Author: Vardiafrica

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on critical stakeholders in the anti-graft war to join hands with the Commission in tackling the menace of naira abuse in the country. He appealed on Friday during an engagement with critical stakeholders comprising movie producers, musicians, non-governmental organisations, media, bureau de change operators, legal practitioners, security agencies, among others He said the sensitisation programme organised by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC, was a fallout of the increasing spate of Naira mutilation and abuse in the country. The EFCC boss described the…

Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, has warned Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, not to come to the state again without security clearance. Speaking on Friday while receiving Marcus Onobun, member of the house of representatives, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okpebholo said Obi’s recent visit to the state coincided with the killing of three people. The governor accused Obi of contributing to a resurgence of violence in the state. “That man who says he has no ‘shishi’ came and dropped N15 million. Where did he get it from? After he…

Former senator and politician Dino Melaye on Friday appeared in court for the first time as a practicing lawyer, marking his formal entry into the legal profession after years in public service. Melaye, who recently qualified as a lawyer, donned the full courtroom attire of wig and gown as he appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite at Court 8 of the Federal High Court in Abuja. His appearance follows his recent call to the Nigerian Bar earlier this month, after completing his law degree at Baze University. “Senator Dino Melaye at the Federal High Court Abuja today. Appeared before Justice Emeka…

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Kano to personally condole with the family of Aminu Dantata, the late business mogul and philanthropist, who passed away on June 28 at the age of 94. The president landed at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport from Abuja on Friday and proceeded to the residence of the Dantata family. Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the visit was necessary given Tinubu’s absence from the country at the time of Dantata’s death and burial in Saudi Arabia. “President Tinubu was out of the country at the time of Dantata’s passing but…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the South-East Investment Company (SEIC), a N150 billion investment vehicle designed to fast-track industrialisation and unlock private capital for transformative projects in the South-East. The new initiative will operate as a subsidiary under the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) and is expected to mobilise long-term financing for infrastructure, entrepreneurship, education, and skills development in the region. “With a projected blended capital base of over N150 billion, SEIC will mobilise resources through hybrid bonds, equity participation, and callable capital structures,” the statement reads. “Pilot investments and structured fundraising activities are expected to commence in…

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State in Southern Nigeria, Umo Eno, and Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday. During the visit, President Tinubu formally welcomed the Governor to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party. In another development, Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has said that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State is the leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.Onanuga made the remark in a post on X on Friday, following a visit by Governor Eno and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to President Bola Tinubu. He wrote: “Akwa Ibom Governor,…

France returned its last two military bases to Senegalese forces Thursday morning amid a wave of anti-French sentiment in West Africa. General Mbaye Cissé and Chief of the French command in Africa, Pascal Ianni, oversaw the official handover ceremony in Dakar, which marks the end of France’s 65-year presence in Senegal. “This is an important turning point in the rich and long military history between our two countries.” General Cissé said in his speech during the event. He noted that the French and Senegalese armies had “defined new objectives” to “give new meaning to the security partnership” between the two…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is taking steps to support its beneficiaries beyond just providing financial assistance by developing a centralised job portal that will connect students with employment opportunities in Nigeria and abroad. The portal will aggregate job listings from both the public and private sectors, as well as international employers interested in hiring Nigerians. The Managing Director and Chief Executive of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, revealed this during a briefing with newsmen on Thursday, as part of activities marking the first year anniversary of the Fund in Nigeria. Advertisement He noted that the initiative is part of the…

President Tinubu has renamed University of Maiduguri as Muhammadu Buhari University to honour his late predecessor. Tinubu announced the honour on Thursday at the session of tributes of the special federal executive council (FEC) meeting convened for the late former president. In an emotional tribute, the president described Buhari as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man,” acknowledging that while no leader is perfect, the former president embodied values that will not be forgotten. “His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, and the…

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has attributed the high number of uncompleted projects of the Commission to previous leadership instability.        Speaking during an interview on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme, Ogbuku said that one of the challenges of the NDDC in the past 25 years was the high turnover of leadership, noting, “In the past 25 years, NDDC has had 16 Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers, which caused instability in the system.” The NDDC boss noted that the Commission was determined to make the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government…