Author: Vardiafrica

The Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR is set to be honoured at the 4th edition of the Africa Value Awards which is scheduled to hold on the 12th November 2024 at the prestigious Abuja Continental Hotel. The Chief of Defense Staff has displayed profound professionalism in handling the affairs of security in Nigeria. His commitment to strengthen the capacity of the Armed Forces in tackling insecurity in the Nation is highly commendable as the scourge of insecurity has seen a rapid decline since he assumed office. At a press briefing, Mr. Kingsley J Dakorubo, the Executive…

Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements. He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November. Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly rated young coaches in European football. Highly decorated as both a player and coach, his titles include winning the Primeira Liga twice in Portugal with Sporting CP; the first of which was the club’s…

Mauritius’s communications regulator ordered all internet service providers to suspend access to social media platforms on Friday to Nov. 11, a day after the upcoming general election, as the country reels from a wiretapping scandal. Some 20 conversations involving politicians, police, lawyers, journalists and members of civil society have been leaked on social media since mid-October, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority said the temporary social media ban was in response to “illegal postings”. The Prime Minister’s office said the restriction was necessary to preserve the national security and integrity of the country, following…

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said Friday he would “step aside” after his party suffered a resounding defeat in general elections, according to preliminary tallies “I wish to congratulate the opposition on their victory and concede the election,” Masisi told reporters at a press conference, adding it had been “a good journey”. His party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has ruled the diamond-rich country since independence from Britain in 1966. Results from Wednesday’s vote are expected to be confirmed by the electoral commission later Friday, but early counts showed that three opposition parties had together won at least 31 of 61…

Chad’s military has been accused of killing “scores” of fishermen in Nigeria while targeting jihadists, days after 40 died in a Boko Haram attack on a military base in Chad, fishermen and anti-jihadist militia told AFP on Thursday. The Chadian army launched an airstrike pummelling Tilma island in Kukawa district on the Nigerian side of Lake Chad on Wednesday while fishermen were tending to their catch, the sources said. Two anti-jihadist militia assisting Nigerian soldiers in fighting the militant groups in the region told AFP that several fishermen were killed in the bombardment. “There was an attack on fishermen by…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery says it has not received authorisation from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to supply Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, to members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria. It announced this on Thursday as oil dealers under the aegis of the Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria demanded the refinery to release its PMS price, stressing that its silence on this matter had dragged on for so long. On Wednesday, IPMAN’s National President, Abubakar Maigandi, said his members had gone to the Lekki-based refinery but could not lift petrol for almost four…

The Federal Government has issued a nine-month ultimatum to individuals that are keeping dollars outside the banking system. Briefing journalists on Thursday after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said the government has unveiled a new policy for Nigerians to deposit dollar bills held outside the formal banking system without scrutiny. “There will be no penalty; there will be no taxes, and there will be no questions,” the minister assured. “There is going to be a release today, details by the federal government through the Ministry of…

Three days after Northern Governors kicked against President Bola Tinubu’s Tax Reforms Bill, which is presently before the National Assembly for consideration, the National Economic Council on Thursday told the President to immediately withdraw the Bill to allow for wider consultations and consensus building. Recall that President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council recently endorsed new policy initiatives to streamline Nigeria’s tax administration processes. The Federal Government had said that the new laws were meant to enhance efficiency and eliminate redundancies in the nation’s tax operations. The reforms emerged after a review of existing tax laws since August 2023. The National…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services will give security clearance to commercial bus and taxi drivers in the FCT from January 2025. Speaking at the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja on Thursday, Wike stated that the move is to end kidnapping and cases of ‘one-chance’ robbery in Abuja Wike disclosed that any commercial bus or taxi driver who is not cleared by the security agencies will not be allowed to operate with the FCT. He said, “Most of the Keke Napep…

The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE) on Thursday announced fresh N2.8 billion support from Google to accelerate AI talent development across Nigeria. This support, which is provided as a grant from Google.org to Data Science Nigeria, will bolster the Ministry’s ongoing AI-driven initiatives to upskill youth and under- and unemployed Nigerians, with a focus on AI skill development and education. The latest supports followed a N100 million commitment from Google to the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) AI Fund, which was announced in September According to a statement from the Ministry, this grant is part…