Adamawa

Dr Mohammed Barau, the Rector of Federal Polytech

            nic, Mubi in Adamawa, has been commended for his compliance with federal character principles in the recruitment of staff.

  A community leader in Mubi, Alhaji Babangida Jibrilla, who gave the commendation in Mubi yesterday also lauded the rector for the rapid transformation recorded in areas of infrastructure and academic activities in the school.

  Jibrilla said besides the compliance with federal character requirements in employment, the rector had in the last two years introduced various courses in the polytechnic that raised the school students population from 2,000 to 19,000.

  “More than 20 courses run by the polytechnic were accredited within the last two years while series of physical development in terms of lecture theatres and office blocks were executed to make learning conducive.

                          Bauchi

No fewer than 100 youths have benefited from a skill

            and vocational training programme initiated by the Bauchi State Furniture Company since 2009, as part of efforts to eradicate poverty in the state.

Alhaji Bakoji Badara, the Managing Director of the company, gave the information in an interview with The Tide’s source on Monday in Bauchi.

Badara said the youths were trained in carpentry, upholstery and metal works, under the skill acquisition scheme designed to enhance employment generation and encourage the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME).

He said the trainees were paid between N8,000 and N25,000, as monthly allowances, depending on the nature of their work.

                                    FCT

The National Council on Education (NCE) has prom

            ised to map out innovative strategies on policy options and best practices for the development of education through Public Private Partnership.

Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said this at the opening ceremony of the technical session of the 56th Meeting of the Council in Abuja on Monday.

He assured stakeholders that at the meeting “we shall consider memoranda for council’s approval with a view to mapping out innovative strategies on policy options and best practices”.

The permanent secretary expressed the commitment of the ministry for total restoration of the country’s education system to its former glory.

Gombe

The Gombe State Government has pledged more sup

            port to the National Youth Service scheme.

Governor Mohammed Goje stated this on Monday while inspecting the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Malamsidi Kwami in Gombe State.

He commended the contributions of corp members to education, health and other sectors in the state.

Goje, who described the scheme as the best platform for national unity and integration, said government would ensure that the scheme continued.

The first phase of the permanent orientation camp project includes, hostels, offices  and a parade ground, which is to cost N600 million and is expected to be completed by the end of March this year. 

Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government plans to establish small

            hydro power projects to complement the proposed 30 megawatts generation station being built at Gurara Dam, an official said.

The Commissioner for Rural Development, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Abubakar, made the information known  in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna on Monday.

He said 11 spots had been identified for the projects but added  that only three had been found to be viable, while others were still  being studied.

Abubakar said the government and the Energy Commission of Nigeria were working on renewable energy sources.

Kebbi

The Kebbi State Government has uncovered 6,000

            “ghost workers” and saved about N200 million since the introduction of e-payment in October 2009.

The Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Bello Tugga, told newsmen on Monday in Birnin Kebbi that government had achieved 95 per cent success in the bio-metrix system of e-payment of salary to its workers.

He said a committee, with members from all segments of the civil service, had been set up to verify any anomalies in the payment of workers salary.

Tugga said government had no intention of punishing anybody for the discovery of the ghost workers, stressing that the measure was purely aimed at sanitising its accounting system.

Kwara

Kwara Deputy Governor, Joel Ogundeji, yesterday in

            Ilorin called on the private sector to assist the government in financing education as part of its social responsibility.

Ogundeji made the call when he inaugurated a building donated to ECWA Girls Secondary School, Omu-Aran, by the Deputy Governor of Anambra, Dame Virgy Etiaba, an old student.

He said that government alone could not fund education in the country.

The deputy governor called on other stakeholders and corporate organisations to contribute their quota in ensuring quality education.

“All of us are duty bound to contribute to the physical and academic development of our alma mater,” he said.

Lagos

An Ikeja High Court on Monday admitted in evidence

            video tapes containing recordings of the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) proceedings on the alleged attempted murder of  Chief Alex Ibru.

Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sani Abacha, and three others are standing trial for the 1996 alleged attempted murder of  Ibru in Lagos.

The others are: former  Commissioner of  Police in Lagos State, James Danbaba; a former Military Administrator of  Zamfara, Jubril Yakubu and a Chief Superintendent of  Police, Rabo Lawal.

The tapes, tendered in evidence, contained the proceedings of  interrogation by the SIP of several suspects including Al-Mustapha and other accused in 1999.

Niger

Alhaji Hassan Nuhu, the Director-General, Millennium

            Development Goals (MDGs) in Niger, has announced the award of N1.8 billion contracts that would impact positively on the lives of the citizenry.

Nuhu announced the contract awards in Minna recently, during the presentation of the contract documents to some contractors handling the various projects.

He said the contracts included the construction of 12 comprehensive health care centres, each capable of catering for 20 admitted patients, at the cost of N600 million.

The DG said four health centres would be built in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.

According to him, the centres would be equipped and provided with medical consumables and drugs to increase the access of pregnant women and children to medical services.

Plateau

Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau has said that the state

            would no longer allow  unauthorised buildings in the greater Jos master plan.

Receiving the report of the plan in Jos on Friday, Jang said the government intended to pursue its actualisation very soon.

“Let me warn those who are fund of erecting buildings just anywhere that they will be bulldozed without any apology.

‘’We have told the task force on illegal structures to remove all illegal structures in the city.

“We are not joking about the matter. People will want to carry it into religion, they will term it tribal and all kinds of things but I am determined to do it, no matter what happens,” he said.

Sokoto

Sokoto State is to build a 30-megawatts Independent Power  Project (IPP) at the cost of N3.8 billion.  

Mr Ford Graham, Managing Director of the U.S.-based Vulcan Capital Energy Management, which won the contract for the project, disclosed this recently at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the state government in Sokoto.

Graham said that the state government had already paid 30 per cent of the total contract sum to his firm for the execution of the project, which was awarded in November 2008.

He said that his firm had commenced work on the project following the arrival in December 2009 of some of the equipment it ordered.

Graham blamed the delay in commencing work on the project to the delay in the acquisition of the site and in opening letters of credit.