THE STATES

Adamawa

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
Adamawa State, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi, has  donated six buses to the party in the state.
Presenting the buses in Mubi, Abdullahi, who is the Sardauna of Michika in Adamawa State, said the gesture was to strengthen the party in the state.
He urged members of the party to close ranks and empower the party to reclaim its leading position in the state.
Abdullahi, a retired federal civil servant, said the support and goodwill he enjoyed from the people of the zone during his days in service, prompted him to join politics to repay them.

Bauchi

Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has congratu
lated the new Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Ima Niboro, on his appointment.
This is contained in a statement issued in Bauchi by Mr Ishola Michael, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor.
Yuguda also congratulated the Directors-General of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Mr Shola Omole, and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Alhaji Ladan Salihu.
The governor said that the media had played a vital role in shaping the minds, impression and actions of people, and urged the new chief executives to use their positions for the development of the nation.

Borno

The Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha, has Saturday, denied having any rift with Governor Kashim Shettima over the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Mustapha denied the alleged rift, which he said was making the rounds when he paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Biu, Alhaji Mustapha Aliyu, in his palace.
He said it was not true that he had teamed up with former Borno Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, to take over the control of APC in the state.
The deputy governor said the rumoured disagreement with his boss was the handiwork of mischief makers.

Ekiti
A bricklayer, Mr Adewale Omole has abandoned his
wife in a ‘spiritual home’ after he heard that she was expecting triplets in Ado Ekiti.
Narrating her story, Mrs Abosede Omole, who already had two children, told newsmen that her husband abandoned her and the babies.
She said that her husband started behaving strange after she went for a scan in Lagos where she was told that she was expecting triplets.
Abosede, who gave birth on Friday at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), said “my husband abandoned me even before I gave birth and he has refused to perform his responsibility as father.

Gombe

The Police Command in Gombe State says its officers
killed three armed robbers during a patrol on the Gombe-Dukku road on recently.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the command, DSP Fwaje Atajiri,  disclosed this to newsmen in Gombe.
He said the police also recovered four guns, 307 live ammunition and two vehicles from the robbers during a joint operation with police men from Bauchi State.
Atajiri said that the vehicles recovered were one Honda Accord and a Toyota Avalon which were suspected to be stolen from Lagos-Ibadan axis.
“Upon seeing a police vehicle, they opened fire and the police returned fire and the ground battle lasted about 45 minutes on the Gombe-Dukku road on Friday.
“Three of them were killed; we recovered four arms, 307 live ammunition and two vehicles, one Honda Accord and one Toyota Avalon,.
“ The men were believed to have stolen the vehicle from Ibadan-Lagos axis,” he said.
The spokesman said that the police were intensifying efforts to arrest other members of the gang who escaped.

Kaduna

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna
State has elevated 23 Ph.D holders to the status of professors.
This is contained in a statement issued  in Zaria, by the institution’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Dr Sama’ila Shehu, and made available to newsmen.
According to the statement, besides the professors, the management also approved the elevation of 41 others as readers and principal research fellows of the institution.
“At the 460th regular senate meeting of January 30, the vice-chancellor announced the promotion of 23 professors and 41 readers as approved by the Governing Council of the University.”

Kwara

The Kwara State, college of Education (COED),
Ilorin, last Saturday matriculated 4,000 students for the 2013/2014 academic session. The newly admitted students would study in 30 departments and three schools .
Addressing the students, the Provost of the college, Dr Isiaka Opobiyi ,urged them to use the opportunity to achieve excellence in their educational pursuit.
He warned them against acts such as cultism, drug abuse, examination malpractice, indecent dressing and drunkenness.
Opobiyi also urged the students to face their studies to excel in their academic pursuit.

Lagos

The Grand Matron, Christian Association of Nige
ria (CAN), Alimosho Local Government Area, of Lagos State Mrs Beatrice Egunleti, has urged wealthy Nigerians and philanthropists to support the less privileged in the society.
She made the appeal at the inauguration of her non-governmental organisation, “Project Care”, held at the Bible Baptist Church, Egbeda, Lagos.
Egunleti said she was putting in place a welfare outreach to empower the less privileged and integrate them into the society.
“When we come together, we can arrest the situation by turning around lives that would have been wasted”, she said.

Ondo

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
in Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has expressed satisfaction with the turnout of people for the party’s ongoing membership registration.
Akeredolu, a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), spoke in Owo shortly after he registered as a member of APC.
The one-time President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) registered at Ward 5 Unit 6 in Ijebu area of the town.
“The turnout is overwhelming. We have to send for more materials because of the turnout.
“People are already geared for change … Nigerians are ready for change,”  he said.

Plateau

Sen. Gyang Pwajok has commended the Special Task
Force (STF) over the arrest of 16 cattle rustlers, saying that the feat will restore peace to troubled Plateau North.
Pwajok (PDP-Plateau North), who made the disclosure when he reacted to the arrest, said that bursting the racket would “certainly reduce future excuses for such attacks’’.
“We expect a huge reduction in such attacks, except if the conflict merchants come up with new excuses,’’ he said.
He added, however, that the STF must go beyond the cattle racket and identify the killer squads behind the killings in Plateau.

Sokoto

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that PDP will work
to lead Nigeria to greatness.
Jonathan was speaking in Sokoto at a grand reception organised for a former governor of the state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, who defected to PDP with his supporters from APC.
“The PDP is the only party that is stable and it will continue to uphold the tenets of democracy.
“The PDP respects the rule of law at all levels and we respect the constitution,” he said.
Jonathan said PDP was the number one party in Nigeria and would continue to be so.
He further said that the Federal Government under the party would continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

Zamfara

Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has warned
political parties against the use of thugs in the state, ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Yari gave the warning when he received Alhaji Mamman Sule, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in-charge of Zone 10, at the Government House, Gusau.
The governor said the warning became imperative “as the nation prepares for the 2015 general elections.
“The Zamfara government will not tolerate any thuggery. This warning is particularly for politicians who engage youths in thuggery just to intimidate the opposition.
“We will strongly use the law to stop such people even if they are members of the ruling APC in the state.’’

L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Water Resources, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, member of the Committee, Sen. Joshua Lidani, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Aviation, Mr Bayode Boluwaji, Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe and Chief Engineer, SSC Nigeria Limited, Mr Etim Frank, during inspection of Kashimbilla multi-purpose dam in Taraba last Monday.