EFFECT OF VITAMINS C AND E INTAKE ON BLOOD ... - EuroJournals

European Journal of Social Sciences - Volume 2, Number 1 (2006)
to a wide range of derivatives including secondary forests, cocoa-kolanut mosaics, palm tree groves,
food crop farms and savanna especially in the north. Mature forest, however still exists in the Owu
forest reserve at the southern part of the state.
Osun state has its headquarters at Osogbo which is the most commercial centre. It is known to
be a semi-urban state, having high number of rural towns relative to few urban centres; Osogbo, Ile-Ife
and Ilesa towns. Osun state is dominated by the Yoruba ethnic group which is unified by a common
language. Within this main linguistic group, there are several subgroups with distinctive dialects. They
include the Osuns, Ifes, Ijesas and Igbominas.
Apart from the Yoruba, large numbers of other ethnic groups are found in the state. The census
figures for 1991 clearly indicate that Osun state has a population of 2.158 million. Males represented
48.3 per cent while women accounted for 51.7 per cent of this figure (NPC, 1991). For grassroots
administration, the state is divided into thirty (30) Local Government Areas. According to the 1991
National Population Census the breakdown according to the 30 Local Government Areas are shown in
Table 1. Using a growth rate of 2.83 per cent the projected population of Osun State for 2004 standa at
3,101,974m.
2.2 Socio-economic profile:
The major occupations of people in rural communities of the state are farming, trading and
crafts while public services and private industries such as banking and insurance services are available
in the urban communities. Osogbo, the state headquarters, Ile-Ife and Ilesa are among the largest cities
in Osun State. These cities, with few other rural areas enjoy good road network, adequate supply of
pipe borne water, good telecommunication network, adequate power supply. Indeed, all features found
in a typical first order settlement such as police and army barracks, radio and television stations,
railway station, a dam to mention but few, are present in Osogbo.
Osun state has a mixed dual economic system in which the ownership of the means of
production is shared between public and private sectors, with the latter becoming increasingly involved
in modern business sector in recent years. The other major feature of the economy is the concomitant
existence of the subsistence industries of agriculture and handicrafts in which the majority of the
population earn their living. Per capita income in 2001 was about=,N 230 while the majority of the
people live on meager income from subsistence agriculture. The vast majority of farmers are engaged
in subsistence farming. Dominant features such as migration and seasonal production, lack of modern
agricultural implements and low capital inhibit productivity in the agricultural sector.
The relatively large size of the labour force in Osun reflects the dominating role and the huge
size of the agricultural sector. Agriculture, perhaps, remains the major source of employment for most
people in the labour force. Yet, in Osun state today, except for a few government plantations,
agriculture remains a subsistence activity. The apparent absence of a high technology sector and the
reliance on the elementary sub-sector constitute a major concern for the government. Stimulated by
the demand for labour in government forces and establishments, there has been a growth of interest in
wage employment among Osun people. Thus, since its creation in 1991, the labour force has grown
gradually, although moderately. Almost 40.0 per cent of the population were in labour force in 1991
while active labour force
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