Author: Vardiafrica

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Friday held an engagement session with youth groups and civil society organisations (CSOs) as part of its renewed drive for awareness creation concerning its functions and activities as well as enabling statute. In a welcome address to representatives of youth groups and CSOs in Bayelsa State at the Harold Dappa-Biriye Hall, Golden Tulip Resort, Yenagoa, the Executive Secretary of he NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe underlined the need to focus its awareness and sensitisation activities on oil and gas industry players and host communities, including contractors and vendors. Citing Section 67 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, which requires the Board to regularly…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has carried out strategic airstrikes on fleeing elements of the recently foiled military coup in the Benin Republic, security sources have confirmed. The operation targeted coup plotters and their equipments attempting to escape Cotonou in armoured vehicles following the swift intervention by loyalist forces in the country. The airstrikes, executed over the past 30 minutes, involved multiple coordinated strikes carried out by Nigerian fighter jets operating within Beninese airspace. “The operation was meticulously planned and executed. Our objectives were clear: neutralize fleeing hostile elements, prevent regrouping, and restore stability in coordination with regional partners,” the…

Benin’s President Patrice Talon is safe, and security forces are restoring order after a faction of soldiers claimed to have removed him from power, the presidency announced on Sunday. In a brief statement, the presidency dismissed the soldiers’ declaration as the actions of a fringe group with limited influence. “This is a small group of individuals who only managed to seize the television station. The regular army is steadily regaining control. Both the city and the entire country remain completely secure,” the statement said. The clarification follows an earlier broadcast by soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation,”…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered on Sunday the deployment of a regional standby force to Benin following a coup attempt. The standby force will include soldiers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana, according to an ECOWAS statement. The statement said the troops would help the Beninese government and army “preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Benin”. The deployment order follows a previous ECOWAS statement pledging to support Benin in defending its constitution and territorial integrity “in all forms necessary”, including deployment of a regional standby force. A group of…

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Sunday hosted a high-level United States Congressional delegation in Abuja as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation on counter-terrorism and regional security. The visit follows earlier engagements between Ribadu and U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., where both sides discussed shared security priorities. The Congressional team on the fact-finding mission comprised Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, Rep. Norma Torres, Rep. Scott Franklin, Rep. Juan Ciscomani, and Rep. Riley M. Moore. Also present was the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, underscoring the strategic importance America places on its security partnership with Nigeria. According…

French President, Emmanuel Macron, on Sunday pledged his country’s support for Nigeria in tackling terrorism and other security challenges especially in the country. This was sequel to a telephone discussion President Maron had with his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu, on Sunday morning. In a tweet on his verified X handle, @Emmanuel Macron, the French President said he had conveyed France’s solidarity with Nigeria in the face of “various security challenges, particularly the terrorist threat in the north”. Macron, in the tweet, stated inter alia: “I spoke with President Tinubu of Nigeria, @officialABAT. “I conveyed France’s solidarity in the face of…

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has visited the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet pilots who ejected from their aircraft after experiencing an in-flight emergency near NAF Base Kainji. Aneke met with the aircrew to check on their wellbeing and to commend their professionalism and quick decision-making, which ensured they landed safely despite the aircraft’s failure. The jet crashed a few kilometres from the Karabonde town in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday. In a post on Facebook on Sunday, the Air Force said the Alpha Jet suffered a technical malfunction soon after take-off. The…

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has announced the launch of a new direct route between  Casablanca and Los Angeles, set to begin on June 7 of next year, a milestone that positions the airline, and Morocco, at the forefront of transcontinental connectivity.  The 12-hour flight will become the first-ever direct air connection between Africa and the US West Coast, significantly expanding long-haul options for travelers and strengthening Morocco’s role as a global aviation hub. Operating three times per week, the route responds to rapidly growing intercontinental travel demand ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. …

The President, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Engr. Wole Ogunsanya on Wednesday declared that the cost of providing services in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is relatively the cheapest on the African continent. He spoke at a Townhall Session at the 14th Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Conference and Exhibition at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Yenagoa and provided a detailed analysis of project costs across Africa and elsewhere. Engr. Ogunsanya insisted that a distinction must be made between the capital expenditures (CAPEX) of the oil industry and operating expenditures (OPEX), stressing that Nigeria’s CAPEX rates were arguably the lowest…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to take legal action against the Rivers State House of Assembly Lawmakers, who defected from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday. The 16 lawmakers, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, had on Friday defected to APC, citing “division” within the PDP as the reason for their defection. Reacting to this development on Saturday in Abuja, the PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said it will take legal steps to regain its mandate. Describing them as political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,…