This study reveals the distribution and levels of the organochlorine pesticide residues in fish, water and sediments in South-South, Nigeria. They were extracted with dichloromethane and screened for organochlorine pesticides with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry (GC-MS). All data collected were exposed to analysis of variance at (p<0.05) and the means were separated by means of Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT). It was discovered in this study that organochlorine pesticide residues were not discovered in all the fish and water sampled, while there was significant difference (P<0.05) in the levels of some organochlorine pesticides detected in the sediments. Sediment samples from Oron in Akwa-Ibom State recorded 1.50±0.25 µg/kg and 30.80±0.20 µg/kg for lindane and aldrin residues respectively; Mkpana Beach (Akwa-Ibom State) had lindane (3.70±0.20 µg/kg), aldrin (4.20±0.20 µg/kg), endosulfan (0.60±0.30 µg/kg) and ortho-para-dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro ethane (o,p’- DDT) (0.20±0.10 µg/kg). Illushin and Agenebode in Edo State had 0.10±0.02 µg/kg and 1.00±0.30 µg/kg of aldrin residues correspondingly. They were all above the allowable limit of 0.05 µg/kg recommended by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The pesticide-free fish and water could be as a result of the fact that the Fisher folks no longer use pesticides in fishing due to the awareness of the imminent dangers involved. However, the high levels of Pesticide residues in sediments may be as a result of overtime bioaccumulation of extensive and repeated use of the pesticides in fishing.

Planning and establishment of urban forests/trees for bio-physical benefits is not new in Nigeria; however, development and management of urban forests/trees for social and cultural values is relatively recent. This study is a diagnostic assessment of all trees/shrubs within University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin-City, Nigeria, including the newly introduced indigenous tree species. Ecological analysis was used to describe the relic tree population while ANOVA was used to compare growth in height and mortality of Mansonia altissima, Tieghemela heckelii, Terminalia superba, Khaya grandifoliola, Nauclea diderichii and Piptadeniastrum africanum. There were 224 trees/shrubs – consisting of indigenous (15%) and exotic (85%) – distributed among 27 species, 26 genera and 19 families. Shannon Weiner index (2.65) revealed low species diversity while Terminalia mantaly ranked highest on Important Value Index (IVI) scale. Tree/shrub height ranged 2m to 6m while most stems (68%) recorded <20cm dbh. Ornamental plants (41%) tending toward mature growth stage dominated the landscape. The study revealed that Khaya grandifoliola had a significantly better (P≥0.05) annual growth rate (1.74m) but also recorded highest (62.5%) mortality rate in the urban environment. Relative high growth rates of K. grandifoliola and Nauclea diderichii present a possible alternative to some exotic tree species in urban green spaces.