Author: Vardiafrica

It was a celebration of literary culture and journalistic excellence at the Conference Centre of the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Swali, Yenagoa, on Tuesday, as leading lights of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Bayelsa State Chapter, their counterparts of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), as well as academics and university undergraduates converged for the 5th Edition of the Book Reading Programmme organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). The event featured a veteran of the pen profession and strategic communication professional, Mr. Paul C. Nwabuikwu, and his 2025…

The federal government has suspended the implementation of the concession arrangement for Kings College, Lagos, with the old boys’ association of the school for two weeks. TheCable understands that the two-week suspension of the implementation was part of resolutions reached at the end of an emergency meeting held by Tunji Alausa, minister of education, with labour unions at the ministry on Wednesday. The parties at the meeting also agreed on the immediate suspension of all industrial action over the King’s College concession. It was also agreed that no staff would be victimised for participating in any industrial action over the…

The management of local airline Air Peace has described as “inaccurate” a flight delay report recently released by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The Authority had in its August 2026 summary of domestic airline flight disruption operations said Air Peace recorded 1,330 delayed flights out of 1,864 flights operated during the month. The report, however, did not detail reasons for the delays. In a firm response, the local airline, in a statement signed by its Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, Air Peace claimed that the report contained fundamental data inaccuracies regarding its operational volume and mischaracterised the root causes…

The planet’s water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic, swinging between too little and too much, the United Nations warned Thursday, with an unprecedented El Nino expected to exacerbate the long-term trend. Last year was among the driest for the world’s rivers in over three decades, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization said in a report. In 2025 — one of the warmest years on record — glaciers also shrank across all regions, even as groundwater levels in many parts of the world are in multi-year decline, it found. Overall, the WMO’s annual State of Global Water Resources report showed that the…

Todd Boehly has stepped down as Chelsea chairman after selling his stake in the club to majority owner Clearlake Capital, which has now taken full control. Boehly and director Mark Walter sold their shares in a deal that hands Clearlake complete ownership. Boehly, Walter and Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss previously each held a 12.8% stake, while Clearlake owned 61.5%. The club confirmed Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group. Clearlake, led by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, paid approaching £1 billion for the stakes, which represent about a quarter of the club. Club…

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to urgently introduce measures to cushion the impact of rising petrol prices on Nigerians. The congress canvassed among others, wage awards, naira-priced crude for local refineries and increased national fuel storage capacity. NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, made the demands in a statement titled, “Save The Situation Now,” warning that the latest surge in petrol prices was deepening poverty and eroding the purchasing power of workers and households. Ajaero said petrol was selling for as much as N1,430 per litre in major cities where the product was readily available, while prices…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken delivery of five new helicopters as the Federal Government accelerates efforts to modernise Nigeria’s airpower capabilities and strengthen the Armed Forces’ capacity to respond effectively to contemporary security challenges. The platforms comprise three AW-109 Trekker B helicopters manufactured by Leonardo Helicopters of Italy and two H-125 helicopters manufactured by Airbus Helicopters. The three AW-109s, which form part of 10 recently acquired by the Federal Government, were received in Lagos on 15 September 2026, with the remaining seven expected to be delivered before the end of 2026. The two H-125s had been delivered earlier.…

The Federal Government has rolled out 215,000 MAMA kits, 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of newborn clothing for vulnerable women and families nationwide This is as the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for stronger collaboration among governments at all levels, traditional and religious institutions, development partners and philanthropists to tackle Nigeria’s maternal and newborn mortality burden. She said the scale of the challenge among pregnant women and infants requires collective action to ensure that the interventions reach them, particularly those in poor, underserved and hard-to-reach communities. Speaking at the flag-off of the distribution at…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) Limited and Geoplex Drillteq Limited, on Thursday in Port Harcourt graduated seven young Nigerian engineers and geologists in Directional Drilling and Evaluation Services (DD/MWD) and Electric Wireline Evaluation Services (EWL) for which the trainees collectively received 18 international certifications from reputable European organisations. Under the contractual framework provided by SNEPCO, Directional Drilling and Evaluation exposed the trainees to jar maintenance, bottom-hole assembly components, measurement-while-drilling principles, formation integrity and leak-off test procedures. For Electric Wireline Services, they had hands-on training on wireline logging,…

The Federal Government has committed ₦10.5 billion to the Digital Training Academy (DTA), an initiative designed to equip 32,000 Nigerians with relevant digital and professional skills for improved employability and participation in the global digital economy. The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this at the official launch of the Digital Training Academy, explaining that the programme was established to address Nigeria’s skills gap while creating a direct link between professional training, certification, employment, entrepreneurship and national development. Alausa said the initiative is being implemented under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), in line with the Renewed…