Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has declared his determination to make the state capital, Asaba, an economic hub for investors and haven for tourists.

The Senate yesterday said it would not suspect any sabotage in last Monday’s fire at the office of director of Voter Registry, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s headquaters in Abuja, even though the development was not the first time.

It wore two caps: politics and literature. As politics,the 2nd annual Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu Colloquium preached unity and peace in a country wrecked by the evils of ethnicity, terrorism and corruption. As literary, it promoted education and used its rich heritage to preach unity by honouring the literary icon, the late author Cyprian Ekwensi by naming its new e- library the Cyprian Ekwensi Library.

Rivers State chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has called for investigation into the issues that led to the sack of Mr. Emeka Wogu as Commissioner for Special Duties in the state.

AHEAD of the resumption of the National Assembly next week, the Senate has vowed to summon the Inspector- General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, over his refusal to arrest embattled chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Force Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Last December, most motorists and commuters in Ogun State were thrown into panic mode, no thanks to the numerous road crashes with attendant loss of lives witnessed during the period. To worsen the fear of travellers in the Gateway State, a truck rammed into some students who were crossing the road in Itori on their way back home after school hours.

LAGOS — SPEAKER of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has dismissed as false and misleading comments that frosty relations exist between Governor Babatunde Fashola and the House.

MISS Sandra Anazor from Anambra State, who emerged the overall best in the last National Examinations Council, NECO, and West African School Certificate, WASC, examinations, has been awarded scholarship by Anambra State Government to further her education in the university.

Professor Chiedu Felix Mafiana is the Executive Director, Quality Assurance, National Universities Commission NUC. This arm was created in 2005 following the observed need to restructure and strengthen the capacity of the Commission to monitor and ensure the quality of academic programmes in the Nigerian University System (NUS). The Professor of Parasitology, who is also the President and Chair of the Executive Board, African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQan), in this interview spoke on sundry issues bordering on the university system and the way forward. Excerpts:

LAGOS — GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, has said his government is a builder, not a demolisher, even as he undertook an extensive tour of ongoing projects across the state.

ABUJA—The Senate has complained against the Inspector- General of Police, IGP, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, for allegedly failing to arrest the Chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Force Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, warning that it would summon Abubakar to appear before it over the issue when the National Assembly resumes next week.

EMBATTLED Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday, described the reinstatement of the sacked Adamawa State Executives of the party by the National Working Committee, NWC, as a betrayal of trust.

A mild drama played out at the National Secretariat of the party yesterday as Tukur and some NWC members snubbed one another before the party leaders went into a marathon meeting at the Presidential Villa. The bickering has forced President Goodluck Jonathan to wade into the crisis, urging members to sheathe their swords and work together as a team.

Irked by the spawning certificates that often fail the test of time in terms of skills and qualitative knowledge, the Senate Committee on education has charged the federal government on the need to establish more technical and technological institutions of learning across the nation.

THE beginning of a New Year has become very instructive in understanding the Jonathan presidency. Last year as Nigerians were coming to terms with expenses incurred during the Christmas/New Year festivities, President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a punishing increase of prices of petroleum products on the country.

The President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Sanni Ndanusa has described the move by the National Sports Commission (NSC) to grant more autonomy to the Sporting Federations as a welcomed development, which according to him, has been long over-due.