THE STATES

Adamawa

Switzerland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Chad and Niger, Dr
Hans-Rudolf Hodel, has urged Nigerian youths to work towards a peaceful general elections.
Hodel made the call in Yola while interacting with staff and students of American University of Nigeria, Yola, on democracy in Switzerland.
He said that violence in any form must be avoided, insisting that dialogue had remained the best way of resolving any conflict.
He lauded the university’s authorities for what he described as ”quality education” being provided to students, adding that education was the bedrock of all developments.
According to him, an educated population will ensure peace and prosperity of a nation.
On bilateral relations with Nigeria, Hodel said that Switzerland, currently with a population of eight million people, supported Nigeria’s independence in 1960 and established its embassy in the country in 1961.
He said currently Switzerland has about 60 companies doing business in Nigeria with Nestlé being the most popular among them.

Borno

The Borno State government said it planned to explore the
possibilities of completing the long awaited Biu Dam project using its own resources.
The state Governor, Kashim Shettima, stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Biu, Alhaji Mustapha Aliyu in his palace in Biu.
Shettima said the government had been worried over the continued abandonment of the dam in spite of its socio-economic potential.
He added that the state government had already paid its counterpart funding for the completion of the project.
“The state government has paid its counterpart fund for the completion of the dam but the Federal Government is yet to release its own for the commencement of work on the site.”
He said that the dam, when completed, would assist in tackling the problem of perennial water shortage as well as providing water for irrigation farming for the people.
The governor added that his administration had executed many developmental projects worth about N10 billion in the area since his assumption of office in 2011.
He named some of the projects to include the construction of the Miringa-Gunda road and reconstruction of Government Secondary School (GSS) Miringa.
Shettima said the administration also carried out mass overhaul of structures at Government Secondary School, Marama, as well as upgraded general hospitals in Biu, Kwaya-Kusar and Bayo local government areas.
Responding, the Emir thanked the governor for the visit which he described as historic.

FCT

A coalition of women, youths and persons with disability
in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have announced support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections.
They said, at a rally in support of APC’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja, that the party was better prepared to address the plight of vulnerable groups in the country.
They stated that women and the youth had been abandoned for too long while the welfare of disabled persons had been neglected.
National Coordinator, Harbingers of Change for Buhari, Hajiya Hasiya Suleiman, a member of the coalition, said that though the present administration had done its best, it was time for Nigerians to embrace change.
She said that Buhari represented the change that vulnerable groups in the country had yearned for in the past 15 years of democratic rule in the country.
Suleiman said that the group was committed to its support for Buhari’s candidacy ”till the results of the elections are announced”.

Kaduna

Authorities of Shehu Idris College of Health Science Tech
nology, Makarfi, Kaduna State, have shut its main campus following a fire outbreak in the female hostel.
Our correspondent learnt that the fire destroyed 25 rooms in the “female hostel block B”  and left 200 students without accommodation.
The Provost of the college, Mr Musa Garba-Abdullahi, told newsmen that the college had been closed and examinations suspended.
“We have already started the first semester examination, which we are supposed to have completed on Wednesday, February 12, but this ugly incident happened.
“We decided to shut down the main campus and the examination suspended till further notice,” he said.
The provost, however, said that there was no loss of life because the incident happened while the students were writing their examinations.
Kwara

The Vice Chancellor of Al-hikmah University, Prof Suleiman
AbdulKareem, has urged the Federal Government to extend its grants and financial assistance to private universities as part of measure to provide quality university education to youths.
Abdulkareem made the call at the 10th matriculation of the institution for the 2014/2015 academic session in Ilorin recently.
He also stressed the need for both the federal and state governments to continue to give priority attention to education through adequate funding, by providing basic infrastructural facilities.
The vice-chancellor noted that apart from being the best legacy a nation could bequeath to its youths, education is also the pivotal which the national development rests.
He, therefore, cautioned the newly admitted students against examination malpractice and other immoral behaviours, saying that the university had zero tolerance to them.

Lagos

The President, Society for Women in Taxation (SWIT), Mrs
Justina Okoro, has called for synergy between tax institutes and governments to combat double taxation in the country.
Okoro told newsmen in Lagos that many companies had crumbled as a result of double taxation.
“This also is retarding rapid industrial growth in the country, especially now that the country’s benchmark of crude oil is dwindling, we should encourage diversification and industrial growth,” she said.
She said that multiple taxations could discourage diversifications and industrial expansion.
“I urge all tax stakeholders to join hands to resolve this challenge. A good tax system should be targeted at consumption and not at investment.
“And whether consumptions or investments, none should be doubly taxed,” she said.

Oyo

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has
urged Nigerians not to be frustrated by the shift in the dates of the general elections.
Chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, made the appeal while reacting to postponement of the February elections on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ajiboye said that Nigerians should rather ensure that they collected their Permanent Voter Cards before the rescheduled dates for the elections.
He described the INEC decision as a serious setback for Nigerian democracy.
“We condemn the shift in the dates for the polls but, however,we encourage Nigerians to keep calm in the face of unnecessary provocations.
“The decision is a serious setback for Nigerian democracy. But we should remain steadfast. Let us organise and not agonise,” he said.

Plateau

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
in Plateau, has started the distribution of more Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), especially for those who registered in November 2014 in the state.
The commission’s Head, Voter Education and Publicity in Plateau, Mr Imahiyereobo Osaretin, told  newmen in Jos, that the distribution began last week.
Osaretin explained that the PVCs were for those who registered in November 2014, while those who registered in 2011 and were yet to collect theirs, could also collect their cards.
“We have collected over 1. 3 million PVCs from our headquarters for those, who registered in 2011 and we have so far distributed more than 1.2 million out of the number brought to us, which represents 88.3 per cent.
”No fewer than 643,241 PVCs have again arrived from our headquarters solely for those who registered in 2014, and we have started distribution immediately,” he said.
He said that prospective voters, who registered in 2011 and had yet to collect their PVCs, should return to their registration centres as the newly arrived PVCs also had some of the missing ones.

Sokoto

The Sokoto State Government said it was sponsoring 42
students in Niger and Burkina Faso to obtain bachelor’s degrees in French.
Chairman of Sokoto State Scholarship Board, Alhaji Jelani Kalgo, made this known at the inauguration of an eight-month Intensive Preliminary French Programme for 70 persons in Sokoto recently.
Kalgo, represented by the Director of Administration of the board, Alhaji Salihu Galadanchi, said the first batch of 17 students were pursuing their first degrees in French at Abdou Moumouni University in Niamey, Niger Republic.
Another batch of 25 students will be leaving for the University of Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, for a similar programme.
“The board has also paid registration fees for fresh, returning , spill over and amnesty students at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
“The gestures are aimed at grooming interested and qualified indigenes to pursue degree programmes in French language.

Taraba

The Commissioner of Police in Taraba State, Mr Ademola
Omole, has warned governorship candidates of vari
ous political parties against attacking opponents at campaign rallies.
Omole gave the warning at a meeting with governorship candidates of political parties in Jalingo where an accord to end attacks on opponents was later signed by the candidates.
The commissioner decried the clash among political parties in Suntai village which claimed two lives, warning that the command would come hard on anyone that went against the terms of the accord.
Our correspondent reports that seven out of the 15 governorship candidates in the state signed the accord.

From Left: Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar Iii and Governor Aliyu Wamakko, during Governor Amaechi’s visit to the Sultan in Sokoto on Thursday