelled and their contents (boiled and raw) lyophilized. The standard AOAC method (Kjeldahl) was used to determine protein content, while the amino acid composition was measured using an AA analyzer. The total AA scores were calculated based on the whole hen's egg AA profiles. Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05. Results: The Guinea fowl egg had the highest total amino acid score (TAAS) of 0.92. The other scores ranged as follows: 0.82 (quail) >0.81 (turkey) >0.75 (exotic chicken), and the lowest score was 0.65 (local chicken). The least scores were phenylalanine: 0.34 (exotic chicken), phenylalanine and serine: 0.36 (local chicken), leucine and aspartic acid: 0.41 (turkey), methionine: 0.31 (quail), and glutamic acid: 0.33 (guinea fowl). Also, guinea fowl egg had the highest total essential amino acid (TEAA) (49.6 g/100 g protein), i.e., % TEAA (55.1%), while exotic chicken egg had the lowest (41.1%), but the highest % NEAA (58.9%). Conclusion: Guinea fowl eggs had the highest EAA and TAA content. Its consumption should particularly be encouraged for children as this can significantly reduce the risk of protein-energy malnutrition and prevent protein deficiencies.