Adamawa
The Management of Adamawa Polytechnic,Yola, has confirmed the accreditation and approval of seven new courses in the institute by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Rector of the Institution Prof. Bobboi Umar told newsmen in Yola that the development was first of its kind in the history of the institution.
Umar said, “ the institution is able to record a remarkable achievement where about seven new courses were accredited by the NBTE.”
He explained that, the accredited programmes include mass communication, social development, business administration and four engineering courses.

Benue
The Business Manager of PHCN in Makurdi, Benue, Mr John Emeruwa, has attributed the current power outage in Makurdi to ongoing power lines upgrade in the state.
Emeruwa disclosed this to newsmen in Makurdi.
Emeruwa said the 132 KV lines that linked Benue with Enugu were no longer adequate for the increasing number of customers and the demand for power supply in the area.
He said the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had been mandated to improve power supply to Benue by evacuating more power from the national grade to Benue.

Borno
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno has re-assured the people that the relationship between him and his deputy, Alhaji Zanna Mustapha, was “cordial and progressive”.
Shettima was reacting to speculations of a rift between him and his deputy as well as his predecessor, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, in Maiduguri.
Reports also indicated that the governor was in the process of carrying out a cabinet reshuffle following a rift between him, his deputy and Sheriff.
But Shettima said while receiving a delegation of the Southern Borno ANPP Forum in Maiduguri that the reports were unfounded.

FCT
Assistant Director of Administration, Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture, Mr Adamu Bigari, Abuja, has decried the neglect of indigenous languages in the country.
Bigari told newsmen that foreign language was eroding the country’s indigenous languages.
He said as the world marked the International Day for Mother Tongue, there was a need to promote indigenous languages to sustain “our culture”.
Bigari blamed the decline in the use of mother tongue on both parents and policy makers, adding that more attention was paid to foreign languages to the detriment of local ones.

Gombe
The Federal Government is to execute N2 billion worth of projects at the Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Kabir Farouk, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at Kashere, Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State recently.
Farouk said that the amount was the grant approved by the Federal Government last year to each of the nine universities to develop their main campuses.
According to him, the projects comprised the Senate building, Library, Information, Communication and Technology centre and two faculty buildings, which locations have been decided based on the university’s master plan.

Jigawa
The Federal Government has distributed 7,200 tonnes of fertiliser to Jigawa dry season farmers to boost rice production in the state, according to the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).
The Chairman of the association, Malam Adamu Haruna, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Hadejia recently.
Haruna said that each member of the association received three bags of the commodity at the rate of N2,750 per bag as against N5,000 per bag in the open market.
He said that the Federal Government had given 50 per cent subsidy, while farmers paid the remaining 50 per cent.
He said that the brand of the assorted fertiliser distributed to the farmers included

Kaduna
The Zaria water project has reached 78 per cent completion and will be completed and commissioned by 2013, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Sunday Marshall, has said.
Marshall, who made this known in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna, said that the state government had spent N14.7 billion so far on the project.
He said that the project was awarded at the cost of N15.7 billion in January 2009 and that the cost had been reviewed to N24.6 billion.
In a separate interview, the Project Manager, Mr Yusuf Kobo, told newsmen that the water supply project was being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Government
Kobo said that when completed, the project would provide potable water to 2.2 million people in 23 communities across eight local government areas of the state.

Katsina
The District Head of Kafur in Katsina State, Alhaji Rabe Abdullahi, has called for increased public awareness to boost participation in environmental sanitation activities.
Rabe, who is also the Dangaladiman Katsina, made the call at the inauguration of local government sanitation committee members saddled with the task of ensuring proper conduct of the re-introduced monthly sanitation exercise in the state.
Represented by his son, Alhaji Abdulrahman Rabe, the traditional ruler said public awareness on the importance of the exercise could be achieved through the media and community town criers.
He gave an assurance of the traditional rulers’ support for the success of the exercise and pledged to mobilise wards and community leaders to achieve the goal.

Lagos
The police in Lagos have arraigned two men, who allegedly defrauded a woman of N290,000, and told her that she would die if she disclosed the crime.
Ugiagbe Osamuyimin, 48, and Bernard Obukene, 34, appeared before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and fraud.
They allegedly defrauded a nursing mother, Mrs Kehinde Agbana, at 1:00 p.m.on February 7, at the Lekki Beach area of Lagos State.
Osamuyimin, who claimed to be a herbalist, resides at the Lekki Beach, while Obukene, who claims to be a builder, resides on Badore Kekere St., Ajah, Lagos.
The prosecutor, ASP Augustine Orji said: “They led their victim into believing that they would supply her with clothes, but ended up collecting her phone and ATM card and withdrawing the above mentioned amount from her bank account.Ogun

Ogun
Wife of the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, Mrs HID Awolowo,Mrs HID Awolowo, has appealed to the people of South-West to be united ahead of 2015 elections.
Awolowo made the appeal during her welcome address at the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) meeting held at Awolowo residence in Ikenne-Remo,Ogun.
She said that there was need for Yorubas to come together as one before 2015 so as to know the direction to go.
“Time is now for the Yoruba nation to come together as one for us to take our rightful place in the country.
Awolowo also urged the Yorubas to be patient with one other, adding that Yoruba nation must rise again.
She stressed that the YUF committee was working toward uniting the Yorubas before 2015.

Plateau
The Plateau Government has announced that it had approved the establishment of an Information Communication Technology Agency to boost computer literacy.
“The EXCO has approved the formation of the agency with desk offices in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Mr Abraham Yiljap, the Information and Communication Commissioner, told newsmen in Jos.
“We want to be sure that assets acquired by various administrations are documented electronically for easy assessment.
“Government wants a proper inventory of its assets; we don’t want a situation where successive governments will not know what belongs to government and how to access it.’’

Zamfara
The Federal Government has released N158.3 million for the promotion of safe mining practice among artisanal miners in Zamfara State, according to an official.
The Director, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Obiora Azubuike, announced this in Gusua at a news briefing.
Azubuike said money was part of the N850 million released by the Federal Government to control lead poisoning in mining communities in the state.
He said that the government had also mapped out a programme to control lead poisoning in Zamfara.
He said the programme included environmental remediation of Bagega village, treatment of victims of lead poisoning and promotion of safe mining practice.
Azubuike, who is also the Chairman, Technical Committee on the Promotion of Safe Mining, said that the programme would involve the formalisation of mining activities across the state.