Author: Vardiafrica

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction backed by Nyesom Wike has commenced the screening of presidential, governorship, and national assembly aspirants ahead of the 2027 general election. In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, the party said the exercise was being coordinated by the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led national working committee (NWC). The statement was issued by Chinwe Nnorom, national director of publicity, on behalf of Jungudo Mohammed, national publicity secretary of the party. According to the statement, the screening of governorship aspirants was scheduled for noon on Thursday at the PDP national secretariat annex, Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja, while that of presidential aspirants was…

Tobi Amusan eased to another title in the women’s 100m hurdles at the ongoing CAA Senior Athletics Championships.  The world record holder clocked 12.83 seconds to finish ahead of the rest of the track in the event’s final held on Wednesday at the University of Ghana in Accra. The victory is her third title in the women’s 100m hurdles. She won her first African Championship title in 2018 in Asaba, then defended it in Mauritius in 2022. In Accra, Ebony Morrison of Liberia finishes second while Adaobi Tabugbo of Nigeria took bronze. In the women’s 100m sprint, Rosemary Chukwuma took a…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, to participate in the two-day Africa CEO Forum after concluding his engagements at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. He arrived at Kigali International Airport, also known as Kanombe Airport, at 1:58 p.m. local time on Wednesday and was received by Rwanda’s Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda, and other senior government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director-General Mohammed Mohammed, and Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare. The Nigerian leader is…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed insinuations following his recent visit to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, stating that he does not practise “politics of enmity.” Addressing journalists after inspecting some ongoing projects in the nation’s capital, the FCT minister clarified that his interaction with the APC chairman was a matter of personal association and professional courtesy rather than a formal political meeting. Speaking further, the minister maintained that he is under no obligation to disclose details of his private life or social interactions, stating that the…

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, today, has dismissed widespread speculations that he had defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 General Elections. He made the clarification during an inspection tour of the newly constructed General Hospital and the remodelled Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Rumuigbo, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state. The Governor stated that contrary to reports circulating in sections of the media over the past few days, he remains a committed member of the APC and will continue to work in the overall interest…

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said no fewer than 24,000 Nigerians will benefit from a new $65 million funding phase of the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project. The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the signing of performance contracts for the additional SPESSE financing. He said the new funding builds on the success of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which became effective in 2021. Ribadu said the initiative was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in procurement, environmental management and social standards across public…

The Nigerian military says there is no “credible” or “substantiated” evidence of civilian casualties following an air strike on Tumfa market in Zurmi LGA of Zamfara state. According to AFP, at least 72 people were killed in the wake of Sunday’s missile launch. The newswire, citing a community leader, said some victims’ bodies were “blown beyond recognition”. “The actual death toll is hard to establish at the moment. Everybody, residents and bandits, goes to the market. People are at the mercy of the bandits. There is nothing they can do,” Garba Ibrahim Mashema told AFP. Amnesty International had said the…

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been sworn in for a seventh term, extending his grip on power to nearly 40 years after a commanding victory in January’s highly contested elections. The inauguration ceremony took place on Tuesday at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, where thousands of supporters gathered to witness the veteran leader take the oath of office. Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents, secured 71.65 percent of the vote, according to Uganda’s Electoral Commission. His closest rival, opposition politician and musician Bobi Wine — whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi — won 24.72 percent but dismissed the results as…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s bid to host two major African football events — the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the 2026 CAF Awards Ceremony — in another significant boost for the country’s sporting profile on the continent. The announcement was made during the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, after President Tinubu met with CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, alongside Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, and…

Aliko Dangote said he is targeting a $50 billion valuation for his refinery business ahead of a planned stock market listing in Nigeria later this year. A report by Bloomberg, quoting sources, noted that the company wants to sell up to a 10 per cent stake, potentially raising around $5 billion in one of Nigeria’s biggest capital market deals. The 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery has transformed Nigeria’s fuel supply chain by reducing dependence on imported petroleum products. A senior executive at the Dangote Group confirmed to Bloomberg that the projected valuation reflects the company’s internal expectations but declined to comment further on…